Calling all aspiring writers! Adults and students alike are invited to join us as we welcome local authors to the museum. Hear them read from their works, discuss their creative process and share their writing inspiration.

Presented by Dr. Stanislao G. Pugliese, Historian

As controversy and debate rage over the statue of Columbus in New York City and the fate of Columbus Day generally, it is necessary to confront the dilemmas and paradoxes of Italian American history. Columbus has become a prism through which much of Italian American history is refracted and often times distorted. But there is no ambiguity in the minds of Italian Americans. Columbus has evolved into a sacred totem, and woe to those who would contest his place in history (or Columbus Circle). This lecture is an attempt to unravel the stereotypes and ask questions about how we construct both our past and our future.

Stanislao Pugliese is a Queensboro Unico Distinguished Professor of History at Hofstra University. Reservations requested. Fee: $10; $8 seniors. Members free.