Everything Is Something Else by Franco D’Alessandro

“This constellation of Franco D’Alessandro’s poems are “relentlessly lusting with no rest,” and “something wild briefly contained”… It lifts my heart to read and, thereby, witness D’Alessandro with his “puckish chuckle” achieve his literary pole vault: “…if music is what language hopes to be…” Full of assonance and allure, where “every word’s curve” exuberantly pulses with ink […] This deeply intimate collection of poems, entitled Everything is Something Else, offers us a map of the artist’s soul.
–Annie Rachele Lanzillotto, Poet, Author of L is for Lion: an italian bronx butch freedom memoir

“Franco D’Alessandro’s poetry is the silver thread that weaves together the major events, places, people and themes of his life. His work has a sense of time and place, that the past is present within us and around us, through the deeply held memory of a mother’s touch or the unending admiration of a father’s square shoulders, we become that which we love. Ireland, Italy and love are the themes that form the pillars of this work, the pantheon of a life lived with the passion of an Italian, the recklessness of an Irishman and the sensitivity of an artist. There is tenderness here despite having weathered the winter of life’s harshness, there is not a hint of cynicism, but instead quiet ebullience that is a gift of hope to us all. To read and feel the poems in ‘Everything is Something Else’ is to walk the cobblestoned streets of Rome, or Galway or the sun-baked sidewalks of New York with him and to know that you too are home.”
–Hugo McCafferty, Author, Journalist, The Irish Independent

“Franco D’Alessandro, a playwright with a poet’s soul, accomplishes what is, perhaps, the most difficult thing for a writer -he makes you care.”

–Edward Albee, Pulitzer & Tony Award-Winning Playwright

“Everything is Something Else reveals the tumultuous journey of a young man into a mature artist; D’Alessandro’s poems possess what I value most -an emotional honesty and a keen wit.”
–Olympia Dukakis, Academy Award-Winning Actress, Author, & Activist

“This book is an important collection of poems by a gifted playwright-poet, in the tradition of my dear friend, Tennessee Williams. Give your beleaguered soul a break; read Franco D’Alessandro’s Everything Is Something Else!”
–Bruce Smith, Author, Costly Performances: Tennessee Williams -The Last Stage

“It is as though D’Alessandro has invested millions in life and squeezes every penny returned. The poet sits in the middle of his poem (as he does in his plays) speaking loudly about persons who matter. You will read Everything is Something Else many times over… It is healthy to be exposed to such passion!”
–Gregory Abels, Director, Poet, & Zen Master

“Touchingly beautiful, hauntingly fragile, creating memories of lost loves and present passions; Franco D’Alessandro‘s profoundly poignant poetry goes deep down into the depths of the soul and whispers, ‘I am here, I see you, let’s make some beauty from our pain’.”
–Bina Sharif, Playwright, Artist, & Director

Franco D’Alessandro, through his artfully crafted words and deeply felt emotions, realizes perfect illuminations that portray his conception of life full of his veri af etti -true affections. The author’s words try to “maybe to find, but more to see” what his life has left inside him and, even more, what life still has in store for him. And it will be an amazing discovery without end for him and for us. This is D’Alessandro in all of his profound and movi ng honesty.
–Chiara Ricci, Ph.D.,  Author of Vissi d’Arte, Pres. Piazza Navona Cultural Association

“Born of “Roman blood and forged in Celtic fire”, D’Alessandro’s poetry inhabits that precious middle distance between the spiritual and corporeal. While being present and reflective at once, he reminds us that we are all fastened to this earth, to each other, and to our collective condition.
–Josh Joplin, Songwriter, Singer, & Lyricist