SOLD!! Writing Critique

Professional Writing Critique

Sharon Wachsler will provide thoughtful, thorough, constructive critique of your writing -- either one (1) short story (any genre) OR one (1) essay OR three (3) poems.

Sharon has taught and mentored other writers through her online writing class, “Dancing with the Muse,” and through her work as founding editor of the literary journal Breath & Shadow. She has extensive experience giving and receiving critique on plays, short stories, poems, interviews, reviews, and essays.

Sharon has been writing professionally since 1992, winning awards in nonfiction, fiction (flash fiction and short fiction), and poetry, including two poetry Pushcart nominations and an Astraea Foundation fiction grant. Her short stories have twice appeared in Best American Erotica. She has written features for Kaleidoscope literary journal and Bitch magazine. Her essays have been used in numerous college curricula, particularly disability studies, women's studies, and diversity education. She has well over 100 publication credits, including short stories and essays in several dozen books. You can see some of her publishing credits here (nonfiction & essays), here (erotica), and here (online publications). References available upon request.

Value: $75. Minimum starting bid: $30. 

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

SOLD!! Dreamwork Session & "The Work of Byron Katie" session

Two (2) items offered by Zoé Newman, Bay-area psychotherapist:
Dreamwork Session & Session on The Work of Byron Katie

Dreamwork session is an opportunity to explore your dreams and tap the insight, guidance, and healing wisdom they offer you. Zoé Newman is a Bay Area psychotherapist who has been leading dreamwork groups for over twenty years, drawing on Jungian, gestalt, somatic, and other dreamwork approaches; and is the author of Lucid Waking: Using Dreamwork Principles to Transform Your Waking Life.
Note: The dreamwork session is definitely best in person at Zoé's North Berkeley office but can be done by phone.
Value: $120. Minimum starting bid: $45. $20!

The Work of Byron Katie session in person or by phone with Certified Facilitator Zoé Newman. "The Work of Byron Katie is a way of identifying and questioning the thoughts that cause all the fear, violence, depression, frustration, and suffering in the world. Experience the happiness of undoing those thoughts through The Work, and allow your mind to return to its true, awakened, peaceful, creative nature."
Value: $120. Minimum starting bid: $45.

There are NO geographical restrictions on these items; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

In your bid, please indicate whether you are bidding on the Dreamwork session or on The Work of Byron Katie session.

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

SOLD!! Finger's Breadth - Autographed

M. Christian, an acknowledged master of erotica, editor of 25 anthologies and author of multiple novels and short story collections is donating a personally autographed copy of his latest novel, Finger's Breadth.

An erotic thriller, this dark emotional thriller that reviewers say "will take the reader on a scary but enlightening ride through the twisted labyrinth of the human psyche" and will "get under your skin and send chills to your bones in both a terrifying and arousing kind of way."

Look at your hand: four fingers and a thumb, right? But what if you woke one morning and rather than four fingers and a thumb you are ... short? How would you feel? What would you do? What would you become?

The city is terrified: a mysterious figure is haunting the streets of near-future San Francisco, drugging and amputating the fingertips of queer men. But what's worse … this terror or that it can, so easily, turn any of us into something even more horrific?

Erotic. Nightmarish. Fascinating. Disturbing. Intriguing. Haunting. You have never read a book like Finger's Breadth. You will never look your fingers -- or the people all around you -- the same way again.

Paperback. New. M. Christian will sign it personally for the winner. (ebook is available if preferred.)

This item comes from a smoke-free environment.

(Like to read? Check out all our print and audio books!)

Retail Value: $15.99. Minimum starting bid: $10. $5.99!

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

SOLD!! Empathy, Mediation, or NVC Coaching

 Empathy, NVC coaching, mediation, or Rosen Method with Marlena Willis

Marlena Willis (for whom we are having this auction!) is offering empathy, NVC coaching, mediation by phone or in person; or hands-on empathy -- in person only -- which combines NVC and Rosen Method bodywork. Two (2) one-hour sessions are available to the two highest bidders.

Marlena is a teacher of NVC who has been an NVC practitioner for over a decade and has taken the BayNVC Leadership Training Program twice. She is experienced at offering empathy, NVC coaching, and mediation by phone. She also has experience combining training in Rosen method bodywork with NVC to offer hands-on empathy. Read more about Marlena.

These services are available by phone with anyone in the world (those outside of the US are responsible for their phone charges or may use Skype) or in person for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. The TWO (2) highest bidders each win a session! 

(Want to see our other NVC-related items? Click here.)

Value: $100 (per session). Minimum starting bid: $45.

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

SOLD!! Dakota Free Gift Card

Click here to visit Dakota Free's website.

 $50.00 Dakota Free Gift Certificate

Christine of Dakota Free, has generously donated a $50 gift certificate to help Marlena. Dakota Free -- a family business -- sells a huge range of products to help families stay healthy. Serving those with celiac disease, allergies, autism, chemical sensitivities, asthma, dry or sensitives kin, Dakota Free offers three unique lines of gluten-free, allergen-specific skincare, bath, baby, and spa products.

Use your $50 Gift Certificate to purchase any of Dakota Free's wide range of environmentally friendly products!

• Bath and Home Spa products (liquid & bar soaps; facial cleanser, scrub, & mask; facial cleansing powder; body scrub; foot scrub & soak; fragrance-free bath crystals; deodorants; cuticle treatment oil)
• Skin Care products (face and body moisturizers; "Baby Your Skin" balm; lip balms & lip SPF protection; massage & body oil)
• Baby products (baby oil, prairie soap with Shea butter; baby balm; liquid Castile soap; Natural Baby Gift Basket; Natural Baby Bath Set; Baby Bath Travel Pack)
• Cleaning products (Oxy-Boost, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher detergent, fabric softener, stain remover)
• Gifts & other products such as outdoor bug repellent, videos/DVDs, books, CDs, snacks, Spa Set, Wild Rose Gift Basket, Fragrance-Free Gift Basket, Cup O' Dakota Gift Set, Foot Care Kit, Natural Baby Gift Basket, Luxury Bath Set, & more!

(Have MCS or an interest in fragrance-free living? Visit all our MCS-related listings.)

Retail price: $50. Minimum starting bid: $30.

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

SOLD!! French Tutoring

Learn or Practice French via Skype!

Jeanne Chapeau of France offers Conversational French & Basics of French to young and old!

Jeanne Chapeau, a graduate of BayNVC's leadership training program, offers her services to those who want to learn French or improve their existing French skills. Jeanne is a native French speaker with experience teaching French as a foreign language. She is trilingual - fluent in English, Spanish, and French. Parlez avec Jeanne!

Jeanne offers up to ten (10) 45-minute sessions of French conversation and up to three (3) 45-minute classes on learning the basics of the French language. You may bid on any number or combination of sessions of French conversation and/or French-language basics.

Conditions: Jeanne will work with people age 12 and above for beginning French, and any age (adult or child) for conversational French. Due to time differences, sessions must take place between 5pm and 5am Pacific Time US/Canada (8pm-8amET/US-Canada or 1am-1pmGMT). Questions? Email Jeanne!
 

Value: $25 per session. Minimum starting bid for first two sessions: $12 per session. Now $9 per session! Minimum starting bid for three sessions or more: $10 per session. Now $6 per session!

Bid examples: "3 sessions of French conversation at $10 each ($30)" or "1 session at $12 each of conversation and tutoring ($24)."

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

SOLD!! Giraffe "Welcome to the World" Bags

Set of 10 Giraffe "Welcome to the World"

Baby Shower Muslin Favor Bags, Gift Bags, or Candy Bags

These sweet 3x5 muslin drawstring favor bags were donated by Crista of Dazzling Expressions.

Use them with a literal interpretation for a baby shower, or a metaphorical one for students of NVC -- welcoming them to the world of Compassionate Communication as baby giraffes.

They are perfect for favors such as candy, soaps, snacks, candles....or anything else that will fit. The design is hand stamped and inks are available in many colors. Ink color shown is Chocolate.

To see the bags in more detail or to see the other ink colors available, visit Dazzling Expressions.

(We have more giraffes! Visit all our giraffe listings.)

Retail price: $11.50. Minimum starting bid: $8.

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!
To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

SOLD!! Marina Smerling Empathy Session

One-hour session with Marina Smerling

Marina Smerling is generously offering one hour of empathic listening, enemy image work, or other support for emotional healing.

Marina Smerling is an attorney, mediator, and conflict coach for couples and individuals, and is committed to tapping into the power of self-love and self-compassion to move us beyond war in our everyday inner and global worlds, and to nurture ways of being that care for, honor, and include all life. She is also a dancer, yogi, and advocate for social justice who infuses love with needs for equality and inclusion.

She is the founder of a Bay Area NVC & Social Change network, and co-founder of the Connection Project, whose purpose is to bring empathy and NVC discourse to public protests, disputes, and dialogues. She is a longtime devotee of NVC as both a relationship and spiritual practice.

Conditions: Marina can call anyone in the US and will accept incoming calls from anywhere. International bidders are responsible for their long-distance charges. By telephone from anywhere, or in person in the Bay area. One hour. (Marina's other terms and conditions are explained here.)

(Want to see our other NVC-related items? Click here.)

Retail value: $80. Minimum starting bid: $35.

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

SOLD!! Bicycling Giraffe T-Shirt

Dark Cycle Clothing's unique urban bicycling giraffe T-shirt!

Screen printed short sleeved, men's/unisex black* T-shirt. Available in sizes XS-2X. Visit their shop for further details on this shirt, including pictures on male and female models.

"This giraffe wanted to start biking so we had to build him a Dark Cycle tall bike! We've printed this in soft orange on a super soft standard American Apparel 100% cotton t-shirt. These run true to American standard t-shirt sizing with an additional two inches of length. The print quality you see is the print quality you get!"

*If you prefer a color other than black, Dark Cycle will print this design on one of the other color T-shirts they carry. Please see their shop.

Giraffe lovers: Dark Cycle also carries this pattern on long-sleeve, hooded, women's style, and zippered Ts and sweatshirts, along with T-shirt dresses, throw pillows, and other items.

(We have more giraffes! Visit all our giraffe listings.)

Retail price: $21. Minimum starting bid: $15.

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

SOLD!! NVC with Mair Alight

One-Hour Phone Session with Certified NVC Trainer Mair Alight

Mair Alight just found out about this auction and is generously donating a one-hour phone session. You can learn more about Mair and her world-wide empathy work at her website, AnotherWay2Communicate:

Mair Alight is a CNVC Certified International Trainer.  She is committed to finding ways to share NVC that help create ease, simplicity and understanding, building competence and confidence in the process.  She enjoys exploring and experimenting with learning strategies and holds the intention to come from a place of “invitation to learning” rather than “being the expert.”

Mair Alight is a Certified International Trainer through the Center for Nonviolent Communication and co-founder of the San Quentin Prison NVC Teaching Team (2002). Developer of the “Jackal Cafe and Another Way” game, co-author of “Compassionate Underwear” (Bear). Mair teaches NVC at Vacaville Correctional Facility through Dept. of Mental Health.

“I cherish the gifts my mentors have shared with me, and relish the opportunity to pass them on to others. I enjoy offering a nourishing blend of challenge and support.” -Mair

Value: $100. Minimum starting bid: $50. $25!

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

Liminus Learning Humanities Tutoring

Two (2) hours of tutoring in the humanities to the THREE highest bidders!

We're very excited to be able to offer this unique resource to young or adult learners! 

Andrew Lovett, founder of Liminus Learning, is donating six hours of tutoring broken up into three (3) lots of two 60-minute tutoring sessions in the humanities: writing, English literature, or history.

This means that the THREE highest bidders will EACH receive two hours of tutoring. (Or, for six hours, bid on both lots!) Andrew is located in the San Francisco Bay area. Bids will be accepted for in-person tutoring in the Bay area -- or anywhere in the world via Skype!

Andrew holds a Master's Degree in Education from Stanford and a Bachelor's Degree in English from Harvard. He has taught language arts, history, and English at the middle school and high school levels and was the founder of an academic enrichment program in Cincinnati.

The focus of Liminus Learning is using neurohumanism to mentor and tutor youth (middle school or above) or adults. Those who particularly can benefit from this teaching method are gifted adolescents, adults in transition, and educators. Students who have chronic illness that causes them to miss school can benefit from skilled tutoring from an adult who understands what it's like to live with health challenges.

Learn more about Andrew's background, approach, and services from the Liminus Learning website:

"Neurohumanism is an educational method that combines recent breakthroughs in neuroscience with the age-old wisdom of the humanities. Neurohumanism gives us access to our nervous system's natural plasticity through the use of techniques drawn from humanistic psychology, somatics and the arts. This makes for a powerful approach to tutoring and training.

"We believe in our students. Our mentors act as facilitators to help open doors between you and your highest intellectual potential. We ask questions, present possibilities, and offer techniques to assist learning; you do the learning itself.

"We believe in communication. In our experience, academic mentoring is most effective when students, mentors, families, and teachers work together as a team. We are eager to communicate with all stakeholders in the learning process."

Value: $240 (per lot). NO LONGER AVAILABLE. AUCTION HAS CONCLUDED.

If you want four or six hours of tutoring, you may bid on both or all three lots. (Example: 2 bids at $100 each.)

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

Disability Support

"Prairie Rose" by Vic Brincat. Used with permission.

 One Hour of Support by Telephone (or Skype) for Living with Disability/Illness

Linda Hillyer is offering one hour of compassionate listening and support to an adult with a disability or chronic illness. Whether you are experiencing isolation, grappling with loss, or trying to find your way through a maze of bureaucracies, having another person deeply understand your experience can provide greater clarity, self-empathy, and the knowledge that you're not alone. Linda's decades of personal and professional disability experience enable her to discuss issues such as finding meaning in the face of new limitations, reshaping one's life, and communicating with family or providers.

Linda Hillyer has worked in the field of disability for nearly 20 years, for more than a dozen of those years as a peer counselor and disability advocate at Boston Self Help Center (BSHC). She has also written extensively about disability, chronic illness, and other health-related concerns and authored the website, Listen to Our Stories: Words, Pictures, and Songs by Young People with Disabilities. Linda is currently the director of the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Project of BSHC and a student of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).

Note: Linda can call anyone in the US and will accept incoming calls from anywhere. International callers will be responsible for their long-distance charges, or use Skype.

(Want to see our other NVC-related items? Click here.)

Retail value: $50. NO LONGER AVAILABLE. AUCTION HAS CONCLUDED.

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!

Skype Serenade!

Boundless Gratitude

Personal Performance for You by Musician/Storyteller Boundless Gratitude - via Skype.

Enjoy a musical serenade in your own home from musician and storyteller, Boundless Gratitude. From Boundless's website:

Whether Boundless and his guitar are crooning a mellow ballad, rocking an up-tempo foot-tapper, or laying down a spiritual or political folk song, they still just sing the truths of life in healing, empowering and entertaining ways that listeners describe as "warm" and "calming." For Boundless, music is religion, vocation, and therapy, because of its heavenly harmonies, earthy rhythms and divinely earthy metaphors.

Boundless's earlier CDs include the mellow "Acoustic Nectar," the political, "Homeland Security," and "Acoustic Light," which features songs for kids, among others.

As a special gift to this fundraiser for Marlena, Boundless is generously offering a 30-minute serenade via Skype to the highest bidder. You can read his lyrics and/or listen to his music and stories on his website (with both low-speed and high-speed internet options) in case you would like to make requests!

Value: $50. NO LONGER AVAILABLE. AUCTION HAS CONCLUDED.

There are NO geographical restrictions on this item; we will accept bids from anywhere in the world!

To bid, post the amount of your bid and your contact info in the comment section below! Thank you!