Alessandro Portelli has recently retired from teaching American Literature at the University of Rome La Sapienza. He is the author of a numer of books and essays in oral history, music and literature (including the recent They Say in Harlan County: An Oral History). A former advisor on public memory to the Mayor of Rome, he is the founder and chairperson of the Circolo Gianni Bosio, an independent research organization on music, oral history and popular cultures.
