Brooklyn Birth Sicilian Soul

Brooklyn Birth: Sicilian Soul consists of the poet's award winning and published poetry. It follows his life from a child in Brooklyn to teaching days, marriage, fatherhood, and grand parenting. The poetry presents a verbal canvas of his days spent on commercial boats, to late night stickball games on steamy streets, savory spaghetti Sundays surrounded by foods and family. The book details the discovery of his one romantic love, breathtaking exciting births of children and grandchildren, tells of lessons learned, countless students taught, and honors Vietnam heroes. It captures the wondrous journey of a humble writer. Keywords: Poetry, Italian, Brooklyn, Memoir, Family, Travelogue, Vietnam, Teacher, Sicilian, Florida

I tapped my fingers rhythmically as I waited my turn to speak at Dr. Ray Heitzman''s annual writers' conference at Villanova University. The speaker behind the podium captivated me when talking about the legacy of his writing. To paraphrase him, he noted that when he was gone, he did not want children, grandchildren, loved ones, friends and others interested in him or his body of work, to waste time and energy trying to find him in a stone-filled memorial park. If they wanted to find him, he suggested that they rummage his writings, both published and unpublished. Those words provoked me to write this book filled with my poetry. So many of my ideas had been securely folded up and stored away in the caverns of my mind or in dust-filled garages, trapped in sealed and taped boxes. The time had come to unwrap this patch quilt of rich and warm experiences, and deliver them to sunlight to be shared with others. They are now nestled within the bindings of this book. Anytime any of my loved ones wants to find me, whether I'm around here or elsewhere, all they need do is to arrange a rendezvous with my writings. I am grateful to that Villanova speaker for inadvertently influencing me to complete this heartfelt project. All writers live eternally in their words, whether or not they are published. The poetry in this book presents a verbal canvas of my days, from my preteen days spent on commercial fishing boats with earthy Sicilian fishermen, to late night summer stickball games on steamy Brooklyn streets, to waffle Wednesday dining with elementary school friends, and to savory spaghetti Sundays surrounded by tasty food and a most wonderful, caring, and generous family. This verbal travelogue captures the discovery of my one and only romantic dream love, the breathtaking and exciting births of each and every one of my children and grandchildren, and it chronicles the joy and lessons that I've learned from thousands of students and teachers that I was blessed to have taught and trained. Brooklyn Birth: Sicilian Soul captures the winding and wondrous journey and essence of this humble writer.

Made in Sicily is a touching story about life growing up in a Sicilian-American family in Brooklyn during the 40s and 50's. It describes Nicoles parents before her birth, her extraordinarily happy childhood, and follows the rhythm of her life as she comes of age, meets and marries the man of her dreams, the grief when he becomes ill, the anguish and sorrow after his unfortunate death, and the pain of transition and strength of mind after his passing.

In recent years horror and gothic themes have penetrated mainstream popular culture in a manner unseen since the horror boom of the 1970s. Primetime television viewers who before might not have shown interest in such late-night fare now happily settle down after dinner to watch zombie or serial killer shows. This collection of 54 biographical essays examines many overlooked and underrated figures who have played a role in the ever expanding world of horror and gothic entertainment. The contributors push the boundaries of how we define these terms, bringing into the discussion such diverse figures as singer-songwriter Tom Waits, occultist Dion Fortune, author Charles Beaumont, historian and bishop Gregory of Tours and video game designer Shinji Mikami.

The first book to explore the idea and effect of moral injury on veterans, their families, and their communities Although veterans make up only 7 percent of the U.S. population, they account for an alarming 20 percent of all suicides. And though treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder has undoubtedly alleviated suffering and allowed many service members returning from combat to transition to civilian life, the suicide rate for veterans under thirty has been increasing. Research by Veterans Administration health professionals and veterans’ own experiences now suggest an ancient but unaddressed wound of war may be a factor: moral injury. This deep-seated sense of transgression includes feelings of shame, grief, meaninglessness, and remorse from having violated core moral beliefs. Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini, who both grew up in families deeply affected by war, have been working closely with vets on what moral injury looks like, how vets cope with it, and what can be done to heal the damage inflicted on soldiers’ consciences. In Soul Repair, the authors tell the stories of four veterans of wars from Vietnam to our current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan—Camillo “Mac” Bica, Herman Keizer Jr., Pamela Lightsey, and Camilo Mejía—who reveal their experiences of moral injury from war and how they have learned to live with it. Brock and Lettini also explore its effect on families and communities, and the community processes that have gradually helped soldiers with their moral injuries. Soul Repair will help veterans, their families, members of their communities, and clergy understand the impact of war on the consciences of healthy people, support the recovery of moral conscience in society, and restore veterans to civilian life. When a society sends people off to war, it must accept responsibility for returning them home to peace.

Galaxis is a work of hard science fiction in dramatic form. This work is overflowing with science, technology, cosmic adventures, Christian-Catholic spirituality, life, love, and the mercy of God.