Offbeat Take on ‘Pride & Prejudice’ at 6th Street

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Offbeat Take on ‘Pride & Prejudice’ at 6th Street

Jane Austen’s Bennet sisters have enjoyed something of a theatrical renaissance during the past few years, courtesy of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s Christmas in Pemberley triptych.


For those unfamiliar with those works, they took the characters and plot line from Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and continued the story by moving the focus off of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy and on to the other sisters and ancillary characters. The shows have met with great audience and critical favor.
I’m convinced the success of those shows was due in great part to Gunderson and Melcon honoring the original work in spirit and letter. Their 21st-century addenda allowed one to surrender completely to the British upper-class world of love, marriage and financial security that Austen so vividly encapsulated in her 19th-century novel.
That’s not possible with Kate Hamill’s theatrical adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse is running a production on their Monroe Stage through Aug. 28.


While Hamill keeps the heart of the story and characters mostly intact, she takes a Reduced Shakespeare Company approach to everything else—cross-gender/generational casting, quick changes, anachronistic props and costume pieces, and intentional over-acting. The show’s strong leads—Miranda Jane Williams as a sneaker-clad Elizabeth (Lizzy) and Matthew Cadigan as Darcy—play things straight, while it’s left to the rest of the eight-person cast to engage in the tomfoolery necessary to fill the other roles.


Director Laura Downing-Lee has assembled a fine cast, and they all do good work in their primary roles. It’s when they take on their secondary and tertiary roles that things start to sputter. The show veers into sketch comedy as actors furiously cover their switch from one character to another. It’s an odd combination of things that might have worked better if the show had moved at a quicker pace.
It’s almost as if playwright Hamill didn’t trust the audience to get the humor found in the source material, so she threw in men in dresses to guarantee a laugh or two. That’s a shame, because I’d love to see this cast in a straightforward adaptation of the material.


The show’s licensing agency assures us that “This isn’t your grandmother’s Austen!” and I wholeheartedly agree. I’m just not sure whose Austen it is.


‘Pride & Prejudice’ runs through Aug. 28 on the Monroe Stage at 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. Sixth Street, Santa Rosa. Thurs–Sat., 7:30pm; Sat–Sun, 2pm. $22–$44. Proof of vaccination and masking are required to attend. 707.523.4185. 6thstreetplayhouse.com

Organic Vodka Tasting: Hanson of Sonoma Tasting Room at Hanson Gallery

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Organic Vodka Tasting: Hanson of Sonoma Tasting Room at Hanson Gallery

Sponsored content by Hanson of Sonoma

This summer’s hotspot is Hanson of Sonoma Tasting Room at Hanson Gallery, located in the heart of downtown Sausalito. With spectacular views of the Bay and the San Francisco city skyline, it’s not a place to miss. Brought together by a family’s passion for crafting organic spirits and their mutual love for art, Hanson Gallery offers an extensive art collection to explore while sipping Hanson of Sonoma grape-based organic vodka, whisky flights and handcrafted cocktails. 

The Hanson family has operated the Hanson Gallery in Sausalito for over 25 years. In early 2019, it added a spectacular bar and tasting room to the two-storied gallery to become the Hanson of Sonoma Tasting Room at Hanson Gallery, offering a unique experience for visitors—organic vodka, whiskey and art. For the art lover, the gallery has an extensive and rotating curation of classic works and exceptional modern and abstract pieces from many local and worldwide artists. The Tasting Room offers a variety of delicious options, including vodka flights of Hanson’s organic infused vodkas: Cucumber, Mandarin, Habañero and Meyer Lemon, plus seasonal flavors of Ginger, Boysenberry, Espresso and Pink Grapefruit. You can also indulge in expertly crafted cocktails and special pairings such as Regiis Ova caviar, delectable oysters from local purveyor Hog Island Oyster Co., chocolate truffles from KollarChocolate and other artisanal bites like locally sourced cheese and charcuterie, expertly paired with the vodka offerings.

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Hanson of Sonoma, a small-batch family-owned distillery, is the brainchild of four siblings–Chris, Brandon, Alanna, and Darren–and their parents, Scott and Judy. Now leaders in the organic spirits industry, the family has been making grape-based vodkas using organic ingredients since 2015. The family is the first in the United States to offer a certified non-GMO spirit. A family of creators, Chris Hanson is able to showcase his art at Hanson of Sonoma Tasting Room at Hanson Gallery. 

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  • hanson tasting gallery, sonoma distillery

Hanson of Sonoma Vodka is made at the distillery (also open to the public) located in the Carneros region of Sonoma Valley. To create the award-winning vodkas, during the fall harvest the Hanson family works alongside their Sonoma neighbors, the Ceja family, a third-generation Mexican-American winemaking family. The Cejas’ crush facility presses the organic grapes to make a wine that is then distilled in Hanson’s impressive 50-plate column still to create Hanson Original Vodka. From there, the vodka is infused with locally sourced organic fruits and vegetables to make the Hanson infused organic vodkas. 

When you visit, try the Watermelon Wake cocktail. Made with Hanson’s Cucumber Vodka, it’s perfectly refreshing, especially when paired with fresh oysters. 

Hanson of Sonoma Tasting Room at Hanson Gallery offerings include:

  • Hanson Vodka Expression Tasting: a guided tasting of six vodka expressions, including seasonal releases available only at the distillery and tasting room. The current season is Pink Grapefruit– highly recommend! $30 per person. 
  • Hog Island Oysters: delicious hand-shucked Hog Island Oysters to enjoy with your Hanson cocktails and tastings. Oysters are served with Hog Island’s signature “Hog Wash” mignonette and lemon wedges. Starting at $21  for 6 oysters.
  • Hanson Vodka Cocktail & Expression Tasting: This guided tasting of three vodka expressions and a craft cocktail of your choice is $35 per person. 
  • Hanson Vodka & Chocolate Truffles Pairing: Six vodka expressions and six Kollar Chocolate truffles. An intimate experience– perfect for impressing someone special. $60 per person. 
  • Hanson Martini & Caviar Pairing: Ice-cold Hanson Vodka martinis and sublime caviar– classic! The Martini is made to your liking (extra dirty works well) and paired with a selection of caviar sourced exclusively by Chef Thomas Keller’s Regiis Ova. Starting at $95.
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Reservations can be made at https://hansonofsonoma.com/visit/sausalito/ or by calling (415) 332-4858. 

Hanson of Sonoma Tasting Room at Hanson Gallery is open Thursday-Monday, with Friday and Saturday hours of 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Thursday, Sunday and Monday. 

Reservations for Hanson’s Distillery and Tasting Room, located just 5 minutes from downtown Sonoma, can be made at https://hansonofsonoma.com/visit/ or by calling (707) 343-1805. 

The Sonoma location is open everyday from 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

North Bay theaters Plan Their 2022-2023 Seasons

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North Bay theaters Plan Their 2022-2023 Seasons

Fall is usually marked by the local theater community with a series of ambitious announcements heralding the shows each company plans to produce for their new season.


COVID continues to be a factor as companies optimistically make plans while struggling to fill casts and schedule rehearsals. Some companies have reacted to the continued uncertainty surrounding the pandemic by reducing the number of productions in their season. Others continue full-force on the trek to “normalcy” by planning for complete seasons with shows that often require large casts. We shall see.


COVID protocols vary from company to company. In their desire to attract still-wary audiences, many companies tout that they are “fully vaccinated,” meaning that to step foot in the building in any capacity—employee, volunteer, actor, musician—requires complete vaccination. As far as audience members, some companies still require proof of vaccination and masking to attend, while others simply make a “recommendation.” Most companies list their protocols on their websites but, in many cases, they’ve been moved from a prominent position on the companies’ homepages to other, less immediately visible areas.
So the shows go on in the North Bay, with companies bringing the usual mix of familiar musicals, drama and comedies to their stages—with an occasional step out of the norm.


Perhaps the most-anticipated production in the North Bay is the Left Edge Theatre presentation of Fun Home. The musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic novel was a big hit, both off- and on-Broadway, and will be the inaugural production at The California, a new downtown-Santa Rosa entertainment venue. The show opens Sept. 3. (leftedgetheatre.com)


Monte Rio’s Curtain Call Theatre keeps things small with A. R. Gurney’s two-hander Love Letters. This simply staged exploration of a couple’s relationship, as recounted through their writings to each other, opens Sept. 2. (russianriverhall.com)


For folks seeking a more-traditional musical, Rohnert Park’s Spreckels Performing Arts Center will present Meredith Willson’s The Music Man on their expansive Codding Theatre stage beginning Sept. 9. This show has one of the largest casts in the area, but it remains to be seen if there will actually be 76 trombones leading the big parade. (spreckelsonline.com)


Sonoma Arts Live goes a bit off their beaten path with Ain’t Misbehavin’. Director Aja Gianola-Norris brings artists of color together on the Rotary Stage at Andrews Hall in this tribute to the music of “Fats” Waller and the jazz and swing eras. The show opens Sept. 9. (sonomartslive.com)


If adults acting like children is your thing, then Petaluma’s Cinnabar Theater has the show for you. It’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and it goes down—and up—on Sept. 9. (cinnabartheater.org)


Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse brings the latest iteration of the Kander-and-Ebb musical Cabaret to their GK Hardt Theatre on Sept. 15. Jared Sakren directs what 6th Street describes as a “daring and provocative” production with “lavish music, erotic dancing and an alarming finale.” (6thstreetplayhouse.com)


Healdsburg’s Raven Players venture north to the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center for a reprise of their production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) for a two-weekend run beginning Sept. 17. (cloverdaleperformingarts.com)


Sebastopol’s Main Stage West follows last season’s closing production of Jen Silverman’s Wink with a late-September season-opening production of Silverman’s The Moors. Expect a little weirdness and some very dark humor in this one. (mainstagewest.com)


Santa Rosa Junior College’s Theatre Arts Department will present the theatrical adaptation of the film Stand and Deliver in the renovated Burbank Auditorium’s Studio Theater at the end of September. (theatrearts.santarosa.edu)


Napa’s Lucky Penny Productions brings Christopher Durang’s comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike to their Community Arts Center stage on Sept. 9. (luckypennynapa.com)


Mill Valley’s Marin Theater Company has reduced their season from six shows to four and plans to open on Sept. 22 with David Grieg’s Dunsinane. Grieg’s continuation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth will be produced in partnership with Tamalpais High School’s Conservatory Theatre Ensemble. (marintheatre.org)


The Novato Theatre Company opens their season Sept. 9 with Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation, a sort-of-backstage look at the drama and discovery that goes on in drama classes. (novatotheatercompany.org)


The Ross Valley Players open their 93rd season with Picnic, William Inge’s classic look at sexuality, repression, rites of passage and disappointment in small-town 1950s America. It joins a plethora of North Bay shows opening Sept. 9. (rossvalleyplayers.com)


The Playhouse, in San Anselmo, hosts a production of The Realistic Jones. Will Eno’s look at a pair of neighbors that has been described as a “dramatic comedy” opens on—you guessed it—Sept. 9. (playhousesananselmo.org)


North Bay theater patrons will certainly have plenty of options in the fall, but it might behoove the local producing organizations to look at simultaneous runs as a possible impediment to rebuilding their audiences—let alone getting critics to their openings.

Forging Connection Between Generations

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Forging Connection Between Generations

I am a member of the Love Generation―those Americans who reached adulthood in the ’60s―and am sometimes asked what I would tell the young people in Generation Z (born since 1996), who feel that their concerns about climate change and other pressing global challenges are not being heard by their government or the United Nations.

One of our global problems today is the lack of uplifting popular songs, as we had in the Love Generation while struggling to advance civil rights and to stop the Vietnam War, like the Youngbloods’ “Get Together”: 

“C’mon people now

Smile on your brother

Ev’rybody get together

Try to love one another right now…”

There is a view, articulated by music-critics Rick Beato and Ted Gioia, that “Gen Z doesn’t care about music.” Kids care about video games, which are visual and addictive. Bo Burnham’s “Inside” and Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” might be typical. These are self-produced YouTube specials, which deal with issues like mental health, climate, pandemics, social movements and the internet in a comic or multiracial way, where music is a mere accompaniment. Chris Christodoulou, of the Westminster School of Art, argues that, like the internet, pop culture is far more global than in the past. So, just as rock music was unintelligible to our parents and served to connect us kids in our struggles with the older generation, so video specials or pop music may again come to our rescue.

I am a little impatient with young people today who despair of the future. Do you think that we in the ’60s had it so easy? We were in the midst of racial segregation—legal and cultural—so bad our cities were aflame. We had yet to experience stagflation and the economic inequalities at the root of the injustices that now plague our country and the globe.

Young people today should know that they are faced with a comparable challenge. It is to unite the globe, even the U.N., in novel ways to solve our global problems.

Dr. Joseph Preston Baratta is professor emeritus of history and political science at Worcester State University.

Weekly Astrology

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Weekly Astrology

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the coming weeks, I urge you to flee from stale and rigid certainty. Rebel against dogmatic attitudes and arrogant opinions. Be skeptical of unequivocal answers to nuanced questions. Instead, dear Aries, give your amused reverence to all that’s mysterious and enigmatic. Bask in the glimmer of intriguing paradoxes. Draw inspiration and healing from the fertile unknown. For inspiration, write out this Mary Oliver poem and carry it with you: “Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they have the answers. Let me keep company with those who say ‘Look!’ and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A blogger named Chaconia writes, “I’ve cultivated a lifetime of being low maintenance and easy-going, and now I’ve decided I’m done with it. Demanding Me is born today.” I’m giving you temporary permission to make a similar declaration, Taurus. The astrological omens suggest that in the coming weeks, you have every right to be a charming, enchanting and generous version of a demanding person. So I authorize you to be just that. Enjoy yourself as you ask for more of everything.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The witch Lisa Chamberlain writes about the magical properties of colors. About brown, she says it “represents endurance, solidity, grounding and strength.” She adds that it’s used in magic to enhance “balance, concentration, material gain, home and companion animals.” According to my reading of the astrological omens, the upcoming weeks should be a deeply brown time for you Geminis. To move your imagination in a righteous direction, have fun wearing clothes in shades of brown. Grace your environment with things that have the hues of chestnut, umber, mahogany, sepia and burnt sienna. Eat and drink caramel, toffee, cinnamon, almonds, coffee and chocolate.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian poet Danusha Laméris discovered that earthworms have taste buds all over their bodies. Now she loves to imagine she’s giving them gifts when she drops bits of apples, beets, avocados, melons and carrot tops into the compost bin. “I’d always thought theirs a menial life, eyeless and hidden, almost vulgar.” But now that she understands “they bear a pleasure so sublime,” she wants to help the worms fulfill their destinies. I mention this, Cancerian, because I suspect you may have comparable turnarounds in the coming weeks. Long-held ideas may need adjustments. Incomplete understandings will be filled in when you learn the rest of the story. You will receive a stream of interesting new information that changes your mind, mostly in enjoyable ways.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You should never allow yourself to be tamed by others. That advice is always apropos for you Leos, and even more crucial to heed in the coming weeks. You need to cultivate maximum access to the raw, primal sources of your life energy. Your ability to thrive depends on how well you identify and express the beautiful animal within you. Here’s my only caveat: If you imagine there may be value in being tamed a little, in harnessing your brilliant beast, do the taming yourself. And assign that task to the part of you that possesses the wildest wisdom.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Whenever you are contemplating a major decision, I hope you raise questions like these: 1. Which option shows the most self-respect? 2. Which path would be the best way to honor yourself? 3. Which choice is most likely to help you fulfill the purposes you came to earth to carry out? 4. Which course of action would enable you to express your best gifts? Are there questions you would add, Virgo? I expect the coming months will require you to generate key decisions at a higher rate than usual, so I hope you will make intensive use of my guiding inquiries, as well as any others you formulate.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran blogger Ana-Sofia Cardelle writes, “I look back on past versions of myself with such love and tenderness. I want to embrace myself at different parts of my life.” I hope you’re inspired by her thoughts as you carry out the following actions: 1. Create an altar filled with treasures that symbolize major turning points in your destiny. 2. Forgive yourself for what you imagine to be old errors and ignorance. 3. Summon memories of the persons you were at ages 7, 12 and 17, and write a kind, thoughtful message to each. 4. Literally kiss seven different photos of your face from earlier in your life. 5. Say “thank you” and “bless you” to the self you were when you succeeded at two challenging tests in the past.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You know more about how karma works than all the other signs. Scorpio-style intelligence typically has a fine intuitive grasp of how today’s realities evolved out of the deep patterns and rhythms of the past. But that doesn’t mean you perfectly understand how karma works. And in the coming weeks, I urge you to be eager to learn more. Become even savvier about how the law of cause and effect impacts the destinies of you and your allies. Meditate on how the situations you are in now were influenced by actions you took once upon a time. Ruminate on what you could do in the near future to foster good karma and diminish weird karma.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Kabbalistic writer Simon Jacobson says, “Like a flame, the soul always reaches upward. The soul’s fire wants to defy the confines of life. It cannot tolerate the mediocrity and monotony of sheer materialism. Its passion knows no limits as it craves for the beyond.” That sounds both marvelous and hazardous, right? Jacobson concludes, “Whether the soul’s fire will be a constructive or destructive force is dependent on the person’s motivation.” According to my astrological analysis, your deep motivations are likely to be extra noble and generous in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. So I expect that your soul’s fire will be very constructive.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the Spanish language, there’s the idiom pensando en la inmortalidad del cangrejo. Its literal translation is “thinking about the immortality of the crab.” It applies to a person engaged in creative daydreaming—her imagination wandering freely in hopes of rousing innovative solutions to practical dilemmas. Other languages have similar idioms. In Finnish, istun ja mietin syntyjä syviä means “wondering about the world’s early origins.” Polish has marzyć o niebieskich migdałach, or “dreaming about blue almonds.” I encourage you to enjoy an abundance of such explorations in the coming days, Capricorn. You need to fantasize more than usual.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): My Aquarian reader Georgie Lee wrote to tell me what it’s like being an Aquarius. I offer it to you because you are potentially at the peak of expressing the qualities she names. She says, “Accept that you don’t really have to understand yourself. Be at peace with how you constantly ramble, swerve and weave to become more of yourself. Appreciate how each electric shift leads to the next electric shift, always changing who you are forever. Within the churning, ever-yearning current, marvel at how you remain eternal, steady and solid—yet always evolving, always on a higher ground before.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Here’s a good way to build your vibrancy: Use your emotional intelligence to avoid swimming against strong currents for extended periods. Please note that swimming against strong currents is fine, even advisable, for brief phases. Doing so boosts your stamina and fosters your trust in your resilience. But mostly, I recommend you swim in the same direction as the currents or swim where the water is calm and currentless. In the coming weeks, I suspect you can enjoy many freestyle excursions as you head in the same direction as vigorous currents.

Skin Contact White Wines

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Skin Contact White Wines

A “skin-contact” white wine is a white wine that has had extended contact with grape skins.

While red and rosé wines always spend time on skins—this is where these wines get their color and tannin—during the maceration and fermentation process, typical white wines do not. When white-wine grapes are pressed, only the juice is fermented.

In essence, skin-contact white wines are white wines that are made like red wines. Often known as orange wines due to their color, skin-contact whites started trending in a big way more than a decade ago thanks to niche international importers and regional wine-trade associations spreading the orange-wine gospel to the wine trade in major cities across the U.S.

When orange wines began hitting restaurant lists—curated by sommeliers who loved obscure, or different, wines—in cities like San Francisco, most of the wines being introduced to, drunk by and trending amongst the wine geeks of San Francisco were from countries like Austria, Italy—particularly within the Friuli-Venezia region—and Slovenia. Later, there were more from countries around the world including the U.S. and, primarily, California.

However, it was Georgia where the first known orange wines were made, a thousand or more years ago, and stored in large, clay, amphora-like vessels. Interestingly, many producers today that produce orange wines/skin-contact white wines follow suit by aging their wines in amphorae, or clay vessels, though many also opt for neutral oak or cement.

So what are skin-contact white wines like? And what are they … skin-contact wines or orange wines?

First, not all skin-contact white wines are orange wines, but all orange wines are skin-contact white wines. What does this mean? Not all white wines that receive skin contact turn orange or are as deep in color. The level of color and tannin a wine achieves depends on how long it spends on the skins, the varietal of the grape and—to an extent—the vessel, in relation to oxidation.

To keep things simple, most prefer to use the term skin-contact white now, as this is more accurate in many cases, as well as less confusing.

Second, there are aromas, flavors and components found in skin-contact white wines that are uncommon in traditional white wines. The additional time on skin results in higher tannins and stronger, deeper fruit notes, as well as a fuller body, texture and greater complexity. Ripe stonefruit, orange peels and white flowers are common descriptors of skin-contact white wines. This added complexity means that the wines are also more versatile when it comes to pairing them with a wider variety of foods.

Taste for yourself, starting with the following eight fantastic and unique local wines.
Wines With Skin in the Game
Bannister Wines Ribolla Gialla, bannisterwines.com
Idlewild Cortese, Fox Hill Vineyard, idlewildwines.com/wines
Joseph Jewell Pinot Gris, josephjewell.com
Kivelstadt Cellars Wayward Son Orange Wine (Roussanne), kivelstadtcellars.com
Pellegrini Skin Contact Chardonnay, pellegrinisonoma.com
Two Shepherds Skin Fermented Vermentino and Skin Fermented Pinot Gris, twoshepherds.com

The Soul’s Energy Field

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The three-part division of the human being into body, soul and spirit is all but universal. Now, knowing you have a body is easy enough, but in these materialistic times soul and spirit have been forgotten, at best viewed as things that cannot be known, only superstitiously “believed” in.

Sometimes Hollywood’s special brand of magic can help us understand metaphysical truths, so let us take flight to the land of the pharaohs via the 1999 film, The Mummy, one of the silver screen’s dozens of depictions of ancient Egypt and its mysteries of death and resurrection.

In a flashback scene, the priest Imhotep uses necromancy to re-animate his lover, Anck Su Namum, whose mummified corpse lies on a stone slab. So much for the body, but the animated sequence that ensues helps us visualize the invisible soul.

Using his powers of sorcery, Imhotep summons his lover’s soul from a murky pool connected to the waters of the underworld. It rises as a kind of cloudy, electromagnetic-energy field that contains all of Anck Su Namun’s memories and emotions, including her love for Imhotep.

When it is sucked back into her body, she is not merely a living organism once again, but “herself,” which we can now see was not the physical body but the cloud-energy that animates it.

As for the third part of the ternary—the spirit—that, of course, is the Supreme Principle that has made possible the body, the soul and everything else in the universe.

As the poet said, most people lead lives of quiet desperation, driven by an unquenchable thirst to gratify bodily needs with material things. Those seeking awakening from a somnambulistic existence must disentangle from the body the ego’s sense of “me” and begin to identify it with that cloudy energy field the animation department at The Mummy has helped us visualize.

The forces magnetized in this cloud seek actualization of things that are far loftier than the limited conception of our lives would dare admit. Clues as to what they are can be obtained from our astrological birth chart.

The soul’s energy field lives outside space and time, and through imagination acts as a bridge between the physical body and the transcendent world of the spirit. That which cannot be satisfied on the physical plane of earthly life can still be actualized in the soul, which is why it is better to be poor with a rich imagination than to have all the wealth in the world but a withered inner garden.

The Dangers of Monetizing Creativity

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The Dangers of Monetizing Creativity

When you’re a broke-ass-art-person, there are about a million podcasts and blogs and online courses encouraging you to create podcasts and blogs and online courses to help monetize your creative process by sharing it with other artists who, in turn, will create more podcasts and blogs and online courses.

As a career-long writer, I’ve been down this diverting wormhole more than a few times. Every time my industry was “disrupted” or I self-disrupted, I would start selling tours of the rag and bone shop of my expertise. I wrote ebooks, made podcasts, consulted. It worked, until it didn’t, and I’ve come to the personal conclusion that this kind of crap has derailed more than a few artists trying to turn a buck in the “creative economy.”

Remember when we produced writing and art of substance instead of merely making “content?” If content is still king, art needs to be the court jester that tells him he’s full of sh–.

I once received eight emails from an “artist” hawking an online “creative entrepreneur” marketing class. After the second email in an hour, I concluded that the spammer in question was both a shitty marketer and artist.

But what about the skill set we’ve developed? The bullshit corporate skills acquired in newsrooms and boardrooms? What of these skills that weaponized my talent until I became both an overqualified but underwhelming part of the very systems I once sought to destroy?

Like any Frankenstein monster, I suppose I’ll turn on my creators and destroy the systems that created me. Maybe this isn’t a popular opinion, but if I were seeking popularity I’d be more famous by now and not ranting into the void of print and pixels.

Because I’m done shaming the starving artist, the romantics, the ones we tell that they just have to get their work out there and pray they get the right algorithmic alchemy going so the gates to the middle class open wide. Really, at this point, for me the only reason to keep the aspidistra flying is for target practice.

Don’t get the reference? Keep the Aspidistra Flying is a book by George Orwell. ’Nuff said, right? Will we ever listen to him? Maybe if he had a podcast and blog and online course, we’d pay attention, but I dare say we can learn more—and teach more—through art.

Editor Daedalus Howell just directed a #wolfstorymovie and creatively consults at daedalushowell.com.

Culture Crush—Coffee Roasting, Salsa and More

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Culture Crush—Coffee Roasting, Salsa and More

Arts Festival

The Healdsburg Arts Festival is back! Wander the inimitably charming Healdsburg Plaza and prepare to be immersed in some of the finest in wine country creativity. The festival is dedicated to three categories of art: visual, performance and culinary. Attendees can enjoy art demos, public art on display, interactive art making, booths for nonprofits, music, entertainment, dance performance, and ample food and wine selections. Over 55 booths represent the creative skill and passion of the Healdsburg community. The festival is presented by the Healdsburg Center for the Arts in partnership with the City of Healdsburg’s Community Services Department. The Healdsburg Arts Festival is Friday, Aug. 26 at the Healdsburg Plaza, Matheson St. and Healdsburg Ave. 4-7pm. Admission is free. www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us 

Petaluma

Summer Salsa

What’s the next best thing to salsa dancing in Barcelona? It’s salsa dancing at Grand Central Petaluma to the spicy, rhythmic tones of Charlie Barreda and the All Star Trio. A downtown Ecuadorian-owned coffee shop, Grand Central showcases the South American country’s artisanal talent and exceptional coffee farms while supporting fair and eco-conscious trade practices. Barreda hails from Peru, where his musical career began at the age of 12, before he came to the states to study at the now-closed Music and Arts Institute of San Francisco. His musical expertise ranges from keyboard to vibraphone to composition and percussion. Barreda can do it all, with impeccable rhythm! Charlie Barreda and the All Star Trio play Sunday, Aug. 28 at Grand Central Petaluma, 226 Weller St. 3-6pm. Tickets $10. @grandcentralpetaluma on Instagram. 

San Rafael

Heritage Festival 

Celebrate the Heritage Day Festival at the historic China Camp Village this weekend, and appreciate the vibrant and diverse community of Northern California. Lion dancers in brightly-colored costumes, traditional guzheng music, mahjong lessons, Chinese brush-painting lessons, tai chi and more are all part of this event. Bring the entire family—kids have the opportunity to build their own boat and to learn about the local wildlife, ecology and history through hands-on activities provided by the National Estuarine Research Reserve, the San Francisco Maritime Museum and Wildcare. The Heritage Day Festival is Saturday, Aug. 27 at 101 Peacock Gap Trail, San Rafael. 11am-3pm. $5 parking fee for non-members. www.friendsofchinacamp.org 

Fairfax

Coffee Roasting

Ever wondered how that gorgeous, dark brown liquid we call coffee got into its mug? Find out this weekend in a Home-Roasting Workshop with Punto Fino Coffee in Fairfax. While sipping from the specialty drinks menu, examine several popular at-home roasting methods, and ask questions about the world of coffee and roasting. Then watch as green beans are placed in an open roaster and observe the transformation to roasted bean, noting the different smells and sounds as the process occurs. Partake in a guided, handheld roasting lesson and take a bag of freshly roasted beans home. The beginning of a new hobby, perhaps? The Home-Roasting Workshop is Sunday, Aug. 28 at Punto Fino, 85 Bosque Ave., Fairfax. 11am-12:30pm. www.puntofinocoffee.com 

—Jane Vick

A guide to Sonoma, Napa and Marin’s Fall Arts

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A guide to Sonoma, Napa and Marin’s Fall Arts

Though summer is quietly slipping out the back door as you read this, be assured that there’s no shortage of fall fun on the horizon. What follows are some standout selections sure to amplify your autumnal experience.

Special Events
Sonoma County Harvest Fair Grand Tasting Event
It’s no secret that Sonoma County is home to some of the best wines and wineries in the world. The Sonoma County Harvest Fair will showcase unparalleled palate-pleasers from over 100 wineries. Come find a new favorite blend or single grape wine, and sample till the heart is full and the buzz is perfect. Saturday, Oct.15 from 1-4pm at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Rd., Santa Rosa. www.harvestfair.org

Sound Summit
An annual musical gathering on Mt. Tamalpais, Sound Summit is a unique festival in a breathtaking location that San Francisco Chronicle has called “a day of restorative celebration.” Produced as an annual celebration of and fundraiser for Mount Tamalpais State Park by Roots & Branches Conservancy, Sound Summit is held at the historic Mountain Theater, with stunning views of San Francisco Bay. This year’s festival includes The War On Drugs, Fruit Bats and Faye Webster. The festival is Saturday, Oct. 22 at 11am at the Mountain Theater, Easy Grade Trail, Mill Valley. www.soundsummit.net

Sonoma Harvest Music Festival
Held at gorgeous B.R. Cohn Winery, nestled between the Mayacamas Mountain range and Sonoma Mountain, the Sonoma Harvest Music Festival brings big acts to a smaller stage, for those who don’t love a major crowd but do love a majorly good time. This year, the lineup includes acts like Phantogram, Portugal. The Man and K.Flay, plus an inimitable offering of wines, craft beers and artisanal California food. Saturday, Oct. 8 and Sunday, Oct. 9, 11am-7pm at B.R. Cohn Winery, 15000 Sonoma Hwy., Glen Ellen. www.sonomaharvestmusicfestival.com

Petaluma River Craft Beer Fest
The art of beer and the Petaluma slough—I can’t think of a nicer combination. Neither can the Petaluma Chamber of Commerce and the Petaluma Rotary Club, and that’s why they’re hosting the Petaluma River Craft Beer Fest. Come sample Lagunitas, Bear Republic, Crooked Goat, Fogbelt and more. Live music by Randy & the Special Agents and Petaluma Pete will keep the energy rocking. Bring sunscreen and water; it’s going to be a hot, sudsy, fun fest. Saturday, Sept. 10 from 1-5pm on Water Street by the river in historic Petaluma. www.petalumarivercraftbeerfest.org

Chautauqua Revue
The revue is not a usual show. Think vaudeville, circus and storytelling combined, with a fair amount of clowning around. Hilarious and cutting satire, stunning musical numbers and heartfelt tales are all woven together to connect audience and performers alike. Led by Mistress of Ceremonies Wysteria McBrylcreem, with stage band Big B and his Cityslickers, and the irreverent interludes of Clowns On A Stick, plus guest performers both local and visiting. Shows are September 8, 9 and 10 at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, 15290 Coleman Valley Rd. www.oaec.org
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One Mind Music Festival for Brain Health
Not only is Napa a number one destination for wine and food, it’s also a hot spot for brain science. Yep, that’s right. This fall is the 28th One Mind Music Festival for Brain Health, including music from Jewel and Hunter Hayes. Also on tap is an interactive scientific symposium on brain health from leading experts such as Dr. Regina E. Dugan, PhD, president & CEO of Wellcome Leap, and Dr. Christopher M. Palmer, MD, of the Harvard Medical School. Saturday, Sept. 10 from 12-8:30pm. For tickets and information, visit www.music-festival.org.

Cinema Calistoga
Napa Valley Film Festival, the legendary festival that blends the art of film, food and wine together in one delicious event, presents Cinema Calistoga, hosted at Mount View Hotel and Spa in Calistoga. The event includes three separate film screenings, each paired with three course meals inspired by the films, from local chefs including Rebecca White-Keefe, Nicholas Montanez and Doctor Dread. The series begins Wednesday, Sept. 7 and runs through Friday, Sept. 9. Dinner at 6pm, film at 7:30pm. For tickets and information, visit www.napavalleyfilmfest.org.

Clubs & Venues

HopMonk Novato
A classic music venue delivering lively performances, HopMonk welcomes Bay-Area based singer songwriter Megan Slankard as she debuts her new song, “California,” the breakup song written as a “gentle reminder of why it might not be the best idea to date a songwriter,” according to Slankard. This is the first release from her forthcoming album, California & Other Stories, coming Oct. 28. Slankard performs Saturday, Oct. 8 at HopMonk Tavern, 224 Vintage Way, Novato. Show starts at 6pm. www.hopmonk.com

Oxbow Public Market
A keystone of downtown Napa, Oxbow Public Market is brimming with Napa’s best in food and wine, and boasts an outdoor deck with seating along the Napa River. It’s 40,000 square feet of good, local Epicureanism. And this fall Oxbow is hosting live music, on the last Wednesday of every month, starting at the end of August with blues rock trio Riverfront District Aug. 31. 6:30-8:30pm. For information, visit www.oxbowpublicmarket.com.

The Big Easy
A little hip hop—or a lot of hip hop—is just what the doctor ordered this fall. The Petaluma bar is hosting “Manifest Your Destiny,” a North Bay hip hop showcase series presented by Decolonized Mindz Entertainment. The brainchild of hip hop artist and promoter Damion Square in collaboration with Josh Windmiller of The Crux, “Manifest Your Destiny” showcases and brings together a diverse range of artists from the North Bay. Check out Tru Lyric, Simoné Mosely, D. square, KingLung and Eki’Shola. Friday, Sept. 9 at The Big Easy, 128 American Alley, Petaluma. 7pm. www.bigeasypetaluma.com

Little Saint
An awesome new addition to the Sonoma County culinary and nightlife scene, Little Saint has an incredible lineup this fall season, including musical performances, book-signings and conversations with local thought leaders, and a rotating exhibition of art shows. Langhorne Slim, Lucy Dacus, a Sonoma Land Trust Dinner and a Saint Joseph’s Holiday Bazaar are all on the menu. Check out www.littlesainthealdsburg.com for tickets and more information.

Green Music Center
The performing arts center for Sonoma State University, the Green Music Center is committed to providing artistic inspiration through year-round programming, and serves as home to the Sonoma State University music department, the Santa Rosa Symphony and Sonoma Bach. Music lovers, look no further. This fall, catch such acts as Aida Cuevas, Sacre, Cantus Song of the Universal and more. For tickets and information, visit www.gmc.sonoma.edu.

Sweetwater Music Hall
From 1972, when Sweetwater opened in a rustic Mill Valley storefront, to today, this music hall provided stellar shows and great times to the Marin County community. In 2007, the original Sweetwater closed its doors, but five years later it reopened in Corte Madera. There, it continues to keep the old vibes alive, providing great music, food and vibes. This fall, catch such acts as Antibalas and Bill and the Belles. For tickets and information, visit www.sweetwatermusichall.com.

The Blue Note Napa
A live jazz club, music venue and gourmet restaurant on the first floor of the Napa Valley Opera House, The Blue Note Napa “seamlessly blends the quintessential Greenwich Village jazz club experience—an intimate atmosphere where the stage is so close to you that you feel as if the performers are playing in your very own living room—mixed with the Northern California wine country ambiance and the historic architecture of the nineteenth century Napa Valley Opera House.” (bluenotnapa.com) This fall, Brendan James, The California Honeydrops and more are scheduled to play. For tickets and information, visit www.bluenotenapa.com.

Arts & Exhibitions
Sonoma Plein Air Art Show
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Sonoma Plein Air Festival, where art lovers and artists can wander through an outdoor art show and sale, celebrating the practice of outdoor painting and benefiting arts and creativity in the Sonoma Valley. Held on the beautiful Sonoma Plaza, this event includes artists’ demonstrations, live music and art activities for all ages. All artists’ paintings “en plein air” are on display and available for purchase. The show is Sept. 10 in the Sonoma Plaza, 453 First Street East, Sonoma. 5-7pm. See www.sonomavalley.com for more information.

Hilos Visibles/Visible Threads, A Latino/x Community Project & Exhibit
The Napa Valley Latino Heritage Committee, Napa County Historical Society and St. Helena Historical Society have partnered to showcase the rich Hispanic heritage of the Napa Valley through quilt squares, banners, papel picado and quilts, in the show “Hilos Visables/Visible Threads.” The exhibition opens Oct. 7 at the Napa Historical Society and Oct. 14 at the St. Helena Historical Society. For information, visit www.napacountyhispanicnetwork.org.

Sonoma County Arts Trails
One hundred sixteen professional artists open their studios for two weekends this fall, inviting the public to explore the beauty of Sonoma County and the incredible artistic talent housed within it. Come meet the myriad painters, sculptors, ceramicists and photographers, and collect their exceptional art works. Studios open from Sept. 24 to 25, and Oct. 1 to 2, 10am-5pm. Visit www.sonomacountytrails.org.

Marin Arts and Crafts Show
Hosted at the newly renovated Marin Center, this show brings together 200 artists, artisans and purveyors in celebration of handcrafts. The three-day show encompasses all handcrafted media—jewelry, clothing, woodwork, ceramics, artwork, paper arts, specialty foods, antiquities and more. Come explore products made with exceptional detail by hand, and marvel at the human ability! And perhaps, for the early planner, pick up some holiday gifts? Friday through Sunday, Nov. 4-6, at the Marin Exhibit Center, 10 Ave of the Flags, San Rafael. 10am to 6pm Fri-Sat and 10am-5pm Sun. www.artsandcraftsshow.com

Bolinas Museum
Bringing arts programming to Marin County year-round, Bolinas Museum is hosting its 30th Annual Benefit Art Auction Last Call Cocktail Party this fall. Held at the Peace Barn in Bolinas, the event features fine wines, great food, live music and excellent company while bidding on art to support the ongoing efforts of Bolinas Museum. Find work from Yaz Krehbiel, Kathleen Lipinski, Dharma Strasser MacColl, Tom Marioni, Alicia McCarthy and more. Saturday, Sept. 10 from 4-6:30pm. See www.bolinasmuseum.org for tickets and information.

Offbeat Take on ‘Pride & Prejudice’ at 6th Street

Jane Austen’s Bennet sisters have enjoyed something of a theatrical renaissance during the past few years, courtesy of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s Christmas in Pemberley triptych. For those unfamiliar with those works, they took the characters and plot line from Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and continued the story by moving the focus off of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy...
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Organic Vodka Tasting: Hanson of Sonoma Tasting Room at Hanson Gallery

hanson of sonoma distillery, tasting gallery, vodka whiskey art
Sponsored content by Hanson of Sonoma This summer’s hotspot is Hanson of Sonoma Tasting Room at Hanson Gallery, located in the heart of downtown Sausalito. With spectacular views of the Bay and the San Francisco city skyline, it’s not a place to miss. Brought together by a family’s passion for crafting organic spirits and their mutual love for art, Hanson...
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North Bay theaters Plan Their 2022-2023 Seasons

Fall is usually marked by the local theater community with a series of ambitious announcements heralding the shows each company plans to produce for their new season. COVID continues to be a factor as companies optimistically make plans while struggling to fill casts and schedule rehearsals. Some companies have reacted to the continued uncertainty surrounding the pandemic by reducing the...
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Forging Connection Between Generations

I am a member of the Love Generation―those Americans who reached adulthood in the ’60s―and am sometimes asked what I would tell the young people in Generation Z (born since 1996), who feel that their concerns about climate change and other pressing global challenges are not being heard by their government or the United Nations. One of our global problems...
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Weekly Astrology

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the coming weeks, I urge you to flee from stale and rigid certainty. Rebel against dogmatic attitudes and arrogant opinions. Be skeptical of unequivocal answers to nuanced questions. Instead, dear Aries, give your amused reverence to all that’s mysterious and enigmatic. Bask in the glimmer of intriguing paradoxes. Draw inspiration and healing from the...
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Skin Contact White Wines

A “skin-contact” white wine is a white wine that has had extended contact with grape skins. While red and rosé wines always spend time on skins—this is where these wines get their color and tannin—during the maceration and fermentation process, typical white wines do not. When white-wine grapes are pressed, only the juice is fermented. In essence, skin-contact white wines are...
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The Soul’s Energy Field

The three-part division of the human being into body, soul and spirit is all but universal. Now, knowing you have a body is easy enough, but in these materialistic times soul and spirit have been forgotten, at best viewed as things that cannot be known, only superstitiously “believed” in. Sometimes Hollywood’s special brand of magic can help us understand metaphysical...
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The Dangers of Monetizing Creativity

When you’re a broke-ass-art-person, there are about a million podcasts and blogs and online courses encouraging you to create podcasts and blogs and online courses to help monetize your creative process by sharing it with other artists who, in turn, will create more podcasts and blogs and online courses. As a career-long writer, I’ve been down this diverting wormhole more...
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Culture Crush—Coffee Roasting, Salsa and More

Arts Festival The Healdsburg Arts Festival is back! Wander the inimitably charming Healdsburg Plaza and prepare to be immersed in some of the finest in wine country creativity. The festival is dedicated to three categories of art: visual, performance and culinary. Attendees can enjoy art demos, public art on display, interactive art making, booths for nonprofits, music, entertainment, dance performance,...
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A guide to Sonoma, Napa and Marin’s Fall Arts

Though summer is quietly slipping out the back door as you read this, be assured that there’s no shortage of fall fun on the horizon. What follows are some standout selections sure to amplify your autumnal experience. Special EventsSonoma County Harvest Fair Grand Tasting EventIt’s no secret that Sonoma County is home to some of the best wines and wineries...
Read more
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