As a Yolo County organic walnut farmer and a longtime leader in California agriculture, Craig McNamara—pictured at below as a teenager in the White House in 1968—has devoted his career to practicing sustainable farming, feeding the hungry, and growing the next generation of farmers as the founder of the highly acclaimed Center for Land-Based Learning. But in his new memoir Because Our Fathers Lied, excerpted below, he recounts his deeply complicated and conflicted relationship with his father, Robert McNamara—the chief architect of the Vietnam War and one of the most controversial political figures in American history.
Like the ripple effect of a pebble dropped into the still water of a pond, Gary Snyder’s outsized influence extends far beyond the edges of his remote, hand-built home in the woods near Nevada City. At 92, the poet and environmentalist has lived an extraordinary life—from birthing the Beat Generation with fellow writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg to winning the Pulitzer Prize for his book Turtle Island, which has been described as a “poet’s love lyrics to planet Earth,” and even inspiring the release of the Pentagon Papers. With two new major anthologies out, this former UC Davis professor is proving that he still has a lot to teach us all.
The team behind The Press Bistro reassembles to open Juju Kitchen & Cocktails downtown, introducing new farm-fresh dishes and bringing back old favorites that we’ve missed. We’re reunited with chef-owner David English’s signature grilled calamari, and it feels—and tastes—so good.
Don Roth grew up in New York City on a steady diet of many of the world’s best cultural offerings. That influence rubs off in his role as the executive director of UC Davis’ Mondavi Center, which launches its 20th anniversary season on Oct. 6. Roth talks about highlights for the year ahead, his vision for a thriving regional arts community, and his top three Mondavi memories.
Over the past four decades, the Happiest Place on Earth has been all the sweeter thanks to a frozen treat invented by a UC Davis alum. That makes this iconic, creamy creation the perfect fit for our highly subjective, small-batch, 100% locally made list of our favorite people, places and things. Here's one of our picks for Best of the City 2022.
From Old Sacramento’s new incandescent signage to luminescent lanterns hand-assembled in Newcastle to a just-opened microcinema in midtown and merciful cyclists with big hearts, we present our highly subjective, small-batch, 100% locally made list of our favorite people, places and things right now. We know it’s been a rough couple of years—here are 22 bright spots that are lighting up our town in 2022.
