The Piccirilli Factor is a feature-length documentary exploring the legacy of the Piccirilli Brothers, Italian American sculptors who greatly contributed to shaping New York City’s urban landscape by carving some of its most iconic monuments. From their Bronx studio, they also brought to life national symbols like the Lincoln Memorial, blending artistry and back-breaking labor into the fabric of American identity. Through rare archival materials and expert interviews, the film reveals a hidden chapter in the story of public art and the collaborative spirit behind the City Beautiful movement.
Post-screening discussion led by Joseph Sciorra, John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.
Wednesday, November 29, 2023, 6pm
Angelo Zeolla reads from The Bronx Unbound, ovvero i versi Bronxesi (Bordighera Press, 2023)
With rugged verse “like a strega’s curse,” Angelo Zeolla navigates the stoops and alleyways of the Bronx through worlds of languages, dialects, cultures, and more. The Bronx Unbound is a kaleidoscopic collection, unveiling the Mediterranean dimensions in the New York City borough and, as he writes, “the realization that civilization/is eternally caught up in the/flux.” The child of Campanian immigrants, Zeolla has published in the journal Philadelphia Poets and the 2008 anthology Avanti Popolo: Italian Americans Sailing beyond Christopher Columbus. This event offers an opportunity to experience Zeolla’s dynamic performance of his transcultural poetry.
Angelo Zeolla will be joined by:
Luis Canyada, Division X emcee
Peter Carravetta, Stony Brook University
Nick Matros, poet
Elisabetta Sanino D’Amanda, Rochester Institute of Technology
