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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
  • MY EVER-CHANGING FAMILY
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On Writing & Reading

Here you'll find author profiles as well as mini – and not-so-mini – book reviews. I’m a writer who loves to talk about writing, so if you like to write I hope you’ll stop by now and then for some writing tips and to chat about the writing life.

The Fine Art of Writerly Procrastination

July 12, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

barbara-falconer-newhall-columnist-oakland-tribune

Without an editor to set a deadline for me, the days pass merrily along as I practice the fine art of writerly procrastination.  Read more.

Too Many Angry Diatribes. Not Enough Tact. Why?

June 7, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Too any angry diatribes. Not enough tact. Why? please-slow-down-sign

On the air and in cyberspace: too many angry diatribes, not enough tact. Do we — you and I — really want to tone things down?  Read more.

My Mother’s Writing Desk Is Not My Writing Desk. Here’s Why

February 22, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

ink-stain-in-an-old-desk-drawer

Being in the same room with my mother’s writing desk is like being in the same room with my mother, which is why her desk isn’t in my writing room.  Read more.

Widowed: Did My Husband Know I Loved Him?

February 15, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Widowed: Did My Husband Know I Loved Him? Zodiac-News-Service-Nov-11-12-1972

We were not gushy, Jon and I, and that was fine with me. Widowed now, I’ve been wondering, was I too stingy with my affections? Did my husband know I loved him?  Read more.

Am I an Artist? Or Am I a Brand?

January 18, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

am i an artist or am i a brand barbara-falconer-newhall-writer-FB-page

What kind of writer am I anyway? When I sit down to the keyboard, is it to write something beautiful — or something that will sell?  Am I an artist? Or am I a brand?  Read more.

The Art of Rhetoric — If a Two-Year-Old Can Master It, So Can You

December 28, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

2-year-old-in-ink-sweater

Even my toddler knew how to ply the art of rhetoric. It’s something we humans use every day, on each other, starting at an early age.  Read more.

Our Globalized, Multi-Faith World

November 30, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

globalized, multi-faith world, religion-bookshelf

We live in a globalized, multi-faith world. Can we respect and appreciate each other’s traditions and still hold on to our own dearly held convictions?  Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Thousand Goddesses–Some Nice, Some Not So Nice–Take Your Pick

Colorful, hand-painted terra cotta statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, from Mexico. Photo by BF Newhall

I wish I had known Patricia Monaghan. She died a year and a half ago after a rich life as a poet, author, Goddess scholar, and pioneer and mentor in the contemporary women’s spirituality movement. She was an academic, yes, but also a hands-on kind of woman, as concerned with the temperature of her root cellar as the depth of her research. And that research is deep . . . Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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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!

empty-home-office

Widowed: Am I Grieving? Or Am I Just Lonely?

A bride wearing a plaid dress sits among frothy wedding dresses at Le Marriage, LA. Wedding dress shopping. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Wedding Dress Shopping — When Your Daughter Lets You Tag Along

17-foot pilot whale Koko swimns close to reporter barbara falconer newhall at Marine World-Africa USA in 1979. San Francisco Chronicle photo by John O'Hara

I Can’t Believe I Got in the Water With That 1400-Pound Whale

Jasmin Darznik, author of "The Good Daughter" | Photo by Sarah Cramer Shields

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

MORE DON'T MISS!

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