Carilli, Theresa 1956-

PERSONAL:

Born December 29, 1956, in Hartford, CT; daughter of Umberto (a professional boxer and sales representative) and Theresa (a secretary) Carilli; companion of Jane Campbell (a professor and writer). Ethnicity: "Italian-American." Education: University of Connecticut, B.A., 1978, M.A., 1981; Southern Illinois University, Ph.D., 1989. Politics: "Liberal/radical." Religion: "Spiritual." Hobbies and other interests: Cat rescue.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Oak Park, IL. Office—Department of Communication, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN 46323. E-mail—[email protected]; [email protected].

CAREER:

KPIX-TV, San Francisco, CA, research analyst, 1982-85; Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN, assistant professor, 1989-94, associate professor, 1994-99, professor of communication, 1999—. Consultant to Times of Northwest Indiana, 1990-2002.

MEMBER:

National Communication Association, National Women's Studies Association, Italian American Historical Association, Central States Communication Association (chair of performance studies, 2003).

WRITINGS:

Women as Lovers (plays), Guernica Editions (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1996.

(Editor, with Yahya Kamalipour) Cultural Diversity and the U.S. Media (articles), State University of New York Press (Albany, NY), 1998.

Familial Circles (plays), Guernica Editions (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2001.

(Editor, with Jane Campbell) Women and the Media: Diverse Perspectives (articles), University Press of America (Lanham, MD), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Theresa Carilli told CA: "As a writer I have two impulses. First, I am interested in the voiceless—individuals who do not wield power in American culture. Second, I like to write about how the circumstances of one's past affect her future. I am influenced by existentialism and those moments of trial that cause change. I have a curiosity about that exact moment when someone or something changes—whether that change is a result of realization, death, or separation. Writing for me is both a calling and a duty. Often I will think about the topic (scholarly or creative) for several years before writing about it. I wait because I want to be certain that I am interested enough in the topic to pursue it as a long-term project. Whether I am writing a creative piece or working on a scholarly endeavor, the project often takes about three years to complete because I am constantly considering new angles. Once I have decided to write about something, the first draft comes with ease—but the revising and the rethinking is what takes so much time. Most of my inspiration comes from witnessing and experiencing injustice—so, in part, writing for me is a form of advocacy as well as vindication for injustice. The key writers who have influenced me include novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, playwright Jane Chambers, and anthropologist Clifford Geertz. The writers and mentors who have nurtured my work include psychologist Kenneth Ring, social science researcher and scholar Kathleen Reardon, novelist and scholar James VanOosting, literary critic and scholar Fred Gardaphe, and my partner, literary critic and scholar Jane Campbell."