Curating her

heritage
San Mateo writer creates a
literary journal on the
Greek experience
Pages 22
Sunday, January 26, 2014 | Section W P1
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W22 On the Peninsula | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, January 26, 2014 P1 N
By Sophia Markoulakis
Anyone who thinks printed
literary journals are dead need
only spend five minutes chat-
ting with Annamarie Buono-
core.
At the age of 22, she is the
publisher and founder of Voic-
es of Hellenism Literary Jour-
nal or Voices. Not only will
she articulate the power of
knowledge and the written
word, but she will also in-
troduce you to the world of
contemporary Greek literature
that is being written and read
both in the U.S. and in Greece.
Published this month, Buo-
nocores second edition of Voic-
es contains the writings and
artwork of Greek Americans
and Greeks living across the
globe.
For this young San Mateo
poet and writer, the journal
was a natural extension of her
familys publishing business,
her creative writing endeavors
and her spiritual and cultural
connection to her church and
Greek community.
Buonocore realizes that
publishing a literary journal
will probably not earn her
much money, but she has a
desire to explore a collective
voice for people to discuss the
journey through life.
Any community can benefit
from a literary journal as it
provides a place for their voices
to be heard, says Buonocore.
As a member of San Joses St.
Nicholas Greek Orthodox
Church, Buonocore came up
with the idea for the journal
when she became involved in
the Hellenic Heritage Institute
and Museums efforts to ar-
chive members immigration
stories and first-person ac-
counts of settling in San Jose
and the surrounding area.
When the project was
dropped by the museum due to
insufficient funding, Buono-
core decided to continue col-
lecting stories. She also decided
to enhance them with fiction,
poetry and creative non-fiction
and attempt to bridge the gap
between Modern Greek acade-
mia and Greek cultural writ-
ings.
With encouragement from
family and guidance from the
areas Greek-American aca-
demics, she published the first
edition of Voices in January
2013.
Angelos Sakkis, who is the
associate editor and an ad-
visory board member of Voic-
es, met Buonocore almost three
years ago when the publication
Dan Evans / Special to The Chronicle
At 22-years old, Annamarie Buonocore published the second edition of Voices of Hellenism Literary Journal this month. The journal contains the writings and
artwork of Greek Americans and Greeks living across the globe.
SAN MATEO
Finding her roots in a literary journal
Voices of Hellenism
Literary Journal
For more information or to order
a copy of Annamarie Buono-
cores journal ($14), visit
www.voicesofhellenism.org.
P1 Sunday, January 26, 2014 | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | On the Peninsula W23
ry reading at a colleagues
newly opened coffee shop. She
invited all of her literary
friends, including people she
had met at the Athens Centre,
a creative writing space in
downtown Athens.
The reading and subsequent
visits to the Athens Centre led
to an increase in submissions
from abroad.
There is definitely a more
politicized tone to many of the
poems. .... One thing that is not
suffering in Greece is the cre-
ativity of the people, Buono-
core said.
John Steinbeck and Ray-
mond Carver are her favorite
writers for inspirational prose.
For poetry, she favors the Beat
poets and sees a comparison
between the eclecticism of
Allen Ginsberg and contempo-
rary Greek poets, which in-
was still an idea and she was
looking for guidance.
Since then, Sakkis, who
lives in Oakland and is an
author, poet and translator,
helped shape the second edi-
tions content, providing guid-
ance about standards and a
certain level of writing. He has
also contributed poetry to both
editions.
Annamaries commitment
to modern Greek literature is
much needed, he said. We
havent had something like
Voices for a very long time.
This months Voices is again
filled with the historical narra-
tives of Greeks and Greek-
Americans; but this edition
has a more political bent
thanks to Greeces recent eco-
nomic difficulties.
Last summer, Buonocore
visited Greece and held a poet-
cludes some of the poetry in
this edition.
Born and raised in San Ma-
teo, she got her publishing
DNA from her parents, who
met at the Millbrae Sun and
started the Redwood City
Weekly News in the 80s.
She then watched her par-
ents grow their own publish-
ing business called In Flight
Media and has memories of
helping out in the office.
Her fathers death when she
was 12 instilled a work ethic
and commitment to the fami-
lys publishing legacy one
that she hopes to continue
with her mother, Victoria, who
has run the business for the
last 12 years.
Annamarie feels very
strongly about upholding her
fathers legacy, says Victoria
Buonocore.
Annamarie Buonocore has
her hand in several of the
companys publications in-
cluding the aviation-focused
magazines, In Flight USA, and
a California wine publication,
California Vine Times.
But her mom says that Voic-
es is entirely Annemaries
publication.
I only get a glimpse at the
occasional submission, Victo-
ria Buonocore said.
Annamarie Buonocores
grandparents, both in their
80s, help her with distribu-
tion, marketing and sales of
Voices, and now that she has
received nonprofit status, she
is looking for grants.
Tracking the Greek diaspora
through modern literature and
writings might not have been
Buonocores intention when
she first volunteered to help
archive her communitys oral
history, but shes pleased with
the direction the project has
taken. Through it, she has
learned about publishing,
obtaining nonprofit status, and
even her heritages most fa-
mous writers.
I wasnt familiar with Mod-
ern Greek writers like Kazan-
tzakis before I became in-
terested in publishing Voices.
These writers arent part of the
typical high school reading
curriculum, she says.
Scoring a submission from
popular Greek-American au-
thor Harry Mark Petrakis and
leading academic scholars and
ethno historians were high-
lights for Buonocore.
Now with Voices off the
ground, we are really looking
at forming a literary organiza-
tion so we can sponsor poetry
readings and ongoing literary
events, says Buonocore.
Sophia Markoulakis is a Peninsula
freelance writer. E-mail
OnthePeninsula@sfchronicle.com.
Courtesy of Annamarie Buonocore Dan Evans / Special to the Chronicle
Left: Buonocore flips through pages of the first Voices. Right: The second editions cover, which was published this month. Below: The first editions cover.
Courtesy of Annamarie Buonocore
Annamaries commitment to modern Greek
literature is much needed. We havent had
something like Voices for a very long time.
Angelos Sakkis, associate editor and an advisory board member of Voices