MAGGIO, Mike 1952-

PERSONAL: Born April 23, 1952, in New York, NY; son of Ignazio (a self-employed restaurateur) and Josephine (a homemaker) Maggio; married Amal Abou Eyada (a laboratory technologist), December 19, 1990; children: Fairuz Yasmine. Education: Queen's College, B.A. (cum laude), 1974; University of Southern California, M.A. (applied linguistics), 1980. Politics: "Democrat/Socialist." Religion: Muslim. Hobbies and other interests: Music, reading.

ADDRESSES: Home—1169 Cypress Tree Place, Herndon, VA 20170. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Bechtel, Herndon, VA, student advisor; Nextel, Herdnon, VA, systems support analyst; ELS Amman, Amman, Jordan, academic director. International Airports Projects, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, scholarship coordinator; Teligent, Herndon, VA, I.T. trainer.

AWARDS, HONORS: Honorable mention, Water Poets Award, 1985; honorable mention, Gypsy Poetry Contest for Amnesty International, 1988; Chicago Poetry Society contest, honorable mention, 1992, second place, 1995.

WRITINGS:

Your Secret Is Safe with Me (poetry), Black Bear Publications, 1988.

Oranges from Palestine (poetry), Mardi Gras Press (Harvey, LA), 1996.

Sifting through the Madness (fiction), Sansip, 1999.

Contributor to Intercultural Communication as an Integral Part of an ESL Program: The University of Southern California Experience, NAFSA, 1986; and A Game of Newspeak and Smokescreens: Did the U.S. Allow Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait?, edited by Belinda Subraman, Vergen Press, 1992. Contributor of poetry to anthologies, including Silent Explorations, Laurel Press, 1981; Still Life: Treasures of the Precious Moments, New Worlds Unlimited, 1985; Bedside Prayers: Prayers and Poems for When You Rise and Go to Sleep, HarperSanFrancisco, 1997; and For a Living: The Poetry of Work, University of Illinois Press, 1995.

Contributor of articles, fiction, and poetry to periodicals, including L.A. Weekly, New Press, International Educator, Landscapes of the Mind, Phoebe, Eratica, OnCue, Shattersheet, Element, Prophetic Voices, Jordan Times, Jerusalem Star, New Press, Windfall, Live Poets, Second Glance, and Sublime Odyssey.

Translations of prose and poetry have appeared in Freedom, Al-Awsat, Al-Watan, Jordan Times, Pig Iron World, and Pyramid Periodical.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Why Do Men Have Nipples? (novel).

SIDELIGHTS: Mike Maggio told CA: "My primary motivation is to respond to contemporary society in all of its aspects. I think that current events influence my work, but often ideas come that have nothing to do with current events. My writing has changed as I have changed and matured. My experiences in life, particularly my experience living overseas for seven years, have greatly influenced me and have had a great change on my writing. I would also say that the environment around me reflects the kind of work I produce."