In this episode, I sit down with writer, professional tour guide, and Florence Literary Society co-founder Lauren Mouat for a conversation about Italy, writing, community, and the strange, unexpected doors that open when life doesn’t follow the plan.

Lauren first came to Italy as a study abroad student in Rome, thinking she might stay for a year. More than fifteen years later, that year has become a life: first in Rome, then, by way of love, lockdown, and a Florence apartment she never moved into, in Livorno.

We talk about the particular beauty of a city that does not perform itself for tourists, and how living slightly outside the obvious Italian dream has shaped Lauren’s sense of belonging. We also trace her life as a writer: from childhood stories to her bilingual short story collection Intermezzo, born in part out of the suspended time of Covid and built around characters caught in moments of transformation.

At the heart of the episode is Open Doors, the literary magazine Lauren founded during lockdown when she was searching for a writing community and ended up creating one. What began as a small experiment became a space for fiction, poetry, essays, art, and interviews in English and Italian; and a platform for writers and artists from around the world who were also looking for connection.

We also talk about the Florence Literary Society, the necessity of creative community, the discipline and chaos of writing, the trap of perfectionism, and how Lauren’s work as a tour guide has sharpened her instincts as a storyteller.

Ours is a conversation about becoming, belonging, attention, and the stubborn hope that literature still matters. Especially now.

Biography

Lauren Mouat is an author and tour guide who has called Italy home for over a decade. She is the founder and editor in chief of the bilingual literary magazine the Open Doors Review and a co-founder of the Florence Literary Society which is dedicated to fostering the writing community of Florence. Lauren's short story collection Intermezzo was published by Ali Ribelli Edizioni in 2022 and she writes about life in Italy on her Substack. 

Links

Official Website: https://www.laurenmouat.com

Substack: https://substack.com/@laurenmouat

Open Doors Review: http://www.opendoorsreview.com

FLS: https://www.florenceliterarysociety.com

Unlock Italy: http://www.unlockitaly.com

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Podcast Producer: Andrew Niklas Curtis 

Production Intern: Nicole Stevens

Recording and post-production Lorenzo Maiani, Faminore Sound Agency