Session 4

2:30 to 3:30 p.m. CDT

Women and the Mafia in Italian Cinema

What role do women play within Sicilian mafia? How has this role recently been represented in Italian films? Like a two-headed Janus, women contribute to the existence and continuity of the mafia but can also become a threat to it. Drawing on sociological studies on women and organized crime, this lecture discusses filmic representations of the complex and conflicting relationship of women with Sicilian mafia.

Suzanne Buffam

Suzanne Buffam is the author of three collections of poetry, the most recent of which, A Pillow Book (Canarium Books, 2016), was named one of the 10 best books of poetry in 2016 by the New York Times.

Srikanth Reddy

Srikanth Reddy's latest book of poetry is Underworld Lit (Wave Books, 2020). His poetry and criticism have appeared in Harper's, The Guardian, the New York Times, Poetry, and numerous other venues. The recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Creative Capital Foundation, and the Guggenheim Foundation, Reddy is Professor in the Program of Creative Writing in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago.