Thank you to everyone who attended the November 3 event at Milwaukee's Italian Community Center. You never know who is going to show up at book events (if at all), and Milwaukee's Italians and Italians at heart truly came out.
It was an honor to celebrate my Sicilian heritage and the novels it has inspired.
Special thanks to Bartolotta Catering & Events for hosting a lovely reception featuring Sicilian-style hors d'oeuvres, and to Anthony Scalabrino, owner of Oak City Amaretto, for sharing a taste of his traditional spirit inspired by his Sicilian grandmother.
My writing journey began in Wisconsin, where I celebrated Festa Italiana, dined at the Bartolotta Restaurants, and built lifelong friendships and family ties with several special people who were in the audience.
I am deeply grateful to Ray Rutz and the Filippo Mazzei, Greater Milwaukee Lodge 2763 of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America for making this event possible, with support from the Italian Community Center and its affiliated societies.
As I walked through the halls of a building I had not visited since childhood, I saw archival portraits of Italian American community leaders, including several family members and familiar faces. The ICC, founded shortly after my birth with my cousin Tony Machi as its first president, continues to honor the heritage and culture of Wisconsin's Italian American community. It was a privilege to share a lesser-known chapter of our shared history in that very space and know I still have a home in Milwaukee.
Catch me at an upcoming event! Find my list of appearances on my Events page.