Richmond Author Writes about Local Environment

By Simone Haas

Judith Kahn speed walks down California Street to one of her favorite patios, Bazaar Cafe, while talking of the importance of indulging oneself.

"We live in such a fast-paced world," muses Kahn. "It's important to sit down and take a sip of tea and enjoy your surroundings."

Kahn's latest book, "Patio Escapes" is a guide to finding a place of serenity in the city.

"When I lived in Europe we always took a break in the day," Kahn said. "We need to do that here."

As a writer, Kahn enjoys being able to share her knowledge of the City. She enjoys her life in San Francisco and loves its history.

"A lot of my research revolves around San Francisco history," Kahn says, smiling. "I like to search stuff out and then share it. I like to talk about the inside of the City."

I spent 1982 giving walking tours of San Francisco to tourists," Kahn said. "It was great fun taking them to the bakeries of North Beach and showing them behind the scenes."

Writing has been a very important to Kahn since she was a child.

"When I was younger, I had trouble with speech and writing," Kahn said. "But I love to talk and write now. I see it as a very important part of my expression."

Kahn also says her years as a teacher in the SF Unified School District further showed her the importance of writing and speech.

"I taught English with an emphasis on writing for 28 years," Kahn said. "It's very important to teach how to organize one's thoughts into ideas."

Kahn is also inspired by her pet peeves with society.

"I hate it when people litter our streets," says Kahn. The need to change bad behavior has inspired her to create a website, which could debut later this year, dedicated to positively-influencing bad behavior.

"I'd like to improve immediate awareness so people will start acting more appropriately," Kahn said.

She says she enjoys living in the Outer Richmond because she can walk to the beach and because it is a "true neighborhood."

"It's important for me to know my neighbors," says Kahn. "I like to talk a lot."

Kahn says writing came to her naturally.

"I love to play with words and language. Writing has opened so many doors for me," she said.

"Patio Escapes" is available at Green Apple Books on Clement Street.