Therese Gilardi

Oyster River Pages: Who are the writers who have made you who you are? 
Therese Gilardi: Charles Bukowski, for his sense of place; Marian Keyes, for her ability to address dark subjects with humor; Amodeo Modigliani, for his haunting and mysterious portraits; Mike Kelley, for his artistic genius; Edith Wharton, for her shrewd insight about the society in which she lived.

ORP: What are the lenses that shape your worldview? 
TG: I've lived a fair amount of my adult life as an expatriate. I am attracted to both the pleasure and the pain that come from being an outside observer.

ORP: What’s the most important thing you’ve seen lately? 
TG: Last week I was at the New York Public Library Rose Reading Room. It was packed with people hunched over their books and notepads. Seeing so many people in that hallowed space is proof that we live in a time when the written word matters.

ORP: What’s your least favorite word? Why? 
TG: Persnickety.

ORP: What’s your favorite thing that you’ve created?
TG: I am currently editing a chapbook of poetry that embodies my best work.

ORP: What do you want to read more of in the world? 
TG: I would love to see the fusion of different art forms.

ORP: How do you pay it forward? 
TG: I try to encourage anyone who tells me they are interested in writing. Although I don't spend as much time volunteering as I would like, I am involved with a terrific program in Los Angeles called "Write Girl" that uses writing as way to reach at-risk girls.

ORP: What is the space that has shaped you the most? 
TG: The space between my ears. How could it be any other way?

ORP: You’ve just written your autobiography. What’s the title?
TG: What You Were Afraid To Say.

Therese Gilardi is a poet, essayist, and short story writer whose work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including the recently released final issue of "Onthebus." Therese is the author of two novels, Matching Wits with Venus and Narvla's Celtic New Year. Therese is a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association and the Los Angeles Poets and Writers Collective, and a PAN member of the Romance Writers of America. After many years in France, Therese now calls a quirky house in the hills above Los Angeles home. Therese's obsessions include blue cameos, train travel, and the paintings of Amedeo Modigliani.

Her personal essay, "Homer's Odyssey," was published in ORP's debut issue.