Saturday,  Feb. 18th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  Berkeley
$95 members/$110 non-members
Testimonials for Dianne

Are you a food enthusiast who loves to write, cook and eat? Do you devour food magazines and cookbooks in bed, or secretly dream of whipping up your own cookbook  or blog? Do you read restaurant reviews and think, “That’s my dream job!”? This overview class will give you a taste of food writing in all its variations: personal essay, blogging, recipe writing, freelancing for magazines and newspapers, and how to get a cookbook published. Writing exercises and an interactive classroom style will make the time fly by.

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Five Weeks, 7-9:30 p.m  Berkeley
$185 members/$215 non-members

Have you started working on a nonfiction book or memoir (or already completed one?). Have you written your book proposal yet? If not, you’re going to need one. Typically, a proposal is written before the book, but if you’ve already written the book, you’ll still need one. The proposal is the document you send to literary agents and/or editors. It’s essentially a sales pitch, making a case for why the book needs to be written, why now, and why you’re the best person for the job.

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Five Wednesdays, March 3-31, 7-9:30 pm    Berkeley
$185 members/ $215 non-members

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“As a food writer, I never get bored,” says instructor Dianne Jacob. “I’ve interviewed nationally-known cookbook authors, ghost-written a chapter about urban farming, written an essay about a food bank, detailed a French bed-and-breakfast run by an accomplished chef, and reviewed restaurants in San Francisco and on Bali. I’ve also written practical pieces about what to do with tuna besides make a sandwich. As a co-author, I collaborated with a chef on a book on grilled pizza. Once I discovered how much fun food writing was AND that I could get paid to eat and cook, I never looked back.”

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Saturday, July 11th, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.    San Francisco
$55 members/ $65 non-members           REGISTER

If you’re writing a book and hope to have it published, you’ll be that much more successful if you understand how the publishing industry works and what editors and agents want. Join instructor Dianne Jacob at this primer that looks at how to get happily published. In today’s rapidly changing world, what exactly does the book industry want?

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Hello Dianne,

Your food writing class was absolutely wonderful. You are extremely knowledgeable. I also really enjoyed the guest speaker. It added a well-balanced perspective to the great information you gave us.

The different components made the class very professional. I feel like I got my money’s worth and more.

The writing exercises were inspiring. I did not expect such diversity.

I particularly enjoyed the history facts, the variations in book styles, and your knowledge on the wide range of food careers one can participate in.

Thank You!! Excellent Job.

Saeeda Hafiz
Natural Foods Consultant and Certified Yoga Instructor

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