President’s Column — May, 2009

BATW members are on the move from San Francisco to Oregon, Iran, Sicily, Japan, and Mendocino.  Support our local independent bookstores and let’s work together to get ready for 2010.

Dora Solomon, assistant curator at the CJM (photos by John Montgomery)

BATW’s April meeting took place in San Francisco’s spectacular Contemporary Jewish Museum.  Thanks to Jen Morris, Acting Director of Marketing and Communications, and Dora Solomon, Associate Director, for hosting us and for their excellent presentation about the museum.

"Jews on Vinyl" -- the sound room in the CJM

When they invited us to the special room entitled “Jews on Vinyl,” I half expected to see reminiscences of my Grandmother Phoebe’s kitchen floor, but how wrong I was. It’s a listening room for a vintage record collection. Our appreciation goes to Karen Misuraca for writing a thorough report on the meeting which appears in this edition of our ezine.

At the meeting, I was pleased to meet new BATW member Lee Nelson, who as an accomplished photographer and web tourism professional, has joined BATW to further hone his writing skills. I also enjoyed re-connecting with longtime member Janet Bailey who says that her new work will now permit her to once again participate more regularly in BATW events

Recently several of us were regaled by and learned about the treasures of Ashland and Southern Oregon on a BATW-sponsored press trip, exquisitely organized by Sue Price of Southern Oregon Marketing Consultants and Katharine Flanagan of the Ashland CVB. I hadn’t been back to that area in over 20 years. What a jewel it is: Top quality theatre productions, finest dining and hotels, spas, a film festival, expansive hospitality, and much more. A highlight of the trip was that I got to spend some time with new BATW members Liza Gershman and Autumn Millhouse and observe two real travel professionals at work. After the planned activities, John and I explored the treasures of the National Historic Landmark gold rush town of Jacksonville. At the famed Jacksonville Inn, we even slept in George W. Bush’s bed. Assurances were given that the room had been purified by the burning of sage by a shaman.

We appreciate the generosity of Mendocino’s tourism people: Janice Littrell of Mendocino Chamber Visitor Center and Bruce Lewis of Bruce Lewis Media Relations, along with the skills of BATW’s own Arvis Northrop who coordinated our Mendocino press trip March 24 weekend. A record number of BATW members are gathering information and experiences about the latest and on going wonders of the Mendocino area for their readers.

Some member news: talented and energetic Katherine Bruce is about to depart for a one year Japanese teaching experience in the Land of the Rising Sun. We send our best wishes and love to Geets Vincent for her upcoming surgery.

Gus Nelson’s email bulletins from Iran are amazing. This man travels the furthest corners of the world using public transportation, hostels, and spur of the moment decisions. His latest descriptions of Esfahan conclude with “It would not be unreasonable to fly half way around the world to visit this city only…and I’ve just scratched the surface.” Also he reports some off the beaten track info such as that “Barf in Farsi means ‘snow,’” and that his taxi driver likes his booze, confiding, “When the mullahs sleep, I drink whiskey.”

Urgent pitch: It is more important than ever to shop at our local independent bookstores. Unlike Amazon and other on line sellers, local stores support our community with their taxes, sponsor our readings, and bolster local writers. The other day in working on my prep for John and my upcoming trip and presentations in Sicily, I stopped by, as far as I am aware, the Bay Area’s only dedicated travel bookstore, Get Lost Books on Market Street in San Francisco. The owner Lee Azus, whom I’ve known for years and who hosted many of my readings, says he’s doing his best to stay afloat but these are difficult times. So, I urge you to remember to patronize whenever possible our local independents, among them: Get Lost Travel Books, Book Passage, and Books Inc. All three host our meetings and our members’ readings as well.

Program Coordinator Sandy Sims asks for you to send in your ideas for our 2010 event schedule. BATW has an on-going tradition as a volunteer organization that each member pledges at least 10 hours each year to taking care of one or more aspects of the organization. Working on programs is a great opportunity for you to feel more a part of BATW and to receive kudos and admiration from all our members. Please contact Sandy with ideas and to offer your assistance.

– Diane LeBow
BATW President