Members

Lori Hetherington thrives on words, connections, and emotions in their myriad forms. A translator, ghostwriter, and linguistic consultant, she published Tuscan Tales in 2020 and facilitates the monthly brainstorming session for writers at the British Institute of Florence.

Monica Sharp fell in love with Europe in 1993 and moved to Florence in 2016 with her husband and two kids. A curious spirit, incurable bookworm, and language fanatic, Monica writes poetry, essays and fiction. Her website: sharpmonica.com.

Libby Cataldi holds a Doctorate of Education, and is former Head of School, co-director of the Maryland Writing Project at Towson University, and author of Stay Close (St Martin’s Press) and Stammi Vicino (Rizzoli). She writes about her family’s battle with addiction as well as about her Italian family’s immigrant experience. Her website: libbycataldi.com 

Lauren Mouat is the author of the short story collection Intermezzo (Ali Ribelli Edition). She is the founder and editor of the bilingual literary magazine Open Doors Review and teaches writing in Florence. Her website: laurenmouat.com.

Michael Howerton is an award-winning journalist and fiction writer living in Florence. He’s the former editor in chief of the San Francisco Examiner, founding editor in chief of Granite Media, and editorial director of the diaTribe Foundation. Michael has also worked at the Wall Street Journal, The Daily, Forbes, the Atlantic and other publications.
His fiction has been published in Salamander Magazine (Fiction Prize winner), Griffel, In Parentheses Magazine, and Yemassee Journal. He has taught writing at UC Berkeley, the College of New Jersey, and Berkeley City College.

Andrea Zurlo loves to play with words and languages. A writer and translator, she was named finalist for the award “Premio Planeta de Novela” in Spain, and other literary prizes, both with texts in Spanish and Italian. Her short stories were published in several anthologies in Europe and Latin America. She published three novels and a collection of her short stories, with different publishers. She also loves teaching writing techniques and creative writing.

Duncan Geddes: I graduated in natural sciences, tried to enter the commercial world and then went back to school to study medicine.  I eventually became a lung specialist working at the Royal Brompton, the UK national centre for heart and lung disease. I published over 300 very serious research papers and some medical textbooks as Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Imperial College and now, in retirement with 9 grandchildren, I sing in a Florentine choir and write less serious short stories and articles for magazines. 

Lisa Harvey is a freelance writer and lifelong lover of all things literary – a passion sparked as soon as she received her first library card. Originally from New England, she moved to Florence in 2012 and has since focused on travel writing and showcasing the beauty of Italy. Her work has appeared in Time Out, AARP, Atlas Obscura, and many more publications. She is thrilled to be a part of the Literary Society and looking forward to involving herself more in the international writing community in Florence.

Fosca D’Acierno, an Italian American from New Jersey, has called Florence her home for over two decades. Following a long stint in academia, in 2023 she pivoted to entrepreneurship and founded Ask Fosca. She also hosts a podcast, 15 with Fosca, a real time storytelling project, which, together with her blog, provides insights into the nuances of contemporary Italian society and culture. She is currently working on her first novel. 

Katherine Mezzacappa is an Irish historical novelist, long resident in Carrara. She is the author of The Maiden of Florence (Fairlight, 2024, in translation with Piemme as La Vergine di Firenze) and The Ballad of Mary Kearney with Histria (2025). Writing as Katie Hutton, she has four novels with Zaffre (2020-2023). Katherine holds degrees from UEA, Durham and Canterbury Christ Church universities (UK).
Katherine is represented by Annette Green Authors’ Agency. Links to: Website, Facebook, & Bluesky.

George Lesser: In 1963-4, I was a “copy boy” at the Washington Post. In 1969 – 70, I covered foreign exchange for the American Banker/Bond Buyer, in New York. In 1970-71, in London, I was a free-lancer. In 1972 – 2002, in Washington, I was editor, later managing editor, and publisher of journals covering U.S. and European politics, law, and business. I freelanced for L’Express and Les Echos, in Paris. I retired in 2000. I wrote “op-ed” columns for the Washington Star (here is a link to one). I’m interested in writing about the social, economic, and political history of Florence, and how they interact with the arts.

Karen—aka Karena—Benke is the author of a poetry collection, Sister (Conflux Press) and four books of creative non-fiction, including Rip the Page(Shambhala Publications / Penguin Random House) with editions in English, Korean, Chinese and Russian. Founder of The Writer’s Nest, a mentorship program for children and teens, she’s currently shopping around a satchel of picture books and a cookbook. She lives between Florence and the San Francisco Bay Area with her dog Razz. www.karenbenke.com and @razziwrites

Ilaria Natali is a Professor of English Literature at the University of Florence. She has a keen interest in modern manuscripts and literary writing processes, with a particular focus on nineteenth and twentieth-century texts. Since 2016, she has investigated the connections between literature and medicine, with a special emphasis on the representation of mental health in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature. Beyond research, she has served as General Editor of the scholarly journal LEA since 2020. She is also a promoter of international literary projects that encourage co-creative writing and innovative ways of engaging with texts to explore gender issues.

Sirpa Salenius, PhD, has edited several academic essay collections and authored such monographs as Rose Elizabeth Cleveland: First Lady and Literary Scholar (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014) and An Abolitionist Abroad: Sarah Parker Remond in Cosmopolitan Europe (University of Massachusetts Press, 2016). 

Writer, painter, and scholar in Aesthetics, Nicoletta Salomon holds a PhD in Classics from the Scuola Normale di Pisa, and is a full professor of Fine Arts and Creative Writing at the American University of Florence. Among her books: La zattera di mimesis: i greci, la creazione, l’arte (Marsilio) – Castiglioncello Philosophy Award, Orient-Express International Literary Award, and S. Valitutti International Award for non-fiction; Venezia inabissata: un fantasaggio (Mimesis), translated into French (Fayard). Website: nicolettasalomon.com

Prashant Pathak is the Head of Publishing for English Books at Giunti Editore, Florence. Formerly Publisher at Wonder House Books, he began in gaming before shifting to publishing in 2007. He has worked with major global publishers, contributed to the printing press industry, and supported startups. With expertise spanning gaming and publishing, he has played a key role in both industries, including award-winning children’s books and publishing services. Connect with me on: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pathakpp/

Kate Nason is a writer who holds a degree in Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Upon graduation, she fled LA to Florence, Italy, where she planned to live forever. Two years in, tired of hocking leather wallets to tourists, she returned to Los Angeles, where she had a long career in LA’s contemporary art world. Her first memoir, Everything Is Perfect, was released as an Audible Original in 2021, and in print in 2022. Kate splits her time between Florence and the Oregon Coast, where she’s at work on her second book. Website: www.katenasonwrites.com  

Nicholas Brownlees was Professor of English Language and Translation at the University of Florence until his retirement in 2023. He has published numerous studies on news discourse in the early modern era and is founder and Board Member of the series of international conferences on Historical News Discourse (CHINED, www.chinednews.com). He is interested in the historical and modern-day interconnections between journalism and fiction. What did Daniel Defoe and other early novelists find in news writing to support and develop their forays into fiction? And what can modern-day fiction writers learn from traditional and more innovative forms of journalism?

George Perlov is a researcher and writer, who helps NGOs and foundations improve the impact of their programs through strategic planning, research, and evaluation. He has lived in Florence since summer 2024 and is working on a memoir of his sexual coming of age as a gay man in parallel with the AIDS epidemic.

Lisa Clifford grew up in Sydney and moved to Italy at sixteen. After winning a scholarship to the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, she built a journalism career with 2GB, KIIS FM, and Channel 10. She is the author of Walking Sydney, The Promise, Death in the Mountains, and Naples, A Way of Love published through Penguin and Pan Macmillan. In 2013, she founded The Art of Writing, hosting writers’ retreats in Florence.

Chris Torockio is an American fiction writer. He is the author of two novels and two story collections, most recently The Soul Hunters and The Truth at Daybreak. His fiction has appeared in Ploughshares, The Iowa Review, The Gettysburg Review, Colorado Review, The Antioch Review, West Branch, Willow Springs, and elsewhere. He teaches at Eastern Connecticut State University, where every summer he leads a six-week study abroad experience in Florence called Creative Writing Abroad.