46 The Queens Courier • june 11, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Astoria woman selected as sixth Queens poet laureate BY LIAM LA GUERE [email protected] @LiamLaGuerre Borough President Melinda Katz installed Astoria resident Maria Lisella as the borough’s sixth poet laureate in a ceremony on Tuesday after a threemonth Bringing Catholics together for ‘A Night of Adoration’ It’s part rock concert, part street festival and 100 percent about faith and unity. St. Athanasius Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, will host “Unity Unidad: A Night of Adoration” on Friday night, June 19, in front of the church on Bay Parkway off McDonald Avenue. The event is a 21st century celebration of faith featuring live music, a 3D-light show and reworks, according to Craig Tubiolo. Working with God’s Plan Productions and Msgr. Anthony Cassato, the church’s pastor, he started planning this event three months ago with the goal of drawing together people of all backgrounds. Last year’s Night of Adoration drew more than 3,000, but Tubiolo hopes to double that by reaching out to the diocese’s large Hispanic population and planning a bilingual and multicultural program. “I wanted to create an event where we can all come together at one event through faith, adoration and entertainment,” Tubiolo said. The program itself draws upon similar activities held during World Youth Day, an international gathering of young Catholics held every three years across the globe. The 2013 World Youth Day took place in Rio de Janeiro, and the 2016 World Youth Day will be in Krakow, Poland. Tubiolo remarked that the Night of Adoration brings young Catholics in Brooklyn and Queens a part of the World Youth Day experience without having to travel far. The free event is open to the public and will take place along Bay Parkway and within the St. Athanasius Church parking lot. Various Christian rock bands will perform on the stage set up in front of the church. The parking lot will feature rides, games and food vendors. Musicians scheduled to perform include Queens singer and songwriter Alverlis, the Kingdom Builders, Made From Dust and Darius Kaleb. Speakers at the event include internationally-renowned motivator Joe Manno, Darrell Miller and Fr. Agustino Torres of Corazon Puro, a chastity-based youth ministry located in the Bronx. The light show brings the church to life using state-of-theart imaging software, and the reworks show will be timed to music, Tubiolo added. The event also includes the outdoor adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, giving Catholics the opportunity to pray before the Eucharist. Normally, adorations take place within the church itself. “We want people together to say being Catholic is cool,” he said. “It’s also a place for them to feel comfortable and be together in one environment, and that environment we’re creating is fun. At the same time, we’re also praying together and following tradition.” For more information, visit St. Athanasius Church’s Facebook page. search, including the vetting of more than 30 candidates. Lisella, an author and journalist, will use the unpaid position to promote a love of poetry and literature throughout the “World’s Borough.” An author of three books of poetry, Lisella said she hopes to use the position not to market herself, but rather to connect and foster the literature community in Queens. “It’s a privilege and it’s an opportunity, but I don’t see it as a way to promote moi,” Lisella said. “I think it’s about marketing the borough and the community.” A south Jamaica native, Lisella’s family moved to Bellerose when she was young and she lived in Flushing as well before settling down in Astoria for the last 40 years. She is an alum of Queenborough Community College and Queens College, and she received a master’s degree from NYUPolytechnic Institute. Lisella has been a travel writer for three decades, and her work has appeared in The Dallas Morning News and Foxnews.com, among other news outlets. Like Queens, Lisella has been influenced by a range of cultures. Her family has roots in Italy and she speaks English, Italian and Spanish. Lisella has also visited about 60 countries. “Ms. Lisella is an amazing writer who is capable of synthesizing the borough’s many cultures and languages into incredible poetry,” Katz said. “She also has a deep love and appreciation of Queens that comes from being a lifelong resident.” The Queens Poet Laureate position was initially established in 1996 by Claire Shulman’s administration in partnership with Queens College. Lisella was one of five finalists selected by a panel of judges. The judges were appointed by the Queens Poet Laureate Administrative Committee. Out of the top candidates, Katz ultimately selected Lisella, who has connections with past Queens Poet Laureates. The first Queens Poet Laureate, Stephen Stepanchev, was a professor to Lisella in Queens College. Lisella and the second laureate, Hal Sirowitz, are both members of Brevitas, an online poetry circle. As the new Queens Poet Laureate, Lisella will give readings of poetry around the borough in Queens Library branches and conduct outreach programs. Lisella held her first official reading in the position at the end of her induction ceremony. She read two pieces from her most recent poetry book, “Thieves in the Family.” To connect the Queens literature community, Lisella has thought of some initiatives including having a book fair, starting a website dedicated to Queens poetry and holding readings in cultural institutions, such as the Louis Armstrong House Museum and the Museum of the Moving Image. She also wants to use social media to reach the Queens poetry community. “There are a lot of pockets of activity going on in Queens,” Lisella said, “so I have to plug into that.” THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre Maria Lisella
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