L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY W h i l e m a n y o f us stayed c l o s e t o h o m e during the pandemic, for- saking travel and evenings out, others chose a different route. Take Kate Wheeler, a freelance cartoonist from Seattle. Wheeler's parents retired to Italy six years ago. After dreaming for months a b o u t f o l l o w i n g i n t h e i r f o o t s t e p s , W h e e l e r , h e r partner, and their two dogs pulled up stakes and relo- cated to Rome in January. A r e g u l a r c o n t r i b u t o r t o T h e W a s h i n g t o n Post and other outlets, and the author of several graph- ic novels, Wheeler chose to d o c u m e n t h e r m o v e t o Rome in a candid, charm- ing, and very visual way: a four-part cartoon series cur- r e n t l y r u n n i n g i n T h e Washington Post. The series kicked off on February 12 in the paper's By The Way fea- ture. Two installments will a p p e a r i n M a r c h a n d t h e last one in April. Reactions to the series have been positive for the most part, said Wheeler. "A lot of folks who have been dreaming about the same m o v e a r e e x c i t e d t o r e a d a b o u t s o m e o n e a c t u a l l y d o i n g i t , " s h e s a i d . " O f c o u r s e , t h e r e w e r e a f e w negative comments. It's the i n t e r n e t , a f t e r a l l . B u t I hope what comes through is my respect and appreciation for Italian culture and for this life-changing experi- ence that has been both joy- ful and difficult." W h e e l e r h a s a B F A i n v i s u a l c o m m u n i c a t i o n s from Cornish College of the Arts and has been working as a full-time freelance car- t o o n i s t f o r f i v e y e a r s . Although her work gravi- tates primarily to autobio- graphical themes, such as t h e R o m e s e r i e s , s h e h a s two graphic novels for chil- d r e n u n d e r w a y . O n e i s a b o o k t a r g e t e d a t m i d d l e - school kids that explores t h e h i s t o r y o f w a s t e a n d recycling. Team Trash: a t i m e t r a v e l e r ' s g u i d e through sustainability will be published in summer 2023. W h e e l e r h a d b e e n i n Rome only two weeks, when we caught up with her by email. Here is some of our conversation. Y o u t h o u g h t a b o u t m o v i n g t o I t a l y f o r months but unlike many others actually pulled it off. Why Italy and why now? It's really more my par- ent's story. Six years ago they retired to Ascoli Piceno in the Marche region. We visited for two weeks every year. When the pandemic was really bad in Italy but hadn't hit Seattle yet, I was p l a g u e d w i t h f e a r s a b o u t what would happen if my parents got Covid. Seeing my mom and dad through a p h o n e s c r e e n j u s t w a s n ' t cutting it. After two years of lockdowns and isolation in our little house, the idea of m o v i n g t o a n e w c o u n t r y sounded pretty great. Any general observa- tions so far? In Italy, everyone seems interested in knowing and caring about each other. It's a very community-driven culture and very friendly. Y o u s p e n d y o u r F r i d a y nights at the nearest piazza with the same people every week and get to know their dogs. It's a nice change! E x p l o r i n g R o m e through your drawings i s a w o n d e r f u l i d e a . H o w d i d c a r t o o n i n g become your passion? I w a s a l w a y s d r a w i n g , always making paintings. M o r e i m p o r t a n t l y , I a m drawn to storytelling. I have a degree in children's the- a t r e a s w e l l . I j u s t l o v e telling stories to an audi- ence. Cartoonists are both writers and artists. Once I realized I could do both at once, I never looked back! I think comics are having a r e a l m o m e n t w h e r e f o l k s are realizing that they are not only a legitimate form of literature but can be a perfect pairing of art and writing. They are not just for kids! H o w a r e y o u r l a n - guage skills? We are doing about two hours of class each day. We try to speak Italian when we a r e o u t a n d a b o u t o n e r r a n d s . I ' m s u r e h a l f o f what we say is nonsense, but folks are very patient with us. Even though I'm constantly frustrated by the gendering of objects, it's a beautiful language. W h e e l e r w a s a b l e t o secure a student visa after agreeing to attend a year- long language course. W h a t e l s e a r e y o u enjoying? Every day I fall in love w i t h t h e p r o d u c e , w h i c h feels very silly but it's true! T h e f r u i t a n d v e g e t a b l e s here taste so good. The car- ciofi ("artichokes") are in s e a s o n r i g h t n o w a n d w e have them every day in a different form. D i d y o u h a v e a method for finding an apartment? Every neighborhood in Rome has its own perks and personalities. We made a list of essential things we wanted -- air conditioning, balcony or terrace, allows pets. And things that would be nice to have -- elevator, two bedrooms. We had to c o m p r o m i s e a l o t i n t h e interest of time. Now that we're here, we are visiting the antique market in Porta P o r t e s e e v e r y S u n d a y t o find beautiful items to make o u r a p a r t m e n t f e e l m o r e like home. What advice can you share? I t a l y i s r e a l l y a b o u t e n j o y i n g t h e g o o d l i f e , sometimes at the expense of ease and expediency. It's a b i t o f a s h o c k t o o u r American expectations of immediate satisfaction. You h a v e t o s l o w d o w n a n d accept the fact you can get o n e b i g t h i n g d o n e e a c h day. Then go treat yourself to gelato! In a move that took her from Seattle to Rome, cartoonist Kate Wheeler documented her new life in a cartoon series (Photo courtesy of Kate Wheeler) Moving to Rome: how one Seattle artist chose to illustrate her new life RITA CIPALLA

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