Since 1991, IAWA has given voice to writers through its literary series every second Saturday of the month.  IAWA East is held even months at Sidewalk Café (Oct, Dec) and IAWA West continues at Cornelia Street Café on odd months (Sept, Nov.)

Michael Cirelli is the Executive Director of Urban Word NYC, one of the nation’s largest youth literary arts organizations. He is also the author of four award-winning collections of poetry, most recently The Grind. His poetry has garnered the Silver Medal for Poetry from the Independent Publishers Awards, a Paterson Poetry Prize, and a feature slot in the “Debut Poets” issue of Poets & Writers Magazine. His first collection was a New York Times best seller from an independent press, and his work was featured in the award-winning anthology The Best American Poetry. Cirelli teaches hip-hop education and critical literacy courses at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education, and he is also the director of the Preemptive Education Conference at NYU and Columbia Teachers College. He is co-author of the widely popular curriculum guide, Hip-Hop Poetry and the Classics, and was featured on the HBO hit television series Def Poetry Jam.

Camilla Trinchieri is a writer and artist best known for her seven novels in “The Trouble With” mystery series written under the pseudonym Camilla Crespi that feature Italian amateur sleuth Simona Griffo.  Her latest book, The Breakfast Club Murder, featuring Lori Corvino, was published in February 2014, and in May her book What Really Happened to Billy was translated and published in Italy as Verso domani.  In 2010 her book Finding Alice, loosely based on her mother’s life in Europe during World War II, was published in Italian. Born in Prague, Ms. Trinchieri came to the U.S. when she was 12 and returned to Italy after graduating from Barnard College. In Rome, she worked in the movie industry as a dubbing producer/director with such prominent producers as Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Lina Wertmuller. She holds an MFA from the Columbia’s Graduate Writing program and is a past president of the New York chapter of Mystery Writers of America.  www.camillatrinchieri.com

Event kicks off with Open Mic readings of five minutes.

COVER: $8 includes complimentary beverage.  CONTACT: www.sidewalkny.com; or 212-473-7373.

DIRECTIONS: By Subway, F to Second Avenue or #6 to Astor Place

Next Readings

Sept. 13: Joanna Clapps Herman and Marie-Helene Bertino @Cornelia Street Café

Oct. 11: John Domini and Joe Tirella, author of Tomorrowland @Sidewalk Café

Nov. 8:  Suzanne Petito and Michael Trocchia @Cornelia Street Café

Contacts: www.iawa.net , www.corneliastreetcafe.com or www.sidewalkny.com