“Telling stories without shame” is the goal of a new digital magazine published by Sacramento writer and editor Janna Marlies Santoro. The premiere issue of Under the Gum Tree was released this month, and Santoro said she asked contributors to write creative nonfiction that showcases important moments in people’s lives, as told by them. One writer, Sarah Heffron, wrote about her own unplanned pregnancy. “It’s a snapshot of the days just before and the moments after finding out I was pregnant,” she said. While the “creative nonfiction” genre leaves some question as to how much is true, Santoro said all of the stories are true, but sometimes dialogue is written from memory and timelines

For self-employed Sacramentans who want to keep work and home separate, the ThinkHouse Collective provides an office space without any of the drudgery of a cubicle forest. “We’re a co-working community,” said co-founder Janna Santoro. “It’s a membership community for Sacramento’s creative class.” Santoro said the ThinkHouse Collective, located at 1726 11th St., offers all the social aspects of a traditional office, where members can bounce ideas off each other, while freeing workers from the typical distractions of working from home such as pets, kids and chores. Co-founder Jeremy Maron said the collective is essentially a community of freelancers including writers, photographers and ot

Here are some photos of the panel from Monday night at the Sutter Square Galleria. The Sacramento Press and the UC Davis Extension Center collaborated to present "Making it as a Writer: How to Succeed in Challenging Times."  More than 30 people showed up to hear insights from panelists JT Long, Sacramento-based freelance journalist; Peter Grandbois, published author and California State University, Sacramento, creative writing professor; Cinamon Vann, a freelance writer and editor specializing in environmental topics; Kate Washington, contributing writer for Sactown magazine and a freelance food and travel writer; Jennifer Basye Sander, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Publ

Wednesday night, the Urban Hive was packed with people eager to hear what local media outlets had to say about the changes they've made recently in response to the economy, technology and social media. Jim Jakobs, Assignment Manager of KCRA, Jon Schuller and Anne Shulock, Office Manager and Reporter of Sactown Magazine, Jen Picard, Senior Producer of Insight, David Watts Barton, Editor in Chief of Sacramento Press, and Nick Miller, Arts Editor of Sacramento News and Review, had a lively discussion moderated by Janna Santoro. Here is the first part of the video from that night. Nick Miller joined the panel a little late. This first segment is before he arrived.    Media Panel video

Today, 30% of the US job market, about 42 million workers, are independent contractors, temporary staffers, or self employed, according to the July 2009 issue of Money Magazine. No longer just the realm of creative professionals like writers and artists, freelancing is spreading to accounting, engineering, health care, law and sales. “Now’s the time to think and act entrepreneurially when it comes to your career.” (Money 59) And in Sacramento, as teachers, state workers, and others, face layoffs and furloughs, they have both the time and the inclination to turn towards this professional avenue. Perhaps you have started researching freelance or self-employment options? Maybe you saw the

When Levi and Jessie Benkert from local development firm LJ Urban decided to leave their Midtown business and pack up their families to start an orphanage in Ethiopia, something had to be done with their workspace until 2010. When Brandon Weber, marketing consultant to LJ Urban, found out about the company's hiatus and downsizing, he wanted to make the warehouse building into a co-working space, and he posted the idea on his blog. Meanwhile, James Pierini and his friend Janna Santoro, who had been working on bringing co-working to Sacramento, were looking for other work-at-home professionals who would be interested in sharing a physical office space, when they came across Weber's blog. Ro