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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

  • A CASE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
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memoir

Writing Tips From a Famous Author — I Put on My Best Socks to Get Them

January 22, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

balega-socks famous author class

I’ve got years of writing experience to my credit. Why in the world would I spiff myself up to take a writing class from that famous author?  Read more.

At the Feet of Annie Dillard, Memoirist, Essayist, Observer of the Real

April 6, 2017 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A well-read copy of"The Abundance" by Annie Dillard. Photo by Barbara Newhall

What draws me to author Annie Dillard — what makes me want to turn off the TV and grab one of her books — is her eagle-sharp eye for the world as it truly is. Read more.

“Bamboo Secrets” — A Love Story in the Shadow of Japan

December 29, 2016 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Patricia Dove Miller signs copies of her new book, "Bamboo Secrets," at Book Passage, Marin, June 11, 2016. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I thought my writing buddy’s book “Bamboo Secrets” was about a sojourn to Japan in search of her creative identity. It turned out to be a love story. Read more.

Jeff Greenwald and Kevin Griffin — A Funny Buddhist and a Happy One

May 28, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Buddhist author Jeff Greenwald. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Jeff Greenwald is a master of the upstart art of finding God funny. Kevin Griffin writes about the commonalities between Buddhism and 12-step programs. Read more.

Atheist to Catholic–Two Brainy Women Get Religion

October 16, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Outdoor photo of Holly Ordway, author of "Not God's Type: An Atheist Academic Lays Down Her Arms"

Two memoirists, both very smart, move from atheism toward God, and from there smack, dab into full-fledged Catholicism. Read more.

Where Author Richard Rodriguez Sees the Face of God

October 2, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Author Richard Rodriguez spoke at Faith Presbyterian Church, Oakland, CA. Photo by Barbara Newhall

When asked why he believed in God, Richard Rodriguez, author of Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography, answered the question with a story about Mother Teresa. Read more.

Tulips and Sex — Writing as If Everyone I Know Were Dead

April 3, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

looking at pink tulips just opening from the underside at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CA. Photo by BF Newhall

I want to write about tulips today. I don’t want to write about sex. The trouble is, for me, writing about tulips means writing about sex: something about their juicy curves brings erotic metaphors to my particular mind. I had thought that once my mother — and father — were no longer alive and reading over my shoulder, I’d be able to write my heart out, but . . . Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Halloween — A Day for the Dead

Halloween-a-day-for-the-dead scary-mask

In the spirit of Día de Muertos, I’m making this Halloween a day for the dead: I’m publishing a story or two told about Jon at his interment.  Read more.

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  • A Case of the Human Condition
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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

DON’T MISS!

jon Newhall works the Sunday NYT crossword puzzle in the SF Chronicle. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Happily Retired? Take the Quiz

yellow-bush-lupine

Widowed. I’m Fine Until It’s Time to Go Home

An austere floral design of calas and leaves reflects Robert Motherwell's painting, "At five in the Afternoon, 1950," at the Bouquets to Art show at the de Young. Photo by BF Newhall

The de Young This Week: Bursting With Art — And Flowers

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I’m Getting Ready to Die. Just in Case. Sheltering at Home Week 40

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