Italics

In this episode of Italics, distinguished professor Fred Gardaphé speaks with actor, director, and playwright Frank Ingrasciotta about his critically acclaimed off-Broadway one-man play, Blood Type: Ragu. In the performance, Ingrasciotta portrays over 20 characters, exploring Italian American identity, culture, and family through the lens of food—particularly Sicilian cooking and traditions. The play blends comedy and drama in a moving story of heritage and belonging.

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Guest List:
Anthony Julian Tamburri - Host, Italics
Frank Ingrasciotta - Actor, Director, and Playwright, Independent

Recording Date
12/05/2025
First Air Date
01/26/2026

Italics, Television for the Italian American Experience is a monthly presentation in the CUNY Presents timeslot that features prominent Italian Americans in the arts, business, government, sports, academia, and more. Each episode explores various aspects of the Italian diaspora, Italian-American history and traditions, contemporary Italian-American life, and takes a projected look at the future of the Italian-American community.

Italics is hosted by Anthony Julian Tamburri, Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute of Queens College/CUNY and Distinguished Professor of European Languages and Literatures.

Italics is now in its third decade serving the Italian-American community and those interested in Italian-American history and culture. Italics is co-produced in collaboration with the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

Watch more at http://tv.cuny.edu/show/italics

Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2VfN4uF
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13ITAL00390

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In this episode, Italics covers the book launch of Expanding Diasporic Identity: A Multi-Directional Path to the New Italian Writer, as well as a gathering of PIACE—the Progressive Italian American Cultural Exchange—at the Calandra Institute. Later, we head to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to meet John Miniero and see his fifteen-foot presepio installation outside his home.

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Guest List:
Anthony Julian Tamburri - Host, Italics
John Avelluto - Visual artist, Independent
Jaime Lee Strollo - Author and Ancestor-In-Training, Independent
Silvana Mangione - Vice-Secretary General for extra-European Anglophone countries, General Council of Italians Abroad
John Miniero - Artist/Presepio builder, Independent

Recording Date
11/24/2025
First Air Date
12/22/2025

Italics, Television for the Italian American Experience is a monthly presentation in the CUNY Presents timeslot that features prominent Italian Americans in the arts, business, government, sports, academia, and more. Each episode explores various aspects of the Italian diaspora, Italian-American history and traditions, contemporary Italian-American life, and takes a projected look at the future of the Italian-American community.

Italics is hosted by Anthony Julian Tamburri, Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute of Queens College/CUNY and Distinguished Professor of European Languages and Literatures.

Italics is now in its third decade serving the Italian-American community and those interested in Italian-American history and culture. Italics is co-produced in collaboration with the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

Watch more at http://tv.cuny.edu/show/italics

Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2VfN4uF
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13

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Host Anthony Tamburri talks to American author Mark Rotella.

Rotella is the director of the Coccia Institute and he is the author of two books, Stolen Figs and Other Adventures in Calabria & Amore: The Story of Italian American Song.

Recording Date
11/10/2020
First Air Date
12/08/2020

Italics, Television for the Italian American Experience is a monthly presentation in the CUNY Presents timeslot that features prominent Italian Americans in the arts, business, government, sports, academia, and more. Each episode explores various aspects of the Italian diaspora, Italian-American history and traditions, contemporary Italian-American life, and takes a projected look at the future of the Italian-American community.

Italics is hosted by Anthony Julian Tamburri, Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute of Queens College/CUNY and Distinguished Professor of European Languages and Literatures.

Italics is now in its third decade serving the Italian-American community and those interested in Italian-American history and culture. Italics is co-produced in collaboration with the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

Watch more at http://tv.cuny.edu/show/italics

Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2VfN4uF
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13

Follow CUNY TV:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CUNYTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cunytv
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/cuny_tv/
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/cunytv75 
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/cunytv/
Find more from CUNY TV at https://tv.cuny.edu

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Italy, which has had the deadliest outbreak in Europe, entered a reopening phase May 4th.

We did a series of interviews with some friends and relatives from there, a few weeks earlier. We discussed with them the challenges of staying at home and how they and their family members are fairing.

Recording Date
04/15/2020

First Air Date
05/12/2020

Italics, Television for the Italian American Experience is a monthly presentation in the CUNY Presents timeslot that features prominent Italian Americans in the arts, business, government, sports, academia, and more. Each episode explores various aspects of the Italian diaspora, Italian-American history and traditions, contemporary Italian-American life, and takes a projected look at the future of the Italian-American community.

Italics is hosted by Anthony Julian Tamburri, Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute of Queens College/CUNY and Distinguished Professor of European Languages and Literatures.

Italics is now in its third decade serving the Italian-American community and those interested in Italian-American history and culture. Italics is co-produced in collaboration with the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

Watch more at http://tv.cuny.edu/show/italics

Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2VfN4uF
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13

Follow CUNY TV:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CUNYTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cunytv
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/cuny_tv/
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/cunytv75 
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/cunytv/
Find more from CUNY TV at https://tv.cuny.edu

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