About Us
Selvatica Books was founded by Italian American author-influencers Sarah Arcuri and Leigh Esposito. Both previously repped by New York literary agents, Arcuri and Esposito saw an opportunity to create a sisterhood of magnetic Italian American female authors who share their flair for the theatre of storytelling. With VC backing, they launched Selvatica Books to proffer stories of Italian American women exerting influence outside the domestic sphere—as not only mothers and wives, but business owners, power players, and thinkers.
Selvatica Books will begin accepting submissions in January 2024. While Selvatica is focused on elevating Italian American female voices, the publisher also welcomes stories that celebrate the Italian diaspora regardless of authorship.
Sarah Arcuri
Sarah Arcuri (The Owner & the Wife) graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Communications. She shares her love for Italian food and culture on TikTok and Instagram through her online persona, The Sweet Paisana. A viral social media sensation, she has a six-figure cult following across platforms and has secured partnerships with premier Italian brands, including Nutella, Cento, and Carbone Fine Food. Sarah traces her Italian heritage to Sicily and Calabria, and lives in South Florida.
Leigh Esposito
Leigh Esposito (The Godmother) has a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Columbia Law. A recovering attorney, she is now a sought-after strategist, speaker, and author whose short story, “Feast of the Epiphany,” was featured in VIA: Voices in Italian Americana. Leigh is a dual Italian-American citizen with roots in Sicily, Naples, Salerno, and Molise, and her Instagram account celebrates the culture, mystery, and lore of her ancestral homeland. Together with her precocious son and his canine sidekick, Leigh lives in Miami, Florida—when she’s not in Italy.
Advisory Board
Andrew Trapani
Sobey Road Entertainment
Principal / Producer
William Monahan, Esq.
Sullivan & Cromwell
Partner
Marianna Gatto
Italian American Museum of Los Angeles
Director
Colleen Smeryage, Esq.
The Chicago Tribune
Journalist Emeritus
