Good spirits were all around at the Rubicon Brewing Company, located at 2004 Capitol Ave., on Saturday for their annual Women in Brewing event. The event, which features women brewers from the area and around the world, with proceeds from the sales and a silent auction supporting WEAVE, drew several thousand beer enthusiasts throughout the day to sample some good brews. Several of the brewer s attended the event, including Denise Jones, the Brewmaster for Moylan’s Brewing Company, who brewed the Hell’s Export Lager for the event. “Usually, beers are turned over in 14 to 21 days, whereas this beer took probably about six to seven weeks before I released it to the public,” Jones said of t

Small bursts of laughter and sniffles filled a dark room, as more than 200 people watched a slide show commemorating the life of Byron Blackburn Friday night at Beatnik Studio. Blackburn, a local musician and partial-owner of Javalounge, passed away from cancer on Sept. 18 in his Sacramento home. During the memorial, bands such as The Inversions, The Alegria Quartet and Jalapeno Chocolates to name a few showcased their appreciation for Blackburn by performing in his honor. He inspired many people around the community, many of whom attended the memorial, including local painter Mark Fox. “He was such a positive person,” Fox said. “And he influenced me tremendously. He was always at all

As a published writer, teaching instructor, writer's coach and newcomer to Northern California, Valerie Fioravanti now brings her years of teaching experience to the Sacramento community. Fioravanti is offering Midtown Writing Workshops for beginning and advanced writers.  Her workshops include small group meetings or private tutoring, with instruction and feedback on stories, novels, multi-genre and flash pieces. "I think there are a lot of writers in [Sacramento]" she said. "In any city of this size, there are going to be two different types of people," Fioravanti said, "aspiring writers and people looking for self-expression, for creative expression." Fioravanti has experienced the d