Even though 2020 is officially done and the New Year is here, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to make in-person gatherings a tricky endeavor in the North Bay. To help start 2021 in a positive way, several local events boasting music, art, history, poetry and other timely communal interests are happening online this week. Here’s a round up of what’s worth looking forward to.
Online Reading
The Rivertown Poets regularly meets twice a month at Aqus Café in Petaluma to share poetry readings from guest writers and the community-at-large with a poetry open mic. In 2020, the group went online to continue the series virtually in the wake of the pandemic, and things are staying online in 2021. Rivertown Poets mark the first of it’s “Amuse-ing Mondays” of the year with a digital gathering featuring readings by published poets Patti Trimble and Robert Eastwood followed by an online poetry open mic on Monday, Jan. 4, at 6:15pm. Free. Aqus.com/online.
Online Event
Marin County residents and organizations resolving to get creative for the New Year can learn how to get on local television at the Community Media Center of Marin Orientation, held virtually in place of in-person events due to the pandemic. The CMCM’s first orientation of 2021 offers insight into the center’s low-cost video production workshops, such as basic camera production and video editing, and how Marin residents can receive the necessary certifications for using CMCM equipment and facilities. Take the first step into television on Tuesday, Jan. 5, at 7pm. Free. Cmcm.tv.
Online Forum
Each month, the Marin County Commission on Aging hosts a meeting to discuss timely topics that directly impact the elder community in the region. This month, the commission hosts a virtual gathering that covers “The Intersection of Race and Age in Marin.” The Zoom meeting will feature several Marin residents sharing their personal stories of how systemic racism in the North Bay has affected the older-adult community, along with expert opinions on the matter from Yashica Crawford, Ph.D., of College of Marin’s psychology faculty. The free forum is open to the public and takes place on Thursday, Jan. 7, at 10am. Get details at Marinhhs.org.
Online Concert
Marin-based multi-instrumentalist and music educator Megan Schoenbohm uses her musical gifts to help children express themselves and to help families creatively connect to each other through interactive music classes. In addition to her classes, she makes acclaimed music for kids. Her debut children’s album, “Bubba & Boo,” won a Parents’ Choice Award and a NAPPA Award, and her second album, “You Are Enough,” won the 2020 Parents’ Choice Award. This week, Schoenbohm is the latest North Bay star to shine online as part of the ongoing “Luther Locals” concert series, hosted by Luther Burbank Center for the Arts on Friday, Jan. 8, at 5pm. Lutherburbankcenter.org.
Online Lecture
In July of 1974, Anita Fagiani Andrews was murdered at Fagiani’s Cocktail Lounge in Napa, which she co-owned with her sister. The case went unsolved until 2011, when DNA evidence led to the conviction of Roy Melanson, who has been linked to several murders. Napa County Superior Court Judge Ray Guadagni oversaw that trial; now he writes about the case in the forthcoming book, The Napa Murder of Anita Fagiani Andrews: A Cold Case That Caught a Serial Killer. Before the book’s release, Guadagni shares his story in an online presentation hosted by the Napa County Historical Society on Friday, Jan. 8, at 7pm. Free. Napahistory.org.
Online Exhibit
The last 12 months have been unprecedented and challenging on many levels, with a medical crisis, ecological disasters and social-justice movements all converging in 2020. Throughout all of that upheaval, local artists and creative folks responded with meaningful works that reflect the current state of affairs and offer a glimpse into a hopeful future. This week, MarinMOCA showcases many of those salient pieces of art in the new exhibit, “Here & Now.” Juried by Bay Area gallery owner and curator Kim Eagles-Smith, the contemporary multimedia exhibit opens on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 500 Palm Dr., Novato, and online at Marinmoca.org.
Online Event
The Sonoma County Climate Activist Network kicks off 2021 with a new vision for progressive and transformative change with the online community summit, “It’s Up To Us.” The interactive presentation includes information on how the activist network is helping the community connect to the land through education and action, and the summit boasts a lineup of guest speakers from local organizations such as The Greenbelt Alliance, The Climate Center, Singing Frogs Farm and the Sonoma Sunrise Movement. Join the summit and learn how you can help the North Bay go green on Sunday, Jan. 10, at 2pm. Free. Sonomacountycan.org.
