The beautifully hand-drawn true story of artist Joshua Santospirito’s visit to the Aeolian Islands of Italy with his parents to seek out past connections and family roots.
Purchase NOW ~> From bookstores across Aus/NZ or directly from my shop.
Media/reviews
Interview with SBS Italian (podcast) ~ July ‘24
Review by Books+Publishing ~ July ‘24
Interview with Alia Graphic ~ July ‘24
8cc interview (Mparntwe / Alice Springs) ~ July ‘24
The Hobart Magazine interview ~ July ‘24
About the book
Joshua and his father hope to locate the burial place of Joshua’s great-great-grandfather on the island of Salina. But it’s not always so easy to find the past you’re looking for, nor to travel with your parents.
As Joshua learns more about the sun-drenched volcanic archipelago, its people, and their history, he also explores the mysteries of family — and the magic of creating your own place in the world.
This is a tale of migration and return, of the rise to stardom of actress Ingrid Bergman, of the cheeky wind god Aeolus, of ancestry, place, and belonging, and of so much more. Told from Joshua’s unique and charming perspective, there is something here for everyone.
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This book was originally conceived as the second part in the Swallows series: If you’d like to know more about Swallows Part One - you can read about it here.
The launch tour across Australia is now over: it involved a one hour performance of the book with live music, storytelling and art. Different parts of the tour were supported by the Regional Arts Fund through RANT Arts as well as Arts Tasmania.
Below is the poster with the booktour and the performance tour promoting the release of the graphic novel. This tour was supported by the Regional Arts Fund through RANT, as well as Arts Tasmania.