Italian Poet Shares His Love of America at UWG’s The Other Night School Reading Share this page
As part of The Other Night School – a community-based lecture series at the University of West Georgia – Rome-based Italian poet Pietro Federico was welcomed to campus earlier this month as part of the UWG Culture Lab’s Michael and Andrea Stone Visiting Artist Series for a reading of his latest collection, “Most of the Stars.” The collection features 50 poems, one for each U.S. state.
UWG creative writing Professor Greg Fraser and Emory University Associate Teaching Professor of Italian Angela Porcarelli interviewed Federico on his inspiration behind his work.
“I fell in love with your country – with its vastness – and not only geographically,” said Federico. “There’s something about the soul of the country that is limitless.”
Federico emphasized his need to study the U.S. in order to portray it accurately in his work. He was not able to visit all 50 states but traveled to several and gained insight into others through books, movies and conversations with Americans.
“This book required a lot of study, because I could not cover the entire United States by myself,” said Federico.
A majority of his poems are persona poems in which he adopts different characters, portraying a variety of voices. He had to study the world from a distance with the understanding that these were the feelings and perspectives of others, which allowed him to connect more closely with the experiences and emotions of real people.
“I could feel reality more intensely because I had that eagle eye,” said Federico.
Federico also offered a unique lens through which the audience could view both their surroundings and their own experiences. His work encouraged deeper reflection on perspective, empathy and the power of inhabiting different voices to convey complex emotions.
“I hadn't encountered much poetry from different languages or cultures,” said attendee Griffin Lockard. “I agree with a lot of Pietro’s ideas on writing and will try to apply them to my own work.”
To learn more about events hosted by the UWG Culture Lab, visit its website.