Author: Olga Zilberbourg

Olga Zilberbourg’s English-language debut LIKE WATER AND OTHER STORIES (WTAW Press) explores “bicultural identity hilariously, poignantly,” according to The Moscow Times. It also dives into topics of bisexuality and immigrant parenthood. Anthony Marra called it “…a book of succinct abundance, dazzling in its particulars, expansive in its scope,” and Karen Bender said, “Olga Zilberbourg is a writer to read right now.” Zilberbourg’s writing has appeared in World Literature Today, The Believer, Electric Literature, Lit Hub, Alaska Quarterly Review, and elsewhere. Born in Leningrad, USSR in a Russian-speaking Jewish family, she makes her home in San Francisco, California. She has published four collections of stories in Russia, including most recent Задержи дыхание [Hold Your Breath] from Vremya Press. She serves as a consulting editor at Narrative Magazine and as a co-facilitator of the San Francisco Writers Workshop. Together with Yelena Furman, she has co-founded Punctured Lines, a feminist blog about literature from the former Soviet Union. She is currently at work on her first novel.

Celebrate Lit Crawl with the San Francisco Writers Workshop!

~ Olga Zilberbourg ~ Leave a comment

Dear writers,

San Francisco Writers Workshop is proud to host an event at the annual Lit Crawl festival. Come out to the San Francisco’s Mission district to celebrate literature and our community. Bring friends and help us spread the word!

When: Saturday, October 26, 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Where: Noisebridge, 272 Capp Street, San Francisco

What: A reading and a participatory literary game!

Writers bios:

Ken Grosserode is an attorney and writer in San Francisco. He lives with his partner in what was once a nunnery. His influences include Iris Murdoch, Donna Tarrt, and the ghosts of various Catholic nuns.

Karen Gu is a software engineer and writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work explores power, identity and feminism through science fiction, fantasy, and friends.

Jiyoung Han is a writer from Seoul, South Korea. She daylights as a sustainability researcher looking to make carbon reduction easier for everyone. Her writing often uses fantastical elements to examine the impacts of colonialism on people’s day-to-day lives.

Kurt is a fiction writer, focused on strange tales of idiocy and culture, inspired by Northern California.

Judy Viertel has been published in Gargoyle Magazine, Gold Dust Magazine, Identity Theory, and Short Story America: Anthology Five. She’s one of four moderators for that venerable but ornery West Coast institution, the San Francisco Writers Workshop. If you were wondering if she can dance the shim sham, the answer is yes. She certainly can.

Celebrate Lit Crawl with the San Francisco Writers Workshop!

~ Olga Zilberbourg ~ 1 Comment

San Francisco Writers Workshop is proud to host an event at the annual Lit Crawl festival. Come out to the San Francisco’s Mission district to celebrate literature and our community. Bring friends and help us spread the word!

When: Saturday, October 26, 6:30 – 7:30 pm

Where: Noisebridge, 272 Capp Street, San Francisco

What: A reading and a participatory literary game!

Writers bios:

Ken Grosserode is an attorney and writer in San Francisco. He lives with his partner in what was once a nunnery. His influences include Iris Murdoch, Donna Tarrt, and the ghosts of various Catholic nuns.

Karen Gu is a software engineer and writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work explores power, identity and feminism through science fiction, fantasy, and friends.

Jiyoung Han is a writer from Seoul, South Korea. She daylights as a sustainability researcher looking to make carbon reduction easier for everyone. Her writing often uses fantastical elements to examine the impacts of colonialism on people’s day-to-day lives.

Kurt is a fiction writer, focused on strange tales of idiocy and culture, inspired by Northern California.

Judy Viertel has been published in Gargoyle Magazine, Gold Dust Magazine, Identity Theory, and Short Story America: Anthology Five. She’s one of four moderators for that venerable but ornery West Coast institution, the San Francisco Writers Workshop. If you were wondering if she can dance the shim sham, the answer is yes. She certainly can.

The Noisebridge Quinceañera

~ Olga Zilberbourg ~ Leave a comment

Dear writers, on Saturday, August 3rd, our venue, Noisebridge Hackerspace, is having a party and a fundraising drive. It has been such a vibrant place to meet for us. Let’s come out to support them!

For this Saturday starting at 7pm, they’re planning a wild 15th year anniversary party:

* Music and dancing with dance lessons! (Krunking, Judy thinks)
* Food and Beverages!
* Rube Goldberg hackathon award ceremony!
* Noisebridge Shark Tank!/Pitch Competition
* Sidewalk astronomy! (weather permitting)
* Raffle, silent auction, and swag sale!
* Member activity showcases!

If you’ve been curious about this place, this is the perfect time to check it out. It’s a fundraiser, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Our own Judy Viertel is certainly planning on being there.

If you can’t make it and want to help out, please donate through their website!

San Francisco Writers Workshop at Beastcrawl 2024!

~ Olga Zilberbourg ~ Leave a comment

On July 27, 2024, San Francisco Writers Workshop will take part in Oakland’s Festival for Literary Arts & Performance, the annual BEASTCRAWL. Please come to support our writers in the Phase 2 of the fesitval and come early to attend Phase 1, and stay late to cheer for groups reading in Phase 3. Study the FULL PROGRAM of the festival in advance and make a walking map!

Details for our event:

July 27, 5:30 pm
Binny’s Cocktail Lounge
532 8th St, Oakland, CA

Connor O’Mara is a writer from northern Colorado. He often writes about tragedy set in the Mountain-West, finding inspiration from the people and towns he loved.

Cynthia Gómez writes horror and other types of speculative fiction, set primarily in Oakland. The Nightmare Box and Other Stories, her first collection, was released in July 2024.

Oakland-based David Ira Cleary has published in Asimov’s, Interzone, Persistent Visions, and elsewhere. His work is included in The Year’s Top Robot and AI Stories, coming out in October 2024.

Joel Streicker’s fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations of Spanish-language literature have appeared hither and yon. He’s literally a prize-winning author—just ask him! Or check out his website: https://joelstreicker.com.

Madison Wilson is a fiction writer from the Bay Area. She is interested in telling stories about forgotten women and their inner lives. 

Tahirah Nailah Dean writes about the difficulties of finding love and marriage from the perspective of a Muslim woman. Her work has appeared in Al Jazeera and Insider. 

San Francisco Writers Workshop at Beastcrawl 2024!

~ Olga Zilberbourg ~ Leave a comment

On July 27, 2024, San Francisco Writers Workshop will take part in Oakland’s Festival for Literary Arts & Performance, the annual BEASTCRAWL. Please come to support our writers in the Phase 2 of the fesitval and come early to attend Phase 1, and stay late to cheer for groups reading in Phase 3. Study the FULL PROGRAM of the festival in advance and make a walking map!

Details for our event:

July 27, 5:30 pm
Binny’s Cocktail Lounge
532 8th St, Oakland, CA

Connor O’Mara is a writer from northern Colorado. He often writes about tragedy set in the Mountain-West, finding inspiration from the people and towns he loved.

Cynthia Gómez writes horror and other types of speculative fiction, set primarily in Oakland. The Nightmare Box and Other Stories, her first collection, was released in July 2024.

Oakland-based David Ira Cleary has published in Asimov’s, Interzone, Persistent Visions, and elsewhere. His work is included in The Year’s Top Robot and AI Stories, coming out in October 2024.

Joel Streicker’s fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations of Spanish-language literature have appeared hither and yon. He’s literally a prize-winning author—just ask him! Or check out his website: https://joelstreicker.com.

Madison Wilson is a fiction writer from the Bay Area. She is interested in telling stories about forgotten women and their inner lives. 

Tahirah Nailah Dean writes about the difficulties of finding love and marriage from the perspective of a Muslim woman. Her work has appeared in Al Jazeera and Insider. 

Reminder: Event on Friday!

~ Olga Zilberbourg ~ Leave a comment

Dear San Francisco Writers Workshop community — join us this Friday, May 31, at 7 pm for a reading and fundraiser for our venue.

The event will take place at Noisebridge, 272 Capp Street. We will have featured readers, a raffle, food and drink, a storytelling game, an opportunity to tour Noisebridge, and lots of fun!

Suggested donation starts at $10, and please give as much as you can.

If you can’t come to the event and want to help, please use one of the donations options listed on Noisebridge’s website.

Our featured readers:

Colleen Shoshana McKee is the author of six books of poetry, fiction, and memoir. Her latest collection is Routine Bloodwork, a finalist for the Charlotte Mew Award from Headmistress Press.

Divyanka Sharma is a tech strategist, fiction writer, poet, and documentary filmmaker. Her creative pieces have been published online and in print, including with Empyrean, the other side of hope, The Wire.in, among others. Her writing explores the immigrant experience of movement and adaptation and her work is informed by her birth country of India and adopted home in the United States.

Howard Isaac Williams‘ essays, remembrances, reviews, poetry and fiction about culture, Nature, messenger lore, Afghanistan and other topics have been published in The Atlantic (online), Philosophy Now and over 20 other venues. His unpublished novel The Chastisement is the only book about Chinghis Khan researched in both Mongolia and Afghanistan.

L.M. Pino is a queer Mexican writer living in the Bay Area. Her latest short story, The Woman Without Skin, is forthcoming in Ignatian Literary Magazine.

Nina Rodenko is a winner of the 2022 Clark-Gross Scholarship Award for her debut novel, United Selves of Veronica, which is currently in its final draft. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Bookstr, Prometheus Dreaming, and Watershed Review. Born in Ukraine, Nina lives in San Francisco.

Olga Zilberbourg’s English-language debut LIKE WATER AND OTHER STORIES (WTAW Press) explores “bicultural identity hilariously, poignantly,” according to The Moscow Times. She serves as one of the co-moderators of the San Francisco Writers Workshop.

San Francisco Writers Workshop Presents: Reading for Noisebridge

~ Olga Zilberbourg ~ 1 Comment

San Francisco Writers Workshop is hosting our annual benefit to support the venue that has been so generously providing us with a space to meet for the past two years: Noisebridge, a legendary anarchist hackerspace in the San Francisco’s Mission district. Noisebridge doesn’t charge writers to gather every Tuesday night, but they certainly have a large rent bill to pay. This is our chance to help ensure their and our own future!

Boasting a woodworking space, electronics, sewing, and music rooms, 3D printing and laser cutting equipment, and meetups on everything from philosophy and writing to game design, math, physics, and AI, Noisebridge is a vibrant and bustling community. They strive for excellence among their membership as well as consensus on all of their decisions. They are a “do-ocracy,” encouraging members to get engaged on all aspects of running a collaborative space. None of this is easy to achieve, and it’s been inspiring to see this community work through issues that arise.

The event will include featured readers, a storytelling game, food and non-alcoholic drinks, and an opportunity to tour Noisebridge. PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

Mark your calendars for 7 pm on May 31, 2024, at Noisebridge, 272 Capp Street. Suggested donation starts at $10, and please give as much as you can!

If you can’t come to the event and want to help, please use one of the donations options listed on Noisebridge’s website.

Our featured readers:

Colleen Shoshana McKee is the author of six books of poetry, fiction, and memoir. Her latest collection is Routine Bloodwork, a finalist for the Charlotte Mew Award from Headmistress Press.

Divyanka Sharma is a tech strategist, fiction writer, poet, and documentary filmmaker. Her creative pieces have been published online and in print, including with Empyrean, the other side of hope, The Wire.in, among others. Her writing explores the immigrant experience of movement and adaptation and her work is informed by her birth country of India and adopted home in the United States.

Howard Isaac Williams‘ essays, remembrances, reviews, poetry and fiction about culture, Nature, messenger lore, Afghanistan and other topics have been published in The Atlantic (online), Philosophy Now and over 20 other venues. His unpublished novel The Chastisement is the only book about Chinghis Khan researched in both Mongolia and Afghanistan.

L.M. Pino is a queer Mexican writer living in the Bay Area. Her latest short story, The Woman Without Skin, is forthcoming in Ignatian Literary Magazine.

Nina Rodenko is a winner of the 2022 Clark-Gross Scholarship Award for her debut novel, United Selves of Veronica, which is currently in its final draft. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Bookstr, Prometheus Dreaming, and Watershed Review. Born in Ukraine, Nina lives in San Francisco.

Olga Zilberbourg’s English-language debut LIKE WATER AND OTHER STORIES (WTAW Press) explores “bicultural identity hilariously, poignantly,” according to The Moscow Times. She serves as one of the co-moderators of the San Francisco Writers Workshop.

San Francisco Writers Workshop Presents: Reading for Noisebridge

~ Olga Zilberbourg ~ 1 Comment

San Francisco Writers Workshop is hosting our annual benefit to support the venue that has been so generously providing us with a space to meet for the past two years: Noisebridge, a legendary anarchist hackerspace in the San Francisco’s Mission district. Noisebridge doesn’t charge writers to gather every Tuesday night, but they certainly have a large rent bill to pay. This is our chance to help ensure their and our own future!

Boasting a woodworking space, electronics, sewing, and music rooms, 3D printing and laser cutting equipment, and meetups on everything from philosophy and writing to game design, math, physics, and AI, Noisebridge is a vibrant and bustling community. They strive for excellence among their membership as well as consensus on all of their decisions. They are a “do-ocracy,” encouraging members to get engaged on all aspects of running a collaborative space. None of this is easy to achieve, and it’s been inspiring to see this community work through issues that arise.

The event will include featured readers, a storytelling game, food and non-alcoholic drinks, and an opportunity to tour Noisebridge. PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

Mark your calendars for 7 pm on May 31, 2024, at Noisebridge, 272 Capp Street. Suggested donation starts at $10, and please give as much as you can!

If you can’t come to the event and want to help, please use one of the donations options listed on Noisebridge’s website.

Our featured readers:

Colleen Shoshana McKee is the author of six books of poetry, fiction, and memoir. Her latest collection is Routine Bloodwork, a finalist for the Charlotte Mew Award from Headmistress Press.

Divyanka Sharma is a tech strategist, fiction writer, poet, and documentary filmmaker. Her creative pieces have been published online and in print, including with Empyrean, the other side of hope, The Wire.in, among others. Her writing explores the immigrant experience of movement and adaptation and her work is informed by her birth country of India and adopted home in the United States.

Howard Isaac Williams‘ essays, remembrances, reviews, poetry and fiction about culture, Nature, messenger lore, Afghanistan and other topics have been published in The Atlantic (online), Philosophy Now and over 20 other venues. His unpublished novel The Chastisement is the only book about Chinghis Khan researched in both Mongolia and Afghanistan.

L.M. Pino is a queer Mexican writer living in the Bay Area. Her latest short story, The Woman Without Skin, is forthcoming in Ignatian Literary Magazine.

Nina Rodenko is a winner of the 2022 Clark-Gross Scholarship Award for her debut novel, United Selves of Veronica, which is currently in its final draft. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Bookstr, Prometheus Dreaming, and Watershed Review. Born in Ukraine, Nina lives in San Francisco.

Olga Zilberbourg’s English-language debut LIKE WATER AND OTHER STORIES (WTAW Press) explores “bicultural identity hilariously, poignantly,” according to The Moscow Times. She serves as one of the co-moderators of the San Francisco Writers Workshop.

Reading Saturday, April 6 (in 15 hrs!)

~ Olga Zilberbourg ~ 1 Comment

At 2pm on Saturday, April 6 (TOMORROW!), SF Writers Workshop folks are reading at Noisebridge. We’ve got five snappy little stories: 

  • Housnar the Jupiterean and his confounding fermion gamble
  • A man turning into his father–yeah, but maybe for REAL
  • The perils of resorting to AI story composition
  • A  fraught attempt at creating a savior in a Mission District hackerspace
  • A fire-haunted Chinese-American funeral

Bonus: a thematically relevant, mad lib-style group activity! 

Ostensibly part of the Mission Arts Performance Project, this will be a casual, free event. Come hang out with Judy Viertel, Joel Streicker, Jason Tan, David Ira Cleary, and Robin Hansen. Maybe we’ll grab a beverage afterwards…

If you like, you can confirm at: If you like, you can confirm at: https://www.meetup.com/noisebridge/events/299932526/, but it’s fine to just show up!

Noisebridge
272 Capp St · San Francisco, CA

The Nightmare Box and Other Stories

~ Olga Zilberbourg ~ Leave a comment

by Cynthia Gómez

A young queer man finds love at a magical clothing shop—and the courage to stand up to the homophobic cops. A witch who makes custom nightmares wonders why all her victims are connected to the Black Panthers—and who she’s really working for. A soon-to-be father encounters a mysterious hitchhiker who tries pulling him back to the days of his violent past. A brand-new vampire, freshly hired at the blood bank, delights in her heightened sexual desire and superhuman strength.

Cynthia Gómez’s debut collection from Cursed Morsels Press is a magic-soaked love letter to Oakland, brimming with feminist rage. Its twelve stories center ordinary people—Latine, queer, working class-as they wield supernatural powers against oppression, loneliness, and dread.

Buy this book from the publisher or on Amazon. Don’t forget to rate and review.