North Bay Bohemian

The North Bay Bohemian is a complimentary weekly publication that serves the North Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Region in California. It is available in Sonoma and Napa counties. This newspaper started in 1979 as "The Paper," founded by Nick Valentine, a former artist who became a community journalist, and jazz pianist Bob Lucas in the Guerneville area of western Sonoma County. In 1993, it was renamed the Sonoma County Independent when John Boland and James Carroll took ownership. The following year, in 1994, Metro Newspapers, a group that operates three alternative weeklies in the Bay Area, acquired the Independent and transitioned it to a weekly publication.

Local

English

Newspaper

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#1459856

United States

#386993

News and Media

#10324

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

The Bay Area Storytelling Festival Returns to Santa Rosa

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.
Culture Crush, June 18

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.
Your Letters, June 18

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.
Open Mic: Without International Students, the U.S. Will Be Poorer

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.
The Odd Octuple, Simon's ‘Rumors’ Staged in Sonoma | Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties

2 weeks ago | bohemian.com | Beulah Vega

Neil Simon’s Rumors (now playing in Andrews Hall at the Sonoma Community Center through June 15) is a farce in the traditional way. There’s a staircase, an overly convoluted plot, six doors and plenty of props/set dressings to trip over. Charlie, the vice-mayor of New York, is celebrating his 10th wedding anniversary with his wife, Myra.
We Hold These Truths: A New Declaration of Independence

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.
Loud and Proud, Pride Month Events Abound in North Bay

1 month ago | bohemian.com | Nikki Silverstein

Pride celebrations are nothing new in the North Bay. Dating back to at least the 1960s, LGBTQ+ culture has thrived in Sonoma and Marin counties. As Pride Month approaches, long standing events and brand new celebrations will fill the month of June—and beyond. It’s almost time to get out for coming out at these celebrations of queer folk in our fantastic cultural bubble. It is important to remember that Sonoma County’s history of LGBTQ+ includes the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic.
A Queer Revolution, Petaluma People’s Pride Launches

1 month ago | bohemian.com | Michael Giotis

A troubling sign of the times has been watching organizations abandon their declarations of BLM and DEI to maintain their privilege in the newly emboldened corporate-government alignment. It’s leaving some lefties wondering, where did the revolution go? Rest assured folks, revolutionary consciousness is making a comeback, and LGBTQIA2S+ are leading the way. A brand new organization has just formed in Sonoma County called Petaluma People’s Pride.
Open Mic: Historic Moment. How Will We Respond Today?

1 month ago | bohemian.com | Nikki Silverstein

A person escapes slave labor, torture, rape and murder, and illegally crosses a border to a land where such crimes are outlawed, to a land where people have the right to work for wages and are protected by the law. Anyone in this “free land” who harbors or aides such an escapee is subject to federal prosecution, fines and imprisonment.
Live at Lagunitas: Season Opener Hits Right Note

1 month ago | bohemian.com | Daedalus Howell

It’s not often a Monday feels like a Friday night, but such was the magic conjured when LA LOM lit up the Lagunitas Amphitheater on May 26. The Los Angeles League of Musicians—fresh from their BottleRock set—delivered a high-energy, genre-spanning performance that turned the sold-out Petaluma venue into a sun-dappled dancefloor beneath the redwoods.