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Fantastic Forthcoming Books…

 Authors, Books, Inspiration, Memoir, Publishing  Comments Off on Fantastic Forthcoming Books…
Dec 122018
 

A few writers I know, either “IRL” or through online connections, have new books coming out soon. This week I did a big pre-order, so I thought I’d share the news about these forthcoming memoirs I’m so excited about…I can’t wait for these books to show up on my doorstep!

 

Twin to Twin: From High-Risk Pregnancy to Happy Family — Crystal Duffy

Pub date: Dec 15, 2018

I met Crystal at the ASJA Conference last May, and then our paths crossed again at the Brave Magic workshop in September with Cheryl Strayed and Elizabeth Gilbert. She’s one of the friendliest and most upbeat people I’ve met, and I can’t wait to read her inspirational story. She’s a tireless advocate for NICU Parents as well as Maternal and Infant health.

 

 

 

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive — Stephanie Land

Pub date: January 22, 2019

Stephanie’s memoir about working as a maid and scraping by as a single mom, has gotten tons of advance praise. I know she’s poured her heart into this book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard — Jennifer Pastiloff

Pub date: June 4, 2019

Jennifer is so many amazing things: writer, yoga teacher, social media star, and creator of the beautiful online magazine, The Manifest-Station.

Amazon describes her book as “an inspirational memoir about how… years of waitressing taught her to seek out unexpected beauty, how deafness taught her to listen fiercely, how being vulnerable allowed her to find love, and how imperfections can lead to a life full of wild happiness.”
 

 

 

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love — Dani Shapiro

Pub Date: Jan 15, 2019

Dani is one of my favorite writers, and her first memoir, Slow Motion, will always be one of my favorite books. I can’t wait to read this story about her discovery of a shocking family secret.

 

 Posted by at 6:54 pm

Finding Hope in Art: The Murals of the Mission in San Francisco

 Art, Inspiration, travel, Uncategorized  Comments Off on Finding Hope in Art: The Murals of the Mission in San Francisco
Nov 152018
 

A few weeks ago I met up with two of my closest friends in San Francisco. I’m not really a “girls’ weekend” kind of person — that is, I tend to put fun last on my to do list. Usually when I leave my family, it’s for writing, even if  writer friends’ are involved. However, when my-best-friend-since-third-grade, Paula, called and said she REALLY needed a getaway, I knew I had to show up. Our dear-friend-since-seventh-grade, June, was also down. Let the fun begin!

I found us a charming B & B that had once been a brothel. The nice people the Monte Cristo kept us happy with homemade cookies, scones, fudge, and breakfast made to order. We also spent a lot of time eating and drinking our way around the Hayes Valley neighborhood, thanks to Paula’s niece, a student at nearby University of San Francisco.

My favorite part of the trip turned out to be a tour of the murals of San Francisco’s Mission District, arranged by Paula. We met with a guide from Precita Eyes Muralists, a nonprofit organization that creates murals and offers art classes to benefit the Mission’s diverse community. If you’re not familiar with San Francisco, this area was originally populated by the Ohlone tribe, who were enslaved by Franciscan missionaries to build the Mission San Francisco, the city’s oldest building. After World War II, the Mission began to attract Mexican families, and later, immigrants from Central America, and remains the city’s Latinx center today (and famous for its ginormous burritos!)

The morning of our mural tour, my friends and I heard about the terrible mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Although there was no way to avoid feeling the pain of this terrible tragedy, (nor should we try to escape that pain, if we hope to ever address the issue gun violence) spending two hours discovering art steeped in an activist tradition proved heartening and uplifting.

This mural depicts the struggle for democracy in Nepal.

 

 

 

 

 

A small section of a mural that depicts the inherent danger of a border crossing, and the desperate desire to join family that makes people take the risk.

Just one of many Frida Kahlo images we encountered on our tour. This work was done with spray paint.

Honoring a local poet and leader in the Black Community.

A celebration of the joy found in Mexican cinema.

 

“The Women of the Resistance” mural made me cry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our tour guide shared several stories about how creating these murals brought the people of the neighborhood together. My friends and I took a photo in front of one artwork created on site where people lost their lives to gang violence. Many different members of the community came together to paint this mural and instill new energy here.

 

As much as our country and world is struggling right now, as much harm as we human beings do to one another, we also share the impulse to create, to collaborate, to make meaning and beauty. Maybe it was partly the pleasure of spending time with old friends and partly the perfect sunshine, but I ended the mural tour feeling more hopeful than I have in a long time. Next time you go to San Francisco, consider having a look.

 

 Posted by at 2:24 am