Maria Lisella's poetry has been twice nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Poetry Prize based on her first two collections: Amore on Hope Street [Finishing Line Press] and Two Naked Feet [Poets Wear Prada] available on Amazon.com Her latest collection, Thieves in the Family, was published in 2014 by NYQ Books. She co-curates the Italian American Writers Association literary readings -- the longest running series at the Cornelia St. and Sidewalk Cafes i; as well as special events at the CUNY Graduate Center's John D. Calandra Italian American Institute and coordinates events for the Vito Marcantonio Forum.As a travel writer, Maria Lisella has spelunked in caves in Madhyar Pradesh, rafted the Jordan River, ridden horseback in the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro, explored the great art museums of Europe, hiked Mt. Etna in Sicily and Mount Washington in New Hampshire, and sipped Armagnac in Gascony, France.Born in New York City, Lisella has spent the last 20 years reporting on the travel industry for the travel trade and consumer publications. She contributes to FoxNews.com, The New York Daily News, AFAR and Travel and Leisure magazines, Sherman's Travel, and she was a columnist for Diversion and The Star Ledger. She has also developed special projects for tourist offices such as Austria, Flanders and the European Travel Commission.Recently she has added a new role as an Adjunct Professor at the City University of New York teaching Travel, Tourism and Hospitality and designed and taught a Writing Workshop at Touro College for undergraduate students tackling essays, both personal and academic, as well as theses, emphasizing expository and non-fiction writing.