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2008

March 19, 2008

St. Joseph's Altar, Barese Style

Joseph Sciorra
Joseph Sciorra
Antonietta Vitucci's St. Joseph's altar, March 18, 2008.

Celebrating St. Joseph in Brooklyn and some thoughts on lived religion.

March 8, 2008

Tony Soprano Made Me Do It!

Joseph Sciorra

Turncoat mafioso’s statement about media depictions of Italian Americans is “smoking gun” say some Italian-Americans. No kidding.

March 5, 2008

Italians in Hollywood

Joseph Sciorra
Anna Magnani in The Fugitive Kind (1959).

Anna Magnani's and Raf Vallone's portrayals of Italian-Americans seen anew in New York.

February 24, 2008

The Indiscreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

Joseph Sciorra
Parmigianino’s Antea (detail), c. 1531–34.

A mysterious Italian woman, perhaps a lover, reveals a robber baron’s not-so-hidden ghosts.

February 10, 2008

Decidedly Not Italian Enough

Joseph Sciorra
Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani

Some thoughts on why I chose to remain silent and why I now think it's worth a blog post, thanks to Anthony Tamburri.

February 10, 2008

Uncovering My Mafia Roots

Joseph Sciorra
The New York Times
Front page story of The New York Times, April 10, 1969.

What do you do when you discover an unsavory fact from your family history?

January 26, 2008

The Cultural Politics of Coffee

Joseph Sciorra
Joseph Sciorra
Mimmo Lepore, Sal’s Pizzeria, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. January 26, 2008.

In Search of a Decent Espresso in New York City.

January 21, 2008

Remembering James Groppi

Joseph Sciorra
Wisconsin Historical Society
Father James Groppi and civil rights leaders during NAACP march, Milwaukee, 1968.

Activist James Groppi (1930-1985) marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and others in the struggle for freedom.

January 11, 2008

Poet Vincent Ferrini, 1913-2007

Joseph Sciorra
Vincent Ferrini reciting "Forge Plant."

Poet Vincent Ferrini, 1913-2007

January 8, 2008

The Cost of Freedom: The Rascals' Struggle for Change

Joseph Sciorra
Photo courtesy of Joe Russo/TheRascalsArchives.com
"Good Lovin'" (1966), The Young Rascals

"In 1967-68, The Rascals were on top of the pop charts. So they decided to use their power to take a stand on Civil Rights. That’s when the problems started."