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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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  • FUNNY BUTTON

peter

A Manners-Challenged Kid Who Became the Apple of His Grandma’s Eye

May 22, 2010 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Small children with grandmother on Lake Michigan beach. Photo by BF Newhall.

“Move,” said my 6-year-old son Peter to his grandmother. “I want to get by.” My mother looked up from her book and gave my son a hard look. Read more.

A Case of the Human Condition: The Center of the Universe? It’s a Little Beach in Michigan, of Course

January 30, 2010 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A channel crosses a sand beach and empties into Lake Michigan. Photo by BF Newhall

If I were drawing a map of the world, its center would be the little beach in Michigan where the Bass Lake outlet flows into the great, blue Lake Michigan. Read more.

A (Pillow) Case of the Human Condition: Time to Crack Open That Hope Chest and Live a Little

January 2, 2010 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

hand embroider pillowcase with french knots & daisies. Photo by BF Newhall.

I waited too long to get married. By the time Jon and I said our vows, the contents of my hope chest had become outdated, old-fashioned, fussy — unusable. As a result, after thirty some years of marriage, I continue to be the owner of a dozen or so beautiful, hand-embroidered, virginal pillowcases. Read more.

Help! My Kids Aren’t Perfect After All

November 27, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Little girl with broken arm & chicken pox marks. Photo by BF Newhall

The kids were still pre-schoolers at the time, and it had been another night of sleep deprivation for me. “Tell me it gets easier,” I said to my friend Nancy. “Well, actually it gets harder,” she replied. Nancy has a daughter three years older than Peter. She keeps me briefed on the parenting realities ahead. Read more.

A Case of the Human Condition: Walking the Walker in Minneapolis

October 9, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

After the Religion Newswriters Conference in Minneapolis in September, I took time out to visit our son Peter. Together we took a walk around the Walker Art Center. Here’s what we saw.

A Case of the Human Condition: When Your Six-Year-Old Wants to Talk Money

April 20, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A six-year-old boy dressed as a cowboy for halloween. Photo by Barbara Newhall

My six-year-old wanted an allowance. Jon and I debated. Fifty cents a week? 75? “Let’s not talk in cents,” said Peter. “Let’s talk in dollars.” Read more.

How Selective Service Made a Man of My Son — Without Even Trying

February 23, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The 1998 Selective Service pamphlet -- I left it at the post office.

In a few weeks my son would be eighteen, time to sign up for Selective Service. I’d filled out forms for him for years, but this was different. This piece of paper could send him off to war. 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.

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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!

 

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Author, editor and cofounder of Salon.com Gary Kamiya smiles as he reads from his new book at Book Passage. Photo by BF Newhall

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