Writers Grotto Writers Bask in Their Three Minutes of Fame

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 I’m publishing pictures here of many folks 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. [Read more...]

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Jeff Greenwald’s Merry Band of Storytellers (Including Me) Makes Its Debut

 

At last Friday’s Grotto readings, one writer read from her ”Cheating Dining Room Table” MS on her smart phone.

It’s happening. Jeff Greenwald’s  storytelling class will be peforming at 6 p.m. Friday, March 23, at the Book Passage bookstore in San Francisco’s [Read more...]

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The Writing Room: Writing Tips from Jasmin Darznik of “Good Daughter” Fame

Jasmin Darznik, author of "The Good Daughter" | Photo by Sarah Cramer ShieldsBy Barbara Falconer Newhall

Jasmin Darznik was at the Book Passage bookstore in Marin county, California, Monday night for the monthly meeting of the Left Coast Writers. She had some tips for wannabe writers, particularly memoir writers.

Tip # 1: Jasmin’s New York Times bestselling memoir, The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life tells the story of her mother’s marriage in Iran at the age of 13. Jasmin spent months interviewing her mother in Farsi, taking notes about her mother’s life in Iran. [Read more...]

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Book Openers: Memoiring in the Mountains with the Bestselling Jasmin Darznik

Jasmin Darznik's book "The Good Daughter"By Barbara Falconer Newhall

I first met Jasmin Darznik back in 2006, and right away she presented a problem.

We were in the same nonfiction workshop – it was led by agent Michael Carlisle – at the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley.

I had dutifully read Jasmin’s manuscript the night before our class – and for the first time in my workshopping career, I thought I had nothing helpful to say to the writer. [Read more...]

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