Maria Laurino (April 24, 1959) is an American journalist, essayist, memoirist, and former political speechwriter.

Early life and education

Maria Laurino, a third generation

Italian-American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...

, grew up in

North Jersey North Jersey, also known as Northern New Jersey, comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. As a distinct toponym, North Jersey is a colloquial one rather than an a ...

. She graduated from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

and received her graduate degree in English literature from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

. In 2018, Laurino was honored as a Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy) by the Italian Consul General Francesco Genuardi on behalf of Italian President

Sergio Mattarella Sergio Mattarella (; born 23 July 1941) is an Italian politician and jurist who has served as the president of Italy since 2015. He is the longest-serving president in the history of the Italian Republic. Since Giorgio Napolitano's death in 20 ...

Career

Laurino began her career as a journalist at ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', where she covered local and state politics and social issues, such as New York's housing market and the resulting surge in its homeless population. In 1989, Laurino left the ''Village Voice'' to become the Chief Speechwriter for New York City Mayor

David Dinkins David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993. Dinkins was among the more than 20,000 Montford Point Marine Associa ...

, serving until the end of his term in 1993. After leaving government, Laurino returned to freelance journalism, writing for numerous publications, including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''; and her essays have been widely anthologized, including in the ''Norton Reader.'' Her first memoir, '' Were You Always an Italian?,'' was a national bestseller and explored the issue of ethnic identity among Italian-Americans. Her second memoir, ''Old World Daughter, New World Mother,'' examined the pull and tug the author experienced between Old World traditions that valued familial dependence and a New World feminism that prized female autonomy. In 2014, she published ''The Italian Americans: A History'', chronicling the Italian-American experience from 1860 to the present day (companion book to the PBS series of the same name). In 2024, Laurino published ''The Price of Children: Stolen lives in a land of without choice''.

Personal life

Laurino is married to Anthony Shorris, a civil servant who served as First

Deputy Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, ...

and Executive Director of the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...

. They have one son and live in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurino, Maria American newspaper reporters and correspondents Georgetown University alumni American people of Italian descent New York University alumni Living people New York University faculty Year of birth missing (living people)