August 2008 Archives

It's a big day in culinary history-—the 50th anniversary of instant ramen. NPR's All Things Considered ran this remembrance of its inventor, Momofuku Ando:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93954544.

 

 

This week Women's Health published a profoundly dated essay of mine about being the grandson of the Gerber baby, and not being convinced I want a baby of my own. Amy and I thumbed through it...as we waited happily for our latest midwife appointment.

Alas, the online version doesn't include the cute photos of Grandma:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-relationships/the-gerber-baby?page=1

STARTING LATE SEPTEMBER, GROTTO CO-FOUNDER ETHAN WATTERS WILL TEACH:

GET PUBLISHED: A NON-FICTION INTENSIVE

Eight Sessions / Thursday Nights 6:30 to 9:30 /September 25th through November 6th

Cost: $595.00 Class size limited to 12 Students

ethanw1@mindspring.com
415-348-1849

Course description:

This class will put beginning and intermediate writers on a path to getting published. We will focus on developing magazine pieces and book projects. An emphasis will be placed on getting students to begin pitching ideas to magazine editors and agents. Students will learn how to:

 -Find ideas for non-fiction writing
-Write effective query letters for magazine
-How to craft book proposals and magazine features
-Understand the magazine market place
-Develop relationships with editors and agents
-Critiquing and re-writing first drafts

Students will be expected to develop two magazine projects during the class or one book proposal. These will be workshopped during class. There will be a reader and short weekly writing assignments both in and out of class. No writing sample required. Class size limited to 14 people.

Instructor bio:

Ethan Watters has been a freelance writer for 20 years. He has taught non-fiction writing at Berkeley,  Stanford and is currently an adjunct professor in the masters writing program at California College of the Arts. He's written for The New York Times Magazine, Men's Journal, Outside, Esquire, Discover, Spin, Mother Jones, GQ, Details, HG, and San Francisco Magazine, among other national and regional publications. He has also created pieces for Public Radio International's This American Life. He has written three books: Making Monsters, Therapy's Delusions and Urban Tribes. Ira Glass has purchased the movie rights to Urban Tribes and has written two scripts based on the book.  In 1994 he co-founded the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. He is currently at work on a book about America's influence on mental illness around the world.

The reading at Keter Salon scheduled for August 20th has been cancelled (see August GrottoNotes for details).  Sorry for any inconvenience.

DON'T MISS OUT ON THE SMUT AND DIRT HAPPENING THIS SUNDAY WITH HELENA AND
STEVE, AT THE LITQUAKE FUNDRAISER AT CELLSPACE


Dirty Words: Litquake's Tribute to Smut stars Grottoites Helena Echlin and
Stephen Elliot along with Daniel Handler, Ellen Sussman, Michelle Richmond,
Kim Addonizio, , emcee Kirk Read, a fashion show by SOMA purveyor of corsets
and fine leather Stormy Leather, along with cabaret and burlesque from
Twilight Vixen Review

Admission to fundraiser for Litquake 2008 is $25.00 and includes two free
drinks; Sunday, August 3 at CELLspace, 2050 Bryant Street, San Francisco CA
94110