Writer. Researcher. Author.
Maria (Mia) Millefoglie is a writer and researcher whose work explores immigration, identity,
and the untold histories of New England’s fishing communities. Her forthcoming book, Daughters of Stone and Tide: Loss and Resilience in a Fisherman’s Family (University of Massachusetts Press, Fall 2026), traces the emotional legacy of family, abandonment, and belonging across generations.
She is the creator of Branded: Gloucester’s Hidden History of Enemy Aliens, a grant-funded writing series and documentary project examining the experiences of Italian immigrants classified as enemy aliens during World War II. Her work has appeared in the Gloucester 400+ Stories Project, the Our People, Our Stories commemorative book, and literary journals.
Millefoglie is co-founder of Cape Anncestry, a cultural preservation initiative dedicated to documenting the region’s ethnic heritage. She holds a master’s degree in public policy and management and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast program.
I am shaped by the sea. My roots traced back to three generations of fishermen who immigrated from a small village in Sicily to America’s bold Atlantic shores. Raised by an extended Sicilian family in Gloucester, Massachusetts, I first spoke the ancient Sicilian language of my ancestors. My surname, Millefoglie, means “a thousand pages” or “thousand leaves”—a fitting reflection of my journey, one of transitions from the familiar, inquiry and discovery, and my quest to fill blank pages with our stories. I straddle two worlds as illustrated by my work and writing. For years, I worked in the non-profit sector, writing and securing grants to support community needs, publishing "Senior Solutions," and articles on healthcare and technology.
Most recently, I have turned to the stories that live within me. My work has appeared in the anthology Our People, Our Stories (Puritan Press 2024), The Stonecoast Review, The Remington Report, Entropy, and the Gloucester 400+ Stories Project. Though I wouldn’t call myself a “country girl,” I live with my husband, Bill, in the woods along the banks of the Mousam River in Kennebunk, Maine.
Amplifying Missions. Elevating Stories.
Rooted in a deep commitment to the transformative power of words, WritePages, LLC, supports emerging writers in crafting their stories through research, editing, and content development while also empowering non-profit organizations to articulate their missions, shape their narratives, and secure funding through compelling grant proposals. In 2021, I founded WritePages, LLC with a dual purpose:
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To help non-profit organizations articulate their impact and and secure critical funding to advance their missions.
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To guide emerging writers in shaping and refining their narratives