“Miss Bensonhurst” in Ovunque Siamo

Ovunque Siamo is a journal of new Italian-American writing. The title–translation Wherever We Are–is apt for our assimilated and diffuse ethnic body.

Miss Bensonhurst”  is a fictional account of my grandmother’s friendship with Marilyn Monroe. The story was first presented in nonfiction form in 2013 in Salon.

She and the girls are enveloped in the warm bakelite booth. A curtain shields her from the crowds. The two little angels share the hard seat. The camera–that possessed apparatus which would stalk her to the end–here blinks obediently. Flash.

MissBensonhurst

Thank you for the love.