Like “Trying Stuff” — Rita Mattia’s published collection of short personal essays — Writa Writes and Reads moves agilely through 19th century Italy, 20th century New Jersey, and 21st century Maryland and Virginia. In both her first book and in these new stories read by the author, Mattia explores the Italian and the Irish immigrant experience, racism in America, growing up Catholic and her off-and-on struggles with mental illness. Though she often refers to them as “stories,” all are based on entirely true events in her life and the history of her family. Her love of theater, music, and family relationships also shines through poignant, hilarious, and always bitingly honest tales. In other words, Rita Mattia never backs away from things that hurt — or those that make us laugh, often at Rita herself. The best way to reach Rita or Writa Writes and Reads is via writa@mail.com (NOTE: this is NOT gmail). The best way to purchase a copy of “Trying Stuff” is through the online bookstore of her publisher, marinermedia.com
Rita Mattia thanks a few folks ... and bids farewell to her listeners (for now, at least) with a tale about the ancestors who first came to these shores from the Campania region of Italy. The story is from her book, "Trying Stuff," available from her publisher, www.marinermedia.com. If you've enjoyed this podcast, you'll love the book. If you wonder if there will be more from Rita in the future, please send a note to RITA.MATTIA@GMAIL.COM and you'll be among the first to know. There should be another book soon.
Greek tragedy? Or comedy? You decide! Rita Mattia's tale of motherhood, lawlessness, and what may or may not have been a B+ average takes place in the early 1970s in Baltimore, Maryland.
In her far-too-brief heyday during the 1940s, Rita Mattia's mother Teeny was one heck of a seamstress. During those same years in New Jersey, Teeny's daughter Rita emerged as a doll surgeon and troublemaker.
Camping was never one of Rita Mattia's favorite activities. But stories of camping in Maryland in the 1950s and then in the 1970s combine to make an amusing story.
Rita Mattia's great grandfather Petrino B. Mattia was an extraordinary artist. But not all of his paintings were on canvas or paper. This story of her Italian-American family in mid-century New Jersey includes some good eating and good music as well.
A sort of mini-autobiography, taking Rita Mattia and her listeners on brief visits to all the places she has lived ... and why on earth she chose them.
In the mid 1960s, Rita Mattia was a tiny person working in a huge city (Manhattan, NYC) in which she could not quite afford to shop. This did not stop her from trying.
Rita Mattia ponders what we do and do not remember or know about the past ... and which loved ones we might have asked about those things while we still could.
A timely story about the early days of labor unions in the United States — and particularly in Northern New Jersey in the 20thcentury. Rita Mattia's father was deeply committed ... and far more shrewd than she usually gave him credit for being.
A tale of tails ... and of married life in an elegant antebellum home in Richmond, Virginia. This story appears in Rita Mattia's book, “Trying Stuff.” Copies are available from her publisher, www.marinermedia.com
Are there things you once enjoyed that are now lost to you? Perhaps forever? Rita Mattia explores how these transitions can serve to enrich, not deplete us.
Rita Mattia shares her home in Virginia — and the treasures within — with her listeners, bringing to life the incredible artistry of her family and her friends.
Losing her advertising copywriter job in Virginia nearly takes Rita Mattia around the world to find fame and fortune. Nearly. But. Not quite.
What podcast created by an Italian-American girl growing up in New Jersey in the 1940s and 1950s would be complete without a few run-ins with the Roman Catholic Church ... and a place called Our Lady Queen of Peace High School? Rita Mattia assures us it cannot.
This very, very short bonus episode came about after an advertising business associate/friend from long, long ago had some very nice things to say about Rita Mattia. It felt really, really good.
A laughable misunderstanding of the reason for an overnight trip to Pennsylvania leaves Rita Mattia both confused and amused... and out of yet another short-lived 1960s relationship. A mild expletive is spoken by a character in the story.
It is the 1870s, and Rita Mattia's great grandfather arrives in the United States from Southern Italy and figures out that New Jersey might be more hospitable than New York. This story appears in her book, “Trying Stuff.” Copies are available from her publisher, www.marinermedia.com
Will her dinner guests prove to be her future in-laws? Is that really Stonewall Jackson looking in the window? It's the 1970s, and Rita Mattia and her son are settling into life in Richmond, Virginia. Explosively so.
Though not exactly in season ... Rita Mattia muses on Halloweens past, including a terrified toddler and Rita's gift for creating clever last-minute costume designs. One of those get-ups was spectacularly, regrettably insensitive.
Is a tendency to say – and perhaps write — exactly what pops into her mind a valuable asset? Or is it a liability? In this story from Rita Mattia's life in Richmond in the 1980s, it proves to be both.
This is another so-called "bonus" episode —included in the podcast but not aired on a regular day. In this story, Rita Mattia recalls the preparation of elaborate meals using recipes and techniques passed down from the Campania region of Italy, in the province of Avellino.
The early days of television — and television advertising — spring to life in a story about mid 20thcentury in-home entertainment. And, of course, Rita Mattia's family in Northern New Jersey figures prominently.
Rita Mattia and her son migrate south from Baltimore, Maryland to Richmond, Virginia and encounter some interesting characters in a laundromat. This poignant story appears in her book, “Trying Stuff.” Copies are available from her publisher, www.marinermedia.com
How do products you see advertised get their names? How does charity knitting figure into a story about that? Rita Mattia weaves it all together in this story about advertising, needlework, gender, and cats.
Where did Rita Mattia really journey? Was time travel involved? What about fried catfish? In this "bonus" episode, she remembers successful and not-so-successful attempts at becoming a screenwriter.
More about Rita Mattia's life in Northern New Jersey in the 1950s, including a Victrola, a parade, and reflections on the beautiful Lenni-Lenape people — forced from their land to make room for all that.
Recollections from Rita Mattia’s childhood, spent among first- and second-generation immigrants in northern New Jersey during the early 1950s
What would you do if a stranger called and told you about a million-dollar inheritance? Rita Mattia goes from smart aleck to sleuth in this story involving dozens of cousins.
A careless conductor, a failed train engine, a folk guitar and other factors complicate 20th century train travel for Mattia, her friends and her son. In a moment of fear and frustration, Mattia says a vulgar word.
What happens when Rita Mattia gets her very own live radio show for the visually handicapped in Richmond, Virginia? Far more than expected. And far less.
A zany — there is no better word for it — ad biz adventure in Kentucky, involving a baseball bat, elevator rides, tap dancing, spectacular river views and Rita’s gift for getting into trouble. This story was first told in Rita Mattia’s book, “Trying Stuff.”
A conversation with my very good friend Matt Paxton compelled me to create this "bonus" podcast episode. It's a tad strident ...a few moments are a bit raw ... and I was hesitant to publish it. But, please know: whatever your gender, your color, your age or your faith may be ... if this story is yours too, I care.
A delicate and challenging situation turns hilarious — and borderline off-color— for Mattia, on a wintertime visit to a doctor.
Mattia traces her family back to early 17th century Italy, through immigration to the United States and into St. Lucy’s Church in Newark, New Jersey. St. Gerardo Majella — the Roman Catholic saint who is the patron saint of mothers — plays a major role.
About Mattia’s foiled attempts to keep a journal. Mosquitos, weeds, and a musical toilet make for a challenging life ... and a very brief record of life with her son in a large home in Northern Virginia.
Rita Mattia somehow jams everything she owns into her little 1965 roadster and leaves New York and New Jersey for an uncertain future. The journey proves to be both surprising and instructive.
A poignant and sometimes magical tale about life among recent and not-so-recent immigrants, in Rita Mattia’s mid-century New Jersey neighborhood. This story was first told in Rita Mattia’s book, “Trying Stuff.”
A bittersweet tale about Mattia’s recovery from life-threatening injuries ... and the importance of being white while a driving under the influence. WARNING: A mild-but-vulgar word is used several times, in context.
An exploration of hair styles and hair treatments, from the 1940s to the present, including Rita Mattia’s struggles with home perms, home dye jobs, and the joys of blondeness.
A blizzard in Richmond, Virginia finds Mattia knitting in a room with a three-legged chihuahua, an angry laborer, a manic manager and various other colorful characters. In fact, one of those characters causes Mattia to say the word “bleep” dozens upon dozens of times.
This “coming of age” tale — starring an English sports car and a dysfunctional New Jersey family — was first told in Rita Mattia’s book, “Trying Stuff.”
Mattia recalls the jobs she juggled, the money she earned, and the lessons she learned — mostly outside the classroom.
Rita Mattia discovers to her delight that a career in advertising in Richmond , Virginia is a much better fit for her than a quest for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Mental health issues, a run of bad luck and some complicated dental work somehow become, well, funny to Rita Mattia.
Rita Mattia answers the call of Jury Duty in Richmond, Virginia. Her own trials do not end in the courtroom.
This title is sort of borrowed from Toni Morrison. This story, about the healing properties of volunteerism, first appeared in Rita Mattia’s book “Trying Stuff.”
An adventure in Rita Mattia’s long advertising career, involving the deep south and a lot of much deeper stuff. With stops in Asheville, North Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina.
Members of the Mattia family sidestep the Mafia; a pair of twelve-year-olds show extraordinary boldness; and a dramatic confession shakes things up in mid twentieth century northern New Jersey.
Rita Mattia muses about her triumphs and failures as a writer in Lyndhurst, New Jersey; Saratoga Springs, New York; and Richmond, Amherst and Alexandria, Virginia — and adds a comment on 2020.
Phobias, dark spaces, and bizarre discoveries in several of Rita Mattia’s historic homes in Richmond, Virginia are visited in this tale from the 1990s.
Her mother’s persistent chronic illness, her advertising career, and the behavior of our planet all play into this circa 1990 tale from the life of Rita Mattia.
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