2026 Authors and Presenters – Copyright 2021 © All Rights Reserved

Name	Biography	Portrait
Salvatore Bancheri	Salvatore Bancheri is a Professor Emeritus of Italian, University of Toronto (UofT). He served as: Interim Chair of the Department of Language Studies, UofT Mississauga (2002-2023); Chair and Emilio Goggio Chair of the Department of Italian Studies, UofT (2011-2019); Director of the Frank Iacobucci Centre for Italian Canadian Studies (2005–2019); editor of Italian Canadiana (2004–2019); President of the American Association of Teachers of Italian (2014-2017). His research interests and publications include: textual criticism, religious theatre, second-language teaching and learning, theatre theory and performance, Italian Canadian Studies. In 2018, he was conferred the title of “Ufficiale dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia.
Simone Casini	Dr. Simone Casini is Associate Professor of Educational Linguistics at the University of Tuscia in Viterbo. He was Associate Professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga from 2017 to 2023. He authored many scholarly activities including several books such as Language Creativity: A Semiotic Perspective. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books (2020), Lingue e linguaggi d’Italia in Canada. Riflessioni di linguistica educative su Quannu nun era matrimoniu ‘ppi procura di Lina Riccobene. Toronto-Ottawa-New York: Legas (2021) with Salvatore Bancheri and Che cosa è la linguistica educativa Roma: Carocci (2016) with Massimo Vedovelli. Simone Casini published over 55 publications in the most important international journals including Forum Italicum, Italian Canadiana, Italica, Le forme e la storia. Rivista di filologia moderna, Mosaic, Semiotica, Studi canadesi, and Studi italiani di linguistica teorica e applicata. He won funding for two projects in 2019 and 2021 financed by the Jackman Humanities Institute. Professor Casini is currently the co-investigator for the SSHRC project (Social sciences and Humanities) Italiese and its new developments: from endangered to a global language (2022-2025).
Arianna Dagnino	Dr. Arianna Dagnino is a writer, journalist, and researcher at the University of British Columbia. Holding a PhD in Comparative Literature, her career across five continents has cultivated a transnational perspective on identity, migration, and cultural transformation. Her work explores the human stories within global shifts.
Caroline Morgan Di Giovanni	Caroline Morgan Di Giovanni came from Philadelphia to Toronto in 1966 to attend St. Michael's College, U. of T. She married Alberto Di Giovanni in 1972. They have worked together to promote the Italian Canadian community. Caroline edited Italian Canadian Voices: an anthology of poetry and prose 1946-1983 (Mosaic Press) and Italian Canadian Voices 1946-2004 (Mosaic Press). She has published 4 books of poetry, the latest title is Personal Mysteries (Mosaic Press: 2025). Her poems are included in several AICW anthologies and Brownstone Poets anthologies, some journals, and online.
Josie Di Sciascio-Andrews	Josie Di Sciascio-Andrews was born in Italy in 1955 and immigrated to Canada in 1968. She studied French and Italian Literature at the University of Toronto, later earning degrees in education and Italian Literature, and taught languages at all levels. Deeply engaged in both Italian and Canadian literary communities, she is a member of the Ontario Poetry Society, the League of Canadian Poets, and the Canadian Italian Writers Association. She is the author of eight poetry collections, most recently A Nomenclature for Light (2025), and two nonfiction books, including How the Italians Created Canada. Her award-winning poetry has been widely published, translated into multiple languages, and recognized internationally, including major prizes in Italy. She lives and writes in Oakville, Ontario.
Silvia Falsaperla	Silvia Falsaperla is a graduate of University of Toronto. She has been one of the winners of four literary contests in Canada. She has read her work in international literary conferences and her poems have been translated into Italian, Spanish, and Japanese. She has published a hybrid collection of poetry and short stories entitled The Garden of Kolymbethra and Other Poems and Stories about Sicily in 2024 by Legas Publishing. A second collection of poetry Persephone's Summer was recently released by Ekstasis Editions. She has also translated a novel, My Bare Face, just published by Guernica Editions.
Anna Maria Farabbi	Anna Maria Farabbi è una poeta, narratrice, saggista e traduttrice italiana, nata a Perugia nel 1959. Nella sua scrittura alterna l’italiano al dialetto dell’area appenninica umbra, spesso legato a Montelovesco, luogo che ricorre come matrice affettiva e linguistica della sua opera. È considerata una voce originale della poesia contemporanea italiana per l’intreccio fra corpo, natura, oralità, memoria e ricerca spirituale, con una lingua essenziale ma fortemente visionaria. Tra le sue raccolte poetiche più note si ricordano Fioritura notturna del tuorlo (1996), Il segno della femmina (2000), Adlujè (2003), Abse (2013), Dentro la O (2016) e La casa degli scemi (2017). Accanto alla poesia, Farabbi ha pubblicato anche opere di narrativa, testi per ragazzi, teatro e lavori di traduzione. La sua attività letteraria si distingue per una forte attenzione etica e civile, oltre che per un costante lavoro sulla voce, sul silenzio e sulla relazione tra parola poetica e esperienza del vivere.
Paolo Frascà	Paolo Frascà teaches at the University of Toronto and his work focusses on three main areas: pedagogy, particularly the teaching of Italian language and culture through a sociocultural approach and through collaborative, experiential methodologies; migration studies, with a focus on the Italian-Canadian community and its histories, languages, practices, and cultural production; sexuality and gender studies, specifically Queer theories and the Italian gay liberation movement of the 1970s. He co-directs the Indigenous-Italian-Canadian Connections Project (with Dr. Angela Nardozi) and the Queer Italian-Canadian Artists Project (with Dr. Licia Canton). Accolades include a Faculty Outstanding Achievement Award, an Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and a Senior Fellowship at the University of Toronto's Centre for Community Partnerships. He is the author of a number of peer-review publications and a conference organizer or speaker at venues that range from Oxford and Harvard Universities to the Italian Senate.
Joe Giampaolo	Joe Giampaolo was born in Rome, Italy, in 1963, and moved to Canada as a teenager. Joe’s publishing career includes seventeen books—essays, historical fiction, and poetry—and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles in both Italian and English. Joe's books, which have garnered many international literary awards and reached bestseller status on Amazon in the USA, UK, Canada, and Italy, have been sold in over 20 countries worldwide. In spring 2025, Joe served as a voting juror for Il Premio Strega, one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards. Joe writes poetry in both free verse and traditional Japanese styles, including haiku, tanka, and chöka. Joe weaves topics such as love and metaphysics into his poetry, which is at times lyrical and passionate, and at times ethereal, delicate, and deeply steeped in Zen aesthetics.
Carole Giangrande	Carole Giangrande was born and raised in the New York city area, and came to Canada to study at the University of Toronto. She's worked as a broadcast journalist for CBC Radio, a Writer-in-Residence and as a teacher of journalism and political science, and she's given readings at Harbourfront, Hart House and the Banff Centre for the Arts. Her fiction, articles and reviews have appeared in Grain, New Quarterly, Descant, Canadian Forum, Matrix, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star and Books in Canada. Her poetry has been published in Queens Quarterly, Grain, Spiritus, The New Quarterly, Braided Way, Mudlark and Prairie Fire. Her essays have appeared in Eastern Iowa Review, EcoTheo Review and Antigonish Review. She's married and lives in Toronto where she enjoys birding and photography.
Stefano Gulmanelli	With a background in Economics and a PhD in Sociology, Dr. Stefano Gulmanelli has worked as a corporate manager, journalist, photographer, and academic across the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and North America. His experience informs an interdisciplinary practice that combines research, writing, and photography, bringing these perspectives together in his storytelling.
Joseph Maviglia	Born in Ottawa, Joseph Maviglia attended the prestigious Banff Centre for the Arts after attending Simon Fraser University. He settled in Toronto where he was part of a group of singer-songwriter and poets in the vanguard of Toronto's musical and literary circles. Joseph’s career has spanned several decades and included tours across Canada, the United States and Europe. Among the highlights are performances at The WOMAD Festival of World Music, the National Gallery of Canada, New York's Nuyorican Poets' Cafe, and The International School of Brussels. Joseph’s song, 'Father, It's Time' appeared on the Juno Award-winning CD 'The Gathering', and his two successive CDs, 'Memory to Steel' and 'Angel in the Rain', both received critical acclaim. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation commissioned Joseph to write a tribute poem on the 50th anniversary of the publication of Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’. Joseph has published a number of books: 'A God Hangs Upside Down' (Guernica Editions) and 'Freakin' Palomino Blue' (Mosaic Press). He also published works of non-fiction 'Critics Who Know Jack: Urban Myths, Media and Rock and Roll’ (Guernica Editons). In 2019 Joseph’s novella ‘The Sicilian Cowboys’ was published by Quattro Editions. Joseph lives in Toronto.
Marco Melfi	Marco Melfi won The Fiddlehead’s 2021 Ralph Gustafson Poetry Contest and has had poems published in The Antigonish Review, Arc Poetry Magazine, EVENT Magazine, Funicular Magazine, Hungry Zine, Literary Review of Canada, The New Quarterly, Prairie Fire, and PRISM International. He lives in Edmonton on Treaty 6 territory.
Michael Mirolla	Michael is the author of numerous novels, plays, film scripts, short stories and poetry collections. His novella The Last News Vendor won the 2021 Hamilton Literary Award and his poetry collection At the End of the World was shortlisted in 2022. Three previous books were winners of the Bressani Prize. His short stories "The Sand Flea" and "Casebook: In The Matter of Father Dante Lazaro" were Pushcart Prize nominees. Michael has worked as an editor for more than 40 years, and has served as the editor-in-chief of Guernica Editions since 2010. A Symposium on his works recently took place in Toronto. He lives in Gananoque, Ontario
Irina Moga	Irina Moga is the author of several poetry collections and a member of The Writers' Union of Canada and The League of Canadian Poets. Her book "Variations sans palais" (Éditions L'Harmattan, Paris) won the international literary prize "Dina Sahyouni" (France) in 2022. "Quantum," her latest poetry book, was released by DarkWinter Press in 2025. Irina's poems and short fiction have appeared in literary journals such as “Canadian Literature," "carte blanche," “The New Quarterly”, "Contemporary Verse 2," “Hotch Potch Literature and Art” and have been nominated for the SFPA Rhysling Award and Best of the Net.
Frank Moyo	Frank Moyo is a teacher, singer-songwriter, and now, a children’s book author based in Toronto, Ontario. With a background in Italian and Archaeology from the University of Toronto, Frank pursued a career in education, becoming an elementary school music teacher. Growing up surrounded by all four of his grandparents—who immigrated from Cosenza, Calabria—Frank was immersed in the richness of Italian culture from an early age. Now, as a music teacher, Frank shares his love for Italian culture through song, blending language, history, and music to create an engaging and meaningful experience for his students. His passion for storytelling extends beyond the classroom, leading him to publish his first children’s book—a heartfelt tribute to family, tradition, and the enduring bond between grandparents and grandchildren.
Antonio Nicaso	Storico delle mafie, Antonio Nicaso è considerato uno dei massimi studiosi di fenomeni criminali nel mondo. È docente di storia delle organizzazioni criminali alla Queen’s University in Canada e direttore associato della Scuola Italiana del Middlebury College in Vermont. Ha pubblicato più di 60 libri, tra cui molti bestseller internazionali, e ha scritto la voce criminalità organizzata per l’enciclopedia Treccani. Da un suo libro è stata tratta la serie televisiva Bad Blood. È coautore del programma Lezioni di mafie, trasmesso su La7 e di altre trasmissioni in Canada, Stati Uniti, Inghilterra, Australia e Italia.
Cindy Staffieri	"Cofounder of Zenan Custom Cresting, Cindy created a company culture that empowered her staff and created opportunities for both personal and business growth. Under her leadership, Zenan Custom Cresting ranked in the Top 5 most influential branding companies in North America. Having exited the professional workforce, Cindy Staffieri has completed her B.A. at the University of Toronto. Her major is Art History with a minor in Italian Studies. As an immigrant’s daughter, a mother, a student, and sexual assault survivor, she is a passionate mentor for women. Our Mothers' Sins is her first book.
Giulia Volpe	Giulia is an Italian-Canadian author and actor. Several years ago she had to leave the workforce due to a serious back injury. She turned to writing during her first 2 years of bedrest and published her 1st children's book, The Fox & the Castle--a story about challenges one encounters in life. She received notable, positive feedback for it. Her 2nd book, 31 Life Lessons That My Children Taught Me, is an inspirational picture book intended to promote reading between parent and child. She had it translated into 5 languages so far: Italian, Spanish, German, Czech and French. For Giulia, preserving one's heritage and language is of utmost importance. In this light, her book can effectively fulfill various roles, including that of sharing valuable life lessons in the language of one's ancestry. Her 3rd children's book will be published this summer (2026). Giulia is also finishing up her very first novel.