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| Archives September 16, 2007 www.webdigestweekly.com |
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| Everyone has a story. Some people keep theirs inside and some people let theirs out. Some stories are better than others, and some stories are phenomenal. Enter Salvatore Sapienza. Originally from Queens, New York, Salvatore has been unveiling his story for years now. Once a Marist brother, he left the order to explore himself and the yearnings inside which propelled him into his future. It’s been a great future as well. Aside from doing some acting and owning a popular bed and breakfast in Michigan, Salvatore has written the successful novel Seventy Times Seven. The title is a biblical quote attributed to Jesus Christ and it struck a chord in Salvatore that he just had to embrace, and share. He worked alongside Father Mychal Judge, the New York City fire chaplain who died in the World Trade Center disaster on September 11, 2001, and he has written an essay on his mentor that will be included in the upcoming book, Queer and Catholic. The success of Seventy Times Seven has pushed Salvatore even further into the public eye. He eagerly agreed to be interviewed for our Spotlight and I was glad to get to know him. The man himself is as warm and engaging as his writing. |
| WDW |
| Salvatore Sapienza 70 x 7 = Success |
| JCP: Okay…Now for a few nosy questions to satisfy your readers? Married/Single/Divorced/Involved? SS: My partner and I have just celebrated 15 years together! They haven't all been easy, but I'm glad we've stuck it out. SS: No. I was a high school English teacher for 12 years, so I've helped nurture many young lives, but I don't desire to have any of my own. SS: With the B&B and writing, I don't have a lot of time for hobbies but, when I do, I enjoy listening to music. I'm still a fan of gay artists from the eighties. Boy George, Pet Shop Boys and George Michael have all done some of their best work in recent years. Much of their music inspires my writing. As readers of Seventy Times Seven well know, song lyrics play a vital role in the novel. JCP: Who are your heroes? SS: Father Mychal Judge, whom I was fortunate enough to know, and countless teachers who've been my colleagues over the years. JCP: Favorite food? SS: Gotta go for Italian. I ask for - and get - chicken parmesan every year on my birthday. JCP: Favorite place? SS: My partner and I had our best ever vacation in Acapulco. We stayed at a guest house that was once the former estate of disco queen Gloria Gaynor. They totally pampered us there. We also ate at some incredible restaurants with the most spectacular views. Walking into some of those restaurants was like walking onto a movie set, only the backdrops were real. I definitely want to go back someday. JCP: Favorite movie? SS: Don't laugh, but I think I've watched Can't Stop the Music - the Village People movie - more times than any other. I know it line by line. Of recent movies, I really like The Family Stone with Sarah Jessica Parker. It's not a perfect movie, but it moves me each time I see it. JCP: Shoes, socks, or bare feet? SS: I live in flip flops. JCP: What bit of wisdom can you share here? SS: I'm a true transcendentalist. I love reading Emerson and Thoreau. They're like my bible. One of my favorite words of wisdom is by Emerson: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." JCP: And what are you most proud of? SS: I was an AIDS buddy and volunteer back in the late eighties. It was during a time when there was still so much fear. I was privileged to be a witness to so much love in the face of hatred and fear. JCP: Sal, thanks so much for spending this time with me. SS: Well, thank you for all you're doing in helping to spread the word about new writers and books. I'm honored to be included among all the other people you've interviewed. |
| JC Parrish |
| This has been a truly inspiring experience. Talking with Sal and getting to know more about the man behind such a successful novel as Seventy Times Seven has given me a new perspective on the motivations and intentions behind what truly is a groundbreaking book. Millions of readers are waiting for his next novel. Salvatore transcended the barriers that seem to exist between gay fiction and the mainstream book market. He also has given something invaluable back to both worlds which he wholeheartedly embraces. He’s a great man. His heart shines right through all that he does. His is an example that is sorely needed in today’s world. Sal's Website: www.70x7book.com |
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| JCP: Sal, thanks for spending some time with me. SS: My pleasure. I've been a fan of your site for quite awhile now. You're one of the few who actually shows an interest in literature. You've also featured some of my JCP: Thank you very much! What have you been up to lately? anthology entitled Queer & Catholic, which will be published by Father Mychal Judge, the NYC fire chaplain who died on 9/11. It'll be included in an anthology entitled Queer & Catholic, which will be published by Haworth Press next Queer & Catholic, which will be published by Haworth Press next year. I also write , which will be published by Haworth Press next year. I also write a pop culture Haworth Press next year. I also write a pop culture column for The Sentinel next year. I also write a pop culture column for The Sentinel newspaper. What I year. I also write a pop culture column for The Sentinel newspaper. What I really The Sentinel newspaper. What I really should be doing is putting the finishing newspaper. What I really should be doing is putting the finishing touches on my next should be doing is putting the finishing touches on my next novel, but I still have a ways to go on that. ways to go on that. JCP: Tell me about your book, Seventy Times Seven. SS: It's loosely based on my own years as a religious brother in the Catholic Church. It's not the typical closeted priest story. The protagonist is a young gay celibate monk, Brother Vito, who is openly gay, yet he's struggling to reconcile his sexuality with his spirituality. His gay friends don't understand his devotion to the Church, nor does his religious community fully accept his sexuality, so he's torn in two directions. When he finds himself falling in love with a church volunteer just a few weeks shy of his final vows, Vito has a big decision to make. It sounds like a heavy topic, but it's really very romantic. JCP: Why did you decide to write the book? SS: Well, mainly, I was sick and tired of reading so many gay novels where the characters were just so self-centered, sarcastic and negative. I wanted to tell a heartwarming and romantic story about people who were worth rooting for. Plus, I wanted to make sense of my own spiritual journey. JCP: What kind of reaction have you received from it? SS: The reaction from readers and critics has been overwhelmingly positive. Big name gay writers like Felice Picano and Dan Savage have recommended it, plus it's gotten a lot of attention in the gay press with feature stories in Bay Area Reporter and Windy City Times. Mostly, though, it's the letters and emails I've received from readers that have touched me the most. I really just wanted to tell an entertaining story, but to find out that the book has actually helped people and touched them to such a degree is extremely gratifying. That's really what it's all about. JCP: What did you hope to accomplish with the book, and have you reached your goal? SS: I suppose just finishing the book and getting it published was the fulfillment of my goal. Everything else is icing on the cake. Honestly, I really just wanted to write an entertaining book that would touch readers' hearts. Other than that, I guess I wanted to show how being gay and being religious were not mutually exclusive. I just finished up a book tour, and it was so great to hear from readers who have no interest in religion, yet who have thoroughly enjoyed the book. More fulfilling, though, was getting the chance to hear from readers who've found great support and comfort from reading the novel. That's something I never expected. JCP: Tell me about your next book. SS: My second book is another work of gay fiction. I will always be a gay fiction writer. Unlike some other writers, I am not bothered by that label one bit. The new book's a generational tale about the interactions of gay men in their twenties, forties and sixties. I feel like there's such a generation gap between us, but there's so much to learn from one another. JCP: You’ve done some acting as well, haven’t you? SS: Yes, I've been lucky enough to have worked on half a dozen feature films, such as Runaway Jury with Dustin Hoffman, A Love Song for Bobby Long with John Travolta, and Mr. 3000 with Bernie Mac. I've really been nothing more than a glorified extra, but they've all been fun experiences. JCP: Tell me about your B&B? SS: My partner and I had a bed and breakfast in New Orleans for many years but, as a year round destination, we never got a break. We sold our place there two weeks prior to Hurricane Katrina. We now own and operate another bed and breakfast in Saugatuck, a gay resort town on Lake Michigan. It's mainly a summer/fall tourist destination, so the winter affords me ample time to write. It's a nice lifestyle. I feel very blessed. JCP: What’s next for you, Sal? SS: After the busy tourist season, I hope to buckle down and finish up that next novel. I'll also be doing a book tour with the other writers who are a part of the Queer & Catholic anthology when that book comes out early next year. JCP: Where do you see yourself five years from now? SS: Still here at the B&B in Saugatuck and still writing. I truly am living my dream. But, if I'm really going to dream big, I'd love to see Seventy Times Seven as a feature film. |
