Kissena Clan (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781985637085)

Diane Galemmo was born and raised in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Back in the 1950s-1960s, her hometown-with its brick tenements, cafes, novelty shops and outdoor produce markets-was comprised predominantly of Italian families and beatniks. Diane met her husband Mat when she joined a bowling league in Manhattan. They were happily married for 44 years until Mat passed away in 2012. She earned a B.A. from Queens College in Flushing. Her work experience includes: feature writer/reporter at the Queens Tribune; research coordinator at the City University of New York (C.U.N.Y.); editor of Italics, an Italian-American television news show; associate editor of C.U.N.Y. textbook, Italian-Americans in Transition, and journalist for the Trinity Neighborhood News. Her humorous essay, English with Subtitles, won second place in a 1976 National Collegiate Writing Contest, and she has had articles published in various magazines and newspapers focusing mostly on the Village and on tennis. An avid tennis player who was taught by her husband, Diane won several singles tournaments and the mixed doubles Bronx County Championships before moving to Florida. She has been the editor/writer of Racquety Yak, an online tennis forum for tennis fans. In 1994, she and her Innisbrook Country Club team reached the Florida State tennis doubles finals in both the USTA adult and senior leagues, and she was Innisbrook's women's singles champion in 1996 and 2000. Well into her fifties, she was given a tennis scholarship to Pasco Hernando State College and played varsity tennis from 1999 to 2001. During that time she earned an A.S. degree in Human Services with honors. As part of her PHCC practicum, she worked at the V.A. Hospital in Tampa and at the PHCC Disabilities Office. Since 2003, she has lived at Heritage Springs in Trinity, FL where she enjoys an active lifestyle that includes tennis and bridge.