Friendship, Football Come Together In Gifted
Gifted by Paul DiPietro, '92, was released this year.
Paul DiPietro, '92, Releases Coming of Age Tale
On March 13, the Writing Studio welcomed author Paul DiPietro, '92, to discuss his new book, Gifted, and the journey behind publication.
Paul DiPietro is the son of Mr. Lazzaro DiPietro, Chairperson of the Department of Foreign Languages. Paul DiPietro, as an only child, spent time watching movies, reading, and creating his own stories, sparking his imagination from an early age.
Writing Gifted was an almost decade-long process. Paul wrote the majority of the book during an hour and forty-five-minute commute to work as an HR leader in Manhattan.
"I wrote most of the book, probably 90-plus percent of the book, like eight or nine years ago on the bus," said Paul DiPietro.
Gifted is a coming-of-age story about a group of Staten Island friends during the 1980s and 1990s. The book revolves around protagonist, Petey, in his conquest to help his friend Alex realize his skill and potential.
Paul DiPietro describes Gifted as "creative non-fiction" as the story was loosely based upon the friendships and lessons in his own life. Gifted is more than a football story; it is a story about loyalty and friendship.
"I was writing about friends, about friendship, about loyalty, about seeing talent, and about helping people and helping each other, and football was sort of the medium," Paul said.
Paul DiPietro mentioned how he used artificial intelligence not to author the book for him, but as a tool for formatting and for generating the cover image.
"It’s not perfect yet, but it is a good tool," he added.
During this event, students performed a pivotal scene from his book. Paul DiPietro also teased a potential new project. The event ended with a raffle where five students won copies of the book.
The Writing Studio thanks Paul DiPietro for his time and his encouraging words to young writers.