Janis Cooke Newman is the author of the novels,  ‘Mary; Mrs A. Lincoln,’ which was a Finalist for an LA Times Book Prize and USA Today’s Historical Novel of the Year, and ‘A Master Plan for Rescue,’ which was an SF Chronicle Best Book of the Year. She is also the author of ‘The Russian Word for Snow,’ a memoir about adopting her son from Russia. 

Newman is the founder of the Lit Camp writers conference, and Page Street, a co-working space for writers in San Francisco. A long-time creative writing teacher and meditator, she has taught writing and mindfulness workshops at Esalen and for the SF Zen Center.

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