The Urban Hive was filled with nearly 100 representatives from local charities and non-profits at the Sacramento Social Media Club’s “Social Media Best Practices for Charities” last Tuesday. The event, hosted by Clay Nutting, director of Concepts 4 Charity and account executive for 3Fold Communications, inspired attendees to use social media outlets, such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube to spread their message, raise funds and increase public awareness of their cause in order to promote social change.  Panelist Julie Bornhoeft, director of development and community relations for WEAVE, Inc., advised the audience that beginning to use social media is quite simple – you must have a presen

Through their use of Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and other social media tools, many local charities have spread their message, raised funds and increased public awareness of their cause in order to promote social change. In the hopes of spreading their stories and inspiring other philanthropic organizations to do the same, four local charities will be conducting a panel discussion at the Sacramento Social Media Club’s “Social Media Best Practices for Charities” on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Urban Hive. Moderated by Clay Nutting, director of Concepts 4 Charity and account executive for 3Fold Communications, the event will include panelists: Kate Towson, Americorps VISTA with Sacrament

A Watercolors and Hiking event will be held in Locke, Calif. on Thursday, September 15, 2011 starting at 10:00 a.m. The hike will be led by Martha Esch. Bring the kids and the grandparents; everyone is welcome!  Well-behaved dogs on leashes, okay. This is a mostly level 1.5 mile hike apart from one 20 foot long, somewhat steep, narrow path up a levee hill and some optional off-path routes along the way that are prickly and narrow. Locke artist and art teacher, Martha Esch, will demonstrate easy techniques to painting a quick, lovely, loose watercolor postcard of scenic spots along the hike. Next, participants will begin using watercolor kits, blank postcards and brushes that will be pas

If a man is interviewed for climbing Mount Everest and the reporter fails to ask how and why he set out to climb the mountain, then that reporter has missed the most important part of the interview, said Capital Public Radio personality Jeffrey Callison during a workshop at The Sacramento Press. Callison taught The Art and Craft of Interviewing to 41 community members Tuesday. It was a workshop intended for journalists, aspiring journalists and people who are interested in learning how to conduct effective interviews. “You’ll get the meat of the story from ‘the why’ and ‘the how,’” Callison said. “That’s where the story starts to come out. That’s the most important stuff in an interview

From Little League to Major League Baseball or punches to knockouts in boxing, it’s important to keep fans and readers up to date on sport results and highlights. Sam Amick, Sports Illustrated columnist for SI.com, shared his personal experiences Tuesday, giving multiple anecdotes to explain lessons learned, experiences gained and answered audience member questions about the craft. The single most important skill that Amick stressed was preparation and research. He compared sports writing to a chef saying that one prepares by having the correct ingredients for a recipe. He encouraged the audience to try to gain as much information about the sports topic, the team, athletes and statistic

Armed with craft supplies, writing utensils and fond food memories, attendants at Saturday’s “Kitchen Diaries” event, the third in a series of four Food Talks held at Cafe Bernardo, set about creating their own “cookbook journals:” keepsakes meant to preserve and honor the recipes and culinary experiences that shape us. Author and writing coach Janice Kelley, along with illustrator and art instructor Joy Gee, guided the group through the writing and crafting process. Kelley began the workshop by engaging participants in a writing exercise meant to stimulate their creative writing skills as well as their memories. “One of my favorite things to do is help people tell their stories,” Kelle

It is every journalist’s duty to provide the facts as they are, but does bias still manage to exist in journalism? This was the question posed by Clare Noonan, editor of 11 East Bay Patch.com sites and speaker at Tuesday’s workshop at The Sacramento Press. While both Noonan and almost all 14 participants answered yes, Noonan said there were ways to pinpoint personal opinion as a reader and avoid it as a writer. In order to provide objectivity, Noonan said that writers should make sure that facts are accurate and that the reporting is fair. Referencing a University of Michigan website, Noonan listed five areas where bias can occur: word choice, omissions, limiting debate, story framing a

“The most important part of review writing is to tell a story,” said Nick Miller, associate editor at Sacramento News & Review and panelist at Wednesday evening’s review writing workshop, hosted by The Sacramento Press. You should make your reader feel as though they were at the event by including specific details about what you saw, he added. Along with Miller, the workshop’s other two panelists, Rachel Leibrock of Sacramento News & Review and Carla Meyer of The Sacramento Bee, spoke from personal experience about how to effectively write a review of music, food or film. The panel also fielded questions from the 20-person audience in regards to writing style, etiquette and editing. The

Tuesday night, former Sacramento City College journalism professor Doug Herndon taught a workshop that outlined the basics of journalism. Attendees included both local, freelance and aspiring writers. “Journalism is the collecting, writing, editing and publishing of news,” Herndon said. Herndon started with an overview of the fundamentals of being a writer: *Providing information *Story Ideas *News value *Every story needs a hook *What it means to cover a story *The formula and format for journalism When providing information within a story, Herndon said it is important that a reporter weed out any natural bias or personal opinion. “It’s not my place to tell you what I think,” Herndo

Local writers and budding wine enthusiasts gathered at the Sacramento Press office Thursday evening for a workshop on how to write about wine presented by author and former Sacramento Bee columnist Rick Kushman. “We generally associate wine knowledge with ‘class’ or as a social status of some kind,” said Kushman as he opened the workshop. “Really, people just want to know what wine to choose for dinner.” As more than 20 eager writers listened and took notes, Kushman gave the class his “Three Rules of Wine Tasting:” * Wear dark colors. * If you love it, you’re right; if you hate it, you’re right. * Always bring a swimsuit. “That last one doesn’t have anything to do with wine, but it see

Everybody has an opinion. But being able to express your opinion is unique, Sacramento Press Editor in Chief David Watts Barton said during his opinion-writing workshop at the The Sacramento Press Thursday night. “Your goal should be able to really express what you want to say as clearly as you can, so people understand what your opinion is,” Barton said. Barton explained that people first respond to your writing tone. “If you come across as angry or unreasonable, you‘re going to alienate people before you even have a chance to tell them what you think,” Barton said. “Maintain a tone of sweet reasonableness.” Theater critic Bill Burgua heard about the workshop through e-mail and enjoye

The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities is presenting a FREE workshop to help customers use water wisely and learn the in’s and out’s of the City’s Water Conservation Ordinance. The workshop will take place on Saturday February 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities Water Conservation Office, 2260 Glen Ellen Circle. Taught by certified Water Conservation Specialists, the workshop will provide tips and tools for creating a water wise landscape and ways to save water indoors. Attendees will also recieve information about the City's Water Wise House Call, Water Waste, and rebate programs. Water Conservation Workshops provide an opportunity f

The Sacramento City Council will gather Tuesday afternoon to brainstorm ways City Hall can help the city’s financial recovery. Joann Cummins, district director for City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, said Interim City Manager Gus Vina has worked on the economic recovery plan that will be outlined at Tuesday’s workshop. “It’s basically a blueprint for getting Sacramento on the road to recovery,” Cummins said. Council members will gather for the economic recovery workshop at 2 p.m. at the Sacramento Library Galleria, located at 828 I St. The meeting is open to the public. City spokeswoman Linda Tucker said Vina’s economic recovery plan includes goals for economic recovery and prosperity; han

Theater has always been a form of art native to children. Watching them play and create their own games and stories has been a staple of the family tradition, and more than a few parents have taken the opportunity to canonize these moments on YouTube. Cynthia Speakman, a local actor and teacher with the Sacramento Metro Arts Commission, has been in the game for over a decade, working with children to improve their performing skills and ability to be outgoing and expressive. "I think it's very natural for kids to act because they have an enormous need to communicate to others," says Speakman. "Even the kids who aren't extraverted want to be more confident, and for parents it's a remedy of

In the Youtube age when everything can be viewed from the comfort of your lap top, there are still compelling reasons to see live stand-up comedy. The number one reason is the spontaneity of a live show and the energy of the audience. One of the most spontaneous has to be when a comic deals with a heckler. For some, a heckler is not a favored species. It often involves way too much ego and or alcohol. However, there is a different side to that story. One from the comic's viewpoint. "There is a special energy that circulates around the room when it happens. The chance that it could go bad and the quality of the comic's wit make it exciting. What if the comic could keep this up for most of

Sacramento area residents voiced their opinion on the region’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan at a workshop on Wednesday, and they largely agreed to support a plan that includes greater emphasis on the environment and public transit. This plan, or MTP2035 (Metropolitan Transportation Plan for 2035), is based on assumptions regarding population growth, the economy, transportation, housing, employment, and how infrastructure will need to adjust for the inevitable changes that will occur over the next 25 years. “We’re not shy to give you a lot of information to work with,” said SACOG Executive Director Mike McKeever. Updating the plan, which is a federal requirement, has involved the Sac

Tonight's Review Writing workshop will be live streamed, and we encourage you to tune in from 6:45 - 8 p.m. Sacramento Press Editor in Chief David Watts Barton will teach the basics of reviewing concerts, theater and other performances. We are not accepting anymore RSVPs at this point. We are at full capacity for attendees. If you have RSVP'd but it's more convenient for you to watch the live stream, we encourage you to do so. The Ustream video will be pasted in this article later today. It will go live when the workshop starts. Free live streaming by Ustream

The Sacramento Press office was packed Wednesday night as Dianne Heimer presented the 45 attendees with tips on how to write better leads – the opening sentences in articles. Before the workshop began, guests enjoyed sandwiches and chips from Dad’s Kitchen. Heimer has been a professor of journalism at Sacramento City College for 17 years. She has a BA in English and an MA in English/journalism. She is currently a freelance magazine writer. “I was excited, ’cause this is exactly what I needed help with,” Keilah Woodard said. She has a blog about places to go with kids called Sacramento Side Tracks. This is the second workshop Sally King has attended at The Sacramento Press. “I really ca

Every month The Sacramento Press holds a workshop for its writers and readers to attend. Last night, Sac Press held a sports writing workshop in which sports writers Jimmy Spencer and Zach Harper led. The 22 people in attendance asked questions and listened to the message that both writers shared pertaining to sports journalism. Although they both are in the sports journalism arena, the way in which they made a name for themselves was very different. Spencer earned a degree in journalism at California State University, Sacramento, in 2005. Spencer started his journalism career writing for campus newspaper, The State Hornet, and would later find himself working for The Sacramento Bee. He

SACRAMENTO, CA (Sept 11) – The publishing world always seeks new, young authors, songwriters, poets and journalists. On Sept 11, young writers, in grades 6-12, from throughout Sacramento, surrounding counties and potentially the bay area (if they’d like to make the drive) will gather with published authors, book industry professionals, and university professors at an innovative workshop specifically designed to help young writers fulfill their dreams and launch their careers.     Capitol City Young Writers Writers “Meet the Author” workshop takes place Saturday, September 11 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at The Sacramento Bee’s small auditorium, 2131 Q St., in Sacramento, CA. Aspiring young write