Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Ristaino.
Hi Christine, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Franklin, MA, a predominantly Italian-American town. I have four younger brothers who are all talented artists, actors, and/or writers and I greatly admire them. My parents are former teachers from Massachusetts, creative, hard-working, kind and incredibly generous. I went to undergraduate school at Skidmore College with a major in business and a minor in creative writing. After Skidmore, a friend and I picked a city, Seattle, where we could have an adventure. I found a job as an administrator for the Romance Languages Department at the University of Washington and while I was there, I picked up a second bachelor’s degree in Italian Studies. I went to UNC Chapel Hill for my Masters & Ph.D. in Romance Languages with a major in Italian and minor in Spanish. I am currently married to a high school teacher whom I met in Seattle, WA over 30 years ago. We have two children, one in college and a second who will be going to Emory (class of 2027).
I have been teaching at Emory University since 2002. I published an academic book in 2008 about Lucrezia Marinella, a talented woman author of the Inquisition. I am a writer, a social justice advocate, and a survivor of violence. In addition, I work with undocumented students, survivors of sexual assault, the Young Dems, and many first-generation students. I am passionate about advocating for my students to make sure they have what they need and one of my favorite things to do is have coffee and talk about life with my students because they inspire me. Next year I will begin an appointment as the Director of the Emory College Language Center. I have been training to be a life coach, something I feel will enhance my work with students here at Emory.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I published a memoir titled All the Silent Spaces in 2019, which talks about healing from three violent events in my life: molestation, rape, and a violent attack. I began writing and speaking about violence after having been attacked in front of my children in a parking lot in September of 2007 when my children were 3 and 5 years old. My memoir discusses the after-effects of violence and the toughest questions survivors of anything have to ask themselves. Although All the Silent Spaces focuses on coming out to my community about violence, especially regarding a long-hidden secret about my grandfather, I’m currently writing op-eds about our society’s need to change the way we talk about violence so survivors can truly heal. Most survivors go through a double-trauma: the first when they experience the violence itself; and the second when they tell their families about it. My trajectory has followed a similar path to that of most survivors: silence and secrecy; loss of self; a process of healing that often includes disclosure; and experiencing rejection by those who cannot cope with that disclosure. Writing op-eds is a way to truly make positive change and I am grateful to have learned this skill via the OpEd Project, a 2-year training program for women and minorities that teaches faculty to share big ideas beyond academia. My big idea involves sharing the human experience–whether it be violence, trauma, illness, racism, death of a loved one–and bearing witness to this sharing without judgment so we can all fully experience our own humanity without shame or guilt. My op-eds have been published in Ms. Magazine, HuffPost, the Guardian, Pacific Standard, the Washington Post, Visible Magazine, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I teach Italian Studies courses, including a class titled Social Justice in Italy and Beyond through Memoir, I use personal prompts as an entryway into the topics of the course. I ask my students to write about a time when they felt like the people who are affected by the social justice issues we study. We have all felt alienated, rejected, misunderstood…. so once students tap into that creatively, they can enter into the memoir pieces with compassion, empathy, and a willingness to go deep into the topic. I’m also bringing social justice components into my Italian language classes, including a recent project with a colleague where students researched up-and-coming black artists in Italy and added them to Wikipedia.
In addition, I often partner with Atlanta’s 7 Stages Theatre, as well as other artists in the larger community to help students see social justice issues and powerful approaches to seeking equity in a variety of ways. I have been engaged in these types of partnerships since 2007 when I taught a course on Italian education and began taking my students to local schools to partner with educators in the area. One such visit led to a partnership with an extraordinary educator, Robert Waller, and his students that continues to this day. A third class I am proud of is one I teach with a wonderful colleague, Dr. Hong Li, called Noodle Narratives on the Silk Road. We compare Italy, China, and the countries our students are from through the medium of noodles. During the pandemic, an assignment we gave our students to cook a personally significant meal for their families, friends, or communities led to meaningful connection and reflection during a difficult time.
I am also proud of the work I do with undocumented students. Initially, I worked with Emory students to bring undocumented students here. Once they arrived, I partnered with these students to create a faculty-student mentoring organization as well as a club for undocumented students and their allies. Both organizations are thriving and the students I work with are some of the most amazing, resilient, and beautiful people I have ever met in my life.
I’m so honored to have been appointed as the Emory College Language Center Director. I plan to focus on transformational pedagogical techniques that help students embody their values while engaging with the world. In addition, I’m very interested in helping to integrate a proposed Emory Muscogee Creek Language Track into our community, an effort particularly close to my heart as I have served on a committee to support indigenous students for many years.
I’m also proud of the trauma work I have done. Writing about trauma and finally talking about it has transformed me into the person I am today. As I have gained agency in my life after trauma, I’ve learned how to help my students gain agency in theirs too.
The thing I’m the most proud of is being there for my own children, now 18 and 20. They have overcome incredible obstacles and they are such beautiful people. I am watching them embark on their own adventures and I feel so lucky to be on this journey with them.
What’s next?
I have a number of future goals. I wish to continue to make my classes more and more transformation-focused. My work with the Emory College Language Center will allow me to work with the talented and exceptional language teachers we have at Emory. I plan to follow their interests and goals the same way I do my students, so we can accomplish something extraordinary together. I am continuing to develop and write book projects with esteemed colleagues. I wish to continue writing OpEds and speaking at events about survivor-centered care so survivors are heard and feel cared for. I am excited about the coaching techniques I am learning and would love to conduct workshops on this topic, given coaching helps students tap into their own inner wisdom to find answers. I believe we all have those answers inside of us and my teaching trajectory has moved increasingly toward helping others see that they have had the answers all along. I look forward to seeing my children embark on their own adventures as I begin living as an empty nester. I started working at Emory when my daughter was two months old in 2002, so I have never worked at Emory without having children at home. It’s exciting, a bit terrifying, and beautiful. I guess I’ll be having some new adventures as well!
Pricing:
- All the Silent Spaces, a Memoir
- $16.95
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.christineristaino.com/
- Website: https://pandemicnoodles.wixsite.com/summer2020
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christineristaino/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christine.ristaino
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-ristaino/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristineRista3
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pierre1852
Image Credits
These are all personal photos taken by friends and family with my camera with the exception of the photo on the Administration Building steps during a protest, which was taken by Anna Schwartz, a Contributing Photographer of the Emory Wheel (https://emorywheel.com/stand-with-survivors-rally-calls-for-reform-in-title-ix-process-advocates-for-sexual-assault-survivors/).
