about

Slow Words is a magazine and reader’s club available online and also offline made up exclusively of stories (interviews, narrations, poems) in which are exposed the frames of a life, the quintessence of a passion, the flames of a dream.

Soon online also at www.slow-words.it, www.slow-words.eu, Slow Words is in English and Italian and start in 2012 by going online on 2014: its Facebook page is the first place where we got to know you, for Slow Words is a magazine that speaks (and is read) as a landscape– by people for people.

In the interviews section, Slow Words offers a glimpse on socio-economic realities, on cultural and human relations from an unusual perspective: men, women, adolescents unknown to the public, who aren’t leaning towards “becoming someone” but more towards a “well-being,” towards sharing, and the collective knowledge. Through their stories, their lives, we will discover what “the art of living” tastes-like today, at all latitudes: ‘Crossing the street to run away from home – only a boy does that. But this man, who roams the streets all day long – he’s not a boy anymore, and he does not run away from home‘ (Cesare Pavese, Hard Labor).

The interviewee’s meaning of life and tastes are shared through an unprecedented cross section between his/her private and working life, selected time and again by the irrepressible curiosity of the makers of Slow Words. Each Slow Words story is the – overarching – view of places, travels, preferences – in one word – of a style that reveals the undercurrent poetry present in all of our lives. Slow Words speaks from a perspective that does neither include capital letters or italics, nor the opinions of imaginary or self-proclaimed experts, nor the choices of politicians and other public figures. Slow Words researches only the authentic qualities of those who have followed their calling and seek to live in ‘well-being.‘

Slow Words becomes a space for diversity. A participatory place where one can launch unusual or commonplace proposals depending on the theme of discussion. Slow Words is the TV for those who do not watch TV (anymore).

Slow Words can also highlight urgent and widespread demands for greater quality of life. When doing so, Slow Words chooses to collect caustic, brilliant suggestions or ideas of those who still consider it essential to conceive social life, working life, free time and freed time with a greater distance from emergencies and shrieked-out demands. Slow Words listens, and shares what it hears.

Slow Words will also collect ideas, suggestions, serious or frivolous scenes from everyday life that all share a common trait – a search for the quality of sweetness, slow and careful words that reveal time and again a personal and mindful way of living.

Slow Words covers mainly the city or cities of its interviewees, its readers, its supporters. Possibly on the four (or five) continents, without any geographical limitations.

How to read Slow Words

During the start-up period, Slow Words will be updated once a week. It consists of an interviews section and a literature section. The latter offers a selection of short stories and poems (in original language). You can also request email updates by writing to subscribe@slow-words.com. The content will be FREE during the first year.

Slow Words is also tout-court, a trademark promoting cultural creativity: from meetings with the authors to the design of events with the readers to the creation of all and out forums of discussion encouraged by the net.

Who are the Slow Words travel companions?

With an initial (and risky) self-financing, Slow Words loves to meet especially with family businesses and ethical social enterprises so as to provide them with a link to a selection of its best content or a tailor-made platform.

It is possible to support  Slow Words by purchasing traditional advertising space, while readers will be able to buy their yearly subscription for a fee starting from € 50. Needless to say you can support Slow Words by continuing to read once we shift to the subscription version.

Supporting Slow Words is also possible by commissioning ad hoc content both online and offline – contact us to learn more.

Diana Marrone* works as a journalist and PR. After advanced studies in International Relations and more traditional work experiences, she founded pr/undercover in 2002 and continues her work as a cultural events planner. She has collaborated among others with: Alias/Il Manifesto, BBC Radio World Service, Casamica, De Agostini, Domus, Frieze.com, IDG, La Repubblica, NAI Publishing, Rodeo, Volume Magazine. As designer agent, Diana also curates exhibitions and collections of functional objects, art and design for forgotten spaces. Born in Naples, she lives between Milan and Venice since more than 18 years. On 2020 she returns back in her native city.

*The founder wishes to thank Francesca Iachetti to have actively joined the initial brainstorming about Slow Words and Paolo Graziano, who collaborated for the initial brainstorming and for the random selection and translation of poems and of short stories until 2015.

(translation by Benedicta Bertau/Paolo Witte)