Robert Mailer Anderson (born 1968) is an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, Grammy-nominated producer and activist. He is the author of the bestselling[1] novel Boonville, which takes place in the
Northern California town of
Boonville, and the 2016 play The Death of Teddy Ballgame.[2] He is a contributor to the
Anderson Valley Advertiser. Anderson is a three-time San Francisco Library Laureate[3] and in 2016 he was presented the San Francisco Arts Medallion for his outstanding leadership in the arts.[4] In August 2020, Anderson was appointed to the California Humanities Board of Directors by Governor
Gavin Newsom.[5]
Family background
Anderson was born in
San Francisco. He is a ninth-generation native of California. Anderson and his two siblings were raised by divorced blue-collar parents.[6] As a young man he spent five years living with his father at Grapevine Group Home for juvenile delinquents and disturbed youth, where his father was the director. He also spent time at his father's prior workplace, Fern Hill School, run by his uncle
Bruce Anderson, where residents included future serial killer
David Mason and Darrell Waters, who murdered one of the Fern Hill counselors.[7][6] His uncle, Bruce Anderson, is the publisher of the Anderson Valley Advertiser for which Robert has been a contributor since 1984 and a fiction editor. During his time as fiction editor, Anderson attracted talents like
Daniel Handler,
Sandow Birk,
Floyd Salas and
Michelle Tea.[8]
Writing career
Anderson's short story "36-28-34-7" was published by Christopher Street in 1995. Boonville was published in 2001 by
Bay Area independent publisher Creative Arts Book Publishing, and was then picked up for paperback reprint by
HarperCollins.
Anderson lives in San Francisco.[11] Married to the heiress Nicola Miner (daughter of
Oracle Corporation cofounder
Bob Miner), he is a former board member of the
San Francisco Opera, and
SFJAZZ.[12] During his ten years on the SFJAZZ board, Anderson spearheaded the $65 million campaign to build the
SFJAZZ Center, the first freestanding building for jazz performance and education in America.[13] Anderson named the campaign "The World is Listening"[14] and the phrase was later used to promote the 55th Annual
GRAMMY Awards.[15] On February 16, 2012, he and his wife hosted
Barack Obama's fundraising visit to San Francisco, at his home in
Pacific Heights. Singer
Al Green, bassist
Les Claypool, harmonica player
Charlie Musselwhite and blues player
Booker T. Jones performed for the fundraiser.[16][17][18] Anderson was named the Colonial Standard Bearer for the 2013 Selkirk Common Riding in Selkirk, Scotland.[19] His great-grandfather, Robert "Honolulu Bob" Anderson was a founder of the Colonial Society and received the same honor as Colonial Standard Bearer one hundred years prior, in 1913.[20]
Activism
In June 2004, Anderson created an anti-Iraq War poster campaign which juxtaposed an Abu Graib prisoner, the American Flag, and the slogan "Got Democracy?". The poster became part of the collection at
Center for the Study of Political Graphics in Los Angeles.[21]
(Executive Producer)
Edward Simon: Latin American Songbook (2015)[30] Winner of Outstanding Jazz Album at 48th Annual NAACP Image Awards.[31][32]
(Executive Producer)
Miguel Zenón: Tipico.[33] 2017 Grammy nominee for Best Latin Jazz Album[34] 2018 Grammy nominee for Best Latin Jazz Album[35]
(Associate Producer)
Miguel Zenón: Identities Are Changeable. 2017 Latin Grammy nominee for Best Latin Jazz Album.[36]
(Executive Producer)
David Sánchez: Carib. Nominated for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 62nd Annual
Grammy Awards and for Outstanding Jazz Album at 51st Annual
NAACP Image Awards.