From the Same White Desk, A Second Volume of Here & Now: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writing

By Licia Canton

The publication of Here & Now: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writing (2021) identified a subcorpus, a queer component, to the existing corpus of Italian-Canadian literature. That first volume included writings by 35 queer Italian Canadians and three allies. Here & Now Volume 2: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writing[1] (2024) features 50 writers; 27 of these are new to the project.[2] With the publication of Volume 2, that subcorpus has grown and continues to do so. The stories, personal essays, poems and interviews included in Volume 2 are informative learning tools for readers not familiar with the LGBTQ+ community. Moreover, some of the contributors have openly expressed that being published in one or both of the volumes has made them feel accepted and validated.

For Elio Iannacci, whose poetry appears in both volumes, the Here & Now anthologies provide a sense of belonging to a community at the intersection of queerness and Italian Canadianness. “Here & Now allowed me to connect with writers who read, write, re-read and re-write Italian culture in ways that don’t subscribe to stereotypical convention,” Elio Iannacci writes in an email dated September 10, 2024. “I found so much comfort in knowing there were colleagues who, like me, wish to push boundaries, break new ground and write about lives lived beyond the illusions connected to traditional Italian family value systems. To find voices which go against the idea that the creation of heterosexual, cis-gender families is the only apex in life to strive toward was enthralling and galvanizing.” According to Iannacci, the project has created a space for Queer Italian-Canadian writers “to unsubscribe from a clearly warped narrative that has been going on for decades. It has allowed many of us, including me, to see community for what it can be.”

 

I am often asked why I decided to put together a second volume. Simply put, Volume 2 is essential. It took three years after the first volume appeared because this is not a project that could be rushed. By the time Here & Now (2021) went to print, I had already started a folder with names of contributors who had not made the deadline for Volume 1. It was clear to me that a second volume was needed: it was important to keep moving forward in order to increase the visibility of queer Italian-Canadian writers, as well as continue the conversations, discussions and debates provoked and/or inspired by Volume 1 and the documentary film Creative Spaces (2021). The real work started once the book was published.

I am thrilled that the second volume has been presented at public events and launches across Canada. In May, Here & Now Volume 2 was officially launched in Montreal during the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival.[3] In June, the Toronto[4] and Vancouver[5] launches took place alongside the celebrations of Pride Month and Italian Heritage Month. The volume was also presented at the University of Burgos[6] and at York University.[7] Online events were organized by Oxford University and the University of Birmingham as well as by Accenti Magazine and the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers (AICW).[8] Contributor Paul Coccia organized two literary events in Toronto; and contributor Christopher DiRaddo organized an event in collaboration with ItalFest, Fierté Montréal and Italo Queer Montreal. Francesco Esposito, director of ICFF Quebec, featured Here & Now Volume 2 at the launch of the Montreal film festival.

It is particularly invigorating to see in-person celebrations of Volume 2. Let us not forget that Volume 1 appeared at the height of the pandemic. As a result, we could not have in-person launches or discussions at the time of its publication. It is also important to remember that after the publication of Volume 1 and the release of the documentary film Creative Spaces,[9] both in 2021, the project was met with a measure of resistance within some Italian-Canadian circles.[10] It was imperative that we create events in order to demonstrate the importance of acceptance and inclusion. As Paul Coccia states in his interview with OMNI, “We’re just the same. Our worries, our humanity, our love. It’s the same as what you already know.”[11] Therefore, it is inspiring and encouraging to see large numbers in the Italian-Canadian community attend events in support of its LGBTQ+ component. It is important to continue to inform and raise awareness, while strengthening the community that intersects the LGBTQ+ lived experience and the Italian-Canadian reality.

Both Here & Now anthologies include the work of established authors as well as emerging writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. For writers at the beginning of their careers, the anthologies have brought more confidence. Jessica Carpinone, for instance, was published in both volumes of Here & Now. “Being part of the anthologies helped me feel validated and recognized for my creative writing. Being published alongside writers I admire and respect was a vote of confidence that I needed to keep pushing myself towards publication,” writes Carpinone in an email dated June 2, 2024. “Second, it allowed me to make connections with people who are now introducing me to new opportunities all the time. It has opened up a world of literary opportunities that I previously didn’t even know existed.”

More than 60 writers are published in the two Here & Now anthologies, which constitute a new queer Italian-Canadian literary corpus. For some writers it was their first published work. Some may have been published before but not in a queer context, or in an Italian-Canadian context, or in a queer and Italian-Canadian context. For some of the writers, it may have been significant to be “reintroduced” to the literary world in this way. They may have reached new audiences; they may have found a new sense of belonging.

Julian A M.P., who contributed a personal essay in Here & Now Volume 2, writes (in an email dated September 10, 2024): “I struggled for many years to understand my personal situation regarding gender identity and sexuality. Being invited to take part in this beautifully curated publication was extremely validating. I was very grateful to read the volume and to meet so many of the participants at the reading events. It was uplifting to become a member of this community and to experience solidarity with so many who fought hard to find themselves.”

Together, the Here & Now anthologies are the most comprehensive volumes of writing by queer Italian-Canadians. The volumes raise awareness about the queer Italian-Canadian reality, helping to break down barriers and encourage inclusion. In part, due to the series of events around the Here & Now anthologies, the interest in queer Italian-Canadian writing continues to grow. The Queer and Italian Canadian Project is an important community-building project which has inspired other initiatives. About 30 of the contributors in the Here & Now anthologies have taken part in a research project at the University of Toronto.[12] Some have also been featured in the pan-Canadian exhibit “Unveiling the Italian-Canadian Experience” by documentary photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo and poet Liana Cusmano.

 

 

Since 2021, we can say there is a queer Italian-Canadian literary corpus, one which keeps growing. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Professor Abril Liberatori, the Mariano A. Elia Chair at York University, and the members of the selection committee who saw the worthiness of this project. I am also grateful to the many individuals and institutions who have supported the project in big and small ways.

Here & Now Volume 2 can be purchased at Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto, Octopus Bookstore in Ottawa, Librairie n’était-ce pas l’été in Montreal or at https://accenti.ca/store/

[1] Here & Now Volume 2 was published by Longbridge Books in May 2024. The volume includes a two-part introduction by scholars Paolo Frascà and Mirko Casagranda. The literary artists featured in the volume  include Amber Dawn, Julian A M.P., Michael Belcher, Scott Belluz, Tina Biello, Anthony Bonato, Gaspare Borsellino, Anna Camilleri, Jessica Carpinone, Giuseppe Caruso, Samantha Civitarese, Rachele Clemente, Paul Coccia, Emilio Colalillo, Liana Cusmano, Selena Di-Filippo, Vee Di Gregorio, Julia-Rose DiPalo, Christopher DiRaddo, John Di Stefano, Michael D’Itri, Nikki Donadio, Konrad Eisenbichler, Matthew Fox, Paolo Frascà, Steve Galluccio, Julia Gerbasi, Melissa Giacomini, Milena Gioia, Nicole Haldoupis, Elio Iannacci, Erica Lenti, Benedetto Magagnin, Ariana Magliocco, Angelina Mazza, Steff(ania) Juniper Mendolia, Monica Meneghetti, Anna Nobile, Maria-Hélèna Pacelli, Anthony Portulese, Ryan Pulcini, Giulio Recchioni, Jeremy R. Saunders, Heather Sdao, Christopher Sisca, Samantha Titcombe, Celeste Turner, Vic Valente, mickey vescera.

[2] Here & Now Volume 2: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writing (2024) is a key component of the Queer and Italian Canadian Project, which acknowledges and celebrates Canadians of Italian origin who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. The project includes a first volume and the documentary film Creative Spaces (2021) as well as a series of online events available on YouTube.

[3] The event was hosted by Liana Cusmano and Christopher DiRaddo (May 2, 2024).

[4] The Toronto launch, at Villa Charities (June 6, 2024), was hosted by Melissa Giacomini, Paul Coccia and Christine Sansalone (President of the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers - AICW).

Watch OMNI’s coverage of the Toronto launch: https://youtu.be/glDnhiqxakg?si=QoSClwCLiV-wSp7K

[5] The Vancouver launch (June 20, 2024) was held at the Italian Cultural Centre. The event was organized by Museum Director Angela Clarke and AICW co-founder Anna Foschi Ciampolini.

[6] On May 16, 2024, the documentary film Creative Spaces and Here & Now Volume 2 were presented at the University of Burgos in Spain. Scholars Domenico A. Beneventi and Mirko Casagranda and writers Heather Sdao and Liana Cusmano spoke about their contributions to the project. The event was organized and hosted by Prof. Concetta Sigona.

[7] On September 27, 2024, Here & Now Volume 2 was presented at York University during the 19^th biennial conference of the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers (AICW).

[8] Online events were hosted by Alice Parrinello at Oxford University (May 8, 2024); Charlotte Ross and Michela Baldo at University of Birmingham (June 25, 2024). The Association of Italian-Canadian Writers and Accenti Magazine hosted an event for National Poetry Month (April 19, 2024) which is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yL1soSPsmf0?si=AjwTGfwWd1qiQyUw.

[9] The 28-minute film Creative Spaces: Queer and Italian Canadian (2021) is available online: https://youtu.be/Cyhhe4gzsfQ?si=B0eTFBp8LV96WyHp)

[10] See Paolo Frascà’s introduction (“O tempora! O mores!”) in Here & Now Volume 2.

[11] See https://youtu.be/glDnhiqxakg?si=QoSClwCLiV-wSp7K 2:26-2:21.

[12] The project “Queer Italian-Canadian Artists: A Study on Ethnic Belonging and Cultural Production” is co-directed by Paolo Frascà and Licia Canton. Visit https://www.qic-artists.com/

[13] “Unveiling the Italian-Canadian Experience” premiered in Montreal in August 2023, was exhibited in Toronto in June 2024 and will be in Vancouver in 2025. See the OMNI report: https://youtu.be/glDnhiqxakg?si=QoSClwCLiV-wSp7K.