Columbia Fiction Foundry sadly announces the shocking news that our member and friend Havilah Giannetta was struck and killed by a hit and run driver on Sunday, November 10, 2024, while walking on a rural road in Illinois, where she was visiting a friend.
Although active in CFF for a relatively short time, Havilah won our affection and respect with her warmth and the honesty of her writing. Demonstrating her leadership capability and generosity, she moderated her first workshop last August, where she presented an excerpt of her memoir, A Way Out of the Shadowlands.
Havilah was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and grew up outside Charlotteville, Virginia. She attended Columbia as a Kluge Scholar and graduated from Columbia College with a BA in English Literature in 2007.
Havilah lived in Los Angeles for five years, traveled widely and had friends around the world, according to her mother, Eve Giannetta, who said, “The strongest aspect of Havilah was her faith in what she believed God wanted her to do, and helping other people connect with Him.”
For those wishing to express condolences to Havilah’s mother, here is her address:
Eve Giannetta
488 Jefferson Drive
Lake Monticello, VA 22963
A celebration of life will be held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on January 18, 2025, which would have been Havilah's fortieth birthday. An online fund has been established to help defray costs of that event and funeral home expenses. For those who would like to donate, here is the link:
Other suggestions for ways to honor Havilah may be sent to CFF president Ken Schept at [email protected].