The Heroine’s Journey of Olivia Kate Cerrone

What is the best thing that I love about my work? Connecting with readers. Stories foster greater expressions of truth and awareness. I write fiction absorbed with overcoming social oppression and promoting human rights. The Hunger Saint, a historical novella about hope and survival, involves the carusi, the child miners of Italy. This book draws from years of historical research and was informed by the oral histories of former miners still living in Sicily today.
What is my idea of perfect happiness? The joy of having an abundance of time to write in a calm and private space. I cherish such opportunities. Consequently, I have a deep appreciation for Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. It’s essential for women especially to have the physical and mental space to create without interruption and demands.
What is my greatest fear? Nuclear war. The sudden death of those I love. Life, despite all of its many challenges, is precious. We must take time to appreciate the simplest things and protect our joy.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? Impatience. Meditation helps with this. All things come in time. Eventually.
Which living persons in my profession do I  most admire? Literary women whose work continues to examine and forward the conversation on societal injustice, trauma, racism, immigration and identity. Cristina Henríquez, Roxane Gay, Mary Karr, Claudia Rankine, Lisa Ko, Arundhati Roy and Toni Morrison are writers I often reread and take inspiration from.
What is my greatest extravagance? I have often worked several jobs at once to save up for writing residencies, literary conferences and travel necessary to complete writing projects. Some may call these expenses extravagant but I have no regrets.
On what occasion would I lie? To protect another and/or myself. Life is complicated.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? How desperately revision plays a part in my process as a writer. A novel or a story goes through dozens of rewrites before I dare send it off to an editor. Impatience is not a virtue in this regard.
When and where was I the happiest in my work? When all the essential parts of a story–the language, character development, dialogue and plot–are finally realized, fitting together like puzzle pieces. Suddenly the piece is firing on all cylinders. Everything about it feels true. It’s pure joy.
If I could, what would I change about myself? My intense emotional sensitivity is both a blessing and a curse, an essential but infuriating aspect of my character and how I engage with the world as a writer. I’d also eradicate the scoliosis in my lower back too.
What is my greatest achievement in work? Never giving up. I started writing when I was seven or eight years old. To date, I have written five full-length literary novels and a story collection, though The Hunger Saint is my first published book. I am now at work on a new novel called DISPLACED, and will continue producing, revising and (hopefully) publishing books until I’m a corpse. This is the meaning of my life.
Where would I most like to live? I’m not sure if I could ever be truly happy living in one place. There’s a certain thrill to being on the road and seeing as much of the world as possible. But if I had to call a place home, it would have to be close to the sea. Right now I live in Boston, MA, and love spending time in Gloucester or on Cape Cod. Sicily, especially port cities like Sciacca and Siracusa have an almost psychic hold on me. I’m a Mediterranean woman and feel happiest when I’m near the ocean, hearing the waves’ steady pulse.
What is my most treasured possession? Self-love. It’s taken me a few decades to figure it out.
What is my most marked characteristic?  I strive to really listen to others. Most people just want to be heard and there are worlds of information you can learn from another soul alone.
What is my most inspirational location, in my city? The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is magical at night. I AM Books on 189 North Street in the North End of Boston is the only bookstore in America dedicated to Italian authors and culture. It’s a wonderful, cozy place where writers, musicians and artists often gather to give readings and support one another’s work. A rare and inspirational place.
What is my favourite place to eat and drink, in my city? Gran Gusto on 90 Sherman Street is an amazing little spot in Cambridge. It’s not terribly expensive and feels so much like a trattoria in Naples.
What books influenced my life and how? Carson McCuller’s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter had a big impact on me as a young writer. The novel offers a rich portrait of American life in the Depression-era South. Issues of racism and violence, poverty, struggle, and disability echo between characters, weaving them in and out of one another’s lives. I was struck by the enormous compassion of that novel, the ways in which each of the characters’ longings and sufferings reverberate against one another, despite their differences.
Who are my favorite writers? Anthony Doerr for his incredible lyricism. He is a master craftsman. Bernard Malamud for his far-reaching compassion, his works examining social oppression and anti-Semitism. I often turn to James Baldwin for sustenance and perspective. He said “not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor, K 626
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? All of them.
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? The poet Cheryl Buchanan founded Writers Without Margins, a nonprofit group that facilitates creative writing workshops for marginalized and chronically homeless populations in Boston. It’s a tremendous honor to be a part of this group. I have also massive admiration for Immigration attorneys. Social workers. Oncologists.
Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime? The 2016 film Lion (directed by Garth Davis), which was based on the non-fiction book A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley with Larry Buttrose. Sergei Parajanov’s 1968 film The Color of Pomegranates is a haunting, gorgeous visual experience.
What role plays art in my life and work? I visit museums every chance I get. Visual art allows for new perspectives. Recently, I saw an exhibit on images of Death in 15th and 16th century Renaissance Europe, which presented a powerful somber look as to how death was a near constant presence in the lives of the people during this time. I am fascinated by the way in which trauma also manifests itself through art. The surrealist Yves Tanguy is a personal favorite for this reason.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? My partner definitely.
Whom would I like to work with in 2017? I am grateful to everyone who has supported The Hunger Saint in 2017. I look forward to working with those professors, authors, bookstore owners and readers who I will be meeting later on this year.
Which people in my profession would I love to meet in 2017? A literary agent. I’m actively looking for literary representation.
What project, in 2017, am I looking forward to work on? Right now, I am at work on completing a contemporary novel called DISPLACED, which is absorbed with themes of immigration, trauma and American identity, set in Boston, MA.
Where can you see me or my work in 2017? 2017 has been an incredible year for me as a new author. I have traveled all over the United States, sharing The Hunger Saint with new readers. I will be in Boston and NYC mostly for the rest of the year, giving talks and book presentations at the Boston Book Festival, Regis College, the NEW School, York College and Nassau Community College. Please visit my website for more information.
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? That life is ongoing and full of surprises and personal triumphs, if we only root ourselves in joy and persevere. “Follow your bliss,” as Joseph Campbell would say.
Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story? Michelle Messina Reale, Jennifer Martelli, Brionne Janae, Laurette Folk, Jennifer Jean and Domenica Ruta are powerful writers and poets whose work deserves greater recognition and readership.
How can you contact me?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeRg1daJrQQ

Collected excerpts from an oral history project about the lives of the “carusi,” child-aged sulfur miners, who worked at the Floristella Grottacalda mines in…
What follows is a message of Peter de Kuster,  the founder of the Heroine’s Journey
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What is Your Story?

One Day Tour with Peter de Kuster  in the greatest bookstores of your favorite city. In Paris, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Berlin, London and Amsterdam we offer this unique What is your Story? experience.  To (re) write your story about yourself and your work. In the process transforming your capacity to successfully have the creative life and work you love. 

In this journey, Peter de Kuster,  founder of The Heroine’s Journey explores with you the way we tell stories about ourselves to ourselves — and, most important, the way we can change those stories to transform our creative business and life.

“Your story is your art, your art is your story,” says Peter. As human beings, we continually tell ourselves stories — of success or failure; of power or victimhood; stories that endure for an hour, or a day, or an entire lifetime. We have stories about our creative challenges, our art, our clients, our money, our self promotion, our time, our families and relationships, our health; about what we want and what we’re capable of achieving. Yet, while our stories profoundly affect how others see us and we see ourselves, too few of us even recognize that we’re telling stories, or what they are, or that we can change them — and, in turn, transform our very destinies.

Telling ourselves stories provides structure and direction as we navigate life’s challenges and opportunities, and helps us interpret our goals and skills. Stories make sense of chaos; they organize our many divergent experiences into a coherent thread; they shape our entire reality. And far too many of our stories, says Peter, are dysfunctional, in need of serious editing. First, he asks you to answer the question, “In which areas of my creative life and business is it clear that I cannot achieve my goals with the story I’ve got?” He then shows you how to create new, reality-based stories that inspire you to action, and take you where you want to go both in your work and personal life.

Our capacity to tell stories is one of our profoundest gifts. Peter’s approach to creating deeply engaging stories will give you the tools to wield the power of storytelling and forever change your creative business and life.

Become a great Storyteller

That’s why I set up What is your Story? service in the great cities of the world and their great bookstores. A new way to use the power of your story.  To guide you to life-changing, eye-opening but often elusive works of literature, both past and present, the books of fiction that truly have the power to enchant, enrich and inspire.

In two days with Peter de Kuster you’ll explore your relationship with books so far and your unique story identity will be sketched. You will be guided to books that can put their finger on what you want to rewrite in your story, the feelings that you may often have had but perhaps never understood so clearly before; books that open new perspectives and re-enchant the world for you.

You will be asked to complete a questionnaire in advance of your session and you’ll be given an instant story advice and books to read to take away. Your full story advice and books to read list will follow within a couple of days.

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What Can I Expect?

Here’s an outline of the WHAT IS YOUR STORY? journey.

Journey Outline

OLD STORIES

  • What is your Story?
  • Are you even trying to tell a Story?
  • Old Stories  (stories about you, your art, your clients, your money, your self promotion, your happiness, your health)
  • Tell your current Story
  • Is this Really Your Story?

YOUR NEW STORY

  • The Premise of your Story. The Purpose of your Life and Art
  • The words on your tombstone
  • You ultimate mission, out loud
  • The Seven Great Plots
  • The Twelve Archetypal Heroines
  • The One Great Story
  • Purpose is Never Forgettable
  • Questioning the Premise
  • Lining up
  • Flawed Alignment, Tragic Ending
  • The Three Rules in Storytelling
  • Write Your New Story

TURNING STORY INTO ACTION

  • Turning your story into action
  • The Story Effect
  • Story Ritualizing
  • The Storyteller and the art of story
  • The Power of Your Story
  • Storyboarding your creative process
  • They Created and Lived Happily Ever After

RESERVATION AND FEES

The “What is your Story?” one day fee is Euro 995 excluding VAT per person

Questions? Contact Peter de Kuster at 0031 6 33661772 or mail him at peterdekuster@hotmail.nl

 

 

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