MARIANNE LEONE is an actress, screenwriter, and essayist. Her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, Literary Hub, Ploughshares, Post Road Magazine, The Bark Magazine, Coastal Living, Solstice, and elsewhere. She is the author of two memoirs: Jesse: A Mother’s Story (Simon & Schuster) and Ma Speaks Up: And a First-Generation Daughter Talks Back (Beacon Press). Leone had a recurring role on HBO’s The Sopranos as Joanne Moltisanti, mother to Michael Imperioli’s Christopher Moltisanti character. She has also appeared in films by David O. Russell, Larry David, John Sayles, Nancy Savoca, and Martin Scorsese. Her latest book is Five-Dog Epiphany: How a Quintet of Badass Bichons Retrieved Our Joy (Gracie Belle).