Guest List: One Never Knows Who They’ll Meet on NYE

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New Year’s Eve, 1999. It was a party to remember, and a quarter century later, it still haunts me. 

I was friends with a quirky, brilliant entrepreneur who had invented something few understood at all—the first internet search engine. The party celebrated not only the coming new year, but also a quantum breakthrough in computer technology. 

There were perhaps a hundred people at the party, chatting, mingling, eating from a lavish buffet and drinking from an open bar. They were mostly young—at 47, I was clearly one of the elders. But there was one person who stood out among the guests. Not because of what she did, but because of what she did not do. She did not talk to anyone. She did not eat or drink anything. She sat in a chair against the back wall, looking hopelessly out of place among the vibrant crowd. 

I had never seen her before. But I could not help but wonder who she was and why she was there. Finally, I asked my friend if he knew her. “That’s my wife’s sister,” he said. “She’s kind of weird.” 

A few minutes later, I happened to be talking to my friend’s wife, and mentioned that her sister did not seem to be having a very good time. “Oh, she’s a hermit,” she replied. “She lives in New York. She doesn’t do anything. Never talks to anyone, never sees anyone. She’s been like that for years. I can’t believe she even showed up for the party.” 

I looked at the woman, sitting in the same chair in the same location. I didn’t know very many people at the party, and obviously neither did she. I decided to go talk to her. 

I walked over to where she was sitting. “Hello,” I said. She looked away and ignored me. “I hear you came here from New York,” I persisted. 

“Yes,” she replied, looking away. 

“I used to live in New York,” I replied. 

No response. By now, I felt completely uncomfortable. 

“Take care,” I said, and walked away. 

I never saw her in person again. Several decades later, when she became very well known, I was completely shocked. And that was my party with Ghislaine Maxwell.

Daniel Shiner is a bookseller in Mill Valley.

Your Letters, Dec. 31

Party Foul

I grew up in a conservative Republican Catholic family in the 1950s. The GOP at that time still had some integrity, moderation and even intellectual merit. That was then.

This is now. The party stands for racial hatred and exclusion, concentration of wealth in the hands of oligarchs, commercial exploitation of the natural environment and blind plunder. Oh, plus it’s now a cult, not a party of broad interests. 

There is only one political party that is more corrupt, less in tune with the interests of ordinary Americans, less involved in proposing and executing solutions to actual problems, and less effective at conducting its own affairs.

That is the Democratic Party.

There is only one path forward, which is defeat of every Republican and Democratic incumbent, and replacement of them by people who reflect a new, more enlightened citizenry. Time to take the gloves off.

Craig J. Corsini
San Rafael

That Was the Year That Was: 2025 ‘Bohemian’ Highlights Reflect a Year of Persistence

That was the year that was,” sang Tom Lehrer—a line that now reads less like commentary than accounting. Lehrer, who died in 2025, spent his career paying close attention to how systems behave under pressure. It’s a useful posture for looking back at a year in Sonoma and Napa counties where culture, policy and daily life continued to intersect in public view.

The North Bay Bohemian’s 2025 reflects a year of persistence. Art continued. Institutions evolved. And people kept showing up.

January opened with the performing arts returning to regular operation. “Lights Up: North Bay Theater Companies Raise Curtains on 2025” surveyed stages across the region reopening seasons, announcing casts and committing to schedules. The emphasis was practical: rehearsal space secured, tickets on sale, shows moving forward.

February brought national policy closer to home. “Deportation on the Menu” followed the effects of immigration enforcement through Wine Country kitchens, farms and hotels, tracing how labor shortages altered daily operations and strained businesses built on invisible work. The reporting grounded the issue in lived consequences rather than rhetoric.

Water emerged as a central concern that same month. “Historic Pact Signed Re: SoCo’s Main Water Source” documented an agreement shaping the future of the Russian River watershed. The story focused on negotiations, allocations and long-term planning, outlining decisions that will affect the region for decades.

Spring coverage turned toward craft and process. “The Art of Making” examined a documentary series centered on artisans and builders, following the steps of work done by hand. The piece stayed close to the materials and methods, showing how objects are made and why those skills continue to matter.

In May, the paper slowed its pace. “The Keeper” offered a personal account of family history and survival, placing memory and inheritance alongside the year’s larger civic stories. The piece stood on its own, rooted in experience rather than argument.

Summer expanded the map. “Summertime and the Living Is Easy” tracked free outdoor movie nights held in parks, airports and public spaces across Sonoma County. Screens went up. People brought chairs. The events drew neighbors who might not otherwise share a room.

July brought music into focus. Coverage of “Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven at Petaluma Music Festival” traced the band’s long career and its continued draw, noting a crowd that spanned generations. The reporting stayed with the facts: the set list, the turnout, the staying power.

That same month, “Party at the Mall” documented Slick Bridge’s transformation of a vacant shopping center into a working arts space. Studios replaced storefronts. Artists moved in. The piece followed how the project took shape and who made it happen.

August closed the summer with action. “Activists Fast for Sanctuary” reported on a hunger strike undertaken in support of immigrant protections, detailing the participants, their demands and the public response. The story stayed with the facts of the protest and its stakes.

Taken together, the North Bay Bohemian’s coverage of 2025 records a year shaped by action and adjustment across the region. Cultural life continued. Public decisions carried weight. People responded in visible ways.

That was the year that was.

Still ‘Making Sense,’ Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison Hosts Concert Film in Napa

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The opening of the Talking Heads 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense—a new and improved version of which plays Jan. 10 at Napa’s Uptown Theatre, with a live Q&A with cofounder Jerry Harrison—finds David Byrne on a bare stage performing “Psycho Killer” with an acoustic guitar. 

His sole accompaniment is what appears to be a portable cassette player, which actually contains a pre-programmed Roland TR-808 drum machine backing track.

Opening with “Psycho Killer” made sense. With its new-wave sound and unsettling first-person lyric, the 1977 single was the group’s first to break into the United States’ top 100. Two decades later, it was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of the “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.” And today, it is by far the band’s most-streamed track on Spotify. There’s also a newly-released video for “Psycho Killer” featuring a new visualizer created by the album’s art director, Tibor Kalman.

But for all its success, the song’s history includes one dark and jarring moment. Just a year after its release, the band was performing it during a free concert at Berkeley Quad when the context of the song’s performance changed. Word began to spread that San Francisco’s Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been assassinated just miles away at city hall.

This convergence of events—one joyful, one tragic—showed how a performance could exist within a larger, living context. But the group’s real evolution was still to come.

The Jonathan Demme-directed Stop Making Sense perfectly embodies those changes. Over the course of the film, band members Byrne, guitarist Harrison, bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz are gradually joined by five additional musicians, including the legendary keyboardist Bernie Worrell. This expanded lineup, which had been out on the road playing a lot of festivals, allowed the group to bring to life the layered, funky and rhythmic sound of their recent Remain in Light and Speaking in Tongues albums.

“I think one of the reasons the film has lasted so long is that it looks like it could have been done in the 1930s,” Harrison said in an early September interview. “It’s normal stage lights, the slide projections; there’s nothing from the ’80s—other than maybe the clothes we were wearing and the instruments that were available at that time. And the Talking Heads music has really stood the test of time. It doesn’t feel dated.”

Harrison was also involved in the film’s sound mixing. “Mixing it and being able to have that spatial placement was really sort of eye opening, so to speak, as well as ear opening,” the guitarist said. “And the new scan, I think, is really beautiful, because we were able to find the original negative and get it cleaned and scanned it in 4k. It really is just beautiful looking.”

For those who want to hear live versions of songs like “Psycho Killer” in their stripped down formative stages, Rhino Records recently reissued the album Talking Heads, Live on Tour ’78.

Harrison still has fond memories of that era.

“There were all of these industrial spaces for rent,” he said. “And so musicians, painters and dancers all intermingled in the downtown New York scene. Most of the buildings had very rudimentary fixtures, and a lot of times not enough heat, but there was a lot of space. It was great; you’d be walking down the street and running into everyone from Robert Rauschenberg to Merce Cunningham to Philip Glass to fellow members of the CBGB scene.”

Harrison is also very enthusiastic about how the group’s sound changed over the course of its 16-year lifespan.

“There’s something great about those live performances,” Harrison said. “I’ve been trying to get Rhino to at some point put out an album of all the versions of ‘Psycho Killer’ that we did live. Because there’s so many guitar parts that David and I are playing that mutate over time more than in other songs. It’s really interesting how much things change.”

The Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison will host ‘Stop Making Sense’ at 8pm, Saturday, Jan. 10 at Uptown Theatre, 1350 Third Street, Napa. More info at uptowntheatrenapa.com.

Your Letters, Dec. 24

Overdue Book

Nina Schmidt’s piece on Norm Solomon’s book, The Blue Road to Trump Hell, underscores a lesson in being 10 or 15 years too late, with due respect for a terrific book. A really, really better world will begin with removal of the incumbents of both parties; new limits on how long elected officials can serve, including an age limit; and new rules about how leaders are elected in both houses of Congress, with meritocracy replacing seniority.

The Trump disaster is going to take decades to reverse. Congress can either be an impediment or an agent for progress in the long road back to respectability, accountability and credibility. Right now, it is a major roadblock. And so is the electorate.

Craig J. Corsini
San Rafael

Murmuring Movies

Regarding the film article, “See/Say: Communication via Cinema,” Dec. 10, 2025—elegant, eloquent reasoning, and deeply compassionate into the bargain. A powerful reminder and also a gentle suggestion. Thank you for this, Joe Mulcaire. Please write more.

Joan Frank
Via Bohemian.com

Free Will Astrology, Dec. 24-30

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the Brazilian rainforest, Cecropia trees and Azteca ants have a special relationship. The trees’ hollow branches serve as nesting spaces for the ants and offer them sugar-rich food. In return, the ants aggressively defend the trees from herbivores and predators, protecting them from damage. This mutualism benefits both species. The trees get protection that enhances their growth, while the ants gain shelter and nutrition. In the coming months, Aries, I invite you to seek symbiosis that’s equally vigorous. Enjoy the fun challenge of reducing your solo struggles as you rouse collaborations that boost your power and everyone else’s. The goal is intelligent alliance, not compromise. Be resourceful as you trade a bit too much independence for just the right amount of interdependence.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When potters center clay on a wheel, they typically use one hand inside the vessel to apply steady, controlled force. The other hand remains fluid, guiding and stabilizing the outer rim of the spinning clay. This balanced use of pressure—one hand firm and bracing, the other adapting minutely to the shifting clay—helps bring the lump into perfect symmetry. I propose you make this a prime metaphor in the coming months, Taurus: control meeting surrender. You will be crafting a new balance between security and surprise. Too much rigidity, and the form cracks; too much flow, and it collapses. Practice the middle art.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Poet Audre Lorde spoke of how caring for herself was the exact opposite of being selfish. It was the foundation of her ability to serve and inspire other people. My Aunt Sophie used to say, “You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.” Educator Stephen Covey advised, “Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.” Poet Vironika Tugaleva writes, “Learning to love yourself is essential and life-changing.” Everything I just said should be your keynotes in the coming months, Gemini. Boost your self-care to sublime levels.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A remarkable species of jellyfish can circumvent the aging and death process that affects all other animals. Turritopsis dohrnii converts its mature, specialized cells back into stem cells, essentially recycling its own body into youth. The process may repeat indefinitely, making the animal theoretically immortal. In the coming months, Cancerian, your emotional wisdom will also show amazing regenerative power. Challenging and intriguing situations will be opportunities for you to initiate stunning acts of renewal. Like the jellyfish, you won’t merely manage change but will use it as a catalyst for vigorous growth. Have you ever before been blessed by such wildly rejuvenative powers of metamorphosis? I don’t think so.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): According to ancient Egyptian myth, the sun god Ra rode a celestial boat across the sky by day. Each night, he plunged into the underworld to wrangle with chaos so he could rebirth light in time for the dawn. That’s your mythic assignment for the coming months, Leo: not to be nonstop luminous, but to renew and nurture your radiance in the dark. Your courage will lie in feeling and learning from your doubts without identifying with them. Your magnetism and wisdom will deepen as you descend. You won’t be less golden for passing through shadow.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In medieval monasteries, scribes added whimsical drawings called drolleries into the margins of sacred manuscripts. These marginalia included scenes like frogs playing harps, nuns chasing rabbits and fantastical creatures engaged in playful or absurd activities. How should we interpret these seemingly prankish additions? Scholars disagree. In any case, I recommend you experiment with drolleries of your own, Virgo. Inject improvisation into duty. Add ornament to order. The coming months will reward your serious play. You’ll accomplish more by enjoying the work than by obsessing on perfecting it. A touch of friskiness may even improve efficiency. So when you edit, doodle; when you analyze, wink. 

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Italy’s Orto Botanico di Padova is the world’s oldest botanical garden still in its original location. Since its inception 480 years ago, it has been a center for botanical research, education and conservation. Its layout is striking, a square inscribed in a circle, symbolizing harmonious order. In the coming months, Libra, you will be wise to associate yourself intimately with a similar wonder: an enduring source of beauty and revelation that you can both serve and benefit from.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Astronaut Chris Hadfield has spent 166 days orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station. In the microgravity of outer space, he says, motion is very smooth; objects and people float. He marvels at how everything is always moving, and yet the pace itself is tranquil and unhurried. I foresee you enjoying a lot of this kind of grace in the coming months, Scorpio: momentum without mania; constant fluidic movement that’s never hectic or rushed. What a great privilege. I expect you will rack up many flowing accomplishments.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In Kyoto’s famous moss gardens, caretakers practice artful arrangement rather than total removal of shed foliage. They use delicate tools to gather trees’ cast-off leaves and arrange them on the moss to create visual harmony rather than bare tidiness. This approach reflects the Japanese aesthetic principles of embracing imperfection. Supposed “flaws” become part of the beauty of the garden. I propose that you regularly adopt a metaphorically comparable approach in the coming months, Sagittarius. Integrate rather than edit. Be creative with what’s changing form. Treat so-called messes and unexpected plot twists not as blemishes but as rich textures that feel meaningful and inspiring.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A newly planted orchard spends its first year growing roots, not fruit. Underground and unseen, the real work happens. I surmise that’s like what you will be doing in the coming months, Capricorn: mostly invisible stabilization and preparation. If anyone asks you what you’re producing, smile inscrutably and say, “Depth.” Be committed to the quiet, hidden work rather than any showy song and dance. As my rough and rugged spirit guide, Esther, likes to say, “You don’t got to prove nothin’ to nobody.” The nourishment you will be storing up will sustain later abundance. 

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Engineers may engage in “stress testing.” They evaluate a system’s hardiness and reliability by subjecting it to pressure or force. I suspect that life will bring you a benevolent version of this trial in the coming months, Aquarius. That’s a good thing. It’s not meant to break you, but to prove how much resilience you have developed. Situations that might have formerly cracked your confidence will affirm and reveal your upgraded endurance. Take note of your composure and congratulate yourself for it. You will have every right to exult in the vivid evidence of how much you’ve grown.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean author Anaïs Nin wrote, “Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source.” Apply her counsel dynamically during the coming months, dear Pisces. Be the great replenisher. Make yourself into a fountain of beauty as you share lavishly. Nurture tenderness and adoration with unexpected flowers, gorgeous music in the midst of the routine and affection expressed through artful thoughtfulness. Be brilliant and persistent in ensuring that love thrives. Your elegant generosity and fond attention should enrich everything you touch.

Elegance Over Excess, Grateful Voodoo, Wild Worlds and More

Petaluma

NYE Gala Concert

SkyHill Cultural Alliance rings in the new year with its 17th Annual New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, a Petaluma tradition that favors elegance over excess and music over noise. The program brings together works by Beethoven, Mahler, Copland, Ives and John Zorn, performed by a chamber ensemble led by pianist Elizabeth Walter and featuring guest violinist Joseph Edelberg, concertmaster of the Santa Rosa Symphony. Complimentary wine and cheese will be offered before the show, with Champagne and chocolates afterward. Two performances allow audiences to choose between a matinee-style sendoff or an early evening toast. 3 & 6pm, Wednesday, Dec. 31, Unitarian Universalist Church, 16 5th St., Petaluma. Tickets $60, skyhillconcerts.org.

Fairfax

Grateful Voodoo

If one’s idea of holiday spirit involves dancing and a little New Orleans funk, Grateful Voodoo has them covered. The Bay Area jam collective returns to Peri’s Tavern with its Holidaze Dance Party, blending Grateful Dead staples with Crescent City grooves and a rhythm section built for motion. With a rotating lineup of seasoned local players and a crowd that knows when to let go, Grateful Voodoo keeps things loose and celebratory. 5–8pm, Sunday, Dec. 28, Peri’s Tavern, 29 Broadway, Fairfax. Tickets $10, peristavern.com.

Sebastopol

Wild Worlds

Showstoppers Artist Collective heads into January with Wild Worlds, a dual exhibition with works by Patti Fulton, whose animal portraits and human studies reflect decades of medical illustration and ranch life, and Monique Nguyen, exhibiting under the name Tara Mo, whose vibrant abstract paintings explore color and movement. The show spills across neighboring spaces, creating a conversational flow between image and sensation, realism and intuition. Guests can linger over treats, browse boutique art or partake in a community collage table stocked with materials and open to all ages. 1–3pm, Saturday, Jan. 10, Showstoppers Artist Collective, 186 N. Main St., Ste. 110, Sebastopol. Free; donations welcome, supershowstoppers.com.

San Rafael

Watercolor Theory

If one’s greens keep turning muddy or their blues won’t behave, this workshop aims to settle the score. Multidisciplinary artist Suzy Kopf leads a hands-on introduction to watercolor color theory at Marin Museum of Contemporary Art that focuses on the practical magic of mixing, matching, dulling and brightening pigment with intention. Participants will work through guided color exercises, build a personalized color chart and leave with a clearer understanding of which hues harmonize, which clash and why. No prior experience is required—this an ideal launch for beginners and a refinement for practiced painters. 1–4pm, Saturday, Jan. 10, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, 1210 Fifth Ave. (at B Street), San Rafael. $105 MarinMOCA members / $123 non-members, plus $20 materials fee paid to instructor. suzykopf.com.

Goth for the Holidays: Oliver Graves, Viral Goth Stand-Up

There had of late been a furor on the internet as to the goth status of Christmas, with a lunatic fringe posting that Christmas was even more goth than Halloween.

For a local take, I went to Oliver Graves, the deadpan wit whose viral sensation on America’s Got Talent made him one of the region’s leading goths overnight.

Cincinnatus Hibbard: Oliver, tell it to us straight—is Christmas goth?

Oliver Graves: Well, people do drag a dead tree into their house and make it the centerpiece. 

They decorate it too. Sickening. 

And why? Maybe because it’s the death of the year.

Dark times. What are you going to do for Christmas?

I dunno. Maybe watch Gremlins. Although if I watch Gremlins, I have to watch Gremlins 2

‘Gremlins Take New York’…

… And then Looney Tunes—and that’s not Christmas at all… Words have no meaning…

Tell us about your big show, presiding over the corpse of the old year.

My New Year’s Eve show is at The California, in Santa Rosa. I’m performing; I’m hosting. There are two bands—Temptation, which is a New Order cover band, and Debased, which is a Pixies cover band.

Both danceable and goth-adjacent bands. That ought to go down well with The California’s slightly debauched theater-nerd following…

Yeah, they typically sell out on holidays.

You’ll be doing 30-minute sets. You like that length? Comics often get five or ten minutes in variety shows.

Oh, it’s so much better to be up there longer and not to stress about time. If I’m doing five minutes, I am very clearly picking my set—picking my jokes. I’m getting on, and I’m getting off. If I’m doing 30 minutes, I’m not sure what 30 minutes I might do. I’m free to follow in the direction of audience reactions. We’re just in the room having fun together.

I’ve never dressed full-out goth. How do things shift when you put on your goth?

Well, as a performer, it unlocks my attitude. Some comics drink or smoke weed. I just put on my wig, and it locks me in. But even off the stage, I know that people will be looking at me when I’m dressed this way. And at the same time, I’m relieved of the responsibility of reacting or responding to them emotionally. You get to be blank-faced.

That’s very interesting. You get to be there, but you don’t have to give any energy.

Or laugh at a comedian’s unfunny jokes…

What are other goth privileges or powers?

When you want to be left alone, you get left alone. You don’t have to worry about it. You can’t smile though—that’s an ice breaker—it ruins it.

That leads us to the dark humor that goes with it, the makeup. Give us a ‘goth joke.’

Well, I dated someone for awhile who was differently abled, and needed me to dress them and bathe them and generally take care of them. And my friend didn’t think that was a great relationship—even though it was very romantic—she didn’t think she could ever live like that. To which I pointed out—well, my girlfriend isn’t actually alive…

Necrophilia. How many minutes do you have on vampires?

Maybe two-three minutes. Mostly one liners—those go fast.

Who are you underneath the makeup?

Oh, just a nerd.

Learn more: Oliver Graves can be booked as an MC or comic for a comedy or spooky variety show on Instagram @olivergravesirl. Tickets for the big NYE show are between $25-$35 and can be purchased at caltheatre.com.

’Twas a Wine Country Christmas, With our Most Sincere Apologies to Clement Clarke Moore

’Twas a Wine Country Christmas and all through the cellar

Were stowed bottles of vino and this lucky feller.

Since I was a guest, I should’ve inquired

“Say, mind if I binge?” before it transpired.

But my host quipped, “Don’t judge a wine by its label”

So, in due time, I drank him under the table.

Then I sneaked down the hall and through the cellar door

Brandishing a corkscrew and thirsting for more.

“Now, Syrah! Now, Malbec! Grenache and Chenin!

On, Pinot! Primitivo! Tempranillo and Zin!”

We’ll pop all the corks and we’ll fill every cup;

We’ll drink upside down just to say “Bottom’s up!”

Champagne gushed like geysers, merlot poured like rain;

Zins went to my head and cabs to my brain.

My teeth had turned purple, my cheeks had gone red.

Visions of cirrhosis danced through my head.

I crawled on my knees, for I’d forgotten my swagger;

I’d decline a straight line but would be happy to stagger.

And as I bumped in the night toward the end of my carol

I awakened my dear host passed out in a barrel.

He was righteously angry, aggrieved and appalled

Not for drinking his wine but for drinking it all.

But he bowed his head and said, with Yuletide resign

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good wine.”

Daedalus Howell is editor of this paper. More at dhowell.com.

Hopping the Pond: Kathleen Inman Grows Roots and Wine

Kathleen Inman embodies the essence of hands-on winemaking—equally comfortable pouring tastings as she is maneuvering tractors through her vineyard. 

For more than two decades, this multifaceted entrepreneur has single-handedly built Inman Family Wines, wearing every hat, from viticulturist to accountant. Her winery reflects an unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship, evident in everything from eco-friendly wine labels to a sustainably designed tasting room powered by solar energy.

A third-generation Napa Valley native, Inman’s wine journey began ironically not in Napa but during a college tasting seminar at University of California, Santa Barbara, where pinot noir captured her imagination. 

That summer, working at Napa Creek Winery on Silverado Trail, she discovered both her vocational calling and her future husband, Simon, a visiting Englishman. Their whirlwind romance led to marriage and 15 years in England, during which time Inman cultivated another passion—organic gardening—eventually creating an expansive 11-acre walled garden at their estate, The Grange at Elvington. This experience planted seeds for her future.

In 1998, drawn by her love of farming and pinot noir, the Inmans returned to California, purchasing the Olivet Grange property in Russian River Valley the following year as a tribute to their English home.

Since her inaugural 2002 vintage, Inman has championed what she terms “eco-ethics” in winemaking, at the forefront of techniques including direct-press rosés, single-vineyard sparkling wines and utilizing Stelvin screw caps with Saratin liners for even her most high-end wines.

Inman serves on Wine Road’s board of directors while advocating tirelessly for equity and diversity in the wine industry.

Amber Turpin: How did you get into this work?

Kathleen Inman: I created my job by forming a company in 2000.

Did you ever have an ‘aha’ moment with a certain beverage? If so, tell us about it.

No, but the 1963 Croft I had in 1982 was a port epiphany.

What is your favorite thing to drink at home?

A Corpse Reviver #2 (equal parts gin, Lillet blanc, orange liqueur and fresh lemon juice, shaken with ice and served up in an absinthe-rinsed glass).

Where do you like to go out for a drink?

Lo & Behold in Healdsburg.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you want to be drinking (besides fresh water)?

Champagne.

Inman Family Wines, 3900 Piner Rd., Santa Rosa, 707.293.9576. inmanfamilywines.com.

Guest List: One Never Knows Who They’ll Meet on NYE

Ghislaine Maxwell
New Year’s Eve, 1999. It was a party to remember, and a quarter century later, it still haunts me.  I was friends with a quirky, brilliant entrepreneur who had invented something few understood at all—the first internet search engine. The party celebrated not only the coming new year, but also a quantum breakthrough in computer technology.  There were perhaps a hundred...

Your Letters, Dec. 31

Party Foul I grew up in a conservative Republican Catholic family in the 1950s. The GOP at that time still had some integrity, moderation and even intellectual merit. That was then. This is now. The party stands for racial hatred and exclusion, concentration of wealth in the hands of oligarchs, commercial exploitation of the natural environment and blind plunder. Oh, plus...

That Was the Year That Was: 2025 ‘Bohemian’ Highlights Reflect a Year of Persistence

The North Bay Bohemian’s 2025 reflects a year of persistence
That was the year that was,” sang Tom Lehrer—a line that now reads less like commentary than accounting. Lehrer, who died in 2025, spent his career paying close attention to how systems behave under pressure. It’s a useful posture for looking back at a year in Sonoma and Napa counties where culture, policy and daily life continued to intersect...

Still ‘Making Sense,’ Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison Hosts Concert Film in Napa

A new and improved version of the 1984 Talking Heads concert film 'Stop Making Sense' plays Jan. 10 at Napa’s Uptown Theatre.
The opening of the Talking Heads 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense—a new and improved version of which plays Jan. 10 at Napa’s Uptown Theatre, with a live Q&A with cofounder Jerry Harrison—finds David Byrne on a bare stage performing “Psycho Killer” with an acoustic guitar.  His sole accompaniment is what appears to be a portable cassette player, which actually...

Your Letters, Dec. 24

Overdue Book Nina Schmidt’s piece on Norm Solomon’s book, The Blue Road to Trump Hell, underscores a lesson in being 10 or 15 years too late, with due respect for a terrific book. A really, really better world will begin with removal of the incumbents of both parties; new limits on how long elected officials can serve, including an age...

Free Will Astrology, Dec. 24-30

Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the Brazilian rainforest, Cecropia trees and Azteca ants have a special relationship. The trees’ hollow branches serve as nesting spaces for the ants and offer them sugar-rich food. In return, the ants aggressively defend the trees from herbivores and predators, protecting them from damage. This mutualism benefits both species. The trees get protection that...

Elegance Over Excess, Grateful Voodoo, Wild Worlds and More

Suzy Kopf's watercolor theory workshop is an ideal launch for beginners and a refinement for practiced painters.
Petaluma NYE Gala Concert SkyHill Cultural Alliance rings in the new year with its 17th Annual New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, a Petaluma tradition that favors elegance over excess and music over noise. The program brings together works by Beethoven, Mahler, Copland, Ives and John Zorn, performed by a chamber ensemble led by pianist Elizabeth Walter and featuring guest violinist Joseph...

Goth for the Holidays: Oliver Graves, Viral Goth Stand-Up

Oliver Graves, viral goth stand-up
There had of late been a furor on the internet as to the goth status of Christmas, with a lunatic fringe posting that Christmas was even more goth than Halloween. For a local take, I went to Oliver Graves, the deadpan wit whose viral sensation on America’s Got Talent made him one of the region’s leading goths overnight. Cincinnatus Hibbard: Oliver,...

’Twas a Wine Country Christmas, With our Most Sincere Apologies to Clement Clarke Moore

’Twas a Wine Country Christmas
’Twas a Wine Country Christmas and all through the cellar Were stowed bottles of vino and this lucky feller. Since I was a guest, I should’ve inquired “Say, mind if I binge?” before it transpired. But my host quipped, “Don’t judge a wine by its label” So, in due time, I drank him under the table. Then I sneaked down the hall and through the...

Hopping the Pond: Kathleen Inman Grows Roots and Wine

Kathleen Inman embodies the essence of hands-on winemaking.
Kathleen Inman embodies the essence of hands-on winemaking—equally comfortable pouring tastings as she is maneuvering tractors through her vineyard.  For more than two decades, this multifaceted entrepreneur has single-handedly built Inman Family Wines, wearing every hat, from viticulturist to accountant. Her winery reflects an unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship, evident in everything from eco-friendly wine labels to a sustainably designed...
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