Santa Rosa
Black Pacific
African American History Month is marked at the Museum of Sonoma County with a Feb. 21 evening of readings and conversation featuring African American writers from across Sonoma County, reflecting on the museum’s exhibit, “Take Me to the Water: Histories of the Black Pacific.” Hosted by Kwasi Turner, the program features Joanna Wheeldin, Enid Pickett, Dr. Andrea Hall, Morris “Abashe’” Turner and N’game’ Gray—many of whom are descendants of families who made the historic westward migration explored in the exhibition. It’s a rare chance to hear local voices in direct dialogue with regional history, culture and memory. 5pm, Saturday, Feb. 21, Museum of Sonoma County, 425 7th St., Santa Rosa. Free; registration requested at museumsc.org/events.
Mill Valley
Dream Logic
Carol Duchamp’s large-format acrylic and watercolor paintings currently animate the lobby and stairwell at Thompson/Dorfman with a sense of looseness, luminosity and trust in the unplanned. An intuitive painter, Duchamp works from feeling-tone rather than fixed destination, allowing color, ink and gesture to arrive where they may. The result is a series of inner landscapes shaped by encounters with nature, travel, emotional and spiritual states, and the lived experience of being human. Now through March 25, Thompson/Dorfman, 39 Forrest St., Mill Valley. 8am–5pm, Monday–Friday.
Geyserville
Sips & Stories
Dutcher Crossing Winery adds a literary twist to wine country with the debut of Sips & Stories, a new quarterly book club that pairs thoughtful conversation with small-lot wines and thematically inspired bites. The inaugural gathering, on Feb. 26, centers on The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It, an engaging look at the woman behind one of the world’s most iconic Champagne houses. Participants who buy the featured book at Copperfield’s in Healdsburg and mention Sips & Stories receive a special discount. 5–7pm, Thursday, Feb. 26, Dutcher Crossing Winery, 8533 Dry Creek Rd., Geyserville. Free for wine club members; wines by the glass available for non-members. RSVP by Feb. 20 to la****@*******************ry.com.
Mill Valley
Fly Story Slam
Love gets the mic at a special Valentine’s edition of Fly Story Slam, the local, live-wire storytelling night modeled after The Moth. Now in its 21st show, Fly Story Slam invites Bay Area storytellers to take the stage at Boomerang Lounge on Feb. 13 and share true, personal stories told straight from lived experience. February’s theme, Connections, is tailor-made for a Valentine’s crowd. Expect laughter, tenderness, the occasional gut punch and the communal thrill that comes from hearing real people tell real stories in real time. Doors 7pm, show 7:30pm, Friday, Feb. 13, Boomerang Lounge, Mill Valley. More info (including sign-ups for storytellers) at theflystoryslam.com. $23.18.
