About Us

Italian American Press

Raphael (Ralph) J. Ferraro, Founder Aware of the many difficulties Italian American writers face in promoting and publishing their books, Ralph Ferraro, an educator and author, founded the Italian American Press in 2001. Its primary purpose was to provide information for Italian American writers as well as to assist them in finding an audience for their books. Ralph was two-years old when he traveled from Reggio Calabria to America with his mother. They settled in the South End of Springfield, Massachusetts with his father and two younger brothers. After graduating from high school, he continued his education majoring in physical education. He changed colleges and his major, graduating with honors and a major in English literature and a minor in teaching. At the time, his greatest ambition was to be a published author. After college, Ralph went to Italy to spend time with his grandmother and relatives, the first visit to the land of his birth. Getting to know his grandmother was one of the happiest and most rewarding times of his life; and he dedicated his first book Child of Wonder , an Italian religious novel about a child mystic, to the “wonderful and gentle woman whom I had come to know and love.”

Janice Therese Mancuso, Owner and Director In July 2011, Janice Therese Mancuso became the new owner of the Italian American Press. Six years earlier, Janice had contacted Ralph to list her book, Con Amore , on The Italian American Press. From there, Ralph and Janice communicated on a regular basis, sharing their hopes and concerns about Italian American culture. Janice had been promoting Italian heritage since 1998, when she created a monthly newsletter for an Italian American women's group. After establishing the newsletter, she began researching and writing about Italian and Italian American history and culture, planned cultural events for the club, and became a board member. In appreciation of her work, and to help with her research, three ladies—three generations of one family—presented her with the book Italians First: An A to Z of Everything Achieved First by Italians written by Arturo Barone. (The fourth edition retitled The Italian Achievement is listed on the IAP.) The book opened her world to her Italian heritage and changed her direction in life. With a desire to further promote Italian history and culture, Janice started to write Con Amore in 1999, focusing on entertaining and educating her readers. During her research, she became even more fascinated with Italian history and realized there was too much information to include in her book. In 2004, she started Tutto Italiano , (at first a biweekly but now) a monthly e-newsletter about everything Italian. After Con Amore was published in 2006, Janice began writing for La Gazzetta Italiana , a print and web media source for the Italian American community and she founded Thirty-One Days of Italians , a project that acknowledges those of Italian heritage who have substantially contributed to America and the world. In 2018, Janice developed the Italian American Heritage Project to provide educational resources about Italian American history, heritage, and culture with a straightforward view on the roles of Italians in American history and culture. Ralph felt that Janice was the right person to carry on with his work and he has agreed to be her mentor as she adds new features to the Italian American Press.

Shortly after returning to the United States, Ralph settled back in Springfield and accepted a position as a high school teacher of English, reading, and psychology, teaching for 32 years. During that time he was also the acting Director of Health Education for the entire school system, and supervised the writing of one of the first comprehensive K-12 health education curriculums in the state of Massachusetts. He created and directed the implementation of a Community Crises Program for the schools and the town of West Springfield, and received accolades from former Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts for developing the most effective program of its kind in the state. In 1996, Ralph retired from the school system and became a part time college instructor teaching classes that included stress-management techniques, creative writing, self-actualization, and spiritual healing, as he continued to supervise health education. Little information on self-publishing and Italian American literature was readily available when Ralph wrote Child of Wonder . He remembers the discouragement with each rejection of his manuscript; many by the best-known publishers in the United States. Based on the various comments of editors, he rewrote his book at least ten times, all to no avail. As founder and director of the Italian American Press, Ralph has accomplished what many immigrants aspire to achieve: contributing his skills and knowledge to America, while maintaining pride in his heritage and culture. He began a valued service and developed the source for a wide variety of books about Italian and Italian American heritage, culture, and history offered on The Italian American Press. Ralph continues to write . In 2013, he published Royanna: An Extraterrestrial Affair , a story that blends mystery, adventure, and a touch of romance in a science fiction tale about an encounter between a human and an alien. In early April 2020, Ralph wanted to reach out to those affected by the global pandemic and made his book, The Quest: Maximizing Health and Wellness Through Spiritual Healing available to all as a free download. Written in the early 1980s, at a time when a more contemporary approach to coping with stress was taking hold, and revised to appeal to the diversified audience of 2020, The Quest provides readers with a step-by-step guide to achieve health and wellness through holistic activities. Interspersed with expressive images, a series of self- guided reflected exercises for clearing thoughts, visualization, meditation, and other techniques motivate the reader through the process of seeking guidance and reassurance in these difficult times. Ralph looks forward to the future, as he continues to be of service to his community and beyond.

FEATURED BOOKS