Happy Italian Heritage Month!
(Scroll down for news about my next novel, yes again set in Italy!)
Americans celebrate this month-long festa in October, while Canadians do so in June and the British do not have an official month. Since I missed the opportunity to do so in the summer, I’ll now wish everyone who like me has Italian heritage a wonderful celebration!
With the passing of both my parents in recent years as well as living far from my birthplace, I find myself reaching back toward my heritage as a way to feel connected with them. Some of the ways I’ve done so:
- reading books, both fiction and nonfiction, and watching TV series and movies about Sicily, Naples/Campania, and New York in the 20th century
- digitizing old home movies and VHS tapes
- sorting through the mountains of old photos I’ve inherited
- making a photo book of my mom’s old recipe box, which also contained recipes from my Sicilian-born great-grandmother and others in my grandmother’s handwriting
- visiting older relatives and family friends
- listening to the Italian-American Podcast
- starting work on a memoir as well as a novel based on my family’s stories
- sharing with my children stories and photos of their ancestors
- visiting Italy and New York City
How do you connect with your heritage, whatever it may be? I’m always looking for ideas!
And although I have not yet written about the exact places my ancestors come from, one other way I stay connected to heritage is through my books, most of which have been set in Italy.
Which brings me to an announcement: I will be publishing my next novel very soon! The exact launch date has not yet been set, but it is highly probable it will be in January or February. More details as soon as possible!
Now I’ll leave you with another photo of a happy cat in Italy…
