Spaghetti Sissies Queering Italian American Media

Julia Heim is a Lecturer of Italian at the University of Pennsylvania. She has published or is co-author of the recent articles “Queer Italian Studies: Critical Reflections from the Field,” “Why LGBTQIA+ Inclusivity Matters for Italian Studies,” “Italian LGBTQ representation in Transnational TV,” and Queering Italian Media. In addition to her research, Dr. Heim is the co-founder of Asterisk, an LGBTQIA+ Inclusivity taskforce.Sole Anatrone is an Assistant Professor of Italian Studies at Vassar College. Her publications include: Queering Italian Media; “Almeno non hai un nome da negra:” Race, Gender and National Belonging in Laila Wadia’s Amiche per la pelle; “Disciplining Narratives and Damaged Identities in Rossana Campo’s Lezioni di arabo.” She is a co-founder of Asterisk.

• Preface, “Split Tomato Sauce” by Tommi Avicolli Mecca, writer, singer/songwriter, activist, and editor of Smash the Church, Smash the State: The Early Years of Gay Liberation.- Introduction by Sole Anatrone and Julia Heim.- “Coming Out and Leaving Home: Cultural Friction in the Italian American Kitchen” by Eilis Kierans, PhD candidate in Italian Studies at Rutgers University, USA.- “Passion and Pulp: Impossible Families” by Clarissa Clò, PhD, Professor and Chair, and Director of the Italian Studies Program, in the Department of European Studies at San Diego State University, USA.- “Queer Categorical Miscegenation: Sexuality, Race, Gender, Class, and Ethnicity in Victor Bumbalo’s Niagara Falls and Questa”  by John Champagne, PhD, Professor of English at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, USA.- “I would like to be a spoiled rich white girl” by Nick Boston,PhD, associate professor of media sociology at Lehman College, USA.- “Lifestyles of the Gay and Mobster” by Julia Heim, PhD, Lecturer in Italian at University of Pennsylvania, USA.- “Queering the Guido or Guidoing the Queer? Performing Gender and Identity on Comedy Television” by Carmelo Galati, PhD, Associate Professor of Instruction and Co-Director of the Italian Studies Program at Temple University, USA.- “Time to come out, girl!”: Queering Italian American Sexuality on TV Land’s Younger by Aria Cabot, PhD, Director of the World Languages and Literatures Teaching and Technology Center at Southern Methodist University, USA.- Spotlights: These “spotlights” are short, autobiographical pieces that appear throughout the book, interspersed between the chapters, serving as both a break from the more scholarly work, and a look at what it means to live as a queer Italian American media-maker. The authors–whoare all involved in media in a variety of ways–reflect on how their identities as Italian Americans, and as LGBTQIA+ identified peoples influence each other and their work. Contributors:.- Rita Houston & Laura Fedele (radio personality and producer).- Annie Lanzilotto (author, playwright).-  Dana Piccoli (entertainment writer and pop culture critic).- Katelynn Cusanelli (reality TV star).- Norman Korpi (reality TV star).- Mitch del Monico (director).- Julio Gambuto (director and author).