"Writers and Places that Change Us"

Writer and Cabrillo College professor, Cheryl Chaffin will share from her book manuscript in progress, The Bright Dream: A Writer's Return to Italy, particularly as she completed the manuscript during her travels this May and June to Italy. She will also discuss her first book, After Poland, and the experience of writing about and teaching Italian Jewish writer Primo Levi’s work. She will introduce other writers, particularly Marina Jarre whose memoirs in Italian she has read in recent months and who has influenced her thinking and writing process. Cheryl will link writers, places, and the act of writing so that listeners find inspiration to think about their life travels and learning. Her goal is to inspire you to try some of your own writing about Italian places and spaces, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. She will share photos from her travels to Turin, Carpi, Bologna, Lucca, and Rome.

Cheryl Chaffin is a professor of English composition, literature, and creative writing at Cabrillo College. She has facilitated writing groups and workshops throughout her career. In 2018 she travelled to Poland on fellowship with Auschwitz Jewish Center Fellows, and as a result of that trip published After Poland: A Memoir Because of Primo Levi. She is currently composing a book on her relationship with Italy as influenced by Italian writers and thinkers entitled The Bright Dream: A Writer’s Return to Italy. Cheryl is a dedicated student of Italian.