Seattle has become a hot zone for the coronavirus. So far, there are 48 coronavirus-related deaths in the greater Seattle area, and at the time of this writing, 904 cases have been reported in Washington state. Many businesses, including Amazon and Microsoft, have asked employees to work from home. Schools and restaurants are shut and traffic on the streets is thin. There has been a run on hand sanitizer and toilet paper. With so many people housebound, it’s time to settle in and read a good book, or maybe even learn a new language.
My language of choice is Italian. I love all things Italian: food, wine, architecture, design, history and, most of all, I am a fan of Italian authors. This month, we shine the spotlight on the Italian author Marcella Nardi, who was born in the small medieval town Castelfranco Veneto. Nardi has published nineteen books, some of which are technically novellas. Two of her books have been translated into English. In 2008 Marcella Nardi moved to the Pacific Northwest. She recently began writing a legal thriller that is based in Seattle.
Our Library profile for March focuses on books in the Italian language. Many public libraries across the nation have collections of books in the Italian language. Call to ask your local library which books they have in their collection. Seattle actually has a fledgling startup library for Italian language books. The Il Punto! Italian Cultural Center in Seattle is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the Italian culture in the Pacific Northwest. The Il Punto Italian Cultural Center has founded the Biblioteca Italiana Seattle (BIS), a library of books, film and music in the Italian language. For more information about the library, go to their website.
Patricia Vaccarino
Patricia Vaccarino is an accomplished writer who has written award-winning film scripts, press materials, articles, essays, speeches, web content, marketing collateral, and ten books.