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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 THE FUNNY SIDE

Need some levity? Read on!

Writing Retreat Report — I Got Some Work Done. Thanks for Holding Me Accountable

June 1, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Oakland-Tribune-column-Barbara-Falconer-Newhall

On my retreat I discovered that those columns I wrote as a young mom back in the 20th century have a lot to say to the 21st century.  Read more.

Kids Who Cheat. And Those Who Don’t

May 18, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Peter Newhall makes the catch during Piedmont, CA, rec department baseball game. Photo 1991 by BF Newhall

Kids who cheat and those who don’t: My husband was disturbed by what he saw — some kids playing touch football at the park, cheating.  Read more.

The Night I Forgot to Make Dinner — A Rerun From the Archives

May 11, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

I forgot to make dinner

I planned a nice candlelit evening for my husband for that night, just as I’d dreamed of doing as a girl. Except I forgot to make the dinner.  Read more.

The Feminine Feminist — An Oxymoron?

May 4, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

girls-in-pink-tutus

The feminine feminist — is she a contradiction in terms? Can a woman wear pink to the boardroom? Inch-long fingernails to the track meet?  Read more.

It’s Spring and My Garden Looks Dreadful. Here’s Why

April 20, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

heuchera-and-iceland-poppy-clashing

My garden looks dreadful. Here’s why. My plants won’t cooperate. The iris wants to be an iris. The azalea, an azalea. The poppy, a poppy.  Read more.

Widowed: He Knew How to Show a Girl a Good Time

April 13, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

he knew how to show a girl a good time jon-and-barbara-newhall

I was in the right place at the right time for the 2017 solar eclipse because my husband, Jon Newhall, knew how to show a girl a good time.  Read more.

Spotted: Red Mary Janes at the Easter Vigil

April 6, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

red-mary-janes-at-the-easter-vigil mary-jane-flats-eitheror

When I spotted a pair of red Mary Janes at the Easter Vigil, my meditations flitted from shopping to death and resurrection and back to shopping.  Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Gary Kamiya — A Fun Guy Sings a Love Song to San Francisco

Bearded author, editor and cofounder of Salon.com Gary Kamiya reads from his new book at Book Passage. Photo by BF Newhall

Due to a common writing misstep, Gary Kamiya, a highly experienced writer and editor, found himself with only six months to write a 385-page book. The San Francisco author and co-founder of Salon.com described his predicament recently to a gathering of writers at Book Passage, Marin county’s powerhouse independent bookstore. 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!

the politics of houseork. a man is working in the kithcen. Photo by barbara newhall

The Politics of Housework, Revisited

Tori Isner, Poet: ‘You Are a Vehicle for Spirit’

A beach at Chimney Rock, Point Reyes, CA, is covered densely with elephant seal females and pups. Photo by BF Newhall

At Point Reyes: Wild Flowers . . . and Animals Wild and Tame

Phil Cousineau, author of"Burning the Midnight Oil" Photo by Barbara Falconer Newhall

TV Host Phil Cousineau: “‘Wrestling with God’ Is a Riverflow of a Book”

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