Happy Birthday dearest Auntie Anna for your 90 springs, wishing you other ones filled with good health! Thanks from the bottom of my heart, having had perpetuated your magic story into ink!!
La Cartiera / Die Papierfabrik / The Paper Factory will stay my most emotional written work!!!

A BIG THANK you as always to my family, friends and: Pino Dietiker, Azadeh Eshaghi, Alexander Estis, Elisa Forte & editorial staff @LaSorgente & Pro Loco Caposele, Astrid Gautschi & editorial staff @SprachROHR, Zenergy Karin Guzzetta Czt, Janina Minder & Kaninchenauffangstation, Kantonsbibliothek Aarau, Daniel Schmid @Aargauer Kantorei, Schweizer Schreibfrauen, Marcello Wernli and last but not least my niece Seraina!

Yes, today it’s 20 years of my literary journey, which started in February 2003 in Buenos Aires during my writing holiday at my aunt Anna’s home.

Life works in a very misterious way, little I knew what would come up when I was walking around the neighborhood and crossing a guy called Ignacio De las Muas by accident, he greeted me and said he’s never seen my face before in the surroundings? I told him, I was hosted by Anna, writing down a book as a family document and he said, he was living just three houses away and being a publicist of the journal «El Barrio de Pueyrredon», we should get in touch with an interview, so he throw me on the front page with an additional report…I was not sure to laugh or cry about! In the same week I’ve been invited by Tim Cappelman for an interview to the «Argentinisches Tageblatt», a german journal founded by the Swiss Alemann family with an edition of 250’000 copies. This was the beginning of a beautiful journey and at the same a roller coaster. I turned back home and in May 2003 «Die Papierfabrik» was published. 

Since then I held many readings in various countries, interviews for many magazines and journals or newspapers, Radio-Talks and TV-appearances, among them a theater scenic reading, workshops for new beginners in writing a book or at schools, round tables, even a road movie directed by myself. There were co-productions, collaborations with other authors or correcting/overproofing their works.

I met wonderful people (some rude ones too, not naming names!) and I can count on a very gorgeous network all over Europe, States, South-America, Australia and Africa as well.

As I wrote at the beginning, it was until now a huge journey and at the same time a roller coaster, my writing carreer has its ups and downs. My journey goes on, actually engaged as a member of two editional staffs. And of course there are some other challenging projects, which I would like to see realized!

Recently I’ve found in Mums‘ memorabilia something were lovely! My parents were featured in L’ECO, an Italian newspaper for the Italian emigrants in Switzerland. My father was working in his free time as a marketing-man for this newspaper and he found a lot of subscribers to this paper. As THE top perfomer, the direction of the newspaper gave him as a bonus a new car, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta!

Once a year parents can take along their children to their working place and introduce them to their job and tasks, so the kids can have a look over the shoulder, or they are able to do some little tasks too. In my case my nephew Matteo has accompanied me and he had the chance to see my working place. I introduced him to do some floor plan calculations of square meters, reading building descriptions and doing a real estate evaluation. The day was completed with an online thrilling trail of chasing and arresting a hacker. The target of this future day is to prepare the pupils to take a decision if they want to continue studies or for an apprenticeship. Switzerland is probably the only country who applies the dual system of formation by working at a company for 3 days a week and the other 2 days at the professional school. It was fun working with my nephew, but strenuous too for both 🙂 We’ll see what he wants to become!!

It’s time to give space to someone very important to whom I’ve been working for the past seven years! It’s my Co-producer Werner Strähl, the one who acts as a lector, proofreader, mentor, detractor, creative director and manager. I’m very thankful, proud and of course happy about 0f what we brought out together: 5 book productions! Well, it’s a long time history!

Grazie mille, Werner!

Mia cara Irene…oggi avresti compiuto 36 anni. Sono tornata alle 14.30 sul luogo del delitto, sono rimasta per un minuto in silenzio a farti gli auguri…una piccola striscia gialla di gesso ricorda il contorno del tuo corpo accasciato…quante volte maledico quel stramaledetto venerdi‘ del 23 febbraio scorso, da li ho iniziato a odiare i venerdi’…in pochi minuti ti ho persa; ti ho visto viva, freddata e morta…le tue ultime parole erano „Sina, non lo voglio vedere…“ io t’imploravo con insistenza „Irene, non andarci, chiama la polizia!“, „…scendo un attimo e chiudiamo questa storia…“, „…vengo anch’io e ti aiuto, se lui alza di nuovo le mani!“. Forse quei paio di secondi, che il mio superiore mi aveva chiamato, mi avranno salvato la vita…dopo ho sentito tanti colpi, credo fossero dieci, sono corsa verso il vetro e ti ho vista accasciata per terra immersa in un lago di sangue…ho urlato all’impazzata, gridando il tuo nome „Irene, Irene, noooo“. I miei colleghi mi hanno presa per le braccia e mi hanno rinchiusa in un ufficio, temevano che io andassi fuori di testa. Erano attimi terribili, ripetevo sempre „devo andare da Irene, devo salvarla…“ poi una brava persona del nostro care team mi ha tenuto le mani dicendo „Irene non c’è l’ha fatta…“
Giorni dopo mi sono avvicinata alla tua salma, Dio, che impressione vedere il tuo occipite e viso sfigurato. Irene, perché non mi hai ascoltata? Da mesi t’imploravo di denunciare quel disgraziato, lo hai fatto solamente quando io avverti‘ il nostro superiore di fare pressione e sei andata dalla polizia quel maledetto venerdi‘ mattina…troppo tardi.
Mi manchi tantissimo, mi manca il nostro cappuccino quotidiano, le nostre chiacchierate…ma non tornerai piu‘! Non sono mai piu‘ tornata alla tua tomba, non riesco a farmene una ragione, che tu stai sotto terra…TU dovevi essere qua, a vivere la tua vita con le tue figliolette. No, lui per egoismo, oltre le botte, offese e minacce brutte via Whatsapp, con 4 pallottole di Berretta in testa ti ha portata con se. Maledetto che sia lui. Maledetti tutti gli uomini che in mia presenza si permettono di prendere parole di violenza in bocca – io non conosco perdono.
DONNE, se il vostro ragazzo, compagno o marito alza le mani o vi minaccia di ammazzarvi, denunciatelo! Perché questo non è amore, questo si chiama: VIOLENZA!

Ti portero‘ sempre nel mio cuore, Irene
Sina

A BIG Thank you for a great 2017 as always to my family, close friends and:
Patricia Aschilier & the clan of Schweizer Schreibfrauen, Adriana Assini, Alfonso Bottone (incostieramalfitana.it), Francesco Capo @ Appia Polis, Gianfranco Carozza Reporter @ Appia Polis, Francesco Citarella supporter of Ravello 2020, Michele Citro (Edizioni Paguro), Nicola Conforti La Sorgente & Salvatore Conforti, Antonio Di Giovanni @ Radio Polo & journalist, Helmut Dworschak (Der Landbote), Vincenzo Giaccoli @ Radio Polo, Rossella Graziuso (www.donneallospecchio.it), Antonietta Grüter, Hotel Parco dei Principi Giulianova, La Città di Salerno, Libreria Imagine’s Book Salerno, Corrado S Magro, Umberto Gerardo Malanga, Graziano Mazzocchi, Anna Maria Noia, Andrea Pellegrino, Sarah Salamone (La Pagina), Solothurner Literaturtage, Werner Strähl, Francesco Testa & last, but not least Benjamin Zumsteg (swiboo.ch)!

The Italian news-online Appia Polis published the latest interview, have a read at www.appiapolis.it!
Grazie mille Francesco Capo & Gianfranco Carozza for your beautiful pics!