VHS / It Was Her New York

Writer/instructor/teacher/community organizer Kathy Curto moderates what will be sure to be a fascinating and deep discussion between authors & artists C.O. Moed and Chris Campanioni. Both authors use experimental form to explore the personal and political.

Campanioni’s new work, “VHS”, fresh from indie darling Clash Books, uses autofiction, VHS footage, journal entries, and more to explore a family immigration story.

Moed’s latest, “It Was Her New York: True Stories & Snapshots” records a journey, in writing and photography, of a mother and daughter confronting dementia while living in New York City.

Curto’s an adept moderator and conversationalist: don’t miss this unique event.

Note: books will be for sale and signing. Friendly reminder, no outside books allowed at Stanza events.

CHRIS CAMPANIONI

CHRIS CAMPANIONI’s work on migration and media theory has been awarded the Calder Prize for interdisciplinary research and a Mellon Foundation fellowship, and his writing has received the Pushcart Prize, the International Latino Book Award, and the Academy of American Poets College Prize. His essays, poetry, and fiction have been translated into Spanish and Portuguese and have found a home in several venues, including Best American Essays and Latin American Literature Today. Recent books include a novel named VHS (CLASH Books, 2025), a creative nonfiction called north by north/west (West Virginia University Press, 2025), a notebook titled A and B and Also Nothing (Unbound Edition, 2023), and the poetry collection Windows 85 (Roof Books, 2024). He is the writer in residence at Pace University in New York City, where he teaches creative writing and media studies.

C.O. MOED

C.O. Moed grew up on New York’s Lower East Side when it was still a tough neighborhood.  A recipient of the Elizabeth George Grant for Fiction and an alum of the groundbreaking WOW Cafe, her work has appeared in various publications, including the Silver Tongued Devil Anthology; AWAKE: Reader for the Sleepless; Thorn Literary Magazine; Unexpected Stories; Inspirational Art Magazine; and Sensitive Skin. She has been a featured reader at many venues and series, including the KGB Bar, great weather for MEDIA/Parkside, Singapore Unbound and the NYC Poetry Festival.  Her debut memoir, It Was Her New York: True Stories and Snapshots (Rootstock Publishing, 2024) was a BookLife Editor's Pick, Kirkus Review Recommended Book and winner of the Firebird Book Award Judges' Pick, among others.

Kathy Curto

Kathy Curto teaches at Sarah Lawrence College/The Writing Institute and Montclair State University as well as several nonprofit organizations and writing centers in the metropolitan area. She is the author of Not for Nothing-Glimpses into a Jersey Girlhood. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, on NPR, and in the anthologies And There Were Red Geraniums Everywhere (released in both Italian and English) and Listen to Your Mother: What She Said Then, What We’re Saying Now. She has also published widely in a variety of literary journals and magazines.  Kathy’s piece, “Still Cooking Side by Side” considered a “Modern Love in miniature” by The New York Times, was included in The Best of Tiny Love Stories in August 2021. She is co-founder of Key to the Castle Workshop and serves on the board of the Italian American Writers Association. Kathy lives with her family in the Hudson Valley.