Tag archives: author

Gray Matters
By Lynda Millner   |   May 23, 2019

Baubles, bangles, and beads were front and center at the Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club. There were also book sales for Gray Matters written by the first entertainment reporter, Rona Barrett. She used to give her pop news on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and much more. She knew all the stars. More […]

Harbor of Spies
By Lynda Millner   |   May 16, 2019

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) recently had author Robin Lloyd for an evening to tell us what Havana, Cuba was like in the mid-1800s. That would be in our Civil War era. This is chronicled in Lloyd’s book, Harbor of Spies: A Novel of Historic Havana. This historical novel is set at the height […]

Arts & Lectures
By Lynda Millner   |   May 9, 2019

UCSB Arts & Lectures brought best-selling Blue Zones author Dan Buettner and photographer David McLain to Campbell Hall on the campus for their presentation on the secrets to living longer and better lives after studying the world’s happiest, healthiest, and longest-living people. Prior to the talk there was a private dinner reception at sponsors Nicole […]

Pollan on Psychedelics: a Spiritual Skeptic Meets Psilocybin
By Steven Libowitz   |   April 18, 2019

Michael Pollan’s blockbuster books The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The Botany of Desire, Food Rules, and Cooked have had major impact on the how people view food, gardening, and cooking. But his latest bestseller, How to Change Your Mind, which documents his investigation into the medical and scientific research in the world of psychedelic drugs as beneficial, […]

New Book ‘Reimagines Your Love Story’
By Scott Craig   |   April 4, 2019

Relationships are complicated. Andrea Gurney, Westmont professor of psychology and a practicing clinical psychologist, has written a book born out of a desire to help create and maintain healthy, intimate connections that honor and glorify God. Reimagining Your Love Story: Biblical and Psychological Practices for Healthy Relationships was released March 26 and is available at […]

From Marrakech to Montecito Club
By Richard Mineards   |   April 4, 2019

If you’re looking for the Wow! factor, look no further than Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner‘s totally made-over Montecito Country Club, which threw an opening bash for 400 guests to mark the completion of a three-and-a-half-year $75 million renovation. Now renamed the Montecito Club, the 125-year-old establishment which closed in January, 2016, moved to its […]

Art Hacks
By Richard Mineards   |   March 28, 2019

Montecito attorney David Gersh has just published his sixth book, How to Collect Great Art on a Shoestring. David, who studied at UCLA and Harvard, says his latest work talks about how to acquire paintings by artists who are in the Guggenheim, the Whitney, and MoMA for just a few thousand dollars, not tens or […]

Still Alice: Understanding Alzheimer’s
By Lynda Millner   |   March 28, 2019

Still Alice is considered the definitive and illuminating novel about Alzheimer’s disease and it was written by Lisa Genova. She recently gave a lecture on the subject for UCSB’s Arts & Lectures at Campbell Hall. Prior to the talk, sponsors Hollye and Jeff Jacobs gave a private reception for her at their home. Genova’s TED […]

Charting a World Without Borders with Pico Iyer
By Joanne A Calitri   |   March 28, 2019

On March 15, one of our town’s world celebrated authors, Pico Iyer, had an open discussion about travel, literature, and what brings people of different cultures together. Roman Baratiak from UCSB Arts & Lectures led the discussion. The free event was at the SB Public Library downtown. Pico is usually quoted for saying, “We travel, […]

Pulitzer Prize Winner
By Lynda Millner   |   March 21, 2019

Author Eli Saslow was brought here by UCSB Arts & Lectures and the Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion, and Public Life as well as sponsors Tracy and Michael Bollag. Susan Rose had a private reception at her Hope Ranch home for Eli before his presentation at Campbell Hall. This handsome […]

The Verdict is in
By Richard Mineards   |   March 14, 2019

Montecito author Jane De Hart, who spent 15 years researching and writing a hefty tome on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is reaping the rewards for her Herculean project. Jane, a professor of women’s history at UCSB, tells me her mammoth 752-page work, Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life, is now in its seventh printing […]

Genova’s Unforgettable Journey
By Steven Libowitz   |   March 14, 2019

Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. But it wasn’t all that long before she took a left turn, employing her scientific knowledge in service of writing fiction in an effort to humanize brain diseases […]

Love in Tinseltown
By Richard Mineards   |   February 28, 2019

The literati and the glitterati were out in force at the Music Academy of the West’s Hahn Hall when author Victoria Riskin, a Montecito resident for three decades, launched the 397-page biography of her parents, actress Fay Wray and screenwriter Robert Riskin. As part of the celebrations, the 1934 Frank Capra-directed film, It Happened One […]

Riskin & Wray: A Hollywood Memoir
By Steven Libowitz   |   February 21, 2019

Victoria Riskin’s life would be plenty worthy of an autobiography. The 30-year Montecito resident, who is married to filmmaker-writer-producer David W. Rintels, has had a storied career as a practicing psychologist, screenwriter (My Antonia, The Last Best Year) who served as president of the Writers Guild of America West, and director of Human Rights Watch, […]

Whimsical Writings
By Richard Mineards   |   December 13, 2018

A former colleague from my days as a columnist on the News-Press a decade ago, Kathy Jean Schultz, an accomplished medical science writer, has written her first book, The Pudd Tale and Other Short Stories. “They are nothing like my medical research articles,” says Kathy. “They are quite the opposite – fictional, light hearted satires. […]

BenShea Bakes Another Level in Staircase for the Soul
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 15, 2018

Noah benShea created Jacob the Baker, a simple but wise character whose plainspoken wisdom and common-sense approach to life are delivered as parables with both compassion and humor. Until recently, there were just three books in the series that have provided solace and support for millions of people (and been translated into 18 languages) dating […]

No Shame in Her Game
By Richard Mineards   |   November 8, 2018

It seems ironic that Santa Barbara author Nicole Black, who has just published her first book, Fat Shame, is the ex-wife of top pastry chef Renaud Gonthier, who has just opened his latest outpost on Coast Village Road. The pilates teacher, massage therapist, and certified rolfer, describes herself as a survivor of body image and […]

One for the Books
By Richard Mineards   |   November 1, 2018

Montecito author Jane Sherron De Hart‘s 752-page book on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, after a staggering 15 years of writing and research, is now ready for its close-up. “I initially was writing about her impact on gender issues, but the more I did my research, the more I got caught up in her […]

Classified Information
By Richard Mineards   |   October 25, 2018

Nearly a decade ago, writer David Wilk placed a classified ad in the Montecito Journal offering to use his talents to write biographies of local residents. Now, 10 books later, he is celebrating his 10th anniversary of a successful new career. “Advertising with the Journal has certainly been productive for me,” says David. “Back then, […]

Family Circle
By Richard Mineards   |   October 18, 2018

Major supporters of the 119-year-old Family Service Agency came together for a President’s Circle reception at the rustic Birnam Wood home of Carole Macelhenny. UCSB professor Mario Garfield spoke about the pressures facing young people in this age of new technology to the 30 guests, including Jim and Shirley Ann Hurley, Kevin and Marianne McCarthy, […]