“Advice to cleaning women: Take everything that your lady gives you and say Thank you. You can leave it on the bus, in the crack.” So muses a house cleaner as she sits with other maids on a Piedmont sidewalk, waiting for a bus home in the title story of “A Manual for Cleaning Women.” This new collection of autobiographical stories by writer Lucia Berlin, who died 11 years ago, has gained her a popularity she never achieved in life. We’ll talk about Berlin’s life and work with local writers who got to know her while she lived in the East Bay.
Lucia Berlin's Writing Gains Popularity with Posthumous Short Story Collection
"Advice to cleaning women: Take everything that your ladygives you and say Thank you. You can leave it on the bus, inthe crack." So muses a house cleaner as she sits with othermaids on a Piedmont sidewalk, waiting for a bus home in thetitle story of "A Manual for Cleaning Women." This newcollection of autobiographical stories by writer Lucia Berlin,who died 11 years ago, has gained her a popularity she neverachieved in life. We'll talk about Berlin's life and work withlocal writers who got to know her while she lived in the EastBay.
(Buddy Berlin)