How They Did It: Pivoting to Publishing at 50+

From advertising to law, from medicine to technology, the members of this panel all achieved professional success in their fields—and then pivoted to pursuing their publishing dreams after the age of 50!

In Litquake and LitCamp's latest "How They Did It" event, Patricia Grayhall, Alka Joshi, Simi Monheit, and Jody Weiner will share practical advice and inspiration gleaned from their own journey to publication. Their sure-to-be-lively discussion will be moderated by writer, teacher, and mentor Grant Faulkner, who also published his first book at 50+. Come learn from these pros, ask your own questions in a supportive environment, and leave with a new sense of determination to pivot on your own path!

We'll gather at Page Street Co-Working in San Francisco, where in addition to the conversation, we'll enjoy time for casual networking. We'll be pouring Prosecco, wine, and fancy nonalcoholic drinks. Proceeds from ticket sales will support both LitCamp and Litquake.
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Alka Joshi is the internationally bestselling author of the Jaipur Trilogy: The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and The Perfumist of Paris. Six Days in Bombay is her fourth novel. Her debut novel, The Henna Artist, immediately became a New York Times bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon pick. It has been translated into 29 languages and optioned as an episodic series. Joshi was born in India and came to the United States with her family at the age of nine. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts.

Patricia Grayhall is a retired medical doctor and author of the memoir Making the Rounds: Defying Norms in Love and Medicine, which garnered a starred Kirkus Review and many awards, including the 2024 National Indie Excellence Award LGBTQIA Non-fiction and Memoir and the 2023 Best Indie Book Award Winner in LGBTQ Memoir. Grayhall published a romance novel, Golden Years and Silver Linings, with her wife in 2023, her first foray into fiction writing. Her third book, A Place for Us: A Novel, will be published by She Writes Press on June 3. Her crime novel, Presumed Guilty, to be published in July, is inspired by her long career in medicine.

Simi Monheit started her writing career after a career in technology. She has a master’s degree in computer science and an undergraduate degree in English. Her work has appeared in JewishFiction.net, The Forward, Moment, Chautauqua, HerStry, Pacifica Literary Review and Lilith Magazine. Her debut novel, The Goldie Standard, was named in the top 100 indie books published in 2024 by Kirkus Reviews. She is a graduate of Stanford’s Online Novel Writing Certificate program.

Jody Weiner wrote the novel Prisoners of Truth, drawing from his experiences defending criminal cases in Chicago. He also co-authored Kinship With Animals, in which he writes about serving as attorney to Koko the signing gorilla, and Peoplescapes, My Story From Purging To Painting, an illustrated memoir by Nancy Calef. His new novel Raise Your Other Right Hand will be published in March. Weiner has been collaborating with his wife and partner for thirty-five years: American figurative painter, Nancy Calef. He is the current board president of the Litquake Foundation.

Grant Faulkner (moderator) is the co-founder of 100 Word Story, co-host of the Write-minded podcast, and an executive producer of the upcoming TV show America’s Next Great Author. He recently published The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story. He's also published All the Comfort Sin Can Provide; Fissures, a collection of 100-word stories; Nothing Short Of: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story; and Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo.

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Since being founded by Jane Ganahl and Jack Boulware in 1999, Litquake has hosted 10,500 authors for 275,000 attendees and distributed 12,000 free books to San Francisco schoolchildren. With over 225 literary partners, Litquake functions more than ever as an umbrella organization stitching together the Bay Area’s literary scene. In its lively, diverse and inclusive celebration of San Francisco’s thriving contemporary literary scene, Litquake, which enters its second quarter-century in 2025, seeks to foster an interest in literature, perpetuate a sense of literary community, and provides a forum for Bay Area writing as a complement to the city’s music, film, and cultural festivals.

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LitCamp exists to help writers hone their craft, navigate the world of publishing, and find community. Each year, the organization holds two conferences at the stunning Bell Valley Retreat Center in Mendocino County: one focused on craft, the other on the business of being a writer. Lit Nights events, held at the Page Street co-working space in San Francisco, give emerging writers the opportunity to read their work in front of an audience. LitCamp's in-person and online classes, taught by published writers and experienced instructors, help writers develop their craft. Retreats, held at some of the most secluded and beautiful locations in Northern California, give writers the time and space they need to write.

Host or Publisher Litquake, San Francisco's Literary Festival