Events
Monday, November 21, 2022 - Passing of Author and Editor Dean Kostos.
We are sad to report the passing of Dean Kostos. He was the editor of Pomegranate Seeds: An Anthology of Greek-American Poetry (Somerset Hall Press) and the author of many other books. more.
Sunday, October 2, 2022 - Book Presentation on The Virgin Mary in Holy Icons and Stories, Weston, MA
Presentation and Luncheon by author Presbytera Athanasia Papademetriou. Hosted by the Philoptochos Society, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.
After the Divine Liturgy
57 Brown Street
Weston, MA
Thursday, July 21, 2022 – Summer Dreams of Aivali and Smyrna (Before Catastrophe), Atlantic City.
Maeandros Ensemble performs songs of Smyrna and Aivali, preceded by a discussion of Soloup’s graphic novel, Aivali, by historian and translator, Dr. Tom Papademetriou.
Reception to follow.
7:00PM-9:00 PM
Stockton University Courtyard at the Atlantic City Boardwalk
(Rain Location: Fannie Lou Hamer Event Room)
RSVP at tula.christopoulos@stockton.edu or 609.226.5827
Saturday, June 4, 2022 – A Program of Greek poetry and music to celebrate Greek Independence Day, New York.
Featuring Somerset Hall Press authors Nicos Alexiou, Penelope Karageorge, and Vassiliki Rapti as well as other writers and musicians. Held the night before the Greek Independence Day parade on Fifth Avenue.
Sponsored by: Greek-American Writers Assn., Greek Writers of America Guild, and Hellenic American Project, Queens College, CUNY
6:00 P.M.
St. John’s in the Village
224 Waverly Place
New York, NY
November 2019 – Book Tour for Aivali: A Story of Greeks and Turks in 1922, a graphic novel
The author Soloup will be in the United States for a book tour in November 2019. More details are available below and on our Facebook page.
SAN FRANCISCO
Wednesday, November 6, 2019, 4:00-5 p.m.
Location: San Francisco State University, HUM 587
Hosted by the Center for Greek Studies, San Francisco State University
SACRAMENTO
Saturday November 9, 2019, 11:00 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Location: Sacramento State University
Modern Greek Studies Association Symposium, Panel 6C
Panelists: Dean Papademetriou, Somerset Hall Press; Soloup, Political Editorial Cartoonist; Keli Daskala, Hellenic Open University; and Tom Papademetriou, Stockton University
STOCKTON UNIVERSITY
Tuesday November 12, 2019, 4:30 PM
Location: Stockton University, Galloway, New Jersey
Constantelos Hellenic Collection and Reading Room
Presented by the Pappas Center for Hellenic Studies, Co-sponsored by the Historical Studies Program, Visual Arts Program, Minor in Migration Studies, the History Club
BOSTON
Wednesday, November 13, 2019, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Location: The Consulate General of Greece in Boston
86 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108
Co-hosted by The Consulate General of Greece in Boston, The Institute of Eastern Mediterranean Studies, The Advanced Training in Greek Poetry Translation & Performance Workshop, and Somerset Hall Press
Panelists: Political Cartoonist and Author Soloup; Translator Dr. Tom Papademetriou, Stockton University; Dr. Petros Vamvakas, Emmanuel College; and Dr. Vassiliki Rapti, Boston University and Emerson College.
NEW YORK
Thursday, November 14, 2019, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, 930 Schermerhorn Hall
Co-hosted by Columbia University Program in Hellenic Studies, The Greek-American Writers’ Association, and Somerset Hall Press
Panelists: Political Cartoonist and Author Soloup; Translator Dr. Tom Papademetriou, Stockton University; Dr. Nikolas Kakkoufa, Columbia University; and Poet and Journalist Penelope Karageorge.
PHILADELPHIA
Friday November 15, 2019, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Location: Penn Book Center, 130 S. 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Hopscotch Translation Series
Co-sponsored by the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania
Saturday, October 20, 2018: Celebration of the Life of Lili Bita, New York.
Lili Bita was a creative powerhouse, actress, author of 22 books, amazing friend, and inspiration who
died in a tragic accident several months ago. Participants in the program will include Lili’s husband,
author and professor Robert Zaller, Dean Papademetriou, publisher of Somerset Hall Press, poet Dean Kostos,
musician Nektarios Antoniou, author Penelope Karageorge, poet Vassiliki Rapti, and actor Peter Botteas.
Director/producer Lili White will introduce the short film “Birth,” starring and written by Lili Bita. Anais Nin,
author of Delta of Venus, wrote: “Lili Bita transcends the individual woman. Her experiences, love or hatred,
birth or death, ecstasy or despair, become universal…Human life and myth are lived simultaneously.”
6:00 P.M.
Cornelia Street Café
29 Cornelia Street (Greenwich Village)
New York, NY 10014
Monday, July 23, 2018: Author Deahn Berrini speaks on "The Lost Colony of Roanoke, the Native People Perspective" in Salem, MA.
The Explorer talk is a result of the extensive research Berrini did for her third novel, A Roanoke Story,
which presents the story of the missing English colonists from the point of view of the Native People who greeted those
first foreign ships. The book is praised by experts in the field for its accuracy in its representation of
how people lived before Western colonization. Visitors are welcome at all intersession programs.
10 AM to noon
Salem State University's Explorer Lifelong Learning Institute summer session
10 Federal Street, Suite 10, Salem MA.
OBITUARY: Tuesday, February 20, 2018: Renowned Greek American Author and Actress Lili Bita Has Passed Away
Lili Bita, our beloved friend and a cultural affairs correspondent for the Hellenic News of America, passed away on February 12 following a tragic accident. more.
Sunday, March 4, 2018: Book Launch for "Avaton", Brookline, MA
Book Launch For Avaton, by Dimitrios I. Bafaloukos
Translated by Vassiliki Rapti
With Thirteen Paintings by Dimitris Mytaras
and a Critical Note by Joseph S. Josephides
3:30 P.M.-5:00 P.M
Maliotis Cultural Center at Hellenic College
50 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA 02445
Event Open to the Public and Free Admission
Program:
• Introduction: Dean Papademetriou, Publisher
• Keynote Speaker: Peter Bien, Professor Emeritus, Dartmouth College
• Poetry Reading: Vassiliki Rapti and Peter Bottéas
• Reception to follow
• Background Music by the Music Ensemble Esthema
Saturday, February 10, 2018: Valentine’s Program, New York
Please join us for a special Valentine’s program! Featuring readings of love poems from Fleshfire, by Lili Bita; Avaton, by Dimitrios Bafaloukos; and Transitorium, by Vassiliki Rapti. Followed by a staged reading of Nightfall Hotel: A Surrealist Romeo and Juliet, by Nanos Valaoritis and performed by Eleni Tzatzimakis, Peter Botteas, and Lili Bita. Organized by the Greek-American Writers Association and Somerset Hall Press.
6:00 P.M.
Cornelia Street Café
29 Cornelia Street (Greenwich Village)
New York, NY 10014
Monday, November 13, 2017: Book Launch for A Roanoke Story
Author Deahn Berrini reads from her book about the first encounters between the Native Roanoke and the English settlers.
7:00 P.M.
Swampscott Public Library
61 Burrill Street
Swampscott, MA 01907
November 2-5, 2017: Somerset Hall Press at the Modern Greek Studies Symposium
Publisher Dean Papademetriou was photographed for an article about the Symposium in the National Herald.
November 2-5, 2017: Nightfall Hotel Performance and Panel Discussion at Stockton University
The play Nightfall Hotel: A Surrealist Romeo and Juliet, by Nanos Valaoritis, will be performed and be the subject of a panel discussion at the Modern Greek Studies Association Symposium at Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey. The Symposium will take place at the Stockton Seaview Hotel.
http://mgsasymposium.org
Panelists:
Dr. Vassiliki Rapti, Emerson College and translator of Nightfall Hotel
Dr. David Roessel, Stockton University
Effie Gonis, Harvard University, PhD candidate
Moderator: Dean Papademetriou, Publisher, Somerset Hall Press
February 11, 2017: Lili Bita’s Fleshfire: A Multi-Media Performance, at The Rotonda, Philadelphia
The performance includes selected poems accompanied by music, dance, and choreographed movements. This mix of genres will express the myriad experiences of love and Eros available to adults of all ages, affinities, and gender identities.
Share with me my love poems inspired by one of the greatest Greek gods, Eros, and the passion it bestows. -Lili
Directed by Ruchama Bilenky
Featuring:
Lili Bita
Hannah Tsapatoris-MacLeod
Mike Romano
Barbara McPherson
8:00 P.M.
The Rotunda
4014 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(267) 679-4098
Tickets $15 at https://therotunda.ticketleap.com/lili-bitas-fleshfire/
A Showcase of Greek and Greek-American Literature Held at Harvard University
On June 3, 2016, a Showcase of Greek and Greek-American Literature was held at Harvard University. The event was organized by The Advanced Training in Greek Poetry Translation & Performance Workshop and Somerset Hall Press. It featured readings and performances by several prominent authors of Greek ancestry. more.
Kick-off of Book Tour for Fleshfire: Love Poems by Lili Bita
Sunday, January 31, 2016, 2:00 PM: Bookstore1, 1359 Main Street, Sarasota, FL 34236, 941-365-7900.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016, 6:30 PM: Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables,Florida 33134, 305-442-4408.
Saturday, February 13, 2016, 6:00 PM (Valentine’s Day weekend): Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, (Greenwich Village) New York, 10014, 212-989-9319.
$9 admission includes a glass of wine, beer or soft drink.
December 12, 2015: Vassiliki Rapti at Cornelia Street Café, Greenwich Village, New York
Vassiliki Rapti, preceptor in Modern Greek at Harvard University, will read from her poetry
collection Transitorium, with musical accompaniment. Bill Buschel, poet and story teller,
Cosmos FM producer and host of Graffiti will also read from his poetry collection. Also on the
program will be Marlain Angelides, multi-talented musician, composer and actress. She was the
former lead vocalist in Greece's Hi-5 Girl Band, represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song
Contest, and has appeared frequently on the New York stage. Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia
Street, New York, at 6 PM. $9 admission includes a glass of wine, beer or soft drink.
July 9, 2015: Penelope Karageorge on Hellenic Public Radio, CosmosFM.org
Penelope Karageorge, author of The Neon Suitcase, was a guest on “Graffiti,” a program hosted by Bill Buschel on Hellenic Public Radio. Listen.
Summer 2015: Readings in Greece
July 17, 2015: Vassiliki Rapti reads from Transitorium in Thessalonike
At the Art Café Gazia organized by Chloe Koutsoubeli
July 22, 2015: Vassiliki Rapti reads from Transitorium in Athens
At the Tenth Paros International Poetry Translation Symposium organized by Ellen Dimos
July 28, 2015: Municipal Conservatory, Paros.
July 30, 2015: Ursuline Academy, Naxos.
An Evening of Poetry and Music. Vassiliki Rapti reads from Transitorium and Penelope Karageorge reads from The Neon Suitcase.
With Kostas Rekleitis, conductor; Stella Markou, soprano; and Yiannis Filias, tenor.
June 13, 2015: Penelope Karageorge at Cornelia Street Café
Penelope Karageorge reads from her poetry collection The Neon Suitcase. Also on the program is Dean Kostos, co-editor of Pomegranate Seeds: An Anthology of Greek-American Poetry, reading from his new collection, This is Not a Skyscraper.
At the Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village, New York, on Saturday, February 8, 2015, at 6 PM.
$8 admission buys a glass of wine or soft drink.
June 10, 2015: Lili Bita and Robert Zaller Receive Petracca Award
The Philadelphia Poets gave the Petracca Award to Lili Bita and Robert Zaller for the poem “The Boy with the Poem in his Eyes” at the Fumo Public Library in Philadelphia.
May 21, 2015, at 7 PM: An Evening of Poetry and Music with Two Greek Women Authors
Two Greek women authors will debut their new poetry collections from Somerset Hall Press in an evening of poetry and music.
Penelope Karageorge, director of the Greek-American Writers Association in New York, will read from her collection, The Neon Suitcase.
Vassiliki Rapti, preceptor in Modern Greek at Harvard University, will read from her collection, Transitorium. She will be accompanied by world-famous soprano Stella Markou.
The event is free. Books will be available for purchase and will be signed by the authors.
Maliotis Cultural Center, 50 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, Massachusetts.
February 8, 2015: Lili Bita and Robert Zaller at Cornelia Street Café
Lili Bita and Robert Zaller read from their works.
At the Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village, New York, on Saturday, February 8, 2015, at 6 PM.
$8 admission buys a glass of wine or soft drink.
January 25, 2015: Lili Bita and Robert Zaller at Bookstore 1, Sarasota, Florida
Lili Bita and Robert Zaller read from their works at Bookstore 1, a premiere independent bookstore in Sarasota, Florida.
November 24, 2014: Lili Bita inducted into the Union of Greek Writers
Acadimias and Gennadiou Streets, Athens Greece
Greek author and actress Lili Bita was honored and recognized for her body of work by being inducted into the Union of Greek Writers, an organization whose past members include luminaries such as Nikos Kazantzakis and Yannis Ritsos. Bita is the author of Sister of Darkness, Women of Fire and Blood, and many other books. Congratulations to Lili Bita!.
November 11, 2014: Of Poetry and Travel: An Evening with Roger Finch
At the Boston Hostel, 19 Stuart Street, 7 PM
Hostelling International Boston hosts a very special evening with Roger Finch, author of "Stations of the Sun." Roger Finch’s long experience of living in Japan and traveling widely in the Far East and other parts of the world provided the settings and themes of many of his poems and stories, which deal with love, friendship, encounters with strangers, discovery, loss, death, memories of the past, separation, and longing for one’s homeland. Come hear Roger read some from his collection “Stations of the Sun,” talk about poetry as a reflection on travel, and give an overview of his experiences of traveling through Asia. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided to those that attend.
October 11, 2014: Astoria reading at Cornelia Street Café
Nicos Alexiou reads from his bilingual poetry collection, Astoria, heart-felt poetry of exile, community and Greek identity.
At the Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village, New York, on Saturday, October 11, 2014, at 6 PM.
$8 admission buys a glass of wine or soft drink plus a dazzling and delightful evening. Also featuring songwriter/singer/actor Christos Alexandrou performing selections from his new album, "Tha Perimeno." Constantina Rhodes, author, Ph.D. and Intuitive Consultant will explain how to access intuition in every day life.
April 27, 2014: Astoria event at the Maliotis Cultural Center
Nicos Alexiou reads from his poetry collection "Astoria: Exile People Places." At the Maliotis Cultural Center, on Sunday, April 27, 2014, at 3 PM. 50 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA. Reception to Follow,
Free Admission.
Dr. Alexiou is a sociology professor at Queens College, New York, and an expert on the Greek-American community of Astoria.
April 8, 2014: Lili Bita at the Black Sheep
Lili Bita will read from various works. At the Black Sheep, on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at 7:30 PM. 247 S. 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA.
March 21, 2014: World Poetry Day
Nicos Alexiou reads from his poetry collection "Astoria: Exile People Places" with musical accompaniment by Tasos Papayioannou. At the Press Office of the Greek Mission to the United Nations on March 21, 2014, at 6:30 PM. 305 E. 47th Street, New York 10017.
Reception to Follow, Free Admission.
February 8, 2014: Unveiling of Illuminations Journal Greek-themed issue
Nicos Alexiou, Penelope Karageorge, and Basil Rouskas join editor Meg Scott-Copses for the unveiling of the Greek-themed issue of Illuminations Journal (Summer 2013).
At the Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village, New York, on Saturday, February 8, 2014, at 6 PM.
They will read from their own works and works by Somerset Hall Press authors Lili Bita and Robert Zaller and other contributors.
February 13, 2010: Lili Bita at Woodstock Writers Festival
Lili Bita will be presenting her memoir Sister of Darkness at the "Celebration of the Memoir," Woodstock Writers Festival.
February 13, 2010 at noon. See further information about the Schedule.
February 26, 2010: Deahn Berrini reads from Milkweed: A Novel
Friday, February 26, 2010, 7 PM
Jamaicaway Books, 676 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain MA
www.jamaicawaybooks.com
March 18, 2010: Deahn Berrini reads from Milkweed: A Novel.
Thursday, March 18, 2010, 7 PM
Porter Square Books, 25 White Street, Cambridge, MA
www.portersquarebooks.com
March 10, 2010: Lili Bita will teach a master class and read from her books Sister of Darkness: A Memoir and Women of Fire and Blood: Poetic Reimagining of Ancient Greek Women and Goddesses.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
December 4, 2008: Tanya Contos will read from The Tide Clock and Other Poems.
Tanya Contos will read from her new book, The Tide Clock and Other Poems, on Thursday, December 4, 2008.
Hellenic College, 50 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA.
April 24, 2009: Tanya Contos and Roger Finch joint book reading.
On April 24, 2009, Tanya Contos and Roger Finch had a joint book reading at the York Public Library in Maine.
Contos read from her The Tide Clock and Other Poems,
and Finch read from his poetry collection, Stations of the Sun.
November 15 and 16, 2008, Miami: Lili Bita at Miami Book Fair
Saturday and Sunday, November 15 and 16, 2008
Lili Bita has been selected to appear as a featured author at the Miami International Book Fair.
April 6, 2008, Philadelphia: Lili Bita and Robert Zaller
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Reading by Lili Bita from Women of Fire and Blood and by Robert Zaller from Islands at the University Club of Philadelphia.
April 19, 2008, New York: Pomegranate Seeds
Saturday, April 19, 5:00-8:00 PM
Book Reading by Various Contributors to the Volume. Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village.
April 18, 2008, New York: Pomegranate Seeds
Friday, April 18, 6:30-8:30 PM. Presentation of Book followed by Reception. Press and Communication Officel. Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations, 305 East 47th Street, 2nd floor, New York. RSVP before event at info@somersethallpress.com
April 11, 2008, New York: Pomegranate Seeds
Reading at Morningside Heights Bookstore, 536 West 112th Street, New York
October 13, 2007, Miami: Islands and Sister of Darkness
Robert Zaller reads from Islands, poetry inspired by the Greek Islands.
November 17, 2006, Boston: Islands and Sister of Darkness
Robert Zaller reads from Islands, poetry inspired by the Greek islands, and Lili Bita reads from Sister of Darkness: A Memoir. Co-hosted by Grolier Poetry Bookstore and the Greek Institute, in Harvard Square. Location and time TBA.
October 21, 2006, New York: Islands
Robert Zaller reads from Islands, poetry inspired by the Greek Islands. Hosted by the Greek-American Writers Association. Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia Street (between West 4th and Bleeker Streets), 212-989-9319. 6 P.M.