Nearly a year after Sophia van der Harst moved her Poekie Nook children's sewing and crafts hub to Tam Junction – and strengthened ties among the bevy of kid-centric businesses around her in the process – she's ready to throw a big ol' three-year-old birthday party.

The celebration, set for Saturday March 18 (1-5pm) promises the chance for free Poekie-making, pizza, cake and music.

​Poekie Nook is the "nook" revolving around the Poekie (rhymes with “spooky”) – a cute, pillowy stuffed animal that has inspired children to “create, craft and imagine” is the central piece of a sewing system that teaches kids a variety of skills. 

The Waldorf-trained Van der Harst created the Poekie, named for a Dutch term of endearment used by many moms in Holland for their babies, in 1998 as one of the founders of The Planet, the children’s drop-in day camp and activity center along Richardson Bay near Seaplane Adventures and the office buildings that house Glassdoor. 

Poekie Nook has become a mini-community center of sorts in Tam Junction, as van der Harst has again arranged with Roco Dance nearby a four-week, dual camp called "Dance in the Morning, Sew in the Afternoon." Van Der Harst's experience with doing that program in 2016 led her to expand the idea to offer to work with the other kid-friendly businesses in the area like Mojo Dojo Karate, Mathnasium, Studio4Art and Proof Lab to allow kids to connect with more than one of them in a day.

The move has been a hit with parents in search of giving their kids more than one option for the fun day while knowing that their transition form one to the other would be supervised.

"It worked very well, and it was easy for me to do," van der Harst says. "We're definitely looking to expand on that concept this summer."

The 411: Poekie Nook is hosting a three-year-old birthday party on Saturday March 18 (1-5pm) with free Poekie-making, pizza, cake and music. 247 Shoreline Highway.

For the past decade, pianist Sara Daneshpour has been racking up awards and prizes around the world and embarking on European tours that have taken her to Russia, Germany, Finland, Estonia, Denmark and Sweden.
 
On Sunday, March, Daneshpour is set to touch down here in the 94941, as the Mill Valley Chamber Music Society's Marin Chamber Performances concert series continues with a performance by Daneshpour. The concert, set for 5pm at the Mt. Tam United Methodist Church, will include Rameau, Suite; Ravel, Gaspard; Boulez, Incises; Chopin, Barcarolle; and Prokofiev, Toccata. 

Daneshpour is a Laureate of the 2014 Seoul International Music Competition and a 2013 Laureate of the ProLiance Energy Classical Fellowship Awards of the American Pianists Association. She earned her Master’s degree from the Juilliard School and has won first prizes at the 2012 Concours International de Musique du Maroc (Morocco), the 2007 International Russian Music Piano Competition and the 2003 Beethoven Society of America Competition. She is one of only two pianists to be accepted to the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 2013.

The non-profit, all-volunteer Mill Valley Chamber Music Society was founded in 1973 to present exceptional classical musicians in Mill Valley at affordable ticket prices. For its 2016-17 season, the organization has also unveiled a new wrinkle: offering free admission for young adults 18-years old and under (audiences members 15 years old and under must be accompanied by an adult).

​The 411: The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society presents pianist Sara Daneshpour on Sunday, March 12 at 5pm at the Mount Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 410 Sycamore Ave. Tix $35 for general admission, under 18 free. MORE INFO & TIX.

Dr. Lonny Shavelson returns to the Community Church of Mill Valley on March 12 for his second appearance as part of its free "Who Is Your Neighbor?" forum. In a discussion on end of life options, Shavelson, who wrote the 1995 tome A Chosen Death: The Dying Confront Assisted Suicide, will give a presentation and lead discussion of the California End of Life Option Act.

Shavelson heads the Bay Area End of Life Options team of consultants and patient advocates. He worked for 29 years as an emergency department physician, then seven as a primary care physician in a clinic for immigrants and refugees. He is now a consultant, educator and advocate for patients at the end of their lives who are considering various options, including physician aid-in-dying. He also consults with physicians who have patients requesting aid-in-dying as one possible route to their death. 
 
Shavelson is also a journalist, photographer and filmmaker, and in that capacity, he screened his documentary film on gender identity, "Three to Infinity: Beyond Two Genders," at the Community Church in November 2016.
 
The 411: The Community Church of Mill Valley continues its "Who Is Your Neighbor" series with a presentation by Dr. Lonny Shavelson on "End of Life Options: Understanding the California End of Life Options Act." Sunday, March 12, 4-5:30 p.m. Community Church, 8 Olive Street at Throckmorton Avenue. Admission is free, Donations welcome. Refreshments served.

Artists seeking to synthesize their work around a specific theme often do so implicitly or explicitly.

In her "The Sustainability of Beauty" exhibit at the Throckmorton Theatre from March 7-April 2, San Francisco artist Marlene Sinicki is doing both, turning the principles of sustainability and life-affirming stories about green living into drawings, paintings and digital illustrations AND "green framing" that artwork in sustainably grown American walnut wood by the Artisans of San Francisco.

"The art is centered on the ideals of sustainability as a force that has the potential to challenge the course of environmental crises," Sinicki says. "Just like the scent of the earth after a rain awakens our senses and our innate connection to nature, I want to inspire a desire in people to adopt a socially responsible, generative and positive future."

The "Sustainability of Beauty" series contains both abstract and representational imagery arranged as a journey, from the molecule to the home, with Sinicki using vibrant colors and sensual organic forms using ink, watercolors and pastels. Inspired by the words of Emily Dickenson, Sinicki seeks ‘that phosphorescence, that light within’ in her art.

“I often simplify the complexity of the natural world in order to inspire empathy as well as deepen my understanding of underlying patterns and systems," Sinicki says. "My work is a celebration of the aesthetic that is found in the chaos of nature. In a culture that prizes technology and data, I create visual haikus that make sensual connections with ecology.”

Sinicki has had a diverse career in the arts, including more than 12 years as an art director, storyteller and designer, as well as stints as a documentary and a portrait, editorial, fashion and fine art photographer. Her artwork has garnered her exhibits in San Francisco, Berlin, Munich and Mexico City.

Deeply interested in environmental concerns and climate change, Sinicki creates art that illuminates the wisdom of nature as well as global sustainability opportunities and challenges. She believes that creative expression provides a lens and an opportunity to connect more deeply with complex ideas, to “make the invisible visible” in order to create layers of meaning.

The 411: Marlene Sinicki's "The Sustainability of Beauty" exhibit at the Throckmorton Theatre runs from March 7-April 2. The March 7th opening reception if from 5-7pm, with a second reception set for Saturday, March 25, from 3-5pm. 142 Throckmorton Avenue. Free. The Throckmorton gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, 2-6pm. Additional viewing hours during shows or by appointment.

The O'Hanlon Center for the Arts debuted its Art Film Friday series this year, and for its March edition, the center takes a look at the life and work of a British artist who left a deep imprint on the Bay Area.

The Art Film Fridays screening of ​Doug Walker and Regina O'Connell's "RHAG" – the acronym that artist Roy Henry Alexander Gover used for himself – is set for March 10 @ 7pm at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts. It features a post-screening discussion of the film with O'Connell and popcorn and beverages by donation.

Gover was born in London and moved to the Bay Area in 1958. In the years that followed, he landed exhibits at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, alongside Rembrandt, as well as a five-year retrospective at San Francisco MOMA. His art has been collected throughout the United States and Europe.

Gover was also celebrated for producing his own "at home music tapes," which have become underground treasures to some and served as "the music on tour buses, late at night, by many bands in the 1990s as they traveled from gig to gig. He is a  folk hero to many who have listened to him expound about Life – as only Roy could do," according to the Barefoot Art Gallery in San Francisco, which showcases his work. 

“The art of Roy Gover defies simple classification," said Joseph Baird of the North Point Gallery in San Francisco, at an exhibit of Gover’s work there in 1981. "It blends elements of Surrealism, of fantasy, and autobiography with roots that lie in the spare draftsmanship and luminescent washes of several European masters. It is an intensely personal art, closely mirroring the emotional highs and lows of everyday life, yet always disciplined by a strict technical finesse that gives his paintings and drawings their taut order.”

Gover died in October, 2003. "He was truly a modern master," the Barefoot Gallery says.

The 411: The Art Film Fridays screening of ​Doug Walker and Regina O'Connell's "RHAG" is set for March 10 @ 7pm at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, 616 Throckmorton Ave. Admission $5. 

Climate change is one of myriad issues on the minds of environmentalists in 2017, and the Outdoor Art Club has lined up two local experts on the subject for "Climate Change: From Local to National Issues," a free event on March 2 at 1pm.

​The event features Huey Johnson, the founder of the Mill Valley-based Resource Renewal Institute – a 32-year-old nonprofit organization that "advances innovative solutions to environmental challenges," as well as Diana L. Moskovitz, the organization's president. Moskovitz oversees RRI's Fish in the Fields Project and Methane Capture Initiative, while Johnson is widely known for his pioneering Investing for Prosperity policy.
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The 411: "Climate Change: From Local to National Issues" is at 1pm on Thursday, March 2 at the Outdoor Art Club, 1 West Blithedale Avenue. Free.

In the midst of its 50th Anniversary season that has been full of productions that have been drawing rave reviews, the Marin Theatre Company has unveiled details for its "Gala 50! On With the Show!" fundraising gala. The event, set for Saturday, March 18, at the Mill Valley Community Center, features dinner courtesy of Stacy Scott Fine Catering, and "moments of delight with MTC artists and luminaries."

The gala features live and silent auction items and experiences up for bid throughout the evening, including tickets to Hamilton and a backstage tour with one of the actors in San Francisco, as well as a curated wine auction.

The 411: The MTC Gala 50! Marin Theatre Company's 50th Anniversary Season Benefit is on Saturday, March 18 at 5:30 pm at Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941. Tickets: $295 per person; $575 per couple. Sponsorship tables also available for up to 8 guests. MORE INFO & TIX.

Less than four months ago, Strawberry Resident Sherene Chen took the leap of a life time, jumping from running her Style by Sherene fashion consulting firm to becoming the executive director for Bloom, the renamed 17-year-old, San Rafael-based nonprofit Image for Success.

Since that time, Chen has looked to expand Bloom's footprint by spearheading an organization that has a direct, tangible impact on people’s lives at a critical moment, providing free wardrobes and life skills training to men, women and families transitioning to a life of self-reliance and looking for a job, whether it’s a person just released from prison, someone recovering from substance abuse or a victim of domestic abuse seeking independence.

Bloom organized a vivid display of that work last week, when Chen and company visited the pre-K classes of San Pedro Elementary School in San Rafael to deliver much-needed new shoes. Bloom also gave each child a book and stuffed animal compliments of Kohl’s Cares.

"Most importantly, we were looking to put smiles on the children’s faces and allow them to get back to the business of being a child," Chen says.

​San Pedro’s Pre-K students are part of the Pre-K to 3rd Grade Initiative funded by The Marin Community Foundation (MCF), a five-year countywide collaborative effort designed to close the achievement gap by focusing on early literacy, a precursor to academic success in Marin schools. San Pedro Element school officials Ana Becerra and Maria Velarde helped make the project a reality, along with Bloom’s Children’s Boutique Manager Tamra Phillips. Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce's Janelle Jacoban helped to pass out the shoes and read two stories to the classes.

“It was a blessing to be there for them, to see how a small gift could make such a big difference in their day," Jacoban says. "Being a part of their appreciation and joy was a great reward for me."

MORE INFO ABOUT BLOOM.

Bipartisanship in Washington, D.C., is seemingly an endangered species.

But there's one thing that top Democratic and Republican party donors seem to agree on: their love for solar power. According to data compiled by Oakland-based PowerScout of the 1.5 million rooftops in the top 20 solar markets nationwide, Democratic and Republican party donors installed residential solar systems at roughly equal rates – 3.06 percent of Democratic donors and 2.24 percent of Republicans, respectively.

Using proprietary data w/ machine learning and image recognition, the study has garnered widespread attention from the Wall Street Journal and Quartz in recent weeks, largely due to its findings that support the theory that Republican voters actually want more support of renewable energy over fossil fuels, and are willing to spend to make it happen.

PowerScout, for whom Mill Valley resident Chris Bailey serves as chief financial officer, is a marketplace where consumers can shop for the best local solar providers. HERE'S THE FULL STUDY.

By Charlie Reynolds
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Stephanie Holdenried’s business is atypical.

That’s by design, and it’s exactly the point, and its uniqueness only enhances its ability to impact her clients as a certified nutrition consultant and equine interactive educator. Through experiential learning, Holdenried uses horses to help her clients better understand themselves while staying present in the moment.

“A horse can tell if you are showing up as your true self or not,” Holdenreid explains. “Horses long for connection and they’re judgment-free animals. My work is about discovering if the client is ready for a connection.”

Our connection to horses dates back centuries, giving them a piercing view into who we are as people, she says.

“We share thousands of years of intimate history with horses and up until about 80 years ago, people interacted with horses everyday,” Holdenried says, noting that horses have a “prey instinct” that has them constantly reading their surroundings and checking for danger.  

As social herd animals, horses have a social sense that receives and emanates information, an “energy” they can read.  As a result, horses have a lot to teach us about who we are and how we “show up” in the world around us,” Holdenried says.

Holdenried tells a story to illustrate that connection: “My client and I were standing at the edge of my paddock. Watching the herd, my client was drawn to one horse in particular. Eventually, that horse broke away from the herd and started coming right towards us, closer and closer when all of a sudden, it turned the other direction and walked away. I asked my client, ‘what happened?’ She told me, ‘I guess he just lost interest or something.’”

Holdenried explained to her client the possibility that the horse actually read her change in desire – that she’d wanted the horse to come over but “self-sabotaged” once it happened and changed her mind, this sending the horse away with her energy.

“I see myself as the translator,” Holdenreid says. “The horse is the one with all the answers. I have over 50 exercises I do with my clients that are all about seeing how we show up in different situations. It’s really about the work on the self. Ultimately the horse is just a mirror.”  

Holdenreid has seen her work cultivate leadership and insists, “The best leaders are ones who truly know themselves.”

Join Stephanie Holdenried on a journey into the past, the wild, and yourself as she uses her partnership with her equine beasts of burden to remove the burdens you may be carrying everyday.   

Holdenried runs private and group sessions as well as hosting special events. Starting this week, Holdenried has created GUTS, Girls Utilizing Their Skills, an all-girls group meeting four times through February and March with the mission of “Empowering girls to be leaders in their families, the communities, and their world with the help of horses.”

The 411: Learn more about Guts here and get more on Stephanie Holdenried's business here.