Barbara’s Riffs on Life

To Finish My Book I Need a Muslim Woman With a Story to Tell

April 2, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

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Berkeley CA artist Salma-Arastu with her painting “Expansion of the Universe.” Photo by BF Newhall[/caption]

I still need to find myself a few more people to interview for my book. A nice, talky Muslim woman, for one. Read more.

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

March 31, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

St. Jerome kept a human skull on his desk to remind him of his mortality. We gardeners don’t need a skull . We’ve got stuff dying on us every day. Read more.

Ahead of the Curve on a Hot New Trend — Storytelling

March 26, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Check out this article in Monday’s New York Times on the storytelling classes being offered all around the Big Apple. Looks like Jeff Greenwald’s storytellers are ahead of the cultural curve. Read more.

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

March 26, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

It’s not often you get to do something for the dead. But every year, florists put on a show to benefit the Friends of Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CA.

Writers Grotto Writers Bask in Their Three Minutes of Fame

March 24, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Writers and storytellers took the mic to share their works in progress Friday evening at Book Passage in San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Read more.

It’s Spring in Our Brilliant, Bursting, Buzzing Front Yard

March 20, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

I live in California where spring peaks in March. And by last week the little patch of hillside that is our front yard was alive with color. Read more.