This is an article I wrote for Berkeleyside recently. The Regional Oral History Office associated with UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library is still looking to meet their financial goal before July 11. Whether or not you’ve ever been drunk in San Francisco, as the song goes, I hope you’ll read this article and kick in a… Continue Reading
Author Archives: Risa Nye
My Morning with Hillary
My friend Sara and I purchased tickets online for the opportunity to meet Hillary Clinton and get an autographed copy of her book. The event was supposed to start at 8:30am, so we took an early BART train to San Francisco. We arrived at the Ferry building (to see her at Book Passages) by 7:45,… Continue Reading
Noshing around North Beach
Is it really better to give than to receive? What if you could both give AND receive? Wouldn’t that be the best of all possible worlds? I think so. Last Christmas, I gave Mr. B a gift certificate for a San Francisco North Beach food tour (operated by Sidewalk Tours) and made it for two–so… Continue Reading
Answering the four questions
No, it isn’t Passover again. It’s a Blog Hop–sort of a tag team relay in the world of blogging. My fellow blogger and friend Francie Low answered the four questions, and then tossed the baton to me. I’ll attempt to answer the questions here, and then pass the honor along to three other bloggers I’d… Continue Reading
When a kiss could make it better
As high school graduation nears, I’ve seen a number of “what I won’t miss” and “what I will miss” posts, reflections on the looming empty nest and what life will feel like without the familiar sounds, smells, and crap underfoot that are associated with teenagers. Some real heartache is in those words–along with the anticipation… Continue Reading… Continue Reading
It’s back! The Rejection Collection, Part V: A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do
This was my 450-word entry for the Erma Bombeck essay contest. I might have submitted something that didn’t mention the “D” word. Oh well. . . Looking back on it now, I should’ve done things very differently. But I was pregnant with my third child, I had an ailing cat, and I couldn’t get… Continue Reading
The Next Big Step
Lately, I’ve been taking notice when I see articles and blog posts about selling the family home, or downsizing, or re-evaluating the next chapter, etc. Some take on a bittersweet tone, while others have a roll-up-your-sleeves and get on with it approach. Most conversations I have with people my age inevitably get around to the… Continue Reading… Continue Reading
A Made-Up Story
It’s prom season! Time to pull this piece out again and give it a twirl. I wandered into the makeup hub at Nordstrom a while back and the joint was jumping. As I strolled from counter to counter in search of the latest gravity-defying lotion, I noticed that the make-up artists were out… Continue Reading
The Story Behind the Story Behind the Stories
Let’s just call this what it is: a big plug for my book. This is the book that emerged after my one-year blogging experiment. With the help and encouragement of the wonderful Brooke Warner, my “how I did it and you can too” eBook is out in the world. I’d like to take a moment… Continue Reading
The Pink Dress: Loved and Lost
Inspired by just one of the amazing women I met at the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop 2014–Ilene Beckerman, author of Love, Loss, and What I Wore–this is an excerpt from the fire memoir I’m working on. If a travel agent hadn’t messed up our reservation and nearly left us without a hotel room in New… Continue Reading… Continue Reading