Novelist Spotlight #190: Judith Valente explores ‘the Italian soul’ and how to savor the full joys of life

In the spotlight is Judith Valente and her new book The Italian Soul: How to Savor the Full Joys of Life. Valente — a journalist, poet and the author of six spirituality titles and three poetry collections — worked previously as an on-air correspondent covering faith and values for PBS and was also a staff writer at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal and was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. Valente grew up in Bayonne, N.J., where she was surrounded by a large, boisterous Italian American family.    We discuss:   >> The contemplative life  >> How Italians make an art of conversation  >> The sanctity of the dinner table >> “Slow tourism”  >> The life expectancy of Italians  >> Why procreation among Italians has slumped  >> The Catholic Church  >> Italy’s reverence for its art and architecture  >> Elena Ferrante and her Italy-based Neapolitan novels  >> Etc.    Learn more about Judith Valente here: https://www.judithvalente.com/   Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no         Write to Mike Consol at novelistspotlight@gmail.com