Join UIP in welcoming Alan J. Gravano as the new editor of Italian Americana! His inaugural issue, Volume XLIII, Number 1, is out now. Check it out for the featured article, “Pater Familias, Papà, Daddy. Changes in Fatherhood and Fathering Across Italian American Generations” by Rosemary Serra; a symposium “Reflctions on Mean Streets At Fifty”; and new poetry.

Alan J. Gravano is the Director of the Writing Center and an Assistant Professor at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. He earned his MFA in Poetry and PhD in English at the University of Miami. He was awarded a Fulbright Lectureship in Italian-American Studies at the University of Calabria from October 2022 to January 2023. He is a former MLA Delegate Assembly member (2017–20), the Committee on Contingent Labor in the Profession (2018–21, Chair 2020–21), and past president of the Italian American Studies Association (2015–21). He serves as Treasurer of the Italian American Studies Association (2023–25) and on the MLA LLC Italian American (2022–27).

Dr. Gravano contributed “Reassessing the Topography of New York City in Don DeLillo’s Fiction” to Don DeLillo in Context (Cambridge UP, 2021) and “Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson as the Anti-Hero in Boardwalk Empire” to The Neglected Works of Martin Scorsese (Bloomsbury, forthcoming 2024), and published “CNN’s Searching for Italy: Stanley Tucci as Foodways Icon” and “Chef/Cook, Influencer, Mixologist, Travel Host: Stanley Tucci as Everyman” in Italian Americans in Film and Other Media (Palgrave, 2024). He co-edited Italian Americans on the Page: Re-Reading the Classics and Examining Underexplored Subjects (SUNY Press, forthcoming 2025). His previous contributions to Italian Americana include anarticle, “New York City in Don DeLillo’s Novels,” published in Vol. 29, Iss. 2;  a book review of Catholic Boys by Philip Cioffariin Vol. 28, Iss. 1; and book review of Now Chiefly Poetical by Kevin DeCamillo in Vol. 36, Iss. 2.

Q: What are you most looking forward to in your role as editor of Italian Americana?

A: As the new Editor-in-Chief of Italian Americana, I am deeply committed to fostering the journal’s strong connections with key organizations such as the Italian American Studies Association (IASA), the American Association of Teachers of Italian (AATI), and the Italian Diaspora Studies Summer Seminar (IDSSS). These organizations are crucial in advancing scholarship and education in Italian American and Italian studies, and I am proud to support their missions. Additionally, I am honored to lead Italian Americana, the only journal in our field to have earned an A rating, or Fascia A. This prestigious designation is instrumental for our international scholars, enhancing their ability to apply for promotion and tenure. I look forward to continuing our tradition of excellence while strengthening our ties within the academic community.

Q: Do you have any goals for the journal during your tenure?

A: During my tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Italian Americana, my primary goal is to expand the journal’s reach and influence within the academic community in the US and abroad. I aim to diversify the range of voices and perspectives featured in our pages, embracing interdisciplinary approaches that deepen our understanding of the Italian American experience. I am also committed to enhancing the journal’s digital presence, making it more accessible and engaging for a global audience. Additionally, I plan to strengthen collaborations with international scholars and institutions, ensuring that Italian Americana remains a leading platform for groundbreaking research and creative work in our field.

Outgoing Editor: Dr. Carla Simonini 

In his first Letter from the Editor, Dr. Gravano shares these words in gratitude for the previous editor, Dr. Carla Simonini:

From 2016 to 2024, Dr. Simonini led the journal with unwavering dedication, following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Carol Bonomo Albright, who had an illustrious tenure from 1989 to 2015. Under Dr. Simonini’s guidance, Italian Americana has continued to thrive as a premier publication in the field of Italian American studies, expanding our scholarly reach while honoring the rich legacy that Bonomo Albright established over her 26 years at the helm.

Dr. Simonini’s contributions to the journal have been profound. Her insightful leadership, scholarship, and commitment to fostering a vibrant community of Italian American scholars and writers have left an indelible mark on the journal and its readership. On behalf of the editorial team and our entire community, I want to thank her for her vision, passion, and tireless work.

Dr. Marie Basile McDaniel is an Associate Professor of History at Southern Connecticut State University, where she teaches on early American history, colonial America, Revolutionary America, Connecticut history, and American religious history. She earned her BA in history from Princeton University and her PhD, also in history, from the University of California, Davis. Her research interests are in pre-Revolutionary America, focused on eighteenth century religion, gender, and ethnicity. Among numerous other publications, she has a book review of Pious Pursuits: German Moravians in the Atlantic World, edited by Michele Gillespie and Robert Beachy, in  Journal of American Ethnic History Vol. 34, Iss. 2.

“There are many more yet untold stories that I hope will grace these pages in the months and years to come,” writes McDaniel in Connecticut History Review Vol. 63, Iss. 2. “Connecticut has bountiful historical riches, and I hope you have a chance to uncover and share them with us.” We thank her for her contributions to Connecticut History Review.

Find Out More 

• Italian Americana is a biannual, double-blind, peer-reviewed journal exploring the Italian emigrant/immigrant experience through scholarly and creative works. Although the journal has undergone several changes in editorial leadership, its mission has remained consistent since its founding — i.e., to publish scholarly and creative works exploring Italian Americanness from a wide variety of perspectives. Italian Americana today maintains its long tradition of printing innovative articles by historians, social scientists, and film and literary critics, among others, as well as presenting original works of fiction, memoir, and poetry. Beyond scholarly and creative offerings, each issue also features a book review section that introduces readers to the most recent contributions to the interdisciplinary field of Italian American Studies.
• Individual subscriptions can be made through the University of Illinois Press website.
• To recommend this title to your library, fill out this Library Request Form.
• Ready to see your work featured in Italian Americana? Submit original scholarly work here.
• Check out another blog post that features an excerpt from a Creative Nonfiction essay published in a previous issue of Italian Americana.
• Keep exploring Italian Studies at UIP with Diasporic Italy, Italian American Review, and Italica.