Rutgers University's Graduate Student Association invited U of A professor Ryan Calabretta-Sajder to campus last November to discuss his research on his current book project, titled Dandyism in the Socio-Economic Context of Italian Americana: Robert Ferro.

Calabretta-Sajder, who serves as director of International and Global Studies Program and head of the Italian section, was recently the Tiro a Segno Fellow at New York University (fall 2024). While at NYU, Calabretta-Sajder taught a course on gender and Italian American literature. He extensively used the works of The Violet Quill authors Felice Picano, who just passed last week, and Ferro, who died from AIDS complications in 1988, throughout the course to chart the literary evolution of the gay experience in Italian Americans. Steven Jacobs, a Ph.D. candidate and president of the Italian Graduate Student Association, extended the invitation.

In his presentation, Calabretta-Sajder introduced most attendees for the first time to Ferro and shared his lasting imprint of Ferro on the tradition of AIDS literature in the United States. The presentation explored the importance of The Violet Quill for the 1980s literary milieu; provided an overview to Ferro's rich literary opus; discussed the importance of his last public lecture, "On Gay Literature," which he gave at Oberlin College; and finally analyzed his last and most significant work, Second Son, which is considered by most critics the "first" AIDS novel in the American canon.

Students and faculty of the Rutgers community, which is where Ferro himself completed his B.A. in English, engaged Calabretta-Sajder in a rich discussion following the presentation.

"It was really a beautiful full-circle moment," Jacobs noted. "To a packed room of undergrads, Ph.D. students and faculty, Dr. Calabretta-Sajder gave an inspired talk on this pivotal figure in American literary history. For us at Rutgers, it was especially important to appreciate and understand the impact of Robert Ferro back in the place that cultivated his literary fermentation. Dr. Calabretta-Sajder's presentation served as a poignant reminder that the AIDS crisis not only claimed the lives of writers like Robert Ferro but also left an indelible mark on literature. His talk highlighted the urgency of preserving and studying these voices, ensuring that their stories, struggles and contributions remain an integral part of both American and Italian literary canons."

Calabretta-Sajder is aiming to submit his manuscript in June.