When the Nazis swept through Europe during World War II, they made a point of capturing many Torahs, with an eye to eventually holding them for ransom. At the end of the war, over 1500 of these Holocaust Torahs were obtained from the Czech government. Many of these are now on permanent loan to congregations around the world.
Capturing the Torahs Read More »
Meet Bella, the latest in our Pantheon of Precious Pooches, who moved into our home about ten days ago.
So far, I’d say our bonding is going fantastically well.
Dog 4.0 — Ciao, Bella! Read More »
For the past three years, I’ve been part of a group that’s producing a Storytelling show every two months at The Monkey House in Berkeley. It’s always Big Fun.
What’s Your Story? Storytelling at the MONKEY HOUSE Read More »
Suddenly …
our sweet pooch Molly is gone.
She seemed fine last Saturday, but on Sunday she stopped eating and began to look extremely uncomfortable. We took her to the hospital on Monday.
COMMITMENT
Story by Bill Zarchy
at The Monkey House, Berkeley.
Involvement and commitment are not the same.
Video: Telling ‘Commitment’ Read More »
ANANSI THE SPIDER
Story by Bill Zarchy
at The Monkey House, Berkeley
One very hot day, Anansi the Spider, a trickster and maker of mischief, gets his comeuppance.
Video: Telling ‘Anansi the Spider’ Read More »
When I was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years ago, I shared the news with my family. My sister asked if I was shaky …
Facing Up to Parkinson’s Read More »
THE MOON, THE SNOW, AND DR. ZHIVAGO
Story by Bill Zarchy
at The Monkey House, Berkeley
A wintry walk through Siberia.
Video: Telling ‘The Moon, the Snow, and Dr. Zhivago’ Read More »
ECSTASY AT THE ALTAR
Story by Bill Zarchy
Tell It On Tuesday at The Marsh, Berkeley
Odd things happen on our family trip to the Eiffel Tower and Chartres Cathedral in France.
Video: Telling ‘Ecstasy at the Altar’ Read More »
EVELYN’S STORY
by Bill Zarchy
at The Monkey House, Berkeley
Not all travelers are tourists. Some are immigrants. A cherished family story.
Video: Telling ‘Evelyn’s Story’ Read More »
Today we gave away over 300 books from our dusty shelves. Many bags, crammed full of books, all in excellent shape, an alarming number unread and unopened.
It started with a holiday season when our kids were away most of the time, coupled with a desire to reduce dust and sneezing, amplified by a dread of our kids someday discovering that our vast collections were both voluminous and virginal.
The latter dread, which is not uncommon for retired folks, is a byproduct of having lived in the same house for 32 years. Without regular purges of stuff, every closet, shelf, or cabinet would be stuffed. That’s why they call it stuff.
On Discarding Books Read More »
I gave a talk on Storytelling at my 50th Dartmouth College Reunion last month. Following is the text of my ten-minute introduction. If you want to see the whole, one-hour presentation, including video clips and stories, click on the video player below. Closed Captions (CC) available.
I never wanted to be a performer until I discovered storytelling.
About two-and-a-half years ago, a friend of mine had a gig playing classical guitar at The Marsh, a club in Berkeley that was hosting a monthly storytelling night called Tell It On Tuesday. She urged me to come along. After she finished playing, five people, all roughly my age, stood up in turn and told stories.
A Storytelling Journey Read More »
I guess gratuitous self-promotion pays off, eh? Every single chair was in use. I was so pleased with the turnout and the enthusiasm of the audience, even if most of them were friends!
They laughed a lot, usually at appropriate moments, and applauded each story. What fun!
Part 2 includes these stories:
BILLY SOLO Video — Part 2 Read More »
My solo storytelling show last Friday was amazing, a real peak experience!
What a fun evening! I had a terrific time and feel wonderful about having challenged myself like that. I did eight stories, about 75-80 minutes of material in all.
The place was packed. About 48 people in a medium-smallish room.
Part 1 includes these stories:
BILLY SOLO Video — Part 1 Read More »
Friday, April 20th at 7 pm
Silk Road House, 1944 University Avenue #107, Berkeley (6-minute walk from Downtown Berkeley BART)
Tickets are ON SALE NOW:
http://bit.ly/billysolo
OR Go to zarchy.eventbrite.com
BILLY SOLO: One-man, One-hour Storytelling Soirée Salon with BILL ZARCHY Read More »
(Loosely inspired by a tall and nearly true tale)
Jake rushed through the door, sweaty and disheveled, to find Al playing solitaire in the main lodge.
“Al! I just had a moose encounter,” said Jake. “Up on Bacon Ridge. It was pretty great, dude. Wait’ll I tell the guys at home about this.”
“Was it sweet and chocolatey?”
“No, dipshit! Not that kind of moose, with a U! Moose with two O’s, like Bullwinkle. Huge, with antlers. I just saw one.”
“Tell me.”
About two years ago, I went to a storytelling event at The Marsh in Berkeley and watched six people tell six very different stories. Some personal, some historical, all about 10-15 minutes long.
My first reaction: I can do that.
Little did I know.
A Writer’s Debut As a Storyteller Read More »
An old friend from the East Coast contacted me recently to see if I had any career advice for her friends’ son, a recent film school graduate who was trying make it as a filmmaker in New York City. I told my friend that, though my experience as a freelance crew person in the Bay
How to Succeed in the Film Business While Really, Really Trying Read More »
As we pass the 30-year mark in our home next week, the tall tree in the right rear corner of the yard, an Incense Cedar, stands tall and true, more than twice the height of the house. When we moved in, there were two tall trees. The left rear corner held a Monterey Pine, so
Video of a presentation by Bill Zarchy at Northbrae Community Church, Berkeley, California on 2/3/16. The author reads excerpts from four of the stories in his book, Showdown at Shinagawa: Tales of Filming from Bombay to Brazil.” He also discusses the ins and outs of self-publishing, as well as his background as a globe-trotting cinematographer. The
Video: Showcasing ‘Showdown at Shinagawa’ Read More »
“I’m hungry,”said Randy, as we set up a sunset shot from the overpass near the end of our first day on the ground. “We need something to eat.” “Okay,” Larry agreed. “I’ll get street food. There’s lots of it around.” “Is that safe?” “This is at least my fifth trip to Thailand. I’ve never gotten
Bangkok, the Saudis, and the Jism Balls Read More »
Meet Molly. The third in the Pantheon of Zarchy Family Dogs, she follows, in succession, Sophie the Wonder Dog and Montana Banana Zarchy, all of them delicious sources of unqualified love. Molly is eight months old, about 45 lbs., a super-cute Boxer mix with light fawn-and-white coloring and a longer snout than the typical purebred
Dog 3.0 — Good Golly, Miss Molly Read More »
One autumn about a million years ago, I was living with friends in Vermont, teaching high school, avoiding conscription, and just starting my California Dreaming. We lived on a farm on a dirt road off another dirt road. The farm didn’t grow anything. The owners lived on Guam, used it only as a summer house,
The Moon, the Snow, and Dr. Zhivago Read More »
Sometimes the course of your life can turn on one small thing, one chance encounter. It happened to me, many years ago, the day Beverly invited me to visit her. Of course I had the hots for her — pretty, round face, sparkling blue eyes, long blond hair. But ever since our one blind date
A Chance Encounter Read More »
We loved our first house in San Francisco, in the Excelsior district of the Outer Mission. We loved the fact that we owned it, loved that we had managed to move quickly enough to evade eviction by our last landlady (who had suddenly decided to move into our apartment), loved that our living space had
We Loved Our First House Read More »