Book Reviews
Review of John Milward's Americanaland: Where Country Met Rock 'n Roll
Review essay about Aaron S. Lecklider's 2021 book
Review of James Sullivan's Which Side Are You On? 20th Century American History in 100 Protest Songs, in which the author sets out to "tell the story of modern American democracy" through 100 songs that "span a century of petition in the name of social progress."
Unveiling the Muse documents how a stigmatized but resilient social minority asserted its presence in New Orleans' foremost cultural celebration, Mardi Gras
PopMatters review of October: The Story of the Russian Revolution by China Miéville,
The Original Blues: The Emergence of the Blues in African American Vaudeville debunks popular notions about the origins of the blues.
Music Features
CGS leader Mauro Durante and co-producer Justin Adams discuss making the new Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino LP, Meridiana, under Covid-19's challenging conditions and suspended time.
Interview in La Voce di New York with the Sicilian singer-songwriters about their first album in more than 10 years, their work in theater and film, and their own experience as emigrants.
My PopMatters report from New Orleans about the annual Satchmo Summerfest and the New Orleans' Jazz Museum's new Louis Prima exhibition.
Sicilian jazz virtuoso Francesco Cafiso talks about New Orleans jazz
Profile of New Orleans producer, songwriter and performer Carlo Ditta (PopMatters)
Howlin' Wolf's Rocking Chair -- a track-by-track appraisal of a blues classic (PopMatters)
An Interview with jazz master Joe Lovano
Music Reviews
The sophomore LP from Paris-based blues-rock trio Delgres, 4:00 AM, is a cohesive and moving response to the forced migration of people of the Global South.
Bettye Lavette's new collection of 12 Bob Dylan songs confirms her longstanding reputation as a great interpreter; her supremely soulful renditions make us hear them anew.
Fiction
My short story about an aspect of Sicily that may surprise. "The summer before he went away to university Lorenzo got a phone call that made everything clear..."
"Gabby," a short story based on some real people and real cats
My short story published in 2018 in the online literary journal Ovunque Siamo
Journalism
My feature article about Andrea Camilleri, the Sicilian author of the internationally p[opular "Inspector Montalbano" novels.
Interview with Christopher Castellani about his novel Leading Men (2019)
The history of New Orleans' third-largest festival and a report from the 2018 edition
Professor and poet Michele Messina Reale documents the complex lives and struggles of refugees in Sicily
Commentary on the life and political career of Frank Barbaro, the former Brooklyn dockworker and labor organizer who became a New York State representative and Supreme Court justice.
Remembrance of the late Cosimo Matassa, who recorded many of the great R&B and rock 'n roll hits that defined the New Orleans Sound.
Essay
This essay is my contribution to The Routledge History of the Italian Americans (2018)
A personal essay about my first trip to Sicily (from VIA, Voices in Italian Americana)
Film Criticism
Essay from Mafia Movies: A Reader (University of Toronto)
Cultural Criticism and Reporting
"A Finook in the Crew: Vito Spatafore, The Sopranos, and the Queering of the Mafia Genre" (from The Essential Sopranos Reader
Nonfiction
"Finally, a book that helps to explain America’s enduring fascination with the mythology of the Mafia."
--JOHN TURTURRO