Florence Writers Group: A Debut

Florence Writers Group: A Debut

The first-ever local Anglophile authors group, Florence Writers, has just been established in a city that past illustrious expatriate authors such as Henry James, George Eliot, Mark Twain and Dylan Thomas also called home.

Unlike Italian “writers,” a term used to denote graffiti practitioners—a relatively recent phenomenon in Tuscany—Florence Writers is geared toward both emerging and established authors across a variety of genres and ages.

Part of the newly formed St. Mark’s Cultural Association based at via Maggio 16/18, the group’s meetings and events, open to the public, will also provide a social space for writers and lovers of literature. The new priest of St. Mark’s English church, the Reverend William Lister, a former army chaplain who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, is also a published poet.  Lectures will typically be followed by moderated discussions in a relaxed, casual setting.

The Florence Writers fall program features a poetry workshop on October 5 (starting at 10 am), led by Jeanine Hathaway, author of The Ex-Nun Poems.  The theme is the art of description, and specifically, vivid verbs.  Shortly after, on October 7 (6:30 pm), Janice Graham, an author featured on the New York Times bestsellers list with Firebird, will give a talk on “The Brontës and the Shelleys:  Crafting Stories from Lives.”

Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) both resided in Florence, Livorno and Pisa. During his time in Florence, the Romantic poet wrote “Ode to the West Wind” in the Cascine Park.  Later, Shelley perished at sea in a storm between Livorno and La Spezia, and was cremated on the beach at Viareggio.  Lecturer Janice Graham, currently based in Florence, is a Kansas native and historic fiction writer draws on her experiences living in places as varied as Paris and Jerusalem.

The new English translation of Renaissance humanist Leon Battista Alberti’s classic Della Statua (Of the Statue) will be presented by local American sculptor Jason Arkles (Oct. 15, 7 pm).  Libby Cataldi will give a behind the scenes look at her memoir Stay Close, a mother’s story of her son’s addiction (Nov. 4, 6:30 pm).  Upcoming events also include classical music performances; for details visit www.stmarksitaly.com. (rosanna cirigliano/additional reporting by mary gray)