Where do I truly belong? This is the question Anne Pia continually asked of herself growing up in the Italian-Scots community of post-World War Two Edinburgh. This candid, vibrant memoir shares her struggle to bridge the gap between a traditional immigrant way of life and attaining her goal of becoming an independent-minded professional woman. Through her journey beyond the expectations of family, she discovers how much relationships with other people enhance, inhibit and ultimately define self. Yet – like her relationship with her own mother – her ‘belonging’ in her Italian and Scottish heritages remains to this day unresolved and complex.

Language of My Choosing throws fresh light on the Italian community in Scotland and gives its women their individual voice in a new way. This story resonates with the challenges of migration and immigration which we continue to face today. — DONALD SMITH

Bold and honest, raw at times but ultimately celebratory, beautifully written and razor sharp; a wonderful blend of autobiography and social history. — ANN MARIE DI MAMBRO

Anne Pia is based in Edinburgh. Born in the city, as the grandchild of Italian immigrants she was raised surrounded by the food, traditions and dialect of southern Italy. Her Italian grandmother was a major influence, whose sense of style, love of food and wise views of life Anne has passed on to her daughters – Camilla, Roberta and Sophie-Louise. A language graduate and former teacher with a recent Doctorate in Education (2008), Anne has been published in the Times Educational Supplement, the Scottish Educational Review and in various other professional and academic journals. As a government official and HM Inspector, she has been responsible for national reports for a range of stakeholders on education in the adult learning world. Her poetry has been published in Northwords Now, Poetry Scotland, New Voices Press, Lunar Poetry, The Fat Damsel and South Bank Poetry, and online in Far Off Places, Poet and Geek and Ink, Sweat & Tears. ‘Viticuso 1913 and 2005’ has been translated into Italian. She plays the mandolin in the Edinburgh Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra and has played at poetry festivals around Scotland.