Mystic Ink, Publisher of Spiritual, Shamanic, Transcendent Works, and Phantastic Fiction

Anne Lamott  is an American novelist and non-fiction writer whose nonfiction works are largely autobiographical. Lamott's writings, marked by their self-deprecating humor and openness, cover such subjects like alcoholism, single-motherhood, depression, and Christianity. Her best selling Bird by Bird had just been published when she spoke to the 1996 Santa Barbara Writers C...

*DEATH: (A Love Story) is an Award Winning Finalist in the 2020 International Book Awards.* WARNING! YOU COULD DIE LISTENING THIS BOOK! When's the last time you had an intimate heart to heart chat with your death? Have you ever? Now is your chance. Hi, I am your Death and I am here for you. No wait, don’t go! Aside from the fact that you can’t get away, I’m not here for you in that way, at least n...

Matthew J. (Mateo) Pallamary frequently visits the mountains, deserts, and jungles of North, Central, and South America pursuing his studies of shamanism for over twenty five years. He has seventeen books in print in multiple genres and has taught a Phantastic Fiction workshop at the Southern California Writers Conference and the Santa Barbara Writers Conference for over thirty years. Mateo has al...

Charles Schulz the creator of Peanuts and all the unforgettable characters he created was a regular at the  Santa Barbara Writers Conference  and was known to everyone by his nickname "Sparky". He loved writers, writing, and the creative process, and spent the whole week at the conference for many years. Aside from showing support for all the regular talent, a big part of Sparky's attend...

Robert Kane  (born  Robert Kahn  October 24, 1915 – November 3, 1998) was an American comic book writer, animator and artist who co-created, with  Bill Finger , the  DC Comics  character  Batman . Kane was inducted into the  comic book  industry's  Jack Kirby Hall of Fame  in 1993 and into the  Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame  in...

Author, editor, and shamanic explorer  Matthew Pallamary  shared his visionary experiences, and information about psychoactive plants, shamanism, and spirit possession. He described how the ritual of taking the ayahuasca brew in South America likely dates back to primitive times, and that the plant spirits serve as allies or emissaries. When you ingest them, "you literally become the jun...

Here is another entertaining talk from Jonathan Winters titled "Writing Is No Laughing Matter" from the 1988  Santa Barbara Writers Conference. Jonathan was a regular in the humor workshop formerly run by Ian Bernard of Laugh In fame, now run by Ernie Witham and he was a poet who attended SBWC Poetry Workshops run by the inimitable poetry workshop leader Perie Longo. Jonathan also p...

Arianna Huffington is a Greek-American author, syndicated columnist, businesswoman, and the co-founder of  The Huffington Post , the founder and CEO of  Thrive Global , and the author of fifteen books .  She gave a lively talk as one of the keynote speakers at the 1994 Santa Barbara Writers Conference has been named to  Time  magazine's list o...

Listen to Robert B. Parker  speaking about himself and Spenser, his most well-known character at the 1993 Santa Barbara Writers Conference . Parker was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works were the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective  Spenser .  ABC  television network developed the television ser...

Listen to James" Ellroy, an American  crime fiction writer  and  essayist speak at the 1993 Santa Barbara Writers Conference . Aside from his great talk, he was a lot of fun. Ellroy is known for his telegrammatic  prose style  where he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short,  staccato  sentences, and in particular for the novels  The Blac...

Robert James Waller  (August 1, 1939 – March 10, 2017) was an American author best known for  The Bridges of Madison County , an enormously successful book in 1993. He was also a photographer and musician. Robert James Waller Jr. was born in Charles City, Iowa, and grew up in Rockford, Iowa. Waller received his BA ('62) and MA ('64) from University of Northern Iowa&nb...

Steve Allen  was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and first host of  The Tonight Show , which was the first late-night television talk show. Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best known for his extensive network television career. He gained national attenti...

Janet Roach  is an  American  writer  ,  producer  and filmmaker, best known for her collaboration with  Richard Condon  in the black comedy  Die Ehre der Prizzis  , both of which were  nominated  for an  Oscar  in  1986 , the same year she spoke at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference . With the documentary ...

ARE HUMMINGBIRDS THE NERVE ENDINGS OF GOD?   Picaflores: The Nerve Endings of GOD is available as an e-book, a full color special print edition, a black and white print edition, and as an audio book. Matthew J. Pallamary’s magical, otherworldly, intimate connection with the spirit of Picaflor comes from two decades of visionary journeys experienced within the context of shamanic plant diets i...

Julia Child  was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality recognized for bringing  French cuisine  to the American public with her debut  cookbook ,  Mastering the Art of French Cooking , and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was  The French Chef , which premiered in 1963. When it was first published in 1961 by ...

Here is a second talk from legendary comic Jonathan Winters titled "I'd Rather Be Writing" from the 1986   Santa Barbara Writers Conference. Jonathan was a regular at the SBWC and he was a dedicated writer. He sat in on the humor workshop formerly run by Ian Bernard of  Laugh In  fame, now run by Ernie Witham and he attended Poetry Workshops with the utmost seriousness. He also publ...

Journey back in time to a long forgotten world, where nature speaks through plants, and song pours forth from cascading waterfalls as breathtakingly as a church choir sings Ave Maria. A place where the rhythm of a feathered rattle is believed to bring you closer to your creator. A world where mysticism and innate spirituality conflict with Christianity. Avá-Tapé, raised in the traditions of the Gu...

Nicholas Meyer  is an American writer and director, known for his best-selling novel  The Seven-Per-Cent Solution , and for directing the films  Time After Time , two of the  Star Trek  feature films, the 1983 television film  The Day After , and the 1999  HBO  original film  Vendetta . Meyer was nominated for an  Academy Award for Best Adapted Scr...

Scott Berg  gave a great keynote talk about writing the biography of Goldwyn when it first came out at the 1989 Santa Barbara Writers Conference . After graduating from  Princeton University  in 1971, Berg expanded his senior thesis on editor  Maxwell Perkins  into a full-length biography,  Max Perkins: Editor of Genius  (1978), which won a  National Book Aw...

PICAFLOR  is the sequel to  SPIRIT MATTERS , a San Diego Book Award winner and an Award-Winning Finalist in the National Best Book Awards. PICAFLOR  chronicles the two decades since of Matthew (Mateo) J. Pallamary’s adventures in  SPIRIT MATTERS  through the mountains, deserts, and jungles of North, Central, and South America pursuing his studies of shamanism and visionary...

Dominick John Dunne (October 29, 1925 – August 26, 2009) was an American writer, investigative journalist, and producer. He began his career in film and television as a producer of the pioneering gay film  The Boys in the Band  (1970) and as the producer of the award-winning drug film  The Panic in Needle Park  (1971). He turned to writing in the early 1970s, and after the 1982...

Joe Wambaugh, Jr.  is a best-selling American writer known for his fictional and nonfictional accounts of police work in the United States. Several of his early novels were set in Los Angeles, and its surroundings, and featured Los Angeles police officers as protagonists. He has been nominated for four Edgar Awards (winning three), and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Wr...

Christina Crawford  (born June 11, 1939) is an American author and actress, best known for her 1978 memoir,  Mommie Dearest , her account of growing up with her adoptive mother, film star  Joan Crawford . Christina Crawford was born in Los Angeles, California in 1939, to an unmarried teen. According to her personal interview with Larry King, her father was marrie...

John Saul, an American author of suspense and horror novels spoke at the 1988 Santa Barbara Writers Conference . Most of his books have appeared on the  New York Times  Best Seller List. Prior to the start of his bestselling thriller career, Saul had around 10 books published under pen names, the first of which he wrote in one weekend after unexpectedly losing his job. His firs...

Author, editor, and shamanic explorer  Matthew Pallamary  has been searching the globe for answers on the truth about reality. In the latter half, he discussed his studies of shamanism and visionary experience and working with plant medicines like ayahuasca. Shamans have traditionally offered a bridge between the spirit and physical world, and could be considered the first doctors, heale...