User:Josie Di Sciascio-Andrews/sandbox

Josie Di Sciascio-Andrews is a Canadian poet and author.

Born in Casoli,Chieti,in the Abruzzo region of Italy, she moved with her family to Oakville Ontario, at the age of twelve.

She self-published her first book of poetry, Sea Glass, in 2008, under her own small press name, Espresso Bar Publishing. That book garnered her membership in the League of Canadian Poets. Her chapbook "The Whispers of Stones" was also published in 2008. In 2014, Lyrical Myrical Press published her collection "The Red Accordion. In 2015 her poetry was published by Mosaic Press under the title "A Jar of Fireflies" and "Letters from the Singularity" by In Our Words Publishing. Both books were Griffin Prize submissions in 2016.

Her poetry has won first place in Arborealis, Big Pond Rumours International Literary E-Zine, and was shortlisted by the Canada Literary Review, The Malahat Review, and Descant's Winston Collins Best Canadian Poem Prize.

She holds an MFA in Literature from the University of Toronto, and is the chair of the Ontario Poetry Society, as well as host & coordinator of the Oakville Literary Cafe Series. She is a member of the League of Canadian Poets, the Heliconian Club's Literary Section for Women in the Arts and the Italian Canadian Writers Association. Her poetry has been reviewed in Vallum, The Pacific Rim's Reviews, The Canadian Poetry Review and the League of Canadian Poets Reviews Blog. She has featured her poetry at Knife Fork Books, The Toronto Art Bar, University of Toronto HOWL Radio Poetry Show, and The Toronto Library Poetry Series. She was a panelist/moderator in the 2019 edition of Librissimi, a showcase of Italian Canadian authors at Columbus Centre in Toronto. For over a decade, she has participated in the Literary Cafe, and had her work published in their chapbook series, as well as in Arts About Town Magazine and nominated twice for the Cogeco Literary Award. She is a judge of many poetry and prose contests for the Oakville Public Library, as well as for The Toronto Writers and Editors Network. For many years she has promoted poetry in the schools in Halton. Her titles about her constituency are showcased by the Parliamentary Poet Laureate George Elliott Clarke on his Parliamentary poetry page. Her latest book of photography and poetry (cover art by John Kinsella), entitled "Sunrise Over Lake Ontario" will be launched in the summer of 2019.

Works of Poetry

Sea Glass (2008) The Whispers of Stones (2008) The Red Accordion (2014) A Jar of Fireflies (2015) Letters from the Singularity (2015) Sunrise Over Lake Ontario (2019)

Non-Fiction

How the Italians Created Canada (Socio-historical) 2007

In the Name of Hockey (Emotional Abuse in Kids' Sports) 2010