About Me — Christopher M. Forte
(Author, storyteller, heritage advocate, and believer in the power of small good things.)
My name is Christopher M. Forte, and I live in Downtown San Diego, where faith, history, and community intersect beneath the bells of Little Italy and the hum of the harbor. My life’s work revolves around three things that, for me, belong together — writing, heritage, and service.
I was born into two legacies: my father’s Italian-American family, who came from New York and later settled in Los Angeles and Orange Counties; and my mother’s side, old-stock Americans whose roots go back to the Mayflower and the Civil War. That blend of immigrant grit and pioneer endurance shaped my sense of identity and belonging — and it continues to guide everything I do.
Over time, that heritage became more than ancestry. It became a mission. Through my projects — The Italian Californian, My Catholic Defense, Sieli Story, and Curse the Darkness — I try to tell stories that remember where we came from and imagine where we might go.
I created The Italian Californian as both a cultural platform and a love letter to my state’s Italian-American communities — from the fishing families of San Pedro to the vintners of the Central Valley and my own neighborhood of Little Italy, San Diego. I wanted to build something that preserved, celebrated, and passed on the pride of our heritage.
At the same time, My Catholic Defense grew out of my personal journey of faith — a place where I wrestle with history, Scripture, and the accusations often made against Catholicism. I write not to argue, but to share what I’ve learned: that the faith is not superstition but the living heartbeat of Christianity.
My fiction — the Sieli Family Saga and Curse the Darkness — lets me express those same truths through story: family, loyalty, sin, and redemption, all rooted in California soil but universal in spirit.
Until my broader mission takes off, I work full-time as a supervisor for a city-improvement organization with a noble cause — keeping Downtown San Diego clean, safe, and true to its motto: “America’s Finest City.” I manage teams that clean city sidewalks, assist residents and businesses with quality-of-life issues, and coordinate outreach for the homeless and those in need. It’s meaningful work that lets me serve the community I love — and yes, you might even spot my picture on some local trash cans thanks to a city promotion my employer did a few years ago. Those posters made me “famous” — or at least locally recognizable! Lol.
Beyond my professional work, I stay deeply involved in community and faith-based organizations. I am the former Facilities Coordinator for the Convivio Society of San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood event and heritage center, and I continue to serve as a member and volunteer with Convivio. I’m also a Member of the House of Italy San Diego, the former 2nd Vice President of the Italian Catholic Federation Branch #230 – Our Lady of the Rosary, a Volunteer with the Little Italy Association (San Diego), and the former Grand Knight and still an officer in my local Knights of Columbus council. These roles have allowed me to give back, stay rooted in my faith and heritage, and contribute to the community that raised me.
Through all my creative projects — my books, blogs, YouTube channels, and social media — I hope to build something lasting and uplifting. My dream is that these platforms will not only sustain my writing, but also support my deeper goal: to be an advocate for the Italian-American community of California and to help others through charitable and nonprofit work.
My mission is simple but sacred: to use whatever resources and blessings God has given me to make my small part of the world a bit better — that part being San Diego. I’ve learned that we can’t save the entire world, but we can transform the corner of it that God places us in.
That’s my creed, my calling, and my guiding principle:
“We can’t save the whole world, but we can make our small part of it better — and if everyone did that, the world itself would be better.”
That’s why I write. That’s why I serve. And that’s who I am.
