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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
  • WIDOWED
  • FUNNY BUTTON

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About Barbara

Barbara Falconer Newhall at her home office desk getting ready to do final edits on her book, "Wrestling with God." Photo by Barbara Newhall

I’m Barbara Falconer Newhall and I’ve got a serious case of the human condition.

I’ve done it all: career, family, house, garden, and a prize-winning book, "Wrestling with God." The result: I'm a woman of years, lots of them, who can't help seeing things from the funny side.

Tucked away on this website are hundreds of riffs on life. I hope you’ll seek them out – and keep me company as I discover the humor, if not the meaning, in what life throws my way. Learn More

THE LATEST

Widowed: Archiving My Husband and Zodiac, His Scrappy 1970s News Service

By Barbara Falconer Newhall 10 Comments

Zodiac-News-Service-Nov-11-12-1972

Can you archive a dead spouse? Can you stash them away in a temperature-controlled academic repository, to be preserved for centuries?  Read more.

BARBARA’S BOOK

★ Publishers Weekly, starred review
Any seeker of any faith will be blessed to read the words of this fine author and observer. Read more.
"Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith" book cover with photo of author Barbara Falconer Newhall

An inveterate doubter for most of her adult life, journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall embarks upon a quest to find a way to believe in God in the twenty-first century.

The result is Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith, which details her search for the Divine in the lives of diverse Americans – from a fundamentalist Christian to a progressive Muslim to a Buddhist monk.


Seekers of all persuasions will feel represented here, from priests, ministers, and rabbis to engineers, physicists, and avowed non-believers . . . a riverflow of a book. — Phil Cousineau, host of PBS’s Global Spirit

Click to learn more about "Wrestling with God"

Recent Riffs on Life

Happy Birthday, US of A. You Made It to 250.

By Barbara Falconer Newhall 1 Comment

happy birthday us of a. 250 American-flag-flying-against-the-sky-250

Happy birthday, US of A! You made it to 250. A little the worse for wear, but still here.  Read more.

Sixteen Years Left to Live. How Many Bowls of Froot Loops Is That?

By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

froot-loops-at-my-grocery-store

In the sixteen years I’ve got left, how many of the gotta-do items on my to-do list will I get done?  Read more.

MORE RIFFS ON LIFE

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition

  • My Rocky Spiritual Journey

  • My Ever-Changing Family

  • On Writing & Reading

Need some levity? Push my Funny Button!

DON’T MISS!

Christmas — It Ain’t Over Till the Wise Men Show

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

three-wise-men

Christmas isn’t over till the Wise Men show up. So for folks who still aren’t ready for Christmas, no problem. They’ve got till January 6.  Read more.

They’re Saying Nice Things About “Wrestling with God”

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Author phil cousineau at the podium speaking to a 1-6-2014 Left Coast Writers meeting at Book Passage, Corte Madera, about his new book, "Burning the Midnight Oil" Photo by Barbara Newhall

Some really nice people are saying some really nice things about Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith. That’s because I asked them to. Read more.

I Decided to Stop Bad-Mouthing Donald Trump. But Will I?

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Donald Trump victorious on cable TV. I'm going to stop bad-mouthing Donald Trump. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Last Tuesday night I made a decision. I decided to stop bad-mouthing Donald Trump. I would give him a chance. I’d keep an open mind. But could I? Read more.

MORE DON'T MISS!

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Name for Grandma

a name for grandma

What’s a good name for a grandma? No cute nicknames for me. If I was to be a grandmother, I wanted the time-honored title that goes with it.  Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
  • My Ever-Changing Family
  • On Writing & Reading
  • My Rocky Spiritual Journey

 
Need some levity? Push my Funny Button!

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!

huston-smith-at-93

Huston Smith on the Most Important Thing You Can Do in 2025

remodel-kitchen-wall-like-HGTV

Hey, HGTV Fans. Take a Look at Our Remodel — It’s Finally Done. Sheltering in Place Week 14

4 preschool ballerinas in tutus at barre. Photo by BF Newhall

A Case of the Human Condition: Four-Year-Old Girls — The Last Bastion of Pretty

giants-cap-thriller-fest-cap

Widowed: Caught in the Time Warp of Grief

MORE DON'T MISS!

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