Gay Cooper reads Catriona McPherson and Gabby Battista reads Shelley Blanton-Stroud
The Stories on Stage crew are real fans of Catriona McPherson's very-witty mysteries, including Scot Mist, which will be featured August 26. Also, Shelley Blanton-Stroud is thrilled to have her Tomboy read in her final season of co-directing Stories on Stage Sacramento with Dorothy Rice (before Jessica and Joshua Laskey take charge). Can you tell? We're kind of giddy.
The Auditorium at CLARA AUDITORIUM, 1425 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816.
Doors open at 6:30 PM. Performance begins at 7:00 PM.
Advance tickets available via Eventbrite as well as the door.
The Auditorium at CLARA AUDITORIUM, 1425 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816.
Doors open at 6:30 PM. Performance begins at 7:00 PM.
Advance tickets available via Eventbrite as well as the door.
Our July 22 Sacramento Literary Fundraiser was a SPECIAL night. If you couldn't be there in person, see actors Jessica Laskey and Kellie Raines read the work of Renee Thompson, Sue Staats, Jan Haag, Maureen O'Leary,
Krista Minard and Anara Guard HERE.
At this special celebration and fundraiser, we'll do things a little differently, though our Stories on Stage DNA remains the same. A couple of our favorite actors--Jessica Laskey and Kellie Raines--will perform stories by locals Jan Haag, Renee Thompson, Krista Minard, Anara Guard, Maureen O'Leary, and Sue Staats (all from our Twenty Twenty anthology). And there will be music from classical clarinet quartet CLARISONIX, featuring anthology author Deborah Pittman. There will be literary games and prizes, a raffle and a silent auction with the work of local artists and other exciting items, brand new Stories on Stage swag, free food (sweet & savory, including Sue Staat's famous cookies), and more.
But perhaps most importantly, we invite local literary or literary-adjacent businesses, groups, organizations or activities to bring information, handouts, fliers or what-have-you to share (no direct sales please). The foyer at the Clara (right outside the auditorium) will be a dedicated space for your cards, books, brochures, cards, magazines, mailing list sign-up sheets, announcements, etc. Throughout the evening (other than during the performances) there will be time to enjoy snacks and drinks while chatting with other folk who also work and play with words.
Tickets for the event ($20) are available on Eventbrite or at the door. Feel free to e-mail storiesonstage916@gmail.com with any questions and you'll get a response from Dorothy or Shelley.
But perhaps most importantly, we invite local literary or literary-adjacent businesses, groups, organizations or activities to bring information, handouts, fliers or what-have-you to share (no direct sales please). The foyer at the Clara (right outside the auditorium) will be a dedicated space for your cards, books, brochures, cards, magazines, mailing list sign-up sheets, announcements, etc. Throughout the evening (other than during the performances) there will be time to enjoy snacks and drinks while chatting with other folk who also work and play with words.
Tickets for the event ($20) are available on Eventbrite or at the door. Feel free to e-mail storiesonstage916@gmail.com with any questions and you'll get a response from Dorothy or Shelley.
Literary Celebration Fundraiser featured authors Renée Thompson, Jan Haag, Krista Minard, Anara Guard, Maureen O'Leary, and Sue Staats and featured actors Jessica Laskey and Kellie Raines
FEATURED AUTHORS:
RENEE THOMPSON'S essays and short stories have appeared in, or placed in competitions sponsored by, Twenty Twenty—A Stories on Stage Sacramento Anthology, Manifest West #4, Narrative Magazine, Glimmer Train, Literal Latte, Writer’s Digest, Nevada Magazine, Sacramento Magazine, Arcadia, Cactus Heart, Crossborder, Chiron Review, 10,000 Tons of Black Ink, and elsewhere. She has attended workshops at Lit Camp, in Anderson Valley, CA; Sirenland, in Positano, Italy; Writing by Writers, in Methow Valley, WA; and Community of Writers, in Olympic Valley, CA. Her stories have been performed at Stories on Stage, Sacramento; Stories on Stage, Davis; and Why There Are Words, San Francisco. She is the author of two novels, The Bridge at Valentine, which the city of Woodland, CA, named their community novel in 2014, and The Plume Hunter, which received outstanding endorsements from members of the national birding community.
JAN HAAG taught writing as a journalism/creative writing professor in Sacramento, California, for more than three decades. Now retired, she hosts writing workshops using the Amherst Writers & Artists method. She is the author of a poetry collection, “Companion Spirit,” and she has had stories and poems published in many anthologies and literary journals.
KRISTA MINARD is a Sacramento-based writer and editor. Since 1994, she has been editor of Sacramento Magazine, a monthly glossy publication covering a broad variety of lifestyle topics, including dining, arts and entertainment, health, travel and more. She also handles the editorial content for several other regional publications, including Explore Sacramento and Sacramento Visitors’ Guide. Krista has regularly volunteered as an “Inspirator” and “Eagle Eye” with 916 Ink—a Sacramento-based non-profit organization that turns students into published authors through writing workshops—and as a copyeditor/proofreader with River Rock Books. She also writes fiction; she has attended the Community of Writers (in Olympic Valley) and Lit Camp. Her short stories and essays have been published in several publications, including Susurrus, Paper Wings, Dear Friend and Soul of the Narrator, and her story “On Display” was featured at Stories on Stage Sacramento. She lives in Folsom with her husband, one of her two daughters, and two cats.
ANARA GUARD grew up in Chicago. Her lifelong love of reading has led her to jobs as diverse as minding a Chicago news stand at the age of nine, working as a librarian in a small New England town, fact-checking manuscripts for Houghton Mifflin, and writing book reviews. An award-winning poet, her first novel, Like a Complete Unknown, was featured at Stories on Stage in June. She attended Bread Loaf Writers Workshop and the Community of Writers. She is currently working on her second novel from her home in Sacramento.
MAUREEN O'LEARY is a writer and teacher living in Sacramento. Her stories, poems, and essays appear in Coffin Bell Journal, Reckon Review, Passengers Journal, Punk Noir Magazine, Black Spot Books' anthology Under Her Skin, Brave Voices Magazine, Feral Journal of Poetry and Art, and The Esopus Reader. She serves as the managing editor of The Black Fork Review and is a graduate of Ashland MFA.
SUE STAATS is the former director of Stories on Stage Sacramento (2013-2019). Her fiction and poetry have been published in Tulip Tree Review, The Los Angeles Review, Graze Magazine, Farallon Review, Tule Review, Late Peaches: Poems by Sacramento Poets, Sacramento Voices, and others. She earned an MFA from Pacific University, and was a finalist in the “Wild Women” contest in Tulip Tree Review, runner-up for the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction and a finalist for the Nisqually Prize in Fiction. Her stories have been performed at both the Sacramento and Davis reading series Stories on Stage, and she has read her work at the SF Bay-area reading series Why There Are Words, Babylon Salon, and Litcrawl. Her short story collection, Hardpan, was a recent finalist for the Acacia Fiction Prize. She’s currently working on a novel and continues to work on behalf of Stories on Stage Sacramento, focusing on special projects--interviews, podcasts, community partnerships and event night cookie baking.
FEATURED ACTORS:
And here are some details about our actors:
JESSICA LASKEY is casting director of Stories on Stage Sacramento. She is a native of Sacramento, CA. She earned her BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and has been a freelance writer since 2007. She’s lived and worked in Sacramento, Berkeley, San Francisco, New York City, Paris and Dallas. She’s acted professionally for more than 20 years and runs Theater Galatea with her husband joshua. She’s also taught a variety of subjects (ESL, voice, movement and more) to people of all ages.
KELLIE RAINES is a local actor, director, writer, and visual artist. She has performed with and directed for local theatre companies, including KOLT Run Creations, Green Valley Theatre, Big Idea Theatre, Theater Galatea, and Resurrection Theatre. Her visual art has been shown locally at Archival Gallery in Sacramento. She has read her poetry for the Poetry in Davis series hosted by Dr. Andy Jones. She has a bachelor’s degree in Dramatic Art and a minor in English from the University of California, Davis. Kellie can also be seen on-air for PBS KVIE, where she will have a mixed-media painting in the PBS KVIE Art Auction in early October. Elle essaie aussi d'apprendre le français. Bonne soirée! kellierainesart.com
RENEE THOMPSON'S essays and short stories have appeared in, or placed in competitions sponsored by, Twenty Twenty—A Stories on Stage Sacramento Anthology, Manifest West #4, Narrative Magazine, Glimmer Train, Literal Latte, Writer’s Digest, Nevada Magazine, Sacramento Magazine, Arcadia, Cactus Heart, Crossborder, Chiron Review, 10,000 Tons of Black Ink, and elsewhere. She has attended workshops at Lit Camp, in Anderson Valley, CA; Sirenland, in Positano, Italy; Writing by Writers, in Methow Valley, WA; and Community of Writers, in Olympic Valley, CA. Her stories have been performed at Stories on Stage, Sacramento; Stories on Stage, Davis; and Why There Are Words, San Francisco. She is the author of two novels, The Bridge at Valentine, which the city of Woodland, CA, named their community novel in 2014, and The Plume Hunter, which received outstanding endorsements from members of the national birding community.
JAN HAAG taught writing as a journalism/creative writing professor in Sacramento, California, for more than three decades. Now retired, she hosts writing workshops using the Amherst Writers & Artists method. She is the author of a poetry collection, “Companion Spirit,” and she has had stories and poems published in many anthologies and literary journals.
KRISTA MINARD is a Sacramento-based writer and editor. Since 1994, she has been editor of Sacramento Magazine, a monthly glossy publication covering a broad variety of lifestyle topics, including dining, arts and entertainment, health, travel and more. She also handles the editorial content for several other regional publications, including Explore Sacramento and Sacramento Visitors’ Guide. Krista has regularly volunteered as an “Inspirator” and “Eagle Eye” with 916 Ink—a Sacramento-based non-profit organization that turns students into published authors through writing workshops—and as a copyeditor/proofreader with River Rock Books. She also writes fiction; she has attended the Community of Writers (in Olympic Valley) and Lit Camp. Her short stories and essays have been published in several publications, including Susurrus, Paper Wings, Dear Friend and Soul of the Narrator, and her story “On Display” was featured at Stories on Stage Sacramento. She lives in Folsom with her husband, one of her two daughters, and two cats.
ANARA GUARD grew up in Chicago. Her lifelong love of reading has led her to jobs as diverse as minding a Chicago news stand at the age of nine, working as a librarian in a small New England town, fact-checking manuscripts for Houghton Mifflin, and writing book reviews. An award-winning poet, her first novel, Like a Complete Unknown, was featured at Stories on Stage in June. She attended Bread Loaf Writers Workshop and the Community of Writers. She is currently working on her second novel from her home in Sacramento.
MAUREEN O'LEARY is a writer and teacher living in Sacramento. Her stories, poems, and essays appear in Coffin Bell Journal, Reckon Review, Passengers Journal, Punk Noir Magazine, Black Spot Books' anthology Under Her Skin, Brave Voices Magazine, Feral Journal of Poetry and Art, and The Esopus Reader. She serves as the managing editor of The Black Fork Review and is a graduate of Ashland MFA.
SUE STAATS is the former director of Stories on Stage Sacramento (2013-2019). Her fiction and poetry have been published in Tulip Tree Review, The Los Angeles Review, Graze Magazine, Farallon Review, Tule Review, Late Peaches: Poems by Sacramento Poets, Sacramento Voices, and others. She earned an MFA from Pacific University, and was a finalist in the “Wild Women” contest in Tulip Tree Review, runner-up for the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction and a finalist for the Nisqually Prize in Fiction. Her stories have been performed at both the Sacramento and Davis reading series Stories on Stage, and she has read her work at the SF Bay-area reading series Why There Are Words, Babylon Salon, and Litcrawl. Her short story collection, Hardpan, was a recent finalist for the Acacia Fiction Prize. She’s currently working on a novel and continues to work on behalf of Stories on Stage Sacramento, focusing on special projects--interviews, podcasts, community partnerships and event night cookie baking.
FEATURED ACTORS:
And here are some details about our actors:
JESSICA LASKEY is casting director of Stories on Stage Sacramento. She is a native of Sacramento, CA. She earned her BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and has been a freelance writer since 2007. She’s lived and worked in Sacramento, Berkeley, San Francisco, New York City, Paris and Dallas. She’s acted professionally for more than 20 years and runs Theater Galatea with her husband joshua. She’s also taught a variety of subjects (ESL, voice, movement and more) to people of all ages.
KELLIE RAINES is a local actor, director, writer, and visual artist. She has performed with and directed for local theatre companies, including KOLT Run Creations, Green Valley Theatre, Big Idea Theatre, Theater Galatea, and Resurrection Theatre. Her visual art has been shown locally at Archival Gallery in Sacramento. She has read her poetry for the Poetry in Davis series hosted by Dr. Andy Jones. She has a bachelor’s degree in Dramatic Art and a minor in English from the University of California, Davis. Kellie can also be seen on-air for PBS KVIE, where she will have a mixed-media painting in the PBS KVIE Art Auction in early October. Elle essaie aussi d'apprendre le français. Bonne soirée! kellierainesart.com
ClariSonix: a special musical performance
We're honored to begin our evening with a brief musical performance. ClariSonix, Sacramento's premier clarinet ensemble, burst upon the scene in 2015, with an exciting repertoire ranging from classical to jazz, to folk and show tunes. They function as a "flextet," performing both trios (rotating one player out occasionally) and quartets. The members--Sandra McPherson, Deborah Pittman, Elizabeth McAllister and Henry Hanson--comprise a well balanced group of professionals who play clarinet and bass clarinet, take turns on the solo parts and play in various chamber groups and orchestras locally.
Members perform locally and nationally, including such venues as Esterhazy Palace (Austria), Walt Disney Concert Hall, Herbst Theatre, Berkeley City Club, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall and the Mondavi Center. They also teach clarinet in the Greater Sacramento area.
SANDRA MCPHERSON has performed with: Sacramento Philharmonic, Opera, & Choral Society Orchestras, and is the clarinet professor at CSUS. She has received international acclaim as performer/chamber music coach: Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, and the InterHarmony International Festival in Italy. She has authored articles on Early American Clarinet literature and remains active as a private teacher.
Recently retired from 23 years as Professor of Clarinet and Musical Theatre at CSUS, DEBORAH PITTMAN played second and bass clarinet with the Sacramento Symphony, (1981 to 1990). Other local groups include Sacramento Choral Society Orchestra, Music Circus and MôD Artists. She holds B.S. and M.A. degrees in clarinet performance from the Brooklyn College Conservatory (and has done doctoral studies at the Manhattan School of Music). Former Orchestral positions include: Brooklyn Philharmonic, State Symphony of Mexico, Orchestra of New York, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and pit orchestras of musicals on Broadway. She has toured Japan and South Korea as a soloist.
ELIZABETH MCALLISTER has a BM in clarinet performance from CSU Northridge and MM in clarinet performance from Louisiana State University. She's performed with the Raleigh Symphony, Tar River Orchestra, North Carolina Theater Orchestra, National Opera Company Orchestra, Ernst Bloch Festival Orchestra, the California Wind Orchestra, Capitol Chamber Players, and In Concert Sierra, and served on the faculties of North Carolina Wesleyan College, Meredith College, Nash Community College, and Sierra College. Elizabeth has taught clarinet and sax: McLaughtin Studios and Nevada City School of the Arts.
HENRY HANSEN has been a clarinet teacher & performer in north central California for 30 years. He plays regularly with the Sierra Nevada Winds and the Foothill Chamber Winds, and he performs frequently as a pit musician for local theater companies. A retired federal employee, he holds a BA in Music Performance, among other degrees.
Members perform locally and nationally, including such venues as Esterhazy Palace (Austria), Walt Disney Concert Hall, Herbst Theatre, Berkeley City Club, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall and the Mondavi Center. They also teach clarinet in the Greater Sacramento area.
SANDRA MCPHERSON has performed with: Sacramento Philharmonic, Opera, & Choral Society Orchestras, and is the clarinet professor at CSUS. She has received international acclaim as performer/chamber music coach: Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, and the InterHarmony International Festival in Italy. She has authored articles on Early American Clarinet literature and remains active as a private teacher.
Recently retired from 23 years as Professor of Clarinet and Musical Theatre at CSUS, DEBORAH PITTMAN played second and bass clarinet with the Sacramento Symphony, (1981 to 1990). Other local groups include Sacramento Choral Society Orchestra, Music Circus and MôD Artists. She holds B.S. and M.A. degrees in clarinet performance from the Brooklyn College Conservatory (and has done doctoral studies at the Manhattan School of Music). Former Orchestral positions include: Brooklyn Philharmonic, State Symphony of Mexico, Orchestra of New York, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and pit orchestras of musicals on Broadway. She has toured Japan and South Korea as a soloist.
ELIZABETH MCALLISTER has a BM in clarinet performance from CSU Northridge and MM in clarinet performance from Louisiana State University. She's performed with the Raleigh Symphony, Tar River Orchestra, North Carolina Theater Orchestra, National Opera Company Orchestra, Ernst Bloch Festival Orchestra, the California Wind Orchestra, Capitol Chamber Players, and In Concert Sierra, and served on the faculties of North Carolina Wesleyan College, Meredith College, Nash Community College, and Sierra College. Elizabeth has taught clarinet and sax: McLaughtin Studios and Nevada City School of the Arts.
HENRY HANSEN has been a clarinet teacher & performer in north central California for 30 years. He plays regularly with the Sierra Nevada Winds and the Foothill Chamber Winds, and he performs frequently as a pit musician for local theater companies. A retired federal employee, he holds a BA in Music Performance, among other degrees.
June Performance: Anara Guard/Trina Ritter and Vanessa Hua/Yuri Tajiri
Our June performance was... lovely and gracious and smart and strangely comforting, given the challenging and sadly relevant content on the day when the Supreme Court acted on Roe. Both Anara Guard and Vanessa Hua shared historical stories that directly related to our experiences today. Yuri Tajiri andTrina Ritter were pitch-perfect readers. We relished the balm of gathering with a warm and open and caring audience on such a day. And, of course, the cookies:) If you missed the performance, we'll be sharing the recording shortly.
Answers to logistical questions about attending Stories on Stage Sacramento
Parking is available in the large lot behind the auditorium (entrance on "O" Street) and on the street. There is a ramp to enter from the parking lot.
Entry is either via the parking lot or the double doors on 24th street (look for the green and gold balloons at either entrance)
Doors open at 6:30 PM—performance begins at 7:00 PM
Volunteers will be checking vaccination status at the door/masks required for staff and audience
Season subscriber and ticket holder names will be at the WILL CALL table—check in to receive a program and raffle ticket(s)
Season subscribers can pick up a wallet sized card for expedited check-in at future events
You can donate in person at the DONATE table.
Wine, beer and water will be available for purchase
Seats will be spaced, though family and friend groups may wish to move closer together
Please feel free to email us with any other questions.
Entry is either via the parking lot or the double doors on 24th street (look for the green and gold balloons at either entrance)
Doors open at 6:30 PM—performance begins at 7:00 PM
Volunteers will be checking vaccination status at the door/masks required for staff and audience
Season subscriber and ticket holder names will be at the WILL CALL table—check in to receive a program and raffle ticket(s)
Season subscribers can pick up a wallet sized card for expedited check-in at future events
You can donate in person at the DONATE table.
Wine, beer and water will be available for purchase
Seats will be spaced, though family and friend groups may wish to move closer together
Please feel free to email us with any other questions.
CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE PERFORMANCE BUT DON'T WANT TO MISS IT?
Of course we'd love to see you in person at the CLARA AUDITORIUM on Friday nights. But if you can't be there, we record all of the performances and post links to the recordings on our website, YouTube channel and share them in our newsletter. SIGN UP for THE newsletter so it comes right to your email box.
Of course we'd love to see you in person at the CLARA AUDITORIUM on Friday nights. But if you can't be there, we record all of the performances and post links to the recordings on our website, YouTube channel and share them in our newsletter. SIGN UP for THE newsletter so it comes right to your email box.
COVID PROTOCOLS:
- Vaccination (paper or digital) will be checked at the door.
- Guests and staff will wear masks.
- On stage, actors and facilitator will be maskless.
- Audience size will be limited. We will reserve spots for people who order tickets in advance.
- Email notifications will go out If Covid status requires us to move the performance online.
