Love Language
Brenda Novak knows a fine romance when she writes one. As the Auburn-based best-selling novelist gets set to release her newest love story and embark on a cross-country Airstream book tour, she talks about her own love story, her days slinging books at the State Fair and living the California dream.
Man. Verses. Nature.
At 92, Gary Snyder has lived an extraordinary life—from birthing the Beat Generation with writers like Allen Ginsberg to winning the Pulitzer Prize.
A Bird’s-Eye View
As both the artistic director and executive director of the Sacramento Ballet, Anthony Krutzkamp works overtime to combine his lifelong love of dance with his ultimate vision to create a troupe known around the world. His first order of business in 2023? An ambitious new take on the most timeless ballet of all, Swan Lake.
"By Any Means Necessary, I Will Keep Being an Artist."
Painter. Bluesman. Filmmaker. Educator. After retiring in 2012 from UC Davis, where he was an art professor for 43 years—and on the eve of a solo show at the Manetti Shrem Museum—Mike Henderson reflects on shining shoes as a young man in Missouri, seeing his soul in Van Gogh's Potato Eaters, believing he had lost decades' worth of paintings in a fire, and securing his place in one of the greatest university art departments ever assembled.
Forever (530)
Davis native Hasan Minhaj wears his hometown pride on his sleeve and talks his brand-new one-man show, The King’s Jester, now streaming on Netflix.
A Comedy Giant
Jimboy’s Tacos, Tower Records and Sunrise Mall. As Brian Posehn gets ready to release a new special this December, the “forever nerdy” 6-foot-7 stand-up comic—who is also a proud metalhead and Dungeons & Dragons podcast host—shares tall tales (literally) from his childhood and how he got his comedy start right here in River City.
The Mondavi at 20
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.
Staging a Comeback
The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera closes out the season with The Barber of Seville, its first fully staged opera in almost a decade. But in other ways, that’s just the beginning. New executive director Giuliano Kornberg talks about doubling down on operas next season and the road ahead.
Q&A with Sci-Fi Author Kim Stanley Robinson
The Davis author is celebrated for epic sci-fi novels, but in his new memoir "The High Sierra: A Love Story," Kim Stanley Robinson takes a turn for the terrestrial, covering a half-century adventuring across our altitudinous backyard.
Q&A with Shonna McDaniels, Director of the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum
Inside South Sacramento’s Florin Square mall resides a hidden treasure: the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum, named for the trailblazing abolitionist and advocate for women’s rights who was born into slavery. Since 1996, the institution has been an evolving fusion of art gallery, historical collection, education center and community nexus. We visited Shonna McDaniels, the 56-year-old artist and executive director of the “Sojo” Museum, at the cultural institution she founded over 25 years ago.
Big in Japan(ese)
Daisuke Tsuji has clowned around (literally) for Cirque du Soleil, appeared on stage at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, voiced the lead character in the blockbuster video game Ghost of Tsushima (a role that earned him a BAFTA nomination), and acted in Japanese on television shows like The Man in the High Castle and Brockmire. In his latest Japanese-speaking role, he co-stars with Sam Neill in the new Apple TV+ sci-fi series Invasion. The Sacramento-raised multihyphenate talks about landing his biggest part yet, filming around the world during the pandemic, and the lasting impact of his Rio Americano drama teacher’s words.
Q&A with CEO of Broadway Sacramento Richard Lewis
After going dark in the spring of 2020 due to Covid, Broadway Sacramento (which produces Broadway on Tour and Broadway at Music Circus) will finally raise the curtain on its first show in a year and a half, the 11-time Tony Award-winning Hamilton—and in a newly renovated theater to boot. Richard Lewis, CEO and president of the arts organization, addresses the pandemic elephant in the auditorium, reveals the best seat in the (new) house, and gives a pro tip for Hamilton first-timers that’s super, well, sonic.
On Sale Now!
Stay in the know!
Get Sactown's top stories in your inbox by signing up for our weekly newsletter.
