Tales from India and Romania kick off "One World," the theme for this year's season of "Live! Lit" short story readings, on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 3 p.m. at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Following a 2 p.m. tea, professional actors will read three stories culled from the world's best short fiction.

This season debut showcases two works by Luminita Mihai Cioaba, the daughter of a Bulibasha, or king of a Gypsy tribe. Adept at both prose and poetry, Cioaba is the author of "The Lost Country," a volume of traditional oral stories told to her by her grandmother that Cioaba embellished with detail and nuance in keeping with modern written traditions. The stories reflect on the Gypsies' life of travel and touch upon the Roma life through magicians, music, dance and, occasionally, violence. Cioaba, who has won awards for her work in Romania and Italy, strives to capture the art of the folk or mythic tale often told from a woman's perspective.

Stratford actor/director Katie C. Sparer will read two stories from "The Lost Country" - "The Gypsy Princess" and "Nightingale."

Bridgeport resident Tom Zingarelli, the Quick Center's executive director, will read KK Mohapatra's "Crows." Mohapatra has published two collections of stories, "Palabhuta" and "Chor," and a novel, "Photo," in Oriya, an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 22 million in the Indian state of Orissa. He also co-translated "The HarperCollins Book of Oriya Short Stories," and "Ants, Ghosts and Whispering Trees: An Anthology of Oriya Short Stories."

Zingarelli will also direct the afternoon of readings. Tess Link, an actress, writer and member of the Theatre Artists' Workshop, is the series creator.

Tickets are $10, or $32 for all four Live! Lit events this season. For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit www.quickcenter.com.

Posted On: 09-14-2005 10:09 AM

Volume: 38 Number: 33