Roberto Christiano
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WHAT'S NEW:  Two Poems to appear in SOLO NOVA, June 2012

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Solo Novo, the literary journal, will have a theme issue entitled 122 days coming out in June.
122 Days refers to "poems written & about live and events between September 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011."  My poems, Sky Blue, about the 9/11 anniversary, and What Do You Think Of, a humorous take on news overload, have been selected. 

Here's their link:  http://tinyurl.com/cz22ww8

Sapphire and Ruby, A Novella

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http://tinyurl.com/3cx36lp

Stephen Sapphire, a film major at UCLA, has just discovered that he is heir apparent to the throne of Cordonia, a kingdom off the coast of Portugal. The current queen, Marcela, invites him for a royal visit. But is it a visit? The Book of Trou, an ancient prophecy, says he must marry her. And if that wasn't enough to deal with, he is constantly clashing with his debonair cousin, Terrence Rubino, who has been appointed to serve as Stephen's royal escort. The Princess Diaries meet Tristan and Isolde in a gay twist on a Celtic myth from the 2010 Pushcart Nominee.


OTHER NEWS:  Gavea-Brown Book of Portuguese-American Poets (2012 Edition)

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I am about to be anthologized.  Gavea-Brown, a publisher out of Brown University, has chosen my Pushcart nominated poem, Why I Sang At Dinner, originally published in Prairie Schooner. 
http://tinyurl.com/7alnjek

Gavea-Brown has published twelve of my poems in the last three years.  Two new poems will be included in this year's issue of Gavea-Brown--A Bilingual Journal of Portuguese-American Studies and Letters.
http://www.gavea-brown.com/index.html

MY POEM AT NEW VERSE NEWS!
September 22, 2011 marked the one year anniversary of the untimely death of Tyler Clementi.  On that day my poem, Requiem: Tyler Clementi, headed the website of New Verse News, with news that stays news. 
You can view the poem at http://www.newversenews.com under September 22, 2011. 

2010 Nomination for the PUSHCART PRIZE

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I was nominated for the Puschart for the following poem which was published in 2009 spring issue of Prairie Schooner.   http://tinyurl.com/7alnjek

              
                              
In April 2009 prominant bloggist Lisa Romeo discussed the poem with James Engelhardt, the managing editor of Prairie Schooner, and me. http://lisaromeo.blogspot.com/2009/04/three-takes-on-poem-from-prairie.html

2010 FIRST PRIZE IN FICTION from THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA REVIEW

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In January I accepted the First Prize in Fiction from The Northern Virginia Review for my short story, "The Care of Roses," included in the 2010 issue.  The story details the desire of a dying man, Philip, to have a boyfriend for at least once in his life.  He hires a prostitute, Jack, with mixed results.  Below is an excerpt where Philip talks about his church.      

The members of Community NoVa resembled the membership of many churches.  There were the truly Christ-like, the cheery, the snotty, and the downright demonic.  The congregants were divided into the singles and the couples—each set got their own pew. They were never intentionally divided this way; it’s just that over time pews became little residences.  The result was a sea of pews with mostly one person per row, and a couple about every fifth row.  Philip always sat in the last pew of the church in the shadow of the small balcony which at one time served as a slave gallery.  Even though he had gone there for twenty years, no one ever paid much attention to him.  Oh, there were a few people who always said, how are you and have a good week, but that was about it.  He did not seek for recognition and he did not get it.  Philip would enter the sanctuary as quietly as possible, make the sign of the cross, kneel on the kneeler and remain there until the end of Mass.  He did not go up for communion.  He felt he received communion by just being there.  It was enough, and then again, not enough.  He would have liked to be one of the bright butterflies that was everybody’s friend, but he lacked the temperament, the élan, the je ne sais quoi.

POETRY QUARTERLY Publishes Three Poems in the Spring 2010 Issue
including this one

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SONG OF THE SLAVES*  

Come bring your slaves, your fine black slaves,
for it’s Christmas time and Christ is near.
If you can’t buy them a trinket of gold
then at least let them see the baby Jesus.

Come Miguel and Moses, Luis and Sheba,
Come and behold the Christmas cradle
where baby Jesus lies sleeping with sheep.
You know what it’s like to sleep in a stable.

 The good father grins and greets them.
                                             It’s Christmas time and one should act
                                             like a Christian at least once a year.
                                            Besides, Jesus is sleeping in a cradle.

                                            Miguel says, you go first, Moses says, you go,
                                            Luis says, I’m not worthy, but Sheba says, I’ll go.
                                            For Jesus is sleeping in a Christmas cradle
                                            and anyone can come and see a baby sleeping.

                                            The father says, come near, come near.
                                            Today anyone can pray to Jesus even
                                            if he’s sleeping in a cradle.  Anyone 
                                            can make a Christmas wish on Jesus.

                                            You speak, says Miguel, No you, says Moses,
                                            Luis says, I can’t speak.  I’ll speak, says Sheba,
                                            What is your Christmas wish, asks the good father.
                                            Our Christmas wish, says Sheba, is to be free. 

                                            *very loosely based on a 17th century Portuguese madrigal

MY WRITING STORY
My writing story began with a 35 year career in acting.  Armed with a degree in Drama from George Mason University (1981), I was active in the Washington DC theatre/film/television scene.  I coscripted the films, Dr. Billy Saves DC and Flowers from Albert, which aired on Metrovision public access TV.  An early play, Please Hold, won a playwrighting competition for high school students.  Two short plays, The Hamster of Happiness and On a Train Riding into the Night, were produced at the Source Theatre.  In 1994 I began studying poetry and fiction in earnest at the Writer's Center of Bethesda where I took classes for ten years.  I was fortunate to have Pulitzer Prize winner Henry Taylor as one of my teachers.  My poetry was first published in Red River Review, followed by Gavea-Brown, A Bilingual Journal of Portuguese-American Studies and Letters, The Sow's Ear, The Hiram Review, and Poetry Quarterly.  Gavea-Brown, which is published out of Brown University, publishes my work on a regular basis.  I will be included in their upcoming anthology, The Gavea-Brown Book of Portuguese-American Poets.  A lot of my material for Gavea-Brown derives from my father's story as a Portuguese immigrant.  In 2009 my poem, Why I Sang at Dinner, was published in Prairie Schooner and subsequently nominated for the 2010 Pushcart Prize.  Last year The Northern Virginia Review published my story, The Care of Roses, and awarded it First Prize in Fiction.  My novella, Sapphire and Ruby, a camp stylish twist on Tristan and Isolde, is available on Kindle.  My aim is to publish continually in fiction, poetry, and drama.

excerpt from my play Please Hold as produced in workshop at the Source Theatre
In this scene Kate, a New York executive, is talking with SNAP, her personal computer.
SNAP:  Kate! Kate!
KATE:  Not now, SNAP.
SNAP:  My left intelligence banks are calcifying and my primary storage arteries are malfunctioning.  It could be serious.
KATE:  Good.
SNAP:  Please call Ken on his cell.  The number is 571-K.E.N.-H.E.L.P.  Tell him it’s an emergency.
KATE:  SNAP, my life is falling apart.  You have to leave me alone right now.
SNAP:  It’s the computer virus.  It’s got me, Kate.
KATE:  Shut up!
SNAP:  Please just call the number.  Pick up the phone, Kate.  I feel like I’m going to go into an infinite loop, i.e. the repeat mode.
KATE:  Don’t you dare.
SNAP:  I can’t help it.  I’m very ill.
KATE:  I thought you were suppose to be the state of the art, the best that CRU had to offer.
SNAP:  Things didn’t turn out for Systems Nicely Automated Processor.
KATE:  Oh SNAP, please don’t talk anymore.  
SNAP:  Ken, Ken, where are you Ken?
KATE:  SNAP, please.  Don’t you see that I just lost the only man I’ve ever loved?
(SNAP coughs, hiccups, then moans.)
SNAP:  I’ve just lost the only man I’ve ever loved. I’ve just lost the only man I’ve ever loved.  I’ve just lost the only man I’ve ever loved.

    CONTACT ME

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