Welcome to Mill Valley Literary Review
“The Mill Valley Literary Review drags the literary journal kicking and screaming into the 21st century.” San Francisco Magazine
MillValleyLit promotes the work of emerging writers, interviews well-known authors and should-be-known personalities, reviews books, and reports on the literary scene. MillValleyLit has hosted events and salons and been featured in numerous publications such as San Francisco Magazine, Marin Magazine, Marin IJ, and Marinscope newspapers.
MILL VALLEY, California – Home to Muir Woods, redwood trees, The Mill Valley Film Festival, Mt. Tamalpais, Dipsea foot Race, waterfalls, rock stars, artists, & WRITERS, WRITERS, WRITERS. Mill Valley’s literary pedigree is impressive, more so for a town of barely 14,000: Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, Peter Coyote, David Harris, Martin Cruz Smith, Alan Watts, Sam Shepard, Jack Finney, Don Carpenter, Gina Berriault, Kay Boyle, Louis B. Jones, Wright Morris, Michael Murphy, Elsa Gidlow, Joyce Maynard (J.D. Salinger’s companion), Tom Barbash, Cyra McFadden, poets Jane Hirschfield, Maxine Chernoff, Echo Heron, Yoko Ono, John Lennon, Anton LaVey and Tupac Shakur (Tam High School!). The late Tom Clancy often wrote in Mill Valley.
Writers who call(ed) Marin County home include Isabel Allende, Dave Eggers, George Lucas (San Anselmo), Jack London, Jan Kerouac (Kerouac’s daughter, also a writer), Ram Dass, Stirling Silliphant, Shel Silverstein, Sterling Hayden, Susan Trott, Catherine Coulter (Sausalito), Leonard Gardner, Robert Hunter (San Rafael) and Van Morrison (aural poets), Philip K. Dick (Point Reyes Station), Barnaby Conrad, Joe Eszterhas (Tiburon), Richard Brautigan, Amy Tan, Anne Lamott, Ambrose Bierce (San Rafael); Poet Aram Saroyan (son of William Saroyan), Joel Cohen, Jim Carrol and Herman Berlandt (all Bolinas); Danielle Steel (Stinson Beach), Jacqueline Winspear, Allen Drury, T.C. Boyle, Gerald Nicosia, James Dallesandro. Julia Child lived in Ross while attending Branson School.
Writer connections: Ernest Hemingway’s son -Jack, and grand-daughters Mariel and Margaux lived in Mill Valley’s Boyle Park area in the 60’s. Papa’s nephew still lives in Tiburon (an editor and writer). John Steinbeck’s connection: Ed Ricketts – marine biologist author\Steinbeck inspiration — “Doc” in Cannery Row, Lee in East of Eden -Ricketts’ son, Ed Jr., lived in Mill Valley. Ricketts, Sr. was also a muse to Joseph Campbell and Henry Miller. A student of S.F.-born Robert Frost’s Dartmouth College lectures lives in Tiburon. This is stretching it but we love the story: Dylan Thomas once hit Mill Valley on a book tour and drank mightily at “The Deuce” — the iconic 2 AM Club on Miller Avenue. In a hilly Mill Valley neighborhood nicknamed “Poet Hill” – all streets are named after poets. In San Anselmo, the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood and streets are named honoring a former resident’s good friend, Washington Irving and his stories Did Washington ever sleep here?
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What subscribers are saying:
“Amazing – all the creative people who live or have lived in Marin county!” Sir Nicholas Mander, Gloucestshire, England.
“Your magazine reminds me of the perfumes and atmosphere of the Bay Area.” Caroline Pierce, Croatia.
“Wow!”
“I just love this magazine and devour every issue.” A. Willis, Sausalito.
“An incredibly professional publication.”
“Terrific stories.”
“What you’re doing is really quite amazing.” Marcel Pierce, Paris, France.
“Lovely, John, thanks!” D.C., Novato.
“Love MillValleyLit! Excellent edition.” P.M., New York.
“The e-zine looks AMAZING!” Bellevue, WA.
“The Mill Valley Literary Review drags the literary journal kicking and screaming into the 21st century.” San Francisco Magazine.
The Mill Valley Literary Review Editorial Staff
J.Macon King is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The MILL VALLEY LITERARY REVIEW. John’s debut novel of 1979 San Francisco, Circus of the Sun, received stellar reviews. He revived and directed Marin County’s Rhubarb Revue Theatre and his work and writing have been featured in the Marin Independent Journal, San Francisco Marina Times, Pacific Sun, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, Brushfire Journal, Sensitive Skin, Blue Institute, San Francisco’s Beat Museum and more. He is co-founder of Gerstle Park Writers Salon and a charter member of Live Poet Society. King has given numerous prose and poetry readings in the San Francisco Bay Area including the Mill Valley Depot Café, as well as Copperfield’s, Book Club of California, the Sweetwater, 7 Mile House, Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Words Off Paper, Novato City Hall, Sausalito Women’s Club, The Seahorse, West Point Inn, Bolinas Community Center.
Perry Lucretia King, Senior Editor. Formerly: Assoc. P.R. Director The Magic Theatre; journalist for San Francisco Marina Times and Friends of the Earth; Marketing\Event Director for Sammy Hagar cyclery shops. Certified trainer—yoga, Pilates, CPT, and author of Luna Women’s Journal and Perry’s PlanIt: Veggie Menu Planner.
Jeff Kaliss, Poetry Editor. For the San Francisco Chronicle and the Marin Independent Journal Jeff reviewed diverse genres from comedy to jazz and rock and theater to opera. He has made numerous performances both as a reader, and in collaboration with jazz artists. Jeff contributes to a number of publications such as Alta Journal and has won First Place from L.A. Press Club’s National A&E. He is author of I Want to Take You Higher: The Life and Times of Sly & the Family Stone.
Jeb Harrison, Audiobook Reviews Editor, Humor Columnist. Jeb is a novelist, author, HuffPost contributor, artist, and musician. See Jeb’s books at amazon.com/author/jebharrison .
Nick King, Book Reviewer. Nick, a former college football captain, now software account Executive, is a major book enthusiast. Inspired by his father at very young age to appreciate great writing, Nick has a voracious appreciate for reading. In the last two years, Nick has read 80+ books. His favorite genres are science fiction and historical fiction.
Articles and interviews about MillValleyLit:
April 2021 interview with MillValleyLit publisher J.Macon King about his debut novel Circus of the Sun from the Pacific Sun and Bohemian newspapers.
Marin Independent Journal: MillValleyLit.com, Marin’s first literary e-zine
Marin Magazine.
The Daily Beat : https://thedailybeatblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/mill-valley-literary-review-features.html
Patch: “Literary Latte: Literary Inspirations of Marin and San Francisco” https://patch.com/california/millvalley/the-literary-latte–literary-inspirations-of-marin-and-san-francisco
Also: “Literary Visions Under the Spell of Mt. Tamalpais” https://patch.com/california/millvalley/literary-visions-under-spell-mt-tamalpais
MILL VALLEY HERALD
Depot Poet :
Mill Valley poet to release third installment of online literary review
by Soren Hemmila/Marinscope, March 13, 2013
A Tam Valley computer consultant is set to release the third installment of his online magazine that he started to highlight the talent of Marin writers.
Mill Valley Literary Review is published quarterly and was started by John King to provide exposure to Marin County’s literary talent. An online magazine filled with short stories, poetry and excerpts of work, the publication offers local writers a platform for their art.
“The first issue was kind of a general issue,” King said. “The second focuses on the Beats and included Gerald Nicosia, Jack Kerouac’s biographer. I also talked about Hemingway, it was a fairly masculine issue, so I decided this issue would be more feminine-slanted because of spring.”
King said he saw a lot of local talent and wanted to showcase it when he revived the 52-year-old community theater and Tam Valley institution the Rhubarb Review in 2000. He produced, directed and wrote stage productions for several seasons. (Ed. Note: after King’s revival, the playhouse remains active to date).
“I’ve always been community orientated and wanted to see the community strut on stage. I’m doing a similar thing with Mill Valley Lit to encourage local writers and give them a platform,” King said. “Everyone knows Marin County for rock stars and musicians, but upcoming writers seem to have less of an opportunity for exposure. I saw a missing part where people weren’t getting their work out there,” he said.
King, who is working on his first novel and does computer consulting fieldwork throughout Marin County, said the Special Spring Women’s Issue will feature interviews with rock-and-roll mystery writer Deborah Grabien, martinis with “Bond Grrl” Sandy Shepard, and debut novelist Barbara Davies, and artwork of Eva Bakke. He states he will open up submissions to the Bay Area and beyond in future issues. (published 2013)
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All writing, submissions, and comments are the views of the respective authors and interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views of MillValleyLit or Editorial staff.
Mill Valley Literary Review is a Non-Prophet organization. We do have an opening for one.
Coming soon:
Lit treats from previous issues.
Debut new work from seasoned writers.
More interviews.