Now in paperback, this spirited and groundbreaking anthology defies generations of stereotypes about Italian American women. Here, more than fifty writers respond to and explode the familiar stock images: the nurturant grandmother lovingly stirring the sauce, the domineering mother wielding wooden spoon and garlic press. In place of these clichés, they offer a sumptuous communal feast of poetry, stories, and memoir, in which readers can taste the authentic experiences of Italian American women in all their fascinating diversity.

Louise DeSalvo is professor of English at Hunter College, City University of New York. Her thirteen books include the memoir Vertigo.

Edvige Giunta is associate professor of English at New Jersey City University. She is the author of Writing with an Accent: Contemporary Italian American Women Authors.