Confessions From a Moving Van by Amy Neftzger My rating: 4 of 5 stars Amy Neftzger may have invented a new genre, “van-tasy.” Her collection of stories is tied together by the narrator, a van who/that is omniscient. His or her or its confession is the last story in the collection and cleverly ties together […]
It Takes a Tribe
December 29, 2012 by
A tribute to my Tango Tribe It is Thursday night at Verdi Club, San Francisco, where I dance tango once a week for shear pleasure. I am enjoying a rare moment of sitting out the music on the sideline. But it is an uplifting moment. The music of DJ Polo Talnir fills me and I […]
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, 2013
December 22, 2012 by
tango christmas – May you feel the stillness in the dancing and the dancing in the stillness, the gifts of life.
About La Pista Tango Salon
December 17, 2012 by
Tango dance salon, La Pista, 766 Brannan St. San Francisco, CA
Tom Wolfe, Patron Saint of creative non-fiction
December 17, 2012 by
An interviewer, Steve Winn, asked Tom Wolfe what did he find different about writing fiction vs. non-fiction, as Tom Wolfe, who began his career as a journalist, is a master of both. At first Wolfe said, there was little difference for him as a writer. Then he added, that as a writer of non-fiction, “you can’t pull punches,” meaning you have to be brutally honest.
Tango’s Five Basic Steps for Beginning Dancers
December 16, 2012 by
In five weeks, get the five basics of Argentine tango: walking, forward ochos, back ochos, the cruzada (or cross), and the molinete (or windmill or grapevine). Be able to dance a full tanda (set of 3–4 tango songs) by the end of the series. Series of five: $45 if paid before January 1, 2013. $10 […]
The Last Cannoli – Second Helpings!
December 13, 2012 by
Here is the new cover for my upcoming e-Book release of THE LAST CANNOLI! Watch for it soon on e-Book distributors everywhere.
Creative Non-Fiction Workshops
December 7, 2012 by
January 15, 22 & February 5 – 6:45–8:45 p.m. SEE NEW TWO-FOR-ONE OFFER BELOW! Mechanics Institute Library Board Room, 4th floor 57 Post St. @ Montgomery San Francisco, CA – What Participants Say Info: 415-425-XXXX; $125 for all three sessions; $110 if you have participated in any of my workshops; drop-in to just one class: […]
La Cuccìa – Santa Lucia’s dish
December 6, 2012 by
La cuccia he quick method is below. I prefer the real thing, using whole wheat berries. This year I’m using hard red wheat berries from Whole Foods (photo). In a good stainless steel pot, I will soak about 2 cups of the whole grains in plenty of water to cover over night. They will swell. You can leave them out or refrigerate if you prefer. Then, I will simmer them on low heat for up to 2 hours until they are cooked—could take longer.
Consider St. Lucy’s Solution
December 5, 2012 by
Back when a prayer and a song and a hymn and a story were one and the same and when Sicily was still known as Zizily, the Siciliani celebrated the harvests of the three branches of life—the grape, olive, and wheat. For the grape harvest they mixed warm blood of the lamb with the first vintage of the season. For the olive picking, a live serpent was entwined around a branch to guard against bad fruit. And for the wheat harvest, the peasants danced the tarantella wearing blindfolds in honor of the great Santa Lucia. One of their favorite feast days was for Santa Lucia a woman with beauty of classic proportions. Her eyes were so beautiful they lit up the night when there was no moon.