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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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DON'T MISS!

I've written hundreds and hundreds of posts over the years. To help you find your way to the best of the best, I've tagged my favorites "Don't Miss!" Scroll down here to find them.

Another way to locate Riffs on Life that you might enjoy is to click above on your favorite category – "My Ever-Changing Family," perhaps, or "Funny Button." You can also use the search box located way up top to hunt for stories by topic. There's fun reading at "garden," "aging," "kids" and, of course, "Jon."

At Orinda Books: The Author Talked — And So Did the Audience

May 17, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Author Barbara Falconer Newhall and interviewee Sister Barbara Hazzard gave a book talk at Orinda Books in Orinda, California, May 16, 2015. Photo by Jon Newhall

It was an afternoon of lively interaction between author, audience, and Sister Barbara Hazzard, who read from the story she tells in “Wrestling with God.” Read more.

A Newspaper Story With My Name on It — That I Didn’t Have to Write

May 11, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A newsrack in Oakland California showing papers by Bay Area News Group, which ran a story on May 10, 2015. It's an interview with Barbara Falconer Newhall, author, by Georgia Howe. Photo by Barbara Newhall

For once I was the interviewee and someone else was doing the hard work of conducting the interview. A newspaper reporter was asking my about my new book, “Wrestling with God.” Read more.

Coleman Barks and Rumi — What a Few Lines of Poetry (and a Witch) Taught me

May 9, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A trail alongside Bon Tempe Lake in Marin county, California. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I’d always imagined Coleman Barks to be a stern scholarly type — till I emailed him for permission to use a few lines from his Rumi translations in my book. Read more.

Telephoning Those Teenage Babysitters — Rejected Again

May 2, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

An ivory colored touch-tone telephone, c.irca 1970s, with coiled cord and handset. A babysitter phone list is next to it. Photo by Barbara Newhall

What did teenage boys and moms in need of a babysitter have in common back in the day? They had to call up teenage girls. Read more.

What If You Threw a Book Launch — And Everybody Came?

April 23, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A room full of empty chairs at Book Passage bookstore, California, awaits Barbara Falconer Newhall's book launch for "Wrestling with God." Photo by Jon Newhall

Was anyone going to show up? My author event Book Passage  would start soon, and there were dozens of very empty chairs, waiting to be filled. Read more.

Another Bunch of Bouquets to Art 2015

April 21, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Members of the Flower Committee of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco created floral designs to decorate the ladies room at the DeYoung Museum for the 2015 Bouquets to Art Show. Author Barbara Falconer Newhall takes a selfie in the mirror. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I found more photos from last week’s Bouquets to Art show at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco. So . . . here’s another bunch of bouquets. See more.

The Best Things in Life . . . Have Been There Since High School

April 16, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Cindy Weyant plays chess at the National Open in Las Vegas in 2010. Photo by Barbara Newhall

 My niece had died. My mind scrambled for a way to face this loss. It found comfort in a surprisingly simple place: a visit from a high school friend. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Dad, a Mom and an 8-Year-Old With a Bashed Lip

eight-year-old boy smiling up from a swimming pool. photo by bf newhall

At 7 on a Saturday night, eight-year-old Peter came home from the park with a lip the size of a ping-pong ball. He had been hit by a hardball on the fly. I wanted to take him to the ER. Jon said no, it was just a fat lip. 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!

Armistead Maupin signs his book, "The Days of Ana Madrigal," at Book Passage, SF Ferry Building. Photo by BF Newhall

Armistead Maupin: The Man Who Wrote the Quintessential San Francisco Novel — On a Newspaper Deadline

Branches of a monterey pine in California are seen against a blue sky with clouds. Photo by BF Newhall

Photo Op: When the Sun Shines Sideways

Father-with-two-grown-kids

Widowed and the We-Ness of Marriage

A Minneapolis bride's bouquet with feathers and orchids. Photo by BF Newhall

The Mother-of-the-Groom Diaries: They Did It. They Got Married

MORE DON'T MISS!

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