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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
  • WRITING & READING
  • MY ROCKY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
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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.

My Husband’s Name or Mine? I Need Them Both

February 18, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

my husband's name or mine? my maiden name has its stories, including a 1960s-girl-swimmer

My husband’s name or mine? I need them both — the name I was born with and the one I took the day I married.  Read more.

Widowed: John Donne, Meet Leonard Cohen — And Send Us a Song, Please, From the Mystery Beyond

February 11, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

leonard-cohen-documentary

I’ve spent evenings with songwriter Leonard Cohen and gone to bed with poet John Donne. I want to say, ‘John Donne, meet Leonard Cohen.’ Read more.

‘It’s Not My Jam’ — Is Not My Jam. Of Course, It Isn’t. I’m 81 Years Old, for Heaven’s Sake

February 4, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

community-of-writers

People in the know were saying, ‘It’s not my jam.’ A product of the 20th century, I was sticking to, ‘It’s not my cup of tea.’  Read more.

Betty Rollin on How to Talk to a Widow

December 3, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Betty Rollin on what to say to a widow. I say ask her about her new rock-garden-path

Betty Rollin on how to talk to a widow: Betty says don’t assume she’s over it just because a year has gone by. I say, ask me about my garden. Read more.

Widowed: ‘Let Us Tend Our Garden’

November 12, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

let-us-tend-our-garden pussy-paws-plant-california

Translating Voltaire for my backyard: “We must cultivate our garden,” feels bossy and rife with certitude. I prefer, “Let us tend our garden.”  Read more.

Post Roe v. Wade: Five Women Talk About How the Abortion Issue Impacted Their Lives

August 6, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

post roe v. wade up-in-arms-poster

Five women writers reflect on their experiences with abortion before, during and post Roe v. Wade at an upcoming event in San Francisco.  Read more.

A Week With Fellow Writers — Surprising Me With Gifts

July 30, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

[caption id="attachment_36196" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]communityi-of-writers-2022 We writers go to workshops, manuscripts in hand, hoping to get helpful feedback from our fellow writers. Sometimes we get more than we hoped.  Read more.[/caption]
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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Dream About Wrestling With — Uh, Who Was That Anyway?

A dream about wrestling. Detail of a column in the Wurzburg Cathedral, shaped in a knot. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I had a dream about wrestling the other night. Was it a message from my deep psyche — or the heights of heaven? Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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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!

Image of Jesus Christ from the Hagia Sophia. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I Searched for Jesus, and Here’s What I Found

Wanxin-Zhang's-Inauguration-Day-2009-large-ceramic statue. Photo by BF Newhall

Amazing Clay — More Wonderful Stuff from the Berkeley Art Center Show

Detail of a grren, white and red mural depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe on the outer wall of a laundromat in East Austin , TX. Photo by BF Newhall.

SXSW: Austin — A City With Its Soul on Its Sleeve

feral-plum-tree-blossoms

Not Dead Yet. That Feral Plum Tree Lives On

MORE DON'T MISS!

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