Speaker:
Louisa Calio is an internationally published award winning writer and arts advocate. She won First Prize in the 4th Concorso Di Poesia Internazionale – Messina, Città D’Arte, Sicily, November 30, 2013, for “Bhari”; Words of Gold- Concorso di Poesia Il Parnaso premio Angelo LA VECCHIA, Agrigento, Sicily 2016, for “Sky Openings”; First Prize Princess Ronkonkomo Productions in 2016, for “Song of an Italian American Woman”; First Prize, IL Parnaso International, Canicatti Sicily, January 2017 for “Signifyin Woman”. Was a finalist for Poet Laureate of Nassau County in 2013, Winner of the Connecticut Commission of the Arts Award & Grant to individual writers (1978), the Barbara Jones and Taliesin Prizes for Poetry (Trinidad & Tobago), an Arts grant for a multimedia production of her first book of poetry, In the Eye of Balance, (Paradiso Press), Women in Leadership Award Connecticut 1987, & honored with Alice Walker, Gloria Steinem, and others as a Feminist Who Changed America (1963-75) at Columbia/Barnard in 2006. Director, author and performer of multi-media performances set to dance and music by jazz composers, Oliver Lake and Leo Waddah Smith, she was Founding member and first Executive Director of City Spirit Artists, Inc. (1976-1981) a non- profit arts organization in New Haven, Ct.
IDEA Boston is an Italian-inspired festival celebrating authors, books and culture, and organized by independent bookstore I AM Books, situated in Boston's North End neighborhood.
