CALIFORNIA

Author Bill Carpentier speaks humorously about growing up in an Italian family in the 1950s and 60s in Brooklyn and Queens. He also addresses topics, such as aging and technology, from a baby boomer perspective. A former marketing executive, he published Dust from the Attic (Mill City Press), a collection of humorous personal memories. Book signing.
Contact:  (916) 730-8560 | bill.e.carpentier@me.com

Author and Filmmaker Caroline Cocciardi speaks on Leonardo da Vinci and her recently published book, Leonardo’s Knots. The book is based on a 20-year da Vinci research project she conducted, in which she detected a minute, interlocking embroidered knot pattern on Mona Lisa’s dress that deviated from the decorative embroidery of the day. “The Mona Lisa Knot” was a mathematical pattern based on angular crossing patterns, which tells the story of the messages in Leonardo’s knots. Book signing.
Contact:  (408) 666-4050 | monalisaknot@hotmail.com | www.leonardosknots.com

Will also travel to:  Anywhere in the United States

Award-Winning Actor and Author Michael Dante speaks about his six decades of show business experience, during which he appeared in 30 films (Kid Galahad, Winterhawk, Seven Thieves) and 150 television shows (Maverick, Six Million Dollar Man, General Hospital, Perry Mason). He has authored an autobiography (Michael Dante: From Hollywood to Michael Dante Way) and two novels (Winterhawk’s Land and Six Rode Home). In honor of his accomplishment, his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut, named a street “Michael Dante Way”. Book and memorabilia signing.
Contact:  michaeldanteway@aol.com | www.michaeldanteway.com   

Photojournalist, Author, and Peace Activist Francesco Da Vinci speaks about his historical memoir—I Refuse To Kill: My Path to Nonviolent Action in the 1960s—as well as the spirit of the sixties, conscientious objection to war, and today’s need for service to others and what each person can do to build a more nonviolent, humanistic culture in America. He was a photojournalist for 25 years—along with two years with the U.S. Senate Gallery of Photographers—and a professor of social psychology. Book signing and public speaking with multimedia.
Contact:  (424) 535-3072| francescoproductions1@gmail.com| irefusetokill.com

Will also travel to:  Los Angeles or San Diego

Larry Delrose actor, author and producer, speaks on how to lead a happy life. Travel expenses. Will do book signings.
Contact:  (760) 770-3332 | larrydelrose@aol.com | www.italianamericanfilms.com

Will also travel to:  Arizona

Executive Director, Cofounder, and Historian of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles Marianna Gatto speaks about Italian-American history and culture, Italian Americans in the West and in Southern California. She has two decades of experience in public history, non-profit leadership, advocacy, fundraising, museums, and education, and is a published author. Book signing, lectures, and consulting work. 
Contact:  (213) 485-8432 | marianna@italianhall.org | www.IAMLA.org and Losangeleslittleitaly.com     

Will also travel to:  United States and Europe

Author Jeffrey Gilliland with Cino Chegia speaks on Cino’s biography Four Dollars and a Dream. A survivor of World War II in Italy, Cino immigrated to the United States, worked his way up in the Bay Area’s garbage collection industry, and founded a youth soccer club. Book signing.
Contact:  (510) 701-1404 | jeffreysgilliland@gmail.com

Author and international speaker William Giovinazzo speaks about Italian and Italian-American history and culture, including Italian’s literary heritage, especially Dante and The Divine Comedy. He recently published Italianità: The Essence of Being Italian and Italian-American, which is reviewed in this issue of the magazine (page 20). His writing on Italian culture, history, and cuisine draw from his Italian-American upbringing as well as his travels throughout Italy.  Book reading and signing.
Contact:  (949) 309-0137 | bill.gio724@gmail.com | www.italianita.blog

Will also travel to:  Anywhere United States

Author and Historian J. Michael Niotta, Ph.D. speaks about Italian-American history, particularly that surrounding World War II, including the pre- and post-Pearl Harbor enemy alien situation on the West Coast and the reasons that prevented the internment of all Italian Nationals following that of Japanese Nationals. He also talks about the overshadowing of the 2001 Review of Restrictions of Persons of Italian Heritage During WWII. He has recently published The Fight Abroad and the Fear Back Home: Italians of the California Coast During World War II. Book signing. 
Contact:  (619) 398-7459 | JMNiotta@gmail.com | www.jmichaelniotta.com

Author Gail Reitano speaks about her debut novel—Italian Love Cake—and themes that arise in it, including Italian-American immigration/assimilation; pre-WWII economics, politics, and fascism; Italian-American feminism; the role of ancestors in shaping our identity and the role of food in uniting the Italian-American family. Book reading and signing.
Contact:  (415) 215-1526 | gail.reitano@gmail.com | https://gailreitano.com

Will also travel to:  San Francisco Bay Area

Author Margo Sorenson speaks about writing about beautiful Italy and celebrating Italian life and culture. She grew up in Bari and Napoli, and has authored 30 published books, including the Positano-based young adult novel Secrets of Translation (Fitzroy Books) and the children’s book Spaghetti Smiles (Pelican Publishing). Book signing and special discount on her books through her publisher.
Contact:  (760) 702-1182 | ms@margosorenson.com | www.margosorenson.com

Will also travel to:  Anywhere United States

History and Italian teacher Mark Nemetz Tedesco speaks about the magic of the city of Rome—its stories, people, and history—and his recent book—She Seduced Me: A Love Affair in Rome. Book signing.
Contact:  (760) 773-7259 | markfnemetz@gmail.com | https://www.marktedesco.com

Author, Cantor, Playwright, and Screenwriter Mark A. Thompson speaks about his novel, Sinatra’s Tailor, the story of Umberto Autore, who was orphaned in Italy during World War II and immigrated to the U.S., where he became Frank Sinatra’s tailor. He also presents An Evening with Galileo, a one-man musical on the invention of the telescope and ensuing conflict between science and religion in 17^th century Italy. Book signing.  
Contact:  (562) 400-2968 | 4markathompson@gmail.com | www.markathompson.net and www.sinatrastailor.com

Will also travel to:  Nationally and Internationally

Author Christine Evelyn Volker speaks about drawing on your roots for a first book and also on her grandfather’s wine cellar. Last summer, she published her first novel—Venetian Blood: Murder in a Sensuous City (She Writes Press).  Book signing.
Contact:  (510) 496-0660 (c/o Stephen Volker) | christine@christinevolkerauthor.com | www.christinevolkerauthor.com

Will also travel to:  New York; Chicago; Seattle; Washington, D.C.