The Italian Californian: awards

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Chris M. Forte: I’m Chris M. Forte, a storyteller living in Downtown San Diego. My father’s family are Italian Americans from New York who later settled in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, while my mother descends from old-stock Americans — ancestors who came on the Mayflower and fought in the Civil War. My work explores how history repeats itself — not in circles, but in echoes that shape identity, faith, and land. Through The Soil Remembers: The Saga of the Sieli Family, I tell of immigrants who plant vines in California soil and fight to keep their legacy alive. In My Catholic Defense, I wrestle with belief and doubt. In The Italian Californian, I celebrate heritage and culture. And in Curse the Darkness, I confront shadows — crime, loyalty, and redemption. Across all my writing, I return to the same truths: land remembers, faith endures, and family stories never really end.