Contributors
Katharine Browning is
the owner of Verbena
Kitchen in Healdsburg
and Tiburon—a food
and wine pairing
service working with
wineries to create
menus supporting wine sales at private
and public events. Katharine can be
contacted at verbenakitchen@
hotmail.com
out love letters as well as hosting her
downloadable talk show Love Letters
Live.
R.W. Greene is an editor
and former newspaper
writer who lives in San
Rafael.
Noah Griffin is a former
weekly syndicated
columnist for the San
Francisco Examiner and a
winner of the prestigious
Eugene Block Award for
excellence in journalism.
He has been published in the Boston
Globe and San Francisco Magazine. He
currently writes a monthly column for
the Marin IJ and is the Founder of The
Cole Porter Society.
Bruce Burtch, called
the “Father of Cause
Marketing,” Bruce is
an internationally-
respected cross-sector
partnership and cause
marketing expert.
For over 40 years, Bruce has provided
workshops, training and created
partnerships between the for-profit,
nonprofit, education and government
sectors which ignited their economic
and social environmental impact, while
focusing on creating a greater good.
Janet Gallin was raised
in the clear air of the
Hollywood Hills in the
days when pregnancy
tests involved the
death of rabbits, before
"smog" was a word,
when street parking was plentiful and
empty weed-filled lots dotted Wilshire
Boulevard. Always hooked on the
miracle of both spoken and written
communication, a sucker for clarity, and
the joy of seeing others shine, she took
to leading workshops on the complex
art of writing love letters that reflect life
in its truest light, the good, the bad, the
funny, the sad and always the hopeful.
She has been, for the past 12 years,
giving workshops on writing knock-
Mary Denton, CEO of
Sunny Hills Services
since 2010, was drawn
to the nonprofit
sector after a career in
international banking
and finance. She uses
her own creative energies in leading
the organization to help children,
youth, and their families achieve better
and brighter futures.
Michelle Kaufman is the executive
director of the Marin History Museum.
Founded in 1935, the Marin History
Museum celebrates the traditions of
innovation and creativity of the people
of Marin.
Erma Murphy is the
director of programs
and outreach at
O’Hanlon Center for
the Arts. She is also a
publicist for many local
arts organizations such
as Marin Open Studios and the Mill
Valley Fall Arts Festival. In addition,
Erma produces unique events with her
partner Daniel Patrick through their
company Murphy Productions.
Lily O’Brien is a Bay
Area writer whose
articles have appeared
in the San Francisco
Chronicle, the Marin
Independent Journal,
the Pacific Sun, the San
Francisco Classical Voice
and Strings Magazine. Passionate about
music and the arts, she has performed
as a folk, jazz and classical singer,
and currently sings with the Marin
Symphony Chorus.
Alejandro Palacio is
a media artist who
works in responsive
installations and
interactive media
design. He uses
video, photography,
installation, and mixed media to
explore the complexity of human
experiences such as immigration
and identity. Alejandro is the
communications & development
Manager for Community Media Center
of Marin.
Valerie Shaw is a best-
selling fiction writer and
a pioneering journalist
who holds a Master’s
Degree in Public
Relations from the
University of Southern
California. She is a Los Angeles native
and life-long resident.
Jacob Siderman is a
17-year-old graduating
senior at Tamalpais High
School off to Cal Poly
to study physics. Jacob
loves wrestling as much
as he loves singing bass,
playing strategy games, and dreaming
about yet-unbuilt machines. He aspires
to do work in the space of quantum
industries that push the boundaries of
human knowledge and technology.
Judith M. Wilson is a
feature writer who
enjoys telling a wide
variety of stories
reflecting life in the
North Bay, from art
to agriculture to the
mysteries of sparkling wine. She is a
regular contributor to NorthBay Biz,
and her work has appeared in North
Bay Woman and Marin Independent
Journal’s special sections. She also
writes theater reviews for telli.com.
Previously, she worked as a newspaper
reporter and editor in the educational
book publishing industry.
MARIN ARTS & CULTURE 7