RENOWNED AUTHOR, EDITOR, AND SBCC INSTRUCTOR SANTA BARBARA, CALIF.
A memorial gathering honoring Anne N. Lowenkopf, a nationally recognized writer and editor who taught at Santa Barbara City College, will take place at the SBCC Schott Center Auditorium at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 13. Lowenkopf, 83, passed away on December 7, 2010 following a brief battle with cancer. Lowenkopf taught writing and literature courses at SBCC in the Continuing Education program for more than 30 years. She is remembered by students, colleagues, and friends for her intellect, wit, enthusiasm, and generous spirit. A permanent plaque in appreciation of her teaching skills was installed at the SBCC Schott Center in 1990. Her passion for gardening, dogs, and the expression “hooray” was renowned.
Copies of AnneThology, a collection of writing by Lowenkopf’s students, will be available at the memorial. She said the best gift her students could give her is to write, and this compilation was presented to her prior to her death. The book includes writing tips and a foreword written by her husband, noted educator, author and editor Shelly Lowenkopf. AnneThology will be available for $20 at the memorial and the Schott Center office. All proceeds go to the SBCC Anne Lowenkopf Honorary Fund.
Lowenkopf’s editorial talents were honed as a researcher and copy editor for a trade book publisher in Los Angeles. Frequently retained by established authors as an editor, ghost writer, or story consultant, her own publishing profile includes articles and books on history, mysticism, travel, writing, Native American religion, and anthropology.
Of the many books she wrote, Camping with the Indians (Sherbourne Press) was one of her favorites. An avid backpacker and hiker, Lowenkopf set off for the Southwest in a borrowed VW van with her Bluetick Coonhound named Jedediah Smith. The resulting work was lauded not only as a valuable backcountry guidebook but also as an enjoyable literary read that offered a keen sense of culture, place, and people.
Lowenkopf was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up in the Los Angeles area. She studied anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s of Art in English and a minor in Anthropology. She completed graduate work at California State College, Long Beach in the Psychology Ph.D. program before focusing on writing and editing. Lowenkopf spent three years as a Vedanta novice nun and studied with Swami Prabhavananda, who founded the Vedanta Society of Southern California in Hollywood in 1934. She maintained close ties to the Vedanta Temple in Santa Barbara throughout her life.
She was a committed teacher and taught her last class four weeks before her death in Santa Barbara. She once remarked, “Human beings are complex bundles of mysteries. Even when I get to the end, I still won’t know everything about myself, but I’m enjoying the exploration.” Students have remarked Lowenkopf’s enthusiasm for life powered her teaching and that she guided them to feel a part of something larger than themselves through reading and writing.
More information about the Anne Lowenkopf memorial and AnneThology can be found at www.sbannethology.com or via email at annethology@yahoo.com.
