Leslie profile picture

Leslie

I am here for Friends and Networking

About Me

I worked as a bookseller and editor of Book Passage's newsletter for five years. I’m now in the process of writing a novel entitled For the Love of Aphrodite. Because two of my characters are avid gardeners and I knew nothing about gardening, I’ve been volunteering at the Marin Art and Garden Center. Without a garden of my own, I’m creating a habitat garden in containers on my balcony. www.leslievandyke.com

My Interests

writing fiction and narrative nonfiction, reading, gardening, yoga, travel, exploring other cultures

I'd like to meet:

Tori Amos, Jeanette Winterson, Oprah, the Dalai Lama, Zainab Salbi (President and Founder of Women for Women International), people who love to read and people who love to write

Music:

Tori Amos, Sia ("Breathe Me"), Kaskade, Nas ("One Mic"), iiO, Frou Frou, anything that makes me feel

Books:

Too numerous to list here. A few of my favorites: Like Water for Chocolate, Mistress of Spices, Krik? Krak!, The God of Small Things, The Last Song of Dusk, Bel Canto, When the Elephants Dance, Interpreter of Maladies, The Samurai's Garden, Darwin’s Wink, Es Cuba, and all novels by Jeanette Winterson. Two great books by members of my writing group: Little Green by Chun Yu and Good Luck Life by Rosemary Gong.

Heroes:

I feel there is something to learn from everyone.

My Blog

Maria's Bravery

"There's Something to Learn from Everyone"When I signed up with the Marin Literacy Program, I wanted to make a difference in someone's life but as these things go, the person who was helped was me. Th...
Posted by Leslie on Tue, 08 May 2007 01:08:00 PST

Kylie's Freedom to Explore

"Something to Learn from Everyone"I've decided to blog each week about something I've learned from a particular person. As with many things in my life, actually acting on this idea starts with somethi...
Posted by Leslie on Mon, 30 Apr 2007 05:29:00 PST

Chai Tasting

I just spent a wonderful afternoon participating in a chai tasting with Indian bamboo flute musician Sachdev (www.bansuri.net/gssachdev/bio) and his lovely wife, Saroj. The tea they have created is th...
Posted by Leslie on Sun, 11 Mar 2007 12:13:00 PST

Caterpillars on Swan Plant

While I've been spending hours in the Marin Art & Garden Center butterfly garden learning about butterfly gardening for my novel, my sister in New Zealand has been planting swan plant and attracti...
Posted by Leslie on Sun, 04 Mar 2007 04:08:00 PST

"Mr. Impatiens" and Container Gardens

For those who live in the Bay Area and are also limited to a container garden, I highly recommend taking the "outdoor container workshop" on March 10 at the Marin Art & Garden Center. I attended the l...
Posted by Leslie on Mon, 26 Feb 2007 01:54:00 PST