Guest Bloggers – Page 17

Guest Blogger Ron Salisbury talks about MFA – Master of Fine Arts writing programs.

“Everywhere I go, I’m asked if I think the universities stifle writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them. There’s many a best seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.”–Flannery O’Connor

Flannery may be a little tough but not far wrong. What will you do with your MFA in poetry or fiction or non-fiction or children’s literature? Is it different from what you thought you would do before you started that MFA program?

The proliferation of Master of Fine Arts Writing Programs in the United States (some 200 as of this writing) requires new crops of students every year; cannon fodder, inductees to charge over the lip of the trench into the guns of Admission Departments and Student Loans without much chance of becoming that famous author, a goal which is implied but never stated by these programs. (Is that what you thought you’d learn at that program?)

When I started my MFA – Poetry program in 2013, I had few of those allusions given my age (70) and narrative style of poetry. I was not going to be offered that tenure track teaching position in some MFA program. At best, I would get some adjunct position. (the typical pay for a semester class as an adjunct is $2000 to $3000 with no guarantee of any future work) And would hope to worm my way into the hearts and pockets of the program directors and students. Last year the United States graduated approximately 2,000 poetry MFAs, 2,000 fiction and between 500 to 1,000 non-fiction and other. And there were less than forty tenure tract creative writing positions available in those universities and colleges. But, I did naively expect that in my program I would be among poets striving to become better poets. What I have mostly found is a cadre of wonderful people learning “how” to write poetry. My observations have been generally supported by other writers in other programs throughout the United States.

To satisfy the body count necessary for these 200+ programs, the threshold has been considerably lowered. If your goal is to teach in an MFA program, anecdotally, minimal requirements today are the MFA degree and two published books at least. If one or both books were contest winners, so much the better. Given the proliferation of book publishing options today such as high quality appearing print-on-demand and self-published, the vetting process for MFA instructors—ones skilled and with enough notoriety to attract students—has become more difficult for universities. It used to be just a book from a good publisher and you could be considered, then it became the book and the MFA. Now the field is murky. Which has led to an entirely new phenomenon, the PhD in Creative Writing which has begun to propagate much as the MFA programs did fifteen-twenty years ago (today, about 32 programs). It would not be a surprise to discover in less than ten years that the minimum requirement to be considered as an instructor in an MFA program is the book or two and the Creative Writing PhD. So, if you have a goal to obtain an MFA in Creative Writing and do more with it than hang it on your wall, continue to work at Starbucks or teach two classes of freshman composition at some Junior College, hurry.

Your Turn: Should you or shouldn’t you join an MFA program? Have you done it? What do you think? Weigh in. Post your writing on The Write Spot Blog.

Ron Salisbury lives in San Diego, CA where he continues to publish, write and study in San Diego State University’s Master of Fine Arts program, Creative Writing. Publications and awards include: Eclipse, The Cape Reader, Serving House Journal, Alaska Quarterly Review, Spitball, Soundings East, The Briar Cliff Review, Hiram Poetry Review, A Year in Ink, etc; Semi Finalist for the Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize – 2012, Finalist for the ABZ First Book Contest – 2014, First Runner-up for the Brittingham and Pollak Prize in Poetry – 2014, Winner of Main Street Rag’s 2015 Poetry Prize

Miss Desert Inn published November 2015.
In this guest blog post, Powell discusses the perfect evil character.

Readers love an evil character, literature is strewn with them. I would say an interesting evil character is often multi-faceted, never straight forward, they themselves are often in a way, victims.

Who can forget the Stephen King character Jack Torrance, who has slipped into insanity, a danger to his wife and child as well as other people who cross his path. He is interesting in that he himself has been victim, having watched his father, who he adored, abuse his mother. There is this baggage, along with the fact that the hotel where he and his family reside over a bleak winter is slowly taking control of him.

Evil characters are full of character flaws, Jack Torrance, for example, has a major problem with alcohol. There are a whole range of character flaws a writer can imagine.

Many evil characters are cruel and carry out unspeakable acts, which leave readers disbelieving they can be so gruesome. The manner in which an evil character enacts their murders, also leaves a strong impression on the reader.

Some evil characters are deranged. Take the character Patrick Batemen. This man, on the one hand, a clean living yuppie, but on the other hand, a murderer, or contrary to this, perhaps the murders are just an insane delusion. This schizophrenic character is used as a ploy to make the reader question what is reality and what is going on in the darkness of Batemen’s mind. Batemen has no strong personality to speak of, it is his imagination that has a richness, be it one of toxic evil.

Evil characters often have strong fixations and are on their own bizarre missions. Grenouille from the book Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, has an incredible gift of smell. This gift leads him to do unspeakable crimes, in the pursuit of a creation of a master angelic perfume. He sets about robbing beautiful virgins of their smell. Grenouille also could be described as hedonistic.

Similarly, Hannibal Lecter from Red Dragon, by Thomas Harris tests the limits of how far a man can go with no moral compass. He is a sophisticated character, not only in his tastes, (he loves opera) but also with sophisticated culinary skills (he sautés human brains). Hannibal is a highly intelligent man, who can outsmart those in pursuit of him. He is precise with how he goes about his killings. He is certainly audacious, as are many evil characters.

Not all evil characters are performing evil physical acts to their victims, there are also those who are more psychological. The evil nurse in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest works in Oregon State Hospital, a mental institution, where she exerts total power over the patients, limiting their freedom and taking away their freedom and privileges at will. Played brilliantly by Louise Fletcher, in the film version, at times you would like to throttle her, which is what the main character, Randle McMurphy, tries to do. One of the main victims of her evil regime is the character of stuttering suicidal Billy Bibbit, who is so terrified by her, that any hope he might get outside the institution is quashed.

Writers have to immerse all these cocktails of character flaws into their characters, to come up with interesting and memorable deviants. A mindless slasher killing for no obvious reason is not going to engage readers, whereas a murderer with a lot of previous baggage and an air of sophistication will. Writers need to delve deep to create deviants.

Born in 1961, in Reading, England, Francis H. Powell attended Art Schools. In 1995, Powell moved to Austria, teaching English while pursuing his varied artistic interests of music and writing. He currently lives in Paris, writing both prose and poetry. He is the author of Flight of Destiny.
Guest Blogger Pat Tyler: About writing, a writer, and freewriting workshops

For me, writing is like a shot in the arm. When I write alone, my mind becomes infused with new ideas. When I write with others, I’m included in a circle of writers who inspire me, enlighten me, challenge me, beckon me to take up the gauntlet, put on the gloves, step away from the ropes, dance my strategic dance of words, and punch my critic until he stays down at the count of ten, knocked out by my knuckle-punch of powerful, gutsy words.

In recent years I became interested in publishing, but I soon learned that it’s not publishing that makes a writer – it’s writing that makes a writer.

It may sound over-simplified, but I know this for sure: it’s the physical act of placing pen to paper and refusing to remove it until blood seeps from my pores and I’ve said something – hopefully something important. That’s what makes a writer.

I’ve learned that if some particular subject is important to me, it can be, and probably will be, important to somebody else – perhaps lots of somebodies.

But physically writing is only part of the writerly equation. Other factors include reading my words aloud, and listening to the words my fellow writers have written. We write to be heard.

When I first attended Marlene Cullen’s Jumpstart writing workshop in Petaluma, CA, I had hoped to carve some publishing notches into my writer’s gun barrel. I wanted to review and edit pieces that had sprouted cobwebs at the back of my musty, dusty filing cabinet. But that didn’t happen. What did happen was far different from what I’d expected.

Jumpstart wasn’t a spit-and-polish workshop. There were other times and places to spit- and-polish my words. This was a bim-bam-thank-you-mam workshop; the kind I love most.

In Jumpstart, our simple outpourings of heartfelt thoughts, glimpsed moments from the past, glimmers of future dreams, sprinkles of laughter and tears, and tidbits of joy and sorrow were freely shared, but with one caveat; they were not to be shared outside the classroom. [Note from Marlene: It’s fine for writers to share their own work; but not discuss the writing of the other participants outside of the workshop group.]

After participating in Jumpstart, I created a similar freewriting class called Quick Start, in Rohnert Park, CA, closer to my home in Cotati. Different venue. Different participants. But the same enthusiasm and appreciation for sharing each other’s words in a safe environment.

I have enjoyed the experience of seeing my polished prose appear in several publications during my lengthy writing life. However, the writing I still enjoy most is the rough, raw, beginning of a new writing-in-progress. Like a newborn infant, each new writing must be cleaned up, severed from its umbilical cord, and nurtured toward maturity where it can finally stand on its own, ready to compete in the writing world.

But until my work is ready, I’ll just take another deep breath and keep writing my words. When I’m finished I’d like to read them to you. Then I’d like to hear what you’ve written. I’m hoping our words will increase and multiply, much like the family of writers who wrote them.

At 81, Pat Tyler continues to be warm, vertical, reading, writing, publishing short works, self-publishing long works, painting, crafting, and most of all – retired! (on the only quiet corner in Cotati, CA)

Pat received her Master of Arts degree from Sonoma State University. Pat’s writing has been published in Good Housekeeping Magazine, Fate Magazine, and numerous anthologies. She is an award winner of four Writers Digest Competitions. Pat Tyler is the author of The Impossible Promise and her memoir, 2014 Moments Remembered. Pat’s next novel, Forgive Us Our Trespasses, will be available in 2016.
“Writing is an act of courage.” — Ta-Nehisi Coates

“I always consider the entire [writing] process about failure, and I think that’s the reason why more people don’t write.” — Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates’s latest book, Between the World and Me, is a “searing meditation on what it means to be black in America today.” The New York Times Review

Upon receiving the 2015 MacArthur ‘Genius’ Award Winners, Coates said, “When I first got the call from the MacArthur foundation I was ecstatic. . . if anybody even reads what I’m doing, that’s a great day.”

Between the World and Me is a finalist for the Kirkus Prize for nonfiction.

Between the World and Me is in the form of a letter to Ta-Nehisi’s 14-year-old son. He speaks of the dangers of living in a country where unarmed black men and boys are dying at the hands of police officers.

His evocative 2008 memoir, The Beautiful Struggle, is a “. . . compelling a portrait of a father-son relationship . . . and a showcase for his emotional reach as a writer and his both lyric and gritty prose.” – The New York Times Review

Ta-Nehisi’s chatty and thoughtful video drew me in. He said the key to writing is perseverance. He talks about learning to be a writer and that being stressed led to writing that had much more power. “Repeated practice to become the writer you want to be. Revise over and over until [your writing] goes from really bad to okay to acceptable.

Ta-Nehisi Coates writes from the heart. My favorite kind of writing.
Guest Blogger Rayne Wolfe, Author of Toxic Mom Toolkit, talks about the pain and acceptance of comments and criticism when others critique your writing.

“Listening to criticism with an open heart is hard, but it always pays off.”

Learning to Love Our First Readers

I was in a classroom at the Catamaran Literary Conference in Pebble Beach, my first writing conference ever, and a fellow writer was ripping my work apart. I could feel the shame rise up in my chest, coloring my neck and face with a dark blush.

Sitting there among very accomplished writers, including literary prizewinners, even college professors who were all certainly better writers than me, my ears began to ring. Nerves.

This fellow writer, who ran her own popular writing conference each summer, was picking apart a chapter from my new book.

After publishing my memoir, Toxic Mom Toolkit in 2013, I was tackling a companion workbook on going “no contact” with very toxic people, including toxic mothers.

My chapter draft began:

You’ve told losers to hit the road.

You’ve left jobs that were demanding demoralizing dead-ends.

You’ve even moved from one end of the country to the other – one of the most stressful things you can do – other than giving a Ted Talk. So why is it to hard to break up with your toxic mother?

As my blush rose past my chin and raced up towards my eyebrows, the writer was saying in front of everyone,

“As I was reading this, my first thought was, well, don’t a lot of people who were raised in toxic families have a hard time asserting themselves? Some of these things you’re assuming everyone has done –- I haven’t done, when maybe I wanted to. Some people are timid and I think you should mix these up with much smaller life victories…”

Trying to listen and smile at the same time, a wonderful thought hit me: Yeah, this might feel bad in the moment but it was no different than notes from a first reader.

Plus – dang it! – She was absolutely right. My opener needed work.

Over my ringing ears I visualized a slew of very personal essays I’ve written for newspapers and magazines. I recently contributed a story about my father to The Adoptee’s Handbook. My memoir about growing up with a toxic mother includes neglect and abuse. With over 5,000 printed articles under my byline, I’d earned my writer’s thick skin, hadn’t I?

First readers, those smart people you pick to be your second set of eyes, are usually trusted fellow writers. They should understand you and your topics but also look at life a bit differently than you.

When I was writing Toxic Mom Toolkit, I chose five first readers. My team included a couple of writers I’ve known for over 15 years, then I added some wild cards: my friend the dairy rancher who is an avid reader, my friend the landscaper who always wins at Trivia Pursuit, and my husband, Mr. Logical. After three years of writing and double-checking and editing, they each found typos and logic breaks and repetitions of parts of stories I had missed.

It is in trusting first readers to help you, that you can feel confident with your final manuscript.

I looked up and made eye contact with the woman giving me feedback. Realizing she was no different than a blessed first reader, I smiled and felt the rush of nerves subside.

Listening to criticism with an open heart is hard, but it always pays off. At the end of the four-day conference I drove home with a big smile and a folder full of great feedback from very generous fellow writers.

Rayne Wolfe will be the presenter at the October 15, 2015 Writers Forum, talking about The Art of the Interview.
Guest Blogger Becca Lawton writes about pre-writing.

Excerpt from Becca Lawton’s 8/31/15 blog post, about her time in Canada on a Fullbright Scholarship to research her book:

Writing a novel is such a huge undertaking that I’m amazed anyone writes more than one . . . I’m completing a submittable draft of my second novel . . . Now that I’m dragging my sorry carcass to the finish line, it’s fun to look back at this post written September 29, 2014, soon after the start of the project, when I was just starting to pour all my hope and energy and learning into it:

I just completed sixty pages of prewriting for a second novel . . . They’re filled with answers to questions like, “Who are the main characters in your book?” and “What are their wants in every scene?” and “Is the setting recognizable yet unique?” I’ve modified the questions from a checklist developed by Janet Neipris, from her book To Be a Playwright, a resource I find essential. Typing up to ten pages each morning before breakfast, I completed the questionnaire in a week. At home it would have taken me a month. Although the impatient part of me wanted to zip through all the questions with an “I don’t know” or “Who cares?” I focused on each one with as much focus as I could muster. Grudgingly I’ve come to admit that if I pour myself into a pre-write of this kind, the book’s first draft flows much easier. Prewriting saves time, guesswork, and rewriting sweat. A week saves months or years of labor later. I know. I’ve written books both ways.

. . . buoyed by the knowledge that I can start the first draft of my second novel tomorrow morning. That knowledge feels like a precious gift after more than a year of dreaming, applying, and then preparing to come to Canada on a Fullbright Scholarship to research a book. Every day I’m grateful for the support.

Photo by Melinda Kelley
Guest Blogger Jennifer Lynn Alvarez writes about The Book You Were Born to Write.

I recently read The Martian, by Andy Weir. It’s a unique, thrilling, and detailed survival story described as “Apollo 13 meets Cast Away.” I thoroughly enjoyed the book, in spite of all the math equations and the use of the metric system (English Lit. major here). But I’m not writing about Andy Weir to review his wonderful book, I’m writing about him because of something he said in an interview:

“I love reading up on current space research. At some point I came up with the idea of an astronaut stranded on Mars. The more I worked on it, the more I realized I had accidentally spent my life researching for this story.” Andy Weir (Book Browse online interview)

You see, Mr. Weir is a self-proclaimed space and science fanatic inspired by the idea of humans someday traveling to Mars. While penning the novel, Mr. Weir wrote his own software program to calculate the constant thrust trajectories of his imagined mission—all based on real-life technology. He crafted the main character’s wisecracking personality after his own, and supplied him with entertainment on Mars in the form of a crewmate’s recorded 70’s shows, which happen to also be the author’s favorites.

The fact that this book is grounded in the passions and education of Andy Weir is what makes the tale ring true. He used what he knows; space travel, computer science, his own personality, and his childhood interests to imagine a story that is pure science fiction. And The Martian has taken the world by storm. Mr. Weir originally self-published the book, but quickly sold the rights to Crown Publishing. The novel debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. Film director, Ridley Scott, and actor, Matt Damon, will bring this story to life next month in theaters everywhere. (Source: Wikipedia)

So how does Andy Weir’s success apply to us as writers? It all goes back to his sentiment from the interview: The more I worked on it, the more I realized I had accidentally spent my life researching for this story. While the author didn’t set out to write the story he was born to write, he accomplished it by pursuing his passions and his expertise with his pen.

We all have a passion for something, right? I hope so. And we all have expertise, whether it’s studied or acquired through life experience. And the intimate knowledge we have about people, places, things, or relationships can be used to bring our books to life for others.

Readers, literary agents, publishers—they respond to authenticity no matter how outrageous the tale. Personally, I wrote and queried four novels before I sold my first book, The Guardian Herd, to HarperCollins. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense that this fifth book is the one that broke through because it’s the book I was born to write. I’m a lifelong horse-lover, I’m fascinated by politics, and I love reading fantasy. My book series is about five herds of flying horses at war with one another and the special black pegasus foal who will inherit the power to either unite or destroy them. As you can imagine, this upsets the leaders who stand to lose their power. It’s politics, horses, and fantasy all rolled into one.

But what do I really know about pegasi: Very little. What do I know about horses: A lot. I grew up riding and I own a horse now. I applied my knowledge of stallion behavior to all my pegasi, male and female, making them fierce, protective, and territorial. But I also used my imagination to give them ninety-year lifespans, emotions, speech, and strict rules of power. It’s an imaginary world, but it’s informed by my real experiences with horses, my studies of politics, and my formative years of reading animal fantasy novels.

This brings me to my last point, which is about genre. I believe that the book we’re born to write is also the book we’re born to read. When you hit the sweet spot of combining your passions with your knowledge and adding that to your favorite book genre, you will write something truly magical. I can’t promise it will become a bestseller, but I do believe it will find a devoted audience of like-minded readers.

How about you? What are your areas of expertise, your passions? What type of book are you dying to read? Well, don’t wait for someone else to write it, that’s your book.

Here are some equations to help you get started (in honor of Mr. Weir who loves math):

                                   Knowledge + Passion + Genre = Book You Were Born to Write

                                  Computer Science + Traveling to Mars + Science Fiction = The Martian (Weir)

                                  Horses + Politics + Fantasy = The Guardian Herd Book Series (Alvarez)

But don’t worry if the book you were born to write doesn’t immediately pop into your head. I loved horses and knew I wanted to write about them long before I tried it. Instead I filled my time writing practice novels, studying the craft of writing, and daydreaming, and so when inspiration struck, I was ready to act! I encourage all writers to set regular hours, don’t judge your first drafts, and to seek feedback. One day, the big idea will come, and when it does, you’ll be ready.

Note from Marlene: Figure out your equation and just write! Jennifer will be the Writers Forum presenter in Petaluma on Sept. 17, 2015. Join us, if you can. Jennifer will talk about World Building: How to Create Fiction That Feels Real. The Guardian Herd Series Starfire and Stormbound will be available for purchase.

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is the author of The Pet Washer and The Guardian Herd Series: Starfire and Stormbound and the soon to be released, Landfall.

Jennifer is an active horsewoman and volunteer with U.S. Pony Club. She draws on her love of animals for inspiration when writing her books. Jennifer graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a B.A. degree in English Literature. Jennifer lives on a small ranch in Northern California with her husband, three children, and more than her fair share of pets. Please visit her website for more information.

Follow Jennifer on Twitter @JenniferDiaries
Visit her Facebook page: Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Guest Blogger Steve Fisher writes about Musical Writing

Writing is a mysterious craft. Part inspiration, part perspiration. This is about inspiration. Or rather one form of it. Music. When I’m looking for a magic tonic of creativity, I turn to motion picture soundtracks.

Think about some of the most effective films you have seen. Chances are they started with a great script, added competent and creative direction, exceptional performances, sublime cinematography and brilliant editing. But perhaps the crowning element was the evocative score. What would Star Wars be like without John Williams’ majestic symphonic score? How effective would Titanic be without James Horner’s haunting themes? How chilling would Psycho be without Bernard Herrmann’s staccato strings? A good film can be made great by the music. A film can also be ruined by a bland or misguided score. In deference to the filmmakers, I won’t cite examples.

So what does that have to do with writing? We’re all affected by music, one way or another. When you sit down to write, play the kind of music that evokes the emotion or atmosphere you are trying to achieve. Take a moment to immerse yourself in the melodic environment. Then try putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, ingesting the music continuously as you do so. You may find a new richness wending its way through your words.

Try this for an exercise. Select four tracks of music, each with a different sensation—upbeat, somber, romantic, whimsical. As each plays, write. It doesn’t matter what: poetry, prose, screenplay, essay. They don’t have to go together. Just do it to see how it feels.

When you’re ready to actually use music to work by, be selective. Match the musical themes to the emotional ones you are trying to achieve. You may just find additional inventiveness. And the labors of writing may become more harmonious.

Steve Fisher has written for television, film, stage and print for more than 3 decades. He sleeps in formaldehyde to keep his youthful good looks.
Guest Blogger Hoby Wedler writes about: The Often Over-looked Magic of the Nose: Exploring Smells Around You

I was born blind. Growing up as a blind child forced me to pay closer attention to my nose than perhaps most people learn as children. I use my nose as a method of observing my surroundings, for navigation, to note whether or not food has spoiled, and most importantly to smell, taste and describe food and wine.

It is important to note that not all blind people pay as close attention to their noses as I do. Many of my blind friends walk right past unique aromas that I easily pick up on. Thus, my love for thinking about aroma certainly does not stem specifically from my blindness.

While I love describing aromas of many things, I notice whether they are pleasant, unique, off-putting, etc. I will use this opportunity to describe aromas of a few relatively common areas that I find exciting. I am a part-time wine educator and so I pay close attention to smells. I have found that the best way to get people excited about wine is to describe its aroma and flavor using common things or places they are familiar with. Here are a few of my aroma descriptions to give you a “taste” of how I enjoy describing aroma.

Bars have a bizarre smell because they smell clean to me but also like people. I’d describe the aroma of a bar as a mixture of the type of cleaner they use (usually bleach to keep sanitation), citrus fruit, alcohol fumes, leather (not sure why this one is so present), usually old wood, people, sometimes cigarette smoke, and paper money. I know this is a bit esoteric and strange but it’s the best description of bar smell I could come up with. There are some bars in downtown Petaluma that I think of as having fairly iconic smells. Andresen’s on Western and Volpi’s on Washington come to mind right off.

Other places that have very distinct aromas are banks, movie theatres, coffee shops (of course), parks with lawn and water features, swimming pools (and I’m not talking about right up next to the pool; I am able to identify the pool just by driving by the center where it’s housed), print shops, dry cleaning establishments, to name a few specific places.

If we just focus on our vision, I think we lose all of what we’re discussing to our visual distractions. I’ve spent a long time pinning down the smells of different things I encounter in my day to day life and I find it to be thought-provoking and intriguing.

Being able to describe aroma is like learning a new language. People need to develop an aromatic vocabulary. Smell is another language. For example, if you look at a picture of a dog, you might think of a furry thing that runs around and goes “Woof.” If you look at a picture of a ripe fig, you might think of the fruit and what you know about it. If I hand you a glass with crushed fig in it, however, it may be much harder to come up with the word “fig.” With practice and attentiveness to the nose and aromas, anyone can develop a strong aromatic vocabulary.

Note from Marlene: I had quite an enjoyable email exchange with Hoby stemming from my inquiring if he could describe the “bar smell.” Pinning down that particular smell fascinates me. Hoby came up with leather (yes, leather-topped barstools and booths), wood (of course: stools, chairs, bar top) and money (aha! I hadn’t thought of that). Perspiration. . . (oh, yes,) and cigarette butts in tin can ashtrays, stale beer. I hadn’t thought of using a variety of material to describe “bar smell.” Now, I know . . . use my nose to play detective and capture precise smells. Thanks, Hoby!

I have known Hoby since he was born. As I researched material for this post, I learned more about Hoby that I didn’t know. I am amazed by this remarkable young man and his family. If you have time, click on the links to learn more about opportunities for the visually impaired, what growing up blind was like for Hoby and his family and his zest for life. Hoby credits Learning Ally for being a life-changer.

Henry “Hoby” Wedler is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Davis, founder and director of the nonprofit Accessible Science, and host of truly blind wine and beer tasting experiences. Hoby was raised in Petaluma, California where early on he fell in love with beautiful Sonoma County. When he’s not busy working towards his Ph.D. in organic chemistry or leading his blind or visually impaired chemistry camp students in conducting lab experiments through touch and smell, he turns his attention to wine and beer – where he’s passionate about wine and beer flavor, accurate flavor descriptors, and how wine and beer flavor and aroma relate to chemistry.

In May of 2012, Hoby was one of only fourteen individuals honored at the White House as part of President Obama’s Champions of Change program, for leading the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for people with disabilities. The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative that recognizes outstanding individuals for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities.

Hoby was inspired by programs offered by the National Federation of the Blind in high school, and with encouragement from professors, colleagues and others, he gained the confidence to challenge and refute the mistaken belief that STEM fields are too visual and, therefore, impractical for blind people.

Hoby founded and teaches at an annual chemistry camp for blind and low-vision high school students. Chemistry Camp demonstrates to the students, by example and through practice, that their lack of eyesight should not hold them back from pursuing their dreams.

Hoby hosts Tasting in the Dark, a completely blind wine tasting experience at Francis Ford Coppola and other Napa-Sonoma wineries. The surprising and enlightening wine tasting, where guests are blindfolded, explores how flavors and aromas in wine are accentuated when experienced in complete darkness. Hoby believes that when a sighted person is in complete darkness, he or she feels more vulnerable and his or her senses become more heightened because vision is not a distraction, bringing out more flavors in a wine or beer.

In 2013, Hoby partnered with Sierra Nevada Brewing Company to host beer tasting in the dark, “Sightless Sipping.” This event, similar to blind wine tasting, allows guests to enjoy beer at an entirely new level. According to the Sacramento Bee Newspaper:

Photo by Melinda Kelley