The Crocker Art Museum will welcome William U. Eiland, director of the Georgia Museum of Art, for a lecture on the imagery of Saint Sebastian and its cultural meanings for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender viewers on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. The lecture will be held in conjunction with the exhibition “Florence and the Baroque: Paintings from the Haukohl Family Collection,” an exhibition of paintings and sculptures from the largest privately-held collection of the period in the United States. Tickets are $6 for Museum members and $12 for nonmembers. Eiland’s lecture, titled “Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune: Queering Saint Sebastian,” will focus on two paintings in the exh

Beginning June 5, Sacramento’s Arden-Dimick Library will host “Hearing Voices – Author, Character and Narrator in Audiobooks,” a summer book club sponsored by the Sacramento Public Library and the California Center for the Book. At the first meeting, participants will meet the Audie and Audiofile Earphones award-winning Simon Vance, narrator of the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and King’s Speech audiobooks. Vance will discuss his experience of what makes good literature and what makes good audio and how those two may differ. Registered participants will receive audiobooks and series materials, including author biographies and discussion questions. At each of the four remaining meetings, pa

UC Davis law professor Anupam Chander spoke to a large crowd at the California Museum on Tuesday, April 19th about the role social media has played in the recent uprisings around the globe, and how it could be a key player in making the world better. Just prior to the professor taking the stage, a wonderful meet-and-greet was held in the lobby of the museum. Politicos, business leaders, media experts, teachers and others chatted over mouth-watering hors’doeuvres provided by Blue Prynt and wine provided by Grace Patriot Wines. Professor Chander was there to discuss a new paper that he had recently published called Googling Freedom. His presentation came in three parts: (1) is social media

On Wednesday, May 4th, the Center for Sacramento History, in association with the Sacramento History Foundation, will host a panel discussion with the authors of the recent book, Remaking California: Reclaiming the Public Good. The panel will delve into the causes of California’s governmental gridlock, the effects on its citizens and environment, and prospects for restoring a healthy democracy. The event, Remaking California: Breaking Political Gridlock, will be held at the Jean Runyon Little Theater in Memorial Auditorium (1515 J Street, Sacramento); doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. The event is open to the public; a $5.00 donation is requested at the door.

Widely acclaimed author of “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” and more recently ”The Lake of Dreams” Kim Edwards spoke at the Crest Theatre on Thursday as the fourth author of the California Lectures’ 2010-2011 season. Her work has been praised for its wit, humanism and realistic settings as well her innate ability to transport her reader to exotic locales and accept them implicitly in the story. Her second and most recent novel, “The Lake of Dreams,” came fast on the heels of the breakout success she achieved with her freshman effort, “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” which spent an awesome 122 weeks on the New York Times Best-seller List, 20 of which were spent at number one. The lecture, whic

Before he was a political activist and lecturer, Krist Novoselic was a founding member and bassist of Seattle-based Nirvana, one of the most influential bands in history. After Nirvana ended when lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994, Novoselic became proactive in politics, using his celebrity to draw attention to his causes, which include promoting election reform and increasing voter turnout. Thursday night he spoke to a group of roughly 150 in the University Union ballroom at Sacramento State. Free and open to the public, the chiefly student audience was a mix of the politically minded and curiosity-seeking. “The last I heard about Krist Novoselic was that h

Things will get a little batty in Old Sacramento Saturday when Trail Mix and a wildlife rescue group team up to educate people about bats. Corky Quirk, founder of Northern California Bats, will bring live, wild bats to help dispel some of the myths about these nocturnal creatures. She will also teach people about the benefits and habits of the mysterious winged mammals in a presentation from 1-3 p.m. at Trail Mix, a store selling outdoor merchandise for kids and parents at 116B I St., across from the California State Railroad Museum. Thousands of bats roost in the nooks and crannies of the city. In summer, a colony of 150,000 to 200,000 bats live under the Yolo Causeway and may be seen f

  The Sacramento Art Deco Society came together Thursday evening to hear noted Art Deco photographer and historian Randy Juster at the SMUD building. Only eight people showed up for the more than 200-picture slide show of Art Deco architecture from around the world, but those eight got a wonderfully personal lecture from a man who’s been in the business of photography for 35 years. “It’s a desire to document things that are endangered,” the 56-year-old said.   The attendees were all welcomed by little cups of sparkling lemonade and halves of Entenmann’s donuts laid out on a folding table. It seemed that everyone knew one another, or were just incredibly gregarious. Sea Miller, board

Last night, John Irving, National Book Award-winning author of twelve novels, including The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Cider House Rules and his latest, Last Night at Twisted River, appeared in conversation with UC Davis Director of Creative Writing, Pam Houston, before an appreciative full-house at downtown’s Crest Theater, as part of California Lectures’ 2009-2010 line-up of literary speakers. Irving told the audience he writes according to novelist Herman Melville’s warning, “Woe to him that seeks to please rather than to appall,” saying that his goal is “not only to frighten readers, making them anxious for the fates of characters I have made them like,” but

Clive Matson is more than a legendary Beat poet. He's a little bit younger than the Beats, and a lot more honest and raw, which he'll tell you himself. He's a nature lover, a teacher and a father. And on Monday, June 15, he will be teaching a free public workshop entitled "Let the Crazy Child Inside Write" at the Sacramento Poetry Center. Poets Q.R. Hand and H.D. Moe will also be reading at the event, which begins at 6 p.m. Matson plans to read from his heralded 1966 poetry collection Mainline to the Heart, along with some more recent works. When Mainline was published, it was described by one reviewer as "more edgy than the Beats," a critique Matson agrees with. "I'm carried away eith

City of Man, City of God: The Catholic Church and the Shaping of Sacramento On Friday, June 12, 2009, SAMCC will unveil a new photographic exhibit, City of Man, City of God: The Catholic Church and the Shaping of Sacramento. The exhibit depicts the role that people of faith played in shaping Sacramento’s urban agenda, from the 1850s to today. The evening will include an address by Dr. Steven M. Avella on his recently released book, Sacramento and the Catholic Church: Shaping a Capital City. The event is free and open to the public. It begins at 7:00 p.m. at SAMCC, 551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd, Sacramento. The Catholic Church, present in Sacramento from the city’s beginnings, has had an impo

Author Dan Hinkley will give two lectures at High Hand Nursery LOOMIS, CA June 5, 2009 - A plant expert who has gained nationwide acclaim through his books, articles and television appearances is visiting a local nursery this month. Horticulturist Dan Hinkley, who has won many awards, written numerous articles for national magazines and appeared on Martha Stewart, Nova and other shows, will be at High Hand Nursery in Loomis June 13 and 14. Hinkley has gained fame for his worldwide travels in search of exotic plants. He specializes in introducing rare and unusual plants to North American gardeners and, in search of these plants, travels to China, South and Central America, Mexico, New Ze

There were so many events going on this week in Sacramento that I had to break them up into two articles (and still there are so many more!). This is a diverse compilation of things to do under $20 this week. From lectures, concerts & festivals, to health classes and job fairs, you are bound to find something you'll like! Keep an eye out for my next article in which I will feature all of the fundraisers and benefits this week...  Monday 4.20 Lecture: Andrew Sean Greer - Free When: 1pm Where: CSUS- Union Ballroom (Free parking on Lot 10) Why: Andrew Sean Greer is the bestselling author of The Story of a Marriage, a lyrical novel about love and longing, and the political, sexual, and racia

For those of you who don't know who Hinkley is, he is a plant collector, propagator, lecturer and author; in the gardening world, he's the equivalent of a rock star. He seemingly has crossed from the plant world into popular consciousness, including a gush from Martha Stewart. "He is strong, he is fun to be with -- yes -- I love him" (he writes for her magazine and appears on her television show). His garden is discussed in House and Garden, and he was profiled in The New York Times magazine a couple years ago. Though hobnobbing with celebrities and hiking in the hills of Nepal may sound glamorous, Hinkley finds his deepest satisfaction in being the first to recognize and retrieve a previ

Caesar was warned to "beware the Ides of March" (March 15) in 44 B.C. It turned out to be the day he was murdered. However, this week holds so many events, including many St. Patrick's Day festivities, Sacramento Press wants you to get out into the community, have some fun, and stay positive. Sunday, March 15 - The Ides of March (Beware!) Though registration is already over, come out and cheer on the runners in the Shamrock'n Half Marathon. According to the website, proceeds raised by runners will go to a scholarship fund to award a Sacramento-area college student who aspires to teach children with special needs. See the map here, and please try to keep your car off the race course. Ral