February 5, 2003 at the Monticello Inn

February's hostess at the Monticello Inn's Wild Writing Literary Salon was Linda Watanabe McFerrin and her guest was Anneli Rufus, a prize-winning, critically acclaimed author who has published more than 500 feature articles in dozens of magazines and newspapers worldwide. Anneli is the editor of the East Bay Express monthly literary supplement and the author of Magnificent Corpses and The World Holiday Book as well as the co-author of California Babylon, Weird Europe and several other nonfiction books. Anneli read from her new book, Party Of One: The Loners' Manifesto.

The evening also included a long roster of notables:

Wild Writing Women:

Lisa Alpine has a Poetry in Motion workshop coming up 2/15.

Lynn Ferrin leaves on a freighter for the Marquesas on assignment this month.

Carla King is at work on her travel collection, Motorcycle Misadventures.

Jen Leo has a new book out, Sand in My Bra, a collection of women's travel humor she edited with Travelers' Tales.

Linda Watanabe McFerrin has workshops in Travel Writing, Memoir, and Erotica coming up this month.

Alison Wright is completing her book, Faces of Hope, Children of a Changing World, for New World Library.

Jacqueline Harmon Butler sends her regards; she is on assignment in Tuscany.

Also present:

Mark Cass, ukelele virtuoso from the popular Ukelele Summit series.

Carol DuChamp of ArtTreks, a company that organizes painting expeditions in exotic locales.

Constance Hale, Freelancer for the Chronicle and Atlantic Monthly and author of a book on writing that we all need to read, titled Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose. Lisa Alpine uses it her writing classes.

Literary agent Catherine Fowler.

Spud Hilton, San Francisco Chronicle, frequent contributor to the Travel Section.

Brad Newsham, author of Take Me With You and founder of Backpack Nation, an organization that funds backpackers to travel the world looking for good causes to fund. Brad is one of our favorite WWMs (Wild Writing Men)!

Jeanne Powell, a writer active in the poetry scene. You can buy her self-published books of poetry here, and view of her poetry in Poetry Magazine. She's also written for San Francisco Station Literary Arts section (see Celebration of the Word) and hostessed readings at Sacred Grounds Cafe.

Christina Shook, author of a new book on women and motorcycling to be released in 2003.

Ken Vollmer, author of The Wanderlust Survival Guide, Tips and Tales for World Travel, self-published and just released.

Cathy Fowler, agent and owner of the Redwood Agency.

Local poet and writer Jean Powell.

Sidra Sitch, editor and publisher of the popular ArtSites art guide series.

Travel writers April Orcutt and Laurie King.

Nina Wu, Q&A columnist for the SF Examiner.

And what event would be complete without a trio of food writers:

Alexa Thompson, author of Antarctica on a Plate (Random House, Sept 2003).

Richard Sterling, Lonely Planet author and contributor and editor for their guide to restaurants in San Francisco.

Elgy Gillespie, an Anglo-Irish journalist and author of the Rough Guide to San Francisco Restaurants.