“Creative writing is really about teaching people how to trust themselves.” Karen Benke

For my final episode before taking a hiatus, I’m joined by author, writing guide, and fellow Florence transplant Karena Benke.

Karena divides her life between Florence and the San Francisco Bay Area, a life she describes as leaving her heart “forever divided.” We talk about what each place gives her, raising and launching children into the world (or, as Karena prefers, becoming a “bird launcher”), and the unexpected connections that can change the direction of a creative life.

Karena shares the story behind her acclaimed creative writing books, including Rip the Page! and Write Back Soon!, and what years of teaching young writers have taught her about creativity, self-trust, and letting go of the need to do things “right.”

We also dive into her forthcoming book, Lunch at Lola’s, created with Matilde Pettini of Florence’s beloved Trattoria da Lola. Part cookbook, part memoir, it grew out of friendship, neighborhood life, Florentine food traditions, and an extraordinary connection with Stanley Tucci.

We talk about writing without rules, recipes without measurements, the disappearing Florence neither of us is ready to let go of, and the “creative light” Karena finds in this city.

It feels like just the right conversation to close this chapter of 15 with Fosca: a reminder to stay curious, trust yourself, keep creating, and pay attention to the people you happen to meet along the way.

Karen Benke Author / Writing Guide Biography

Karena is the creator of the museletter, a collection of observations, stories, and photographs from Tuscany that reaches 1000+ readers a month. The author of four books of creative non-fiction from Shambhala /Penguin Random House, Rip the Page! is used by children, teens, parents, and teachers internationally with editions in English, Chinese, Korean, Russian, and soon Italian. Other books in the series include Leap Write In, Write Back Soon, and Rip ALL the Pages! Originally from California’s Bay Area where she worked for the non-profit, Poets in the Schools, she founded The Writer’s Nest in 2015, a mentorship program for young writers. She is co-author with Matilde Pettini of Lunch at Lola’s (Rizzoli, 2027) about the rising star’s trattoria, Dalla Lola, that was featured on National Geographic’s Tucci in Italy.

Her books have received favorable and starred reviews from Guernica: A Magazine of Global Art & Politics, ForeWord Reviews, Toronto Star, FamilyFun Magazine, School Library Journal, The Children’s Book Review and other publications. She has presented at Book Passage Bookstore, Poets House NYC, The Library of Congress Lunch Poem Series, and at numerous libraries and independent bookstores across the United States. A recipient of a few awards and several fellowships, including a Poets & Writer’s Teaching Grant, she is dual American-Italian citizen who lives between the San Francisco Bay Area and Florence, Italy where she lives and writes across the road from Dalla Lola and is always at work on a creative project. Find her at karenbenke.com and @razziwrites