JoAnne’s Background

Recently serving as Poet Laureate for the Hanover, PA area, JoAnne Diodato is an award-winning poet, as well as an accomplished musician, vocalist, and author.  She has been writing poetry and prose, as well as creating music, for most of her life.  JoAnne has a unique combination of skills and background, with degrees in both Nuclear Engineering and Education, as well as several technical publications, to her credit.  One of the first members of Hanover Poets, she has garnered various poetry awards, and her poems have been featured in a number of anthologies.  She participates in regional poetry readings, critiques, and juried shows, and she has appeared in “Culture and Main” on WRCT-TV in York, PA.  Her work blends whimsicality with science and everyday observations to give voice to a rational yet touching view of the world around us.  Additionally, JoAnne has hosted the Hanover Young Adult Writers Group at the Guthrie Memorial Library in Hanover.

JoAnne draws on her Irish ancestry to provide a mix of traditional, Celtic, and Renaissance harp music and vocals, including haunting Irish airs and many familiar folk tunes.  She has also performed with the Harrisburg Harp Orchestra, The Muses harp ensemble, Tapestry recorder ensemble, and at various regional festivals and concerts. She has been active in numerous theatre productions around the Susquehanna Valley, and she gives presentations of her award-winning poetry at various venues in the area.

In her words, “My writing and music have been my constant source of stability and creative expression for me, regardless of where my path has led me over the years.”

JoAnne enjoys writing in various styles, including traditional rhymed poetry as well as more modern approaches.  She writes about a wide variety of topics, from dead animals on the road, to whimsical portrayals of people and events, to things that have had a powerful impact on her in some way.  Some of her favorite pieces have been about the wonder of raising her son through the years. Much of her writing features science concepts in some way, as she sees the world through her scientist’s eyes.

In between performance gigs, JoAnne is currently working on several new writing projects, including a new book relating science and belief systems.

 For a list of JoAnne’s publications (her “Ink Blots”), see here

JoAnne can be reached at jd@joannediodato.com