Last night was another smash hit for the Wild Writing Women. Our monthly literary salon at the Monticello Inn continues to draw a lively crowd of over 50 people. Wine and appetizers are provided by the Monticello Inn and Puccini & Pinetti. It’s a great time for writers, editors, publishers, and other artists or journalists in the Bay Area to get together.
Each of the wild ones takes a turn hosting a salon, and this month it was my turn. I asked Bruce Kelley to be our guest speaker. Bruce is the editor-in-chief of San Franciscomagazine, and has been an editor in the Bay Area for numerous magazines including Sunset, California, and Health magazine. Bruce enlightened us all on the fight that San Francisco magazine has had to stay afloat over the last few years. He’s done an amazing job of reviving it’s circulation and the magazine has grown from circ 6,000 to 20,000 subscribers since he joined them in 2000.
For all you writers out there, San Francisco magazine is focusing on two things…bringing the people of the Bay Area what they need to know, and high quality investigative reporting. I was amazed to hear Bruce tell us that the reporter for their award winning story, “Trouble in the Presidio” (about mismanagement of the Presidio Trust), was on the story for six months. It ended up receiving a nomination for a national magazine award.
Other notables in the audience last night were: Malcolm Margolin publisher of Bay Nature and Hey Day Books, Larry Habegger executive editor of Travelers’ Tales, Brad Newsham author of Take Me With You, Judith Haden photographer for Oaxaca: The Spirit of Mexico, Richard Sterling editor and author for over eight food books through Lonely Planet and Travelers’ Tales, Paul McHugh Outdoor Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, Carol Duchamp of Art Trek, and more.
The Wild Writing Women literary salons are held the first Wednesday of every month. To find out more about our events, visit our calendar
Chagrin
a duty to behold
by Tony Braga
I saw a story about impoverished citizens of Bayview, Virginia and was struck by the situation that after three years of bringing notice to their plight in vain, they were denied. But, soon after getting wide publicity and embarrassing authorities, suddenly their revelation turned into transformed deliverance–a not too uncommon phenomenon.
It was not there was a need
Heaven knows there was
It was not that equity needed serving
It certainly was not because
It was not because to hide in the shadow
Is far below
The standards set so long ago
It takes more than logic or sense
To bring to light
It takes something more personal
Something of might
And why would that
Ever come to pass
To come to the side
Of attending the mass
It is for one reason alone
The oldest reason not to fall
Chagrin motivates like
The mother of us all
No need to despair
We silly creatures seek peace
And the surest way is
At all cost save face
Even forced change turns a leaf
All in good time we will attend
If only for relief
The personal need to blend
So the object needs light
Change will follow its course
Reveal what is but real
Revelation is subtle force
© 2003 Antone P. Braga
https://www.disasterprepared.net
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“If you can’t get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you’d best teach it to dance.”
–George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
I was perplexed about your article in the current issue about the Moroccan Dessert music festival .Why would this Lawyer insinuate himself on this tribal tradition ? He was not a Musician but simply one upping his Burning Man friends .By putting down Burning Man which is an event thats building its own tradition you are letting loose this kind of dilettante to show up at authentic events.This is the definition of the ugly American .