Who was Jane Caruso?

1919, at the age of six, Concetta Colaneri arrived at Ellis Island with her family. This little girl from Italy would later become "Jane" Caruso, my grandmother, and this scholarship is named in her honor. This December will mark the 100th anniversary of her arrival. 

Jane was not a writer, but through her creativity and resourcefulness she embodied Ben Johnson's words: "To a poet, nothing can be useless." Clever, she could take the ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary. And isn't that what poets do? 

Growing up during the Great Depression, Jane wasted nothing. Everything could be saved to put to good use later. She'd transform an empty cardboard candy box into a picture frame. An old tablecloth or blouse would become a new outfit for a doll, complete with matching hat. If an outfit had fake pockets, she would turn them into real ones. No porcelain figure was shattered beyond the redemptive power of glue. If books were expensive or few, the newspaper would have to suffice. The way that poets practice economy of words, Jane practiced thriftiness in life. 

She was no stranger to hard work. In her youth, she labored in a sweatshop sewing men's heavy woolen coats. She told the gruesome tale of how one day the industrial machine's needle went right through her thumb. She much preferred school, and her love of learning was remarkable. She would tell the story of how she loved school so much that she would stay inside during recess so that she could learn more, and she cried when summertime came! She learned English, but the other students said "Concetta" was too difficult a name to pronounce. They decided to call her "Jenny" instead. Later, when she went to work as a hairdresser, the boss said, "Jenny" is a baby's name; we'll call you "Jane." Such is the story of assimilation. 

Through her sacrifices, Jane's children and grandchildren had far more opportunities than she ever did. Through her example, she passed on the love of learning and creating.

As poets, what ordinary things can we make shine?      

Nicole Caruso Garcia

Board Member at Poetry by the Sea

and Founder of the Jane Caruso Memorial Scholarship