May 16, 2012

What Saffron Means

Writing is an art and a science, and so is cooking. Which is why I named some of the characters in my young adult novel after the world’s most valuable spice. In How Good It Can Be, Emma Saffron rises above expectations and finds out how good it can be to be true to herself. It’s sound advice for any teenager, especially when they’re being treated less well than they deserve. Emma is every girl realizing how valuable she is.

My own last name Zaffino, is Italian in origin, from the Old Sicilian zaffina meaning ‘precious stone’ perhaps as a nickname for a jeweler or dealer in gem stones. For us, however, Saffron has been a pseudonym for Zaffino, ever since my brother Mike discovered that Saffron is what MS Word suggests in spell check for our last name. Maybe at some point saffron spice was as valuable as jewels?

So whenever I need inspiration for writing (I’m currently revising How Good It Can Be), I bring alchemy into the kitchen and infuse some of the magical saffron spice into my cooking. This week I made Braised Halibut with Saffron & Fennel Broth, Potatoes and Mediterranean Olives.

Here’s the recipe—Michelle

Barbara Gordon-in-Training

Reprint: This was my University of Pittsburgh MLIS FastTrack Statement of Intent, written four years ago. Apparently, I’ve just graduated.

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Some people play doctor or teacher as children—I played librarian. Wielding my own date stamp, I cheerfully checked out books from my own library to my friends. I also created a modest card catalog for my little collection. When I wasn’t encouraging others to read, I was reading voraciously and never really stopped.

My lifelong love of reading led me to a career as a writer and editor, eventually working in magazine publishing in New York. There, I was on staff as a research editor at several glossy women’s magazines—Marie Claire, Redbook, and Elle, among others. Searching for facts that brought out the truth in the articles we published is something I was passionate about and I made a career of being a research editor, reporter, and fact-checker for over eight years.

At each magazine newsroom where I worked, I built on the existing reference libraries, updating them with the most recent titles. I also ensured we had the full span of reference books required to verify any fact imaginable (this included materials from Books in Print to Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations). Additionally, I helped the research department move into the digital age, and learned to identify reliable online sources as reporters turned to the internet for information (We utilized everything from Nexis.com and the online CIA Factbook to other reputable online government and association sources).

During a break from publishing, I worked for the photojournalist Jill Krementz, and maintained her massive photo archive for almost two years. Her system was self-designed and included intricate cross-referencing that linked related sections. For being homegrown, it was remarkably well-organized, and working with this type of archive was definitely an experience.

It was in 2004 when I moved to San Francisco that I seriously began to consider a career as a general reference librarian. The public library has always been a part of my life—I’ve had a library card since I was four years old—and it interests me very much to make it my career. It’s also a life choice—librarian work is very well attuned to my naturally thoughtful, questioning, and sometimes introspective personality. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized how important it is to be true to myself. I also imagine a career as a librarian to be a great job for someone who wants to eventually combine work with having a family.

I applied to the San Jose State University MLIS program but was not admitted because of a low undergraduate GPA. (Note: At the time, SJSU did not have an online program and accepted less than 200 students a year). I then enrolled in library technology classes at City College of San Francisco, and have since been a straight A student. It’s amazing how different it is returning to school as an adult, while studying a subject which you’re passionate about. Everything is easier: Participating in class, attending, and even giving presentations. I think my success is a reflection of how much I’ve grown as a person in the 15 years since I graduated college.

In these classes, I learned basic library skills: shelving, cataloging, and how to use a multitude of databases to locate information. In my Business Resources class, I learned how to retrieve information from several sources and assemble it in a concise report. I love interacting with people who have similar interests as me, and I learned a lot from them.

I really like the idea of joining the online MLIS FastTrack program. As an undergraduate English Writing/Women’s Studies major at the University of Pittsburgh, I was always motivated to complete my reading assignments outside the classroom. I work well independently. After years of working in publishing and now in the online retail business, my computer skills are top-notch, and I embrace and enjoy working with new technology. I launched a personal website as a place to display an online portfolio to support my copywriting business, which I felt was a challenge, but one that I accomplished. Working as a reporter and as a copywriter has made me very cognizant of deadlines, which in turn has also made me a better student. I feel that I have a healthy work ethic, and try to focus only on the things I’m truly passionate about.

I currently work as a copywriter, and plan to continue writing copy fulltime while I earn my MLIS. Copywriting is enjoyable, but too unstable a career for me long-term (advertising budgets are the first cutbacks in a slow economy). I would like to complete the FastTrack program on a part-time basis, taking one class a semester for four years. I will choose the general reference librarian track, but plan to combine that with a few Individual Research courses.

In her most recent book, the writer Susan Faludi thanked the research librarian she worked with at the Mechanics’ Institute Library for assisting in the collection of background information she used. That gesture impressed me, and encourages me towards a similar career path. Whether researching my own work or as a librarian helping other writers, students, and readers, I feel that searching for the truth is one of my life’s callings.

p.s.
I got in!
In Zaffino, Veritas
8:13 AM

April 11, 2012

What You Looking At?

The Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco really speaks to you. While standing in the crowded room, taking in all the fabulous fashion as if I were at the best cocktail party ever, one of the models looked directly at me and said We Love You.

At first I thought it was clairvoyance going off the charts, until my friend Heather came over and commented, “freaky!” You can hear the mannequins talking above the ambient music, eyes directly on you, then flitting away again. Their faces are animated by projection beam and they’re reading audio scripts that embody a person who loves and lives in Jean Paul Gaultier.

That’s just the intro to this incredible exhibit whose centerpiece is the cone bras and other boudoir-inspired costumes that Gaultier created for Madonna’s Vogue-era Blonde Ambition tour. It’s a retrospective of classic styles subverted by suggestions from the underground—street, punk, urban, bondage, graffiti, and more.

His fashions push boundaries, imagine the unimaginable and make it all break through into the everyday experience. They’re wearable in the way that a person can put them on and feel something different. It’s subversive style with staying power.—Michelle Zaffino

April 4, 2012

The Public Bike @ Velo Vino

March 28, 2012

The Bike Helmet that doesn’t Look Like a Bike Helmet

The Yakkay Smart Two with an interchangeable cover in Tokyo Denim.

March 21, 2012

How Goode It Can Be

For the last eight weeks, I’ve been workshopping my first two teen novels, How Good It Can Be and The Love Quad at the SF Writer’s Grotto. The amazing Laura Goode, author of Sister Mischief (watch the In the Stacks video book review) taught the class, called Coming of Age on the Page. Incidentally, she’s currently producing a film she co-wrote called Farah Goes Bang, which is pretty damn exciting.

I’ve rewritten both of my novels from 3rd to 1st person (a total of 138,500 words) and about to begin a page by page revamp. I’m making the Emma Saffron character’s personality into a more completely fictional one, because although it is true she’s somewhat inspired by my own experiences in high school and college, none of the events happened the way they do in the books (she works at a coffeeshop and as a deejay). Both books are going into a fresh framework, in an attempt to tell the story in style that’s entirely new.

Thanks to Laura and everyone in my workshop for an extremely valuable experience that’s really taking these books to the next level. Learn more about other classes offered here.—Michelle

March 14, 2012

All These Things About Me

The Joy Formidable played The Independent in SF this week.—MEZ

March 7, 2012

The Public Bike in Chartreuse

Finally. I think I always knew what kind of bike I would end up getting and here it is, the Public D8. An added enticement is that they just don’t make them like this anymore—the color has been discontinued. So I had to snap it up in my signature citron green that proves biking is sexier in the stacks as well.—Michelle Z. from In the Stacks.tv

February 22, 2012

How to Tie your Trench

Quick fashion tip: Tie the belt on your trench coat in back like you would a necktie.—Michelle Zaffino

February 15, 2012

In the Stacks Book Club Picks

Based on a request from a fan of In the Stacks on Facebook, we just started a list of our best reads for your book club. The feature launched this week with the recommendation of Michelle Richmond’s No One You Know.

Look for more book club picks from In the Stacks. tv here! Cheers – Michelle Z. from ITS tv.