The Zen of Writing

Janis Cooke Newman is the author of a memoir The Russian Word for Snow (about adopting her son from a Russian orphanage), Mary: Mrs. A Lincoln, and A Master Plan for Rescue Lib/E. She has also been a well-published travel writer for the past two decades. 

Ever since she published her first book in 2001, she’s been committed to helping other writers get their work out into the world. In 2009, she started the highly successful writing classes program at the San Francisco Writers Grotto, and curated them for 5 years. In 2012, she founded Lit Camp, a juried writers conference now held every year at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur. In 2020, she launched an online community for writers called Creative Caffeine Daily. 

She’s also an experienced writing coach, offering coaching packages, mentoring and editing for writers through her business Highbeam Editorial. She’s also developed a series of workshops and retreats that combine mindfulness and writing, which she teaches at both Esalen and the San Francisco Zen Center, where she practices sitting alone with others.