Christopher DiRaddo's Blog, page 2
May 21, 2024
Pluto in The New York Times
A writer always dreams to make it in the pages of The New York Times. Imagine my surprise to find The Geography of Pluto mentioned in a feature this month by celebrated Canadian novelist Mona Awad (it’s only a sentence, but I’ll take it). Mona made a number of book recommendations for people looking to …
November 1, 2023
Favourite Reads of 2023
The book recommendation site, Shepherd.com, asked me to contribute my three favourite reads of 2023. I read so many books this year, but still, it was an easy selection for me. The three titles are: In Memoriam by Alice Winn Leading Men by Christopher Castellani Dandelion Daughter by Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay (translated into English by Eli …
October 1, 2023
Ciao Dall’Italia!
This weekend I wrapped up a month-long writing residency at Dento La Terra, an artist residence located in Abruzzo, in the small village of Arielli. Every year the program – run by Montreal’s Espace de la Diversité – offers two Quebec writers from marginalized communities (BIPOC, LGBTQ+) the opportunity to travel to Italy and work …
August 23, 2023
Pride / Italfest: It’s a Wrap
Today I packed up the Unveiling the Queer Italian-Canadian Experience exhibit at the Casa D’Italia, marking the end of several hectic but rewarding weeks. Since the beginning of the year, I have worked to produce several events that took place this month. August is always a busy time in Montreal, what with it being Pride. …
Christopher Castellani: Leading Men Interview Now Available to Watch Online
In June, Italian-American author Christopher Castellani came to Montreal to speak with me about his book, Leading Men. The event took place on August 9 at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Montreal. You can watch a recording of the event below (interview starts at 4:10). Ever since I discovered his book in 2019, I’ve …
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August 17, 2023
Shepherd: The Best Books that Uplift and Celebrate Queer Kinship and Chosen Family
I was recently asked by Shepherd – a books discovery site that positions itself as an alternative to Goodreads – to create a list of queer books recommendations around a theme. I chose to do mine on books that celebrate and uplift the idea of chosen family. You can read the recommendations here. I’m always …
July 5, 2023
Audiobook for The Family Way Now Available
I’m happy to say that there is now an audiobook version of The Family Way. It was recorded last winter, featuring the wonderfully talented Ivan Lo. I could not have been more pleased with the outcome. It was a unique experience, helping to select the voice of the person who will narrate your book. Before …
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May 23, 2023
Shake the Disease
Last February, Depeche Mode released their latest single, and with it a video. “Ghosts Again” is the lead track from Memento Mori, the band’s first album since 2017 (it came out March 24), and the first since the passing of keyboardist Andrew Fletcher, who died last May from an aortic dissection at the age of …
January 20, 2023
Queer Perspectives on Writing & Family
Earlier this week, I took part in an interview/conversation with writer Liana Cusmano (Catch and Release, 2021) about writing, family and Italian heritage. The event was organized by Accenti Magazine, in collaboration with the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers (AICW), and with the support of the Canada Council of the Arts via The Writers’ Union of …
January 10, 2023
Queer View Mirror: Thrill Kill Kult’s Sexplosion!
I wrote another essay for Xtra magazine’s Queer View Mirror series, where they look back on important pieces of LGBTQ culture. For this one, I wrote about the Chicago band My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and their 1991 album Sexplosion! The band was super important to me in my younger years, as I …
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