October 2024

President’s Message

Ciao A Tutti,

Fall is here and with it yellow raincoats, steaming boules of sourdough, and the witching simmer of a hearty minestrone on the stovetop. Here at Dante HQ, we have already said ciao to our first two meetings of the season. Thank you again to all who came out and took part in the socializing, wine drinking, and attentive listening. As someone who seldom finds the time to eat before heading out to such events, I was especially impressed with the selection of antipasti you all brought to our most recent meeting. Sicilian chicken liver mousse, trout (or was it salmon?) cream dip, and let no one forget that stunner of a torta with, if my mind remembers right, shaved almonds and an almost kringle-like texture that crumbled into flakes of sugar and warm honey with each bite. Who knew our dear society was full of so many gastronomes?

Festa Italiana was this weekend. Thank you to each and every member who stepped in to help man the booth and share Dante’s mission of spreading the Italian language and culture throughout the PNW. As always, you answered our call to action. And now, after what I am sure was a busy weekend of wine stomping and pizza noshing, you can rest soundly knowing that you did a job well done.

While we are on the topic of thanks, I’d also like to take a moment to thank Joyce Ramee, Dante’s past president, for all the work she’s been putting in behind the scenes to help keep our little ship from running aground. I had the pleasure of attending one of Joyce’s classical viola recitals last month, and as someone whose knowledge of classical music barely extends beyond a basic thumbs up, thumbs down, level of sophistication, I marvel at how Joyce finds the time to be so good at her instrument and still so generous with her energy outside of her official duties as an educator and performer. She is the definition of a service leader and we are fortunate to have her.

October is looking to be another thoughtful month of events. First up, we have Gina Siciliano on October 9th. I first met Gina while she was working as a bookseller at one of my favorite used books stores. Later, I ran into her while she was working at a different used book store down in Pike Market. I’d known of Gina’s tremendous talent as an illustrator and author for some time, but it wasn’t until this second run-in that it occurred to me to ask if she might be interested in speaking about her highly-acclaimed book, I Know What I Am: The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi, to our members.

The Guardian said of Gina’s book, “I Know What I Am is an extraordinary debut — a beautifully drawn portrait of the Italian baroque painter.” It’s with great pleasure that we are able to welcome her to the Dante stage.

The Seattle Channel’s Feature on Gina

For our Italian presentation later in the month, I’m pleased to welcome, Mario Cazzanti. This event will be a co-presentation with IL Punto. Mario will be sharing a series of songs and poems with the common thread of peace.

That’s it for now. Since beginning this letter, the sky has darkened and the streetlights have begun to glow… I can still hear the traffic cruising down Mercer, but it’s less hurried than during the rush hour prior. I wish you all a pleasant beginning of Fall and look forward to hearing all your new stories at our upcoming meeting.

In Bocca Al Lupo,

Trevor K. Pogue

Info on this month’s meetings

October 9th (English)

Author & artist Gina Siciliano speaks about her graphic novel, I Know What I Am: The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi

Gina Siciliano Biography

Gina Siciliano is an artist, writer, musician, and historian living in Seattle, WA. She is the creator of I Know What I Am: The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi, a graphic biography of Italy’s most famous woman painter of the seventeenth-century. This ground-breaking synthesis of academic research and ball-point pen art took seven years to complete. I Know What I Am was published by Fantagraphics in 2019, and won an Independent Publisher Award, an American Librarians Association award, and was a finalist for a Washington State Book Award. Since then, Siciliano has been lecturing about Artemisia, comics, and the story of I Know What I Am to audiences in museums, schools, and media, including: the Seattle Art Museum, BBC’s Radio 3, the Phoenix Art Museum, the Frick Museum, Pittsburgh, St. Olaf College, Minnesota, Washington State University, Vancouver, Hugo House, Seattle, and more. Siciliano graduated from Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2007, where she studied oil painting, anatomical illustration, comics, and zines. She continues to paint, primarily portraiture, often utilizing early modern and Caravaggesque techniques. Siciliano is also currently working at a used bookshop and creating a new series of essay comics. See her work at www.ginasiciliano.com and patreon.com/IKnowWhatIAm.

October 23rd (Italian)

Join us in this special collaboration with Il Punto! Mario Cazzanti presents a poetic itinerary ‘Dall’Andalusia all’Ucraina’ (co-authored by Mario Zuccari). The pre-presentation aperitivo (food and drinks) are also being sponsored by Il Punto!

Mario Cazzanti (presenter & co-author) Biography

Mario Cazzanti is from a small town between Ferrara and Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna region. Young he attended “Liceo classico” in Ferrara and Savona, but at university in Milan he chose a technical faculty. His passion for the classic authors never dies. He started to work for an American computer manufacturing company very well present also in Europe. He traveled a lot to many plant sites and education centers in Europe, but mainly in the US as liaison for the company’s orders and production. He lived in Rochester  MN for more than 20 years and he worked for the same company for 42 years. Later after retirement in 2011 he moved to Seattle close to his son’s family. Now is trying to return something to his new community centers.

Marco Zuccari (co-author) Biography

Marco Zuccari studied in his hometown of Domodossola in the Piedmont region and later graduated in mathematics from a university in Milan. His professional career involved working in the field of information technology, mostly from an organizational perspective. Zuccari is enthusiastic, curious, and loves life and traveling. He’s an avid reader and writer, having published several books and contributed to various publications.  Marco pursued his passion for Dante and his works later in life, becoming an expert in the field and holding several presentations on these subjects at school and cultural events. Zuccari also treads the boards, both performing and directing. Marco can be reached via his website: www.marcozuccari.it

Language Program

by Giuseppe Tassone

The 2024-25 school year of the Italian language program of the Dante Alighieri of Washington begins on Thursday, October 3rd . This year we are celebrating our 40th anniversary of continuous Italian language instruction in Seattle, the latest 26 under my coordination. Our Italian language program has certainly proven over the years to be a wonderful source for all those interested to begin their journey of learning Italian or advancing and perfecting their language skills. With our online offering we are now able to offer the same quality experience in a more convenient format.

Quality and convenience are reflecting in our registration numbers. Enrollment grew 30% this year ending up with all levels reaching full capacity and multiple sections of the same level offered. Anticipating the positive trend and retention rate, greatly contributed by our teacher’s commitment, passion and dedication to our students, we opened two teachers positions and we selected two engaging instructors.

This quarter we are welcoming Gabriella Vagnoli and Tiziana Pibiri joining our talented staff and bringing their expertise and enthusiasm to our program. Find out more about Gabriella  and Tiziana and the entire language program staff on our website.

Those interested to the PLIDA exam can refer to the PLIDA page. Next session is November 13th .

In bocca al lupo to our teachers, new and returning students for a successful and rewarding school year. Mark your calendar for Sunday, October 20th at 2:00 p.m. for the Dante Alighieri Language School Mixer. Arrivederci!

Additional Topics

How well do you know your Dante trivia?

• How many gold medals did Italy win during the 2024 Summer Olympics?

• What was the name of the now-defunct Italian airline?

• What is the longest river in Italy?

Nic Minotti has put together another fabulous trivia game that he shared at the September meeting. But you can still join in on the fun:

Here are even more trivia questions to test yourself.

And here are the trivia answers.

Dante Aligheri Language School Mixer

Come join us for our 1st annual Dante Alighieri Language School student mixer! We want to welcome both new and returning students to the DAS Language School and give you all an opportunity to socialize and learn more about the Society’s programs and upcoming events. It is also a chance to meet some of your teachers in person! Dante will be sponsoring one drink per enrolled student as well as appetizers to share!

Sunday, October 20th
2:00-4:00pm
Queen Anne Beer Hall

203 W Thomas St

Seattle, WA 98119

Attendees: Enrolled students and teachers of the Dante Alighieri Language School.

Revised Program Calendar

Here is the updated program calendar for all presentations this year.

Dante Society BC has free events to celebrate the Week of the Italian Language in the World 

These events are FREE for all the Dante Society’s members in Vancouver and in Seattle.

Please see the Dante Society of BC’s website for more details and to register.

Member Announcements

Help Wanted!

ANYTIME you plan to attend one of Dante’s Wednesday meetings, please consider helping to set it up. Two people are needed for this work for each meeting. For English meetings, where dinner is served, this means arriving at the facility by 5:00 in order to set the tables and get everything out. For Italian meetings the arrival time can be 5:30 as the food is all DIY antipasti. At the end of the evening, clean-up help is needed to be sure no one has to stay and do it alone. We also need people to assist with our presenters, getting the screen and computer connections set up upstairs.

If you can see yourself volunteering for this, please email the Board at info@danteseattle.org and someone will contact you to decide which meeting(s) will work best for you to help. Since Dante has no paid staff, this volunteer work is essential to our continued successful meetings. Board members often volunteer to do this work, but even they are not able to do it alone or all the time. PLEASE HELP!! Per favore, aiutateci!! info@danteseattle.org

Help Improve the Dante Seattle Website

Send us your photos of Italy or Dante Seattle events. It’s been several years since the Dante Seattle website was updated. When we did our last major update, we were still meeting at the Garden House on Beacon Hill. We relied on photos of events held at the Garden House and on stock photos to provide some visual interest. It’s time to update our website with more current photos of our events. And we also want to give our members an opportunity to show off their photography.

Send your photos to photos@danteseattle.org. Any photos we use will be credited to you.