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1 week ago | 
bohemian.com | Nikki Silverstein
In an age of AI-generated everything, live storytelling might seem quaint—until one is in the room. That’s when the magic happens. Eyeball to eyeball, story to story, something stirs that no screen can simulate. For 34 years, the Bay Area Storytelling Festival has been proof that in-person, heart-to-heart storytelling isn’t just alive—it’s essential.
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1 week ago | 
pacificsun.com | Nikki Silverstein
About three months ago, while researching some random topic on Google, “Marin Lately” popped up in the search results. I clicked. I read. I laughed. Marin Lately, a satirical online publication, has nailed the essence of this quirky county with its overabundance of wealthy residents. Think The Onion, Marin style. Don’t take my word for it.
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1 week ago | 
bohemian.com | Nikki Silverstein
Art & MusicMusic, memory and mandolins converge this weekend at Sofie Contemporary Arts, where musician Josh Martin—Coast Guard vet turned NorCal troubadour—brings his genre-crossing trio to the gallery stage. He’s joined by Texas-bred singer and mandolinist Genevieve and Sonoma County’s own Jenica Thorp on fiddle, for an afternoon of bluegrass, blues, rock and original vernacular tunes.
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1 week ago | 
bohemian.com | Nikki Silverstein
Measly MeaslesWhen I was a child 75 years ago, all the kids got measles. No one was afraid of it. Most mothers stayed at home and were comfortable caring for sick children. There was no “Big Pharma” as we know it today—just common sense and generational wisdom when it came to childhood illnesses. In fact, these illnesses were considered strengthening for children. Some parents even hosted “measles parties” to deliberately expose their kids.
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2 weeks ago | 
bohemian.com | Nikki Silverstein
I sat spellbound. The man across the table was relating how he had wrangled his way into a detention center where he suspected torture was being committed. He convinced the guard to leave the room, quickly photographed the horrific scarring on a detainee’s back, smuggled the film out and showed the photos to a judge. “The judge roundly condemned the torture, which was illegal but seldom exposed,” my companion explained.
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2 weeks ago | 
bohemian.com | Nikki Silverstein
In high school, she was quiet. She was kind, with flashes of dark wit, but boy was she quiet. Basically, she was a typical kid. Today, “Jenny W.” is still pretty reserved, but has emerged as a powerful writer and thinker, a woman who senses the national moment and offers a document. Descended from “a handful of founding fathers,” including Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson, she heard, she says, a call.
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2 weeks ago | 
pacificsun.com | Nikki Silverstein
Marriage, Fame & Other HorrorsIt’s time to dive into the fantastical, the horrific and the domestic with Betty and Clayton Bailey at di Rosa Downtown. Their exhibition showcases the quirky, wild worlds of ceramic sculptor Clayton Bailey, a legend of California clay art, alongside the prolific graphite and ceramic works of his wife, Betty Bailey. Together, this duo’s art explores the weird and wonderful chaos of fame, creativity and marriage, with monsters and mayhem galore.
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2 weeks ago | 
pacificsun.com | Nikki Silverstein
Don’t Worry, Be HappysAs a concerned citizen who reads your publication not just for the arts coverage but for the occasional whiff of rebellion, I’d like to formally commend The Happys for reminding us all how punk rock is supposed to work—by slapping homemade signage on a utility pole and calling it a business plan. Their marketing strategy is a masterclass in DIY promo. If Banksy and Billy Mays had a baby (and that baby dropped out of art school to start a band), it would be The Happys.
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3 weeks ago | 
pacificsun.com | Nikki Silverstein
Feeling Angry? Do You Feel Anger? Do you enjoy satire and theater? Well then … Marin Theatre has exactly the play to have you howling with laughter. Without spoilers, here’s a snippet of the plot: One woman is hired as an empathy coach for a male-dominated workplace in the field of, yep, debt collection.
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3 weeks ago | 
pacificsun.com | Nikki Silverstein
Talk Is CreepCan people really get away with saying this stuff? In the last week or so, some pretty creepy stuff came out of the mouths of MAGA leaders in Washington. House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Trump’s alleged crypto corruption shouldn’t be investigated because, “It’s out in the open.” Hmmm, if a crime is committed in broad daylight, it merits no attention?
