Barbara Falconer Newhall

My Search for a Muslim Woman With a Story to Tell

April 2, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

Nabeela-Raza-Sajjad-and-Creation-of-Heavens-and-Earth

Nabeela Raza Sajjad founded Islamic Art Exhibit in 2009. Here, with her work "Creation of Heavens and Earth."

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

My book is pretty much done. But I still need to find myself a few more people to interview. A nice, talkative Muslim woman with lots of thoughts and stories, for one.

I’ve interviewed dozens of people for my book. It’s working title is Wrestling With God: True Stories of Religion and Spirituality, as Told to a Hopeful Skeptic. I’ve heard the stories of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and even an atheist or two. [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Rocky Spiritual Journey Tagged With: fatima ozgun, islamic art, islamic art exhibit, Islamic cultural center of northern california, muslim women, nabeela raza sajjad, quran, salma arastu, wrestling with god

In My Rain-Battered Garden — Nothing Is Forever, Not Even Those Poppies

March 31, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

A camellia -- one of the dozens that hit the pavement today.

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Jerome, that famously abstemious fourth- and fifth-century scholar and saint, is said to have kept a human skull on his desk to remind him of his mortality.

Those of us with gardens don’t need a skull. We’ve got stuff dying on us every day. [Read more...]

Filed Under: A Case of the Human Condition Tagged With: annie's annuals, camelia, don't miss, dying, month of march, mortality, pansy, photography, rain, rain in san francisco bay area, st. jerome, wind poppy

Ahead of the Curve on a Hot New Trend — Storytelling

March 26, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

jeff-greenwald-teaches-storytelling-writers-grotto

Jeff Greenwald introducing his storytellers at a Book Passage performance last Friday. Photo by Jon Newhall.

It looks like Jeff Greenwald and his Merry Band of Storytellers are ahead of the curve. Check out this article in Monday’s New York Times on the storytelling classes being offered all around the Big Apple even as we speak. It seems maybe the storytelling subculture I’ve been nattering on about is not so sub after all. [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Writing Room Tagged With: cultural trend, jeff greenwald, new york times, storytelling, storytelling classes, writers grotto

Tulips, Orchids and More — Florists Put on a Lively Show for the Dead

March 26, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

A spray of light from Connie Hubbell Arts.

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

It’s not often you get to do something for the dead. But every year around this time, florists in San Francisco’s East Bay are invited to put on a show to benefit the Friends of Mountain View Cemetery, a famous old cemetery at the top of Piedmont Avenue in Oakland.

My favorite floral arrangement was by Heather Dunne and Mari Tischenko of the Orinda Garden Club – ”Branch of Life,” with scarlet tulips floating above a gnarled branch. [Read more...]

Filed Under: A Case of the Human Condition Tagged With: connie hubbell arts, friends of mountain view cemetery, lyal nickals florist, mountain view cemetery, orinda garden club

Writers Grotto Writers Bask in Their Three Minutes of Fame

March 24, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Lauren Patti, a short memoir

Some thirty writers and storytellers took the mic — for three short minutes each – to share their works in progress Friday evening at Book Passage in San Francisco’s Ferry Building. The writers had been taking classes in memoir, young adult fiction, the short story, personal essay, storytelling and the novel at the Writers Grotto.

Jon and I took along our trusty camera, and we got pictures of quite a few people as they read. Among the crowd pleasers were Oliver Williams’ short story about a little boy who could fly, Lauren Patti’s memoir about being short (which she is), and Chris Caldeira’s short story about — let’s call it penis envy and leave it at that.

We storytellers had a blast telling our stories; we’re pretty sure we made our teacher, Jeff Greenwald, proud.

Photos by Jon and Barbara Newhall

[Read more...]