Songs From Under the El

From award-winning writer Joanne de Simone, Songs From Under the El is a love letter to her family—a nostalgic look at her heritage that began at Ellis Island, spanning almost a century. Her memoir is filled with anecdotes about who came before, with stories about life in the early to mid 1900s, and with the hope that all who follow in this tapestry of laughter and tears will come to cherish it as much as its creator.

Joanne de Simone was an author, dramatist, poet, and film historian. She hosted Notes & Notions from The Writing Desk at LTV-East Hampton Public Access Television. Joanne wrote twelve plays including her historical play Earthmen to be released as a short film in 2022, and her award-winning Norma Jeane, Enlightened, a fantasy about Marilyn Monroe in the afterlife. Various publications and film journals have featured Joanne’s work. Her film review column was published in the Fire Island News from 1998-2003. Joanne’s books include The Metro Cats: Life in the Core of The Big Apple and The Peculiar Plight of Milicent Wryght, both young adult urban tales set in Manhattan.  Spills from a Quills is a collection of poetry and prose. Lovers. Husbands. Stranger: A Baby Boomer’s Chronicle of Lust, Love and One-Night Stands was written under pen name L. L. Ferris. She also penned Mating Habits Couples Guide a-z, and Inside Out Yoga co-authored with Sandra K.  Joanne was a member of The Dramatist Guild, Shakespeare Guild, Drama Guild, English Speaking Union, Episcopal Actors Guild, and The American Academy of Poets, and launched a non-profit organization, St. Rita and Archangel Metatron Arts League (stramal.com). Joanne held a BA in Film, Literature, and Creative Writing, and lived on the east end of Long Island. She passed away in May 2022.