Poets and Writers and Bears -- oh, my!

Poets and Writers magazine sponsored a one-day workshop, held in this lovely old movie palace, which has been converted to live performance. There were lots of poets and writers in attendance, but the only bears were a few UC Berkeley graduates. I took lots of notes as we heard about other workshops etc. in the Bay Area, what's up with self-publishing and what works in a query letter. Way to go, P&W: classy event!


An added benefit for me was discovery of 24th Street in the Mission District of San Francisco. The photo below doesn't do justice to the liveliness of these blocks. They are full of bakeries, restaurants and all sorts of stores. There were people of all ages going about their business of that sunny Saturday morning.

Sadly, neighborhoods like this are disappearing in San Francisco, as Google, Apple, Genentech and the like run their private buses up from Silicon Valley so their employees can live here rather than in the suburban subdivisions that surround their campuses. When a bunch of people making six-figure incomes move in, rents go up, franchises replace the mom and pops, and purveyors of urban chic replace the thrift stores. So, I guess I am glad I walked down one of these streets while it was still there.