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Adriana Trigiani

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adriana Trigiani
EducationSaint Mary's College (BA)
Occupations
  • Novelist
  • television writer
  • producer
  • film director
Websitewww.adrianatrigiani.com

Adriana Trigiani is an American best-selling author of eighteen books, playwright, television writer/producer, film director/screenwriter/producer, and entrepreneur based in New York City. Trigiani has published a novel a year since 2000.[1]

Early life and career

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Trigiani graduated from Saint Mary's College in Indiana in 1981.[2]

Inspired by her Italian American heritage and Appalachian childhood in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, Trigiani arrived in New York in 1985. Trigiani made her off-Broadway debut in New York City as a playwright in 1985 at the Manhattan Theater Club with Secrets of the Lava Lamp, directed by Stuart Ross.[3] From 1988 to 1998, she created scripts for television sitcoms, including The Cosby Show (1984) and its spin-off A Different World (1987). She was the writer and executive producer of City Kids for ABC/Jim Henson Productions,[4] she was an executive producer and writer of Growing Up Funny, a television special for Lifetime[5] which garnered an Emmy nomination for Lily Tomlin. Trigiani has written eighteen best-sellers in fiction and non-fiction, wrote and directed the award-winning documentary Queens of the Big Time (1996 Audience Award Hamptons International Film Festival and 1997 Palm Springs International Film Festival). She wrote and directed the major motion picture Big Stone Gap, based on her debut novel and shot entirely on location in her hometown. In 2018 she directed Then Came You in Scotland, starring Craig Ferguson and Kathie Lee Gifford (screenwriter). She adapted her novel Very Valentine for Lifetime Television, it premiered in June 2019 starring Kelen Coleman and Jacqueline Bisset. Trigiani co-founded with Nancy Bolmeier-Fisher The Origin Project, an in-school writing program in Appalachia that serves over 1700 students in her home state Virginia. The program has received many awards, including citations from the Virginia Council for the Humanities (2018), Helen M. Lewis Community Service Award (2015), and the William P. Kanto Memorial Award at The University of Virginia at Wise (2017).

As novelist and filmmaker

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Adriana Trigiani stone at Southwest Virginia Museum

Trigiani authored the best-selling Big Stone Gap series, including Big Stone Gap (2000),[6] Big Cherry Holler (2001), Milk Glass Moon (2002), and Home to Big Stone Gap (2006), set in her Virginia hometown; and the bestselling Valentine trilogy, the tale of a woman working to save her family's shoe company in Greenwich Village. Trigiani also wrote the Viola books, about a clever teenage filmmaker from Brooklyn, for young adults.[7] Trigiani's acclaimed stand-alone novels include Lucia, Lucia (2003),[8] The Queen of the Big Time (2004), and Rococo (2005). Trigiani's book The Shoemaker's Wife is the fictional account of the lives of her own grandparents after emigrating to America from Italy in the early 20th century.[9] Regularly on The New York Times Bestseller List, critics have noted Trigiani's ability to "create distinctive voices for each of her characters." Millions of copies of Trigiani's books are in print in the United States and published in 36 countries around the world.[10][11] Overlapping themes include self-perception, social identity, the universal immigrant story, personal loss, working class life, and contemporary social and environmental issues.[12] Since 2012, Adriana Trigiani Tours, and AT Escapes, have offered travel tours to Italy, Scotland, Spain and Gibraltar inspired by the novels of Adriana Trigiani.[13]

During the 1990s, Trigiani wrote and directed an award-winning documentary Queen of The Big Time (1996), the story of her father's hometown of Roseto, Pennsylvania, shown in film festivals in London and Hong Kong, co-produced Green Chimneys,[14] and later contributed to PBS documentary The Italian Americans.[15] In 2014, Trigiani directed the major motion picture Big Stone Gap (film), a romantic comedy film adaptation of her namesake bestselling novel, produced by Donna Gigliotti for Altar Identity Studios, a subsidiary of Media Society. Big Stone Gap (film) is a story of family secrets and self-discovery in an Appalachian coal-mining town of the late 1970s. The award-winning ensemble cast includes Ashley Judd, Whoopi Goldberg, Jane Krakowski, Jenna Elfman, and Patrick Wilson. Released on October 9, 2015 by Picturehouse (company),[16] Trigiani's narrative directorial debut arrived nearly 30 years after the sale of her first screenplay, Three to Get Married, produced by Kate Benton in 1986.[17] Opening the Virginia Film Festival, Big Stone Gap (film) was ranked among the top 250 grossing women directed films of 2014.[18]

Media appearances

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Trigiani and her work have regularly been featured on NBC's Today Show.[19] She was profiled on CBS Sunday Morning,[20] appeared on The View, Good Day NY with Rosanna Scotto and Lori Stokes, and is heard regularly on NPR around the country. Trigiani has lectured at New York University and the New School for Social Research, has been a commencement speaker and received honorary degrees from Emory & Henry College (2018), Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana (2002), The University of Virginia at Wise (2001), and The University of New Haven, Connecticut (2005, 2016). She is host of the Library of Virginia Literary Awards (11 years),[21] was host of the Poets and Writers Gala in New York City (2016), The Audio Publishers Association Audies Gala (2014),[22] and the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Awards.[23] She is permanent host of the Erma Bombeck/Arizona Women's Board Annual Authors Luncheon that is committed to the prevention of kidney disease through awareness, education and research.[24]

Novels

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Memoirs

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  • Cooking With My Sisters : One Hundred Years of Family Recipes from Bari to Big Stone Gap. New York: Random House, 2004.[39]
  • Don't Sing At The Table : Life Lessons From My Grandmothers New York : Harper, 2010.[40]

Professional recognition

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References

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  1. ^ Saunders, Alena (October 14, 2015). "Adriana Trigiani discusses 'Big Stone Gap'". Chicago Tribune.
  2. ^ "Adriana Trigiani '81 to Discuss TV Writing with Bill Persky | Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN". www.saintmarys.edu. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  3. ^ "Theater Review: Secrets of The Lava Lamp". The New York Times. May 6, 1985.
  4. ^ Cutolo, Ruby (October 25, 2013). "Here's Adriana! Adriana Trigiani". Publishers Weekly.
  5. ^ Longsdorf, Amy (October 8, 2015). "Adriana Trigiani brings her best-sellers to the big screen in 'Big Stone Gap'". Delaware County Times.
  6. ^ Higbie, Andrea (May 14, 2000). "BOOKS IN BRIEF: FICTION & POETRY: BIG STONE GAP". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Strawser, Jessica (July 25, 2012). "Popular Author Adriana Trigiani Explains How to Bring a Setting to Life". Writer's Digest.
  8. ^ La Ferla, Ruth (July 29, 2003). "Front Row". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Carlson, Julie A. (April 2, 2012). "Best Selling Novelist Pens Tale of Grandparents Star-Crossed Romance". The Huffington Post.
  10. ^ Memmott, Carol (October 31, 2008). "Trigiani's Southern Comfort". USA Today.
  11. ^ McDaniel, Katherine (January 23, 2008). Adriana Trigiani. Virginia: Encyclopedia Virginia: Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
  12. ^ Clark, Amy D. (August 2, 2013). "Appalachian Hope and Heartbreak". The New York Times.
  13. ^ Cowles, Gregory (October 22, 2015). "Inside the List". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Kalonick, Jillian (May 5, 2015). "Adriana Trigiani among authors at United for Libraries' Gala Author Tea sponsored by ReferenceUSA". American Library Association.
  15. ^ "The Italian Americas: Credits". PBS.
  16. ^ Sneider, Jeff (March 26, 2015). "Ashley Judd, Whoppi Goldberg Movie 'Big Stone Gap' Sells to Picturehouse". Variety.com. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  17. ^ Chaney, Jen (October 8, 2015). "Big Stone Gap' tells a southwest Virginia story with a light touch". The Washington Post.
  18. ^ Berger, Laura (January 5, 2016). "Watch: A Celebration of the Top-Grossing Women-Directed Films of 2015". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  19. ^ "Director Adriana Trigiani: 'Big Stone Gap' is film 'we dreamed of'". Today. October 12, 2015.
  20. ^ "Novelist Adriana Trigiani takes her readers on tour". CBS News. April 3, 2012.
  21. ^ "Get Your Tickets Now for the 2015 Literary Awards". Library of Virginia e-newsletter.
  22. ^ "BEA 2011: Audiobook of the Year to 'Life'". Publishers Weekly. May 25, 2011.
  23. ^ "2013 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Awards, Editor's Award, Innaguaral [sic] Leadership Award Announced". Poets & Writers. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  24. ^ "2015 Authors Luncheon". Authors Luncheon Az.
  25. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2000). Big Stone Gap. New York: Random House. pp. 272 pages, 25 cm. ISBN 0-375-50403-6.
  26. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2001). Big Cherry Holler : a Big Stone Gap novel. New York: Random House. pp. 272 pages, 25 cm. ISBN 0-375-50617-9.
  27. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2002). Milk glass moon : a Big Stone Gap novel (1st ed.). New York: Random House. pp. 256 pages, 25 cm. ISBN 0-375-50618-7.
  28. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2003). Lucia, Lucia : a novel. New York: Random House. pp. 263 pages, 25 cm. ISBN 1-4000-6005-2.
  29. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2006). Home to Big Stone Gap : a novel (1st ed.). New york: Random House. pp. 305 pages, 25 cm. ISBN 1-4000-6008-7.
  30. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2004). The queen of the big time : a novel (1st ed.). New York: Random House. pp. 261 pages, 25 cm. ISBN 1-4000-6006-0.
  31. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2005). Rococo : a novel (1st ed.). New York: Random House. pp. 272 pages, 25 cm. ISBN 1-4000-6007-9.
  32. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2009). Very Valentine (1st ed.). New York: Random House. pp. 371 pages, 24 cm. ISBN 978-0-06-125705-6.
  33. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2009). Viola in reel life (1st ed.). New York: Harper Teen. pp. 282. ISBN 978-0-06-145102-7.
  34. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2009). Very Valentine : a novel (1st ed.). New York: Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 371 pages, 24 cm. ISBN 978-0-06-125705-6.
  35. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2011). Viola in the spotlight (1st ed.). New York: Harper collins Teen. pp. 283 pages, 22 cm. ISBN 978-0-06-145105-8.
  36. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2012). The Shoemaker's Wife. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 475 p., 24 cm. ISBN 978-0-06-125709-4.
  37. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2013). The Supreme Macaroni Company : a novel. New York: Harper. pp. 338 pages, 24 cm. ISBN 978-0-06-213658-9.
  38. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2015). All the stars in the heavens : a novel (1st ed.). New York: Harper. pp. 453 pages : illustrations, 24 cm. ISBN 978-0-06-231919-7.
  39. ^ Trigiani, Adriana; Trigiani, Mary Yolanda (2004). Cooking with my sisters : one hundred years of family recipes from Bari to Big Stone Gap (1st ed.). New York: Random House. pp. xiii, 167 pages : illustrations (some color), 24 cm. ISBN 1-4000-6259-4.
  40. ^ Trigiani, Adriana (2010). Don't sing at the table : life lessons from my grandmothers (1st ed.). New York: Harper. pp. xiii, 204 pages : illustrations, 22 cm. ISBN 978-0-06-195894-6.
  41. ^ "Hamptoms International Film Festival".
  42. ^ "BEST SELLERS: August 3, 2003". The New York Times. August 3, 2003.
  43. ^ "BEST SELLERS: July 25, 2004". The New York Times. July 25, 2004.
  44. ^ "BEST SELLERS: July 10, 2005". The New York Times. July 10, 2005.
  45. ^ "Finalists and Winners of the Library of Virginia Annual Literary Awards". Library of Virginia.
  46. ^ "Bestsellers : Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. March 8, 2009.
  47. ^ "BEST SELLERS: FICTION: Sunday, February 28th 2010". The New York Times. February 28, 2010.
  48. ^ Markel, Liz (March 11, 2010). "Bestselling author Adriana Trigiani slated for Literary Tastes Breakfast". American Library Association.
  49. ^ "PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS". The San Diego Union Tribure. The Associated Press. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  50. ^ "Best Sellers: Combined Hardcover & Paperback Fiction: Sunday, May 27th 2012". The New York Times. May 27, 2012.
  51. ^ "Award Winners Announced for Bentonville Film Festival". 4020 TV. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  52. ^ "PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
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