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ON STAGE
“Camilleri – tough, visceral, funny . . . ” “I gotta come clean, folks. I've seen Camilleri, the wordsmith, and Montgomery, the musical genius of the troupe, perform in Toronto a few times over the past couple years. They both blew me away.” “The sold-out shows featured performance by members Anna Camilleri, Ivan E. Coyote, Lyndell Montgomery and Zoe T. Eakle. Their rigorous exploration of gender and sexuality opened up strange new worlds posing enough threat to shut down all the arts funding in Alberta .”
RED LIGHT: SUPERHEROES, SAINTS, AND SLUTS
“ Red Light , like all of Camilleri's books, is brave and bold and in-your-face, a brazen mix of passionate intelligence and striking sexuality with the power to stir one's inner rebel.” (read more) I AM A RED DRESS
“Cultural agitator and fab femme . . . Camilleri's a terrific writer, in control of some emotionally charged prose.” "Anna Camilleri is more than a red dress. The Toronto native is a writer, spoken word artist, anthologist and curator who has performed across Canada and the U.S. Camilleri's I Am a Red Dress is a new memoir-like work that offers an intensely personal depiction of her own life. Camilleri's prose is potent, fresh, and imbued with powerful imagery. This lady in red has an important message to share." (read more) “It's usually honesty that leaves the most distinct mark on artwork of art, or, in this case, literature. And while there is plenty of honesty in I Am a Red Dress , another singular adjective nudges the psyche of those reading this book: brave. Camilleri is a sure master of allowing truth to conspicuously and carefully seep through the pages of her work without appearing leaky or uncomfortable. This control is what's most striking in Camilleri's newest venture. . . she reveals herself and her family with grace and remarkable charge. I Am a Red Dress is exceptionally strong in will, humanity, and bravery.” (read more) “Anna Camilleri is a powerful writer with a gripping story. We definitely need to hear more from her.” “Camilleri isn't afraid to stretch to limits of genre in an attempt to achieve new meaning.”
“Brazen Femme is a brave and necessary book, written with honor and longing and truth. And much like strutting around in a pair of stiletto pumps or lacing on a skin-tight merry-widow, it leaves the kind of impression that is well worth some minor discomfort.” “Perhaps what is most important about Brazen Femme is that is stands traditional thinking- about femininity, masculinity, and the unnamed genders that lie between- on its ear. It frees us to look at the world from the position of the so-called sexual outlaw, the rebel, she who will not be confined.” BOYS LIKE HER: TRANSFICTIONS “As forbidden as these stories might be, each of the writers has managed to find a voice that speaks with great gentleness, grace and gallantry. If the authors of this book were my sons and daughters, I would be bursting with pride over each and every one of them. They've given the culture a lovely gift in this collection of stories.” “Boys Like Her speaks eloquently of the need for civil rights for all of us . . . evocative narrative fiction.” “It doesn't happen often, but sometimes a book comes at exactly the right time and ushers in an era. Boys Like Her is just such a book. . . the writing is sensitive, genuine, and unflinching. This is the first of many important books to come from this generation.” "Exploring sex, violence, alienation and love. . . .Camilleri's story is powerful and haunting." "They (Taste This) write with grace and dignity, and most of all, with power. The experience (of reading Boys Like Her) is physical, far removed form the abstract mind's-eye experience offered by so much literature. You are there, and you care—that's quite a feat. They are a performance troupe; this book, though text, is also performance. A hearty performance." "Gender and sexuality are big concerns - Boys Like Her transcends the issues with beautiful writing and voices that have become clear and sharp through several years' of rehearsals and performances, and a lot of thinking. This is an excellent book . . ."
Quill and Quire All website contents © 2003-2008 Anna Camilleri, unless otherwise noted. |
“When Anna Camilleri enters a room, heads turn. Not because she's wearing a red dress, but because she is one: bold, sexy, unique. Sounds Siren Red defies convention. Written and performed by Camilleri, the stunning piece unfolds through monologue, storytelling and poetry . . . flawless delivery.” 
“Fans of Camilleri's book I am a Red Dress will appreciate this stunning visual volume that sheds new light on what the titular image means. Because of the multi-genre crossover, Red Light doesn't feel like your average feminist collection but more like being in a room full of vibrant souls. The pieces work together to create not just a discussion of femininity but a challenge to its very definition.”
“It ( I Am a Red Dress ) is a melodious and haunting red siren of text culled from Camilleri's own life, which unravels the complexly woven threads of love, silence and betrayal through which she, her mother and her grandmother are bound. Evocatively written through the lushly rouged and split lip of poetry, Camilleri deftly “remakes language, profane, and delicate,” and writes herself loudly and vividly from the gaps cloaked by and within the red dress.” (
“This bold, groundbreaking collection . . . on the nature of femmes and femme identity is an insightful and extremely welcome addition to the small but growing field of femme studies.” 
“Camilleri's writing is gracefully provocative and evocative . . . the last lines of Boys Like Her are hers and claim their space without apology because that's where they belong. “My body is a map. I am the cartographer. Desire, my language. I find myself.”