Want to get a completely new way to understand and make sense of their experience of being human?

That's the promise of the latest event at the Depot Bookstore & Cafe, where author Carl Buchheit is set to speak on Nov. 2 about his latest tome, Transformational NLP: A New Psychology (White Cloud Press), which "is a quantum leap forward in the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming" and offers some specific ideas to people about why their current relationships and other communication situations unfold the way they do. In addition, attendees will leave with some simple but amazingly powerful ways to directly change (improve) the feelings that are associated with any experience he or she encounters in daily life, according to the event organizers.

Written with cultural historian Ellie Schamber, Transformational NLP is a synthesis of psychology, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and spirituality, bridging the domains of psychotherapy and coaching. While the practice looks like psychotherapy, it utilizes NLP as well as innovations drawn from quantum physics, psychology, and recent discoveries in neuroscience and systemic constellations.

The 411: Author Carl Buchheit  speaks about Transformational NLP A New Psychology at the Depot Bookstore & Cafe, 87 Throckmorton Ave., on Friday, Nov. 2 at 7pm. Free. MORE INFO.

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The Milley Awards, Mill Valley’s annual celebration of the community’s vast amount of creative achievement and distinguished accomplishments in the arts, is always a blockbuster celebration. But this year's gala, held at the Mill Valley Community Center on Oct. 21, evolved into a multi-faceted gathering evoking a wide range of emotions.

The 2018 class of honorees, the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, Dr. Warren Farrell, Dart Cherk, Annie Rosenthal Parr, Larry “The Hat” Lautzker and Marty Balin, were front and center as usual. But the event also marked the retirement of Milleys co-founders Trubee Schock and Abby Wasserman, who were widely hailed by Mayor Stephanie Moulton-Peters and others for their work in spearheading one of Mill Valley's hallmark traditions for three decades. 

The event also marked an opportunity mourn the loss of Marty Balin, the founder and lead singer of the iconic Bay Area rock band Jefferson Airplane, which was among the pioneers of the San Francisco Sound. Balin passed away on September 27, not long after he learned he was receiving a Milley Award. Standout local musicians Lorin Rowan, Jimmy Dillon, Reed Fromer and former Jefferson Starship vocalist Darby Gould led a musical tribute to Balin, whose daughter and wife attended the gala.

MORE INFO ON EACH OF THE 2018 MILLEY AWARD WINNERS.

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Looking forward to the Mountain Play's 2019 production of Grease, the legendary musical tale of clique-crossing summer romance?

You can help make it happen. 

On Saturday, Nov. 10, the Mountain Play Association is hosting the 2018 edition of its annual fundraiser to raise money for the production of Grease. Dubbed Rock, Roll & Broadway, the event is exactly that, a musical celebration of the songs of Broadway and beyond, featuring a host of musicians, including Susan Zelinsky, Brigid O’ Brien, Tyler McKenna, Buzz Halsing, Lexie Papedo, Matt Kizer and many more. The musical revue will be directed by Eileen Grady with musical direction by Carl Oser.

The event takes place at the Hoytt Theater at Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael and promises to be filled with music, fine wines and delicious cuisine from Debbie Ghiringhelli Catering and appetizers and sweets from Bay Area favorites like Brioche Pasquier, Foodniks, San Rafael Joe’s, Dianda’s Italian American Pastry and more. The silent and live auction items feature donations from local businesses, and restaurants and caterers donating delectable food and local wines.
 
“The gala is always an exciting evening with all of our proud family of donors, artists and fans gathered together in one room," says Executive Director/Artistic Producer Eileen Grady. "It is a thrilling way to celebrate the theatrical music of where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we’re going-all in one night."

The 411: The Mountain Play's annual fundraisers, to raise money for the 2019 production of Grease, is on Saturday, Nov. 10, with a champagne reception, supper buffet and live & silent auctions beginning at 5pm, followed by a musical revue. Hoytt Theater at Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. Tix $100-$150. Call 415.383.1100 for more info and tickets. MORE INFO. 

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The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society, the non-profit, all-volunteer organization founded in 1973 to present exceptional classical musicians in Mill Valley at affordable ticket prices, continues its 45th season of Marin Chamber Performances concert series on Nov. 4 at Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church with a performance from the ATOS Piano Trio.
 
The trio, founded in 2003, aims to push limits when it comes to sound and dynamics, has performed hundreds of concerts and appeared at prestigious festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, Festspiele Schwetzingen, the City of London Festival, Budapest Spring, and Enescu Festival (Bucharest). ATOS won the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award, the gold-standard prize for trios in the U.S., as well as prestigious recognition as "New Generation Artists" by the BBC.

At the Nov. 4th performance, the trio will perform an all-Russian program that includes Rachmaninoff, Arensky, Veprik and Shostakovich.

MV Chamber Music Society's 2018-19 season will continue with pianist Nikolay Khozyainov, on Jan. 13, 2019, St. Lawrence String Quartet with clarinetist Todd Palmer on Feb. 17, 2019 and and Fauré Quartet on March 24, 2019. As usual, the organization will cap its season by showcasing the talents of five emerging classical musicians at the annual Marin Music Chest “Young Artists' Concert” on May 19, 2019.
   
The 411: The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society's 45th season continues with a performance from the ATOS Piano Trio on Nov. 4. Concerts are at 5 p.m. Sundays at the Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church at 410 Sycamore Avenue. Single tickets are $35 general and FREE for youth, teen and college music students. Students 15 years old or younger must be accompanied by an adult. Season subscriptions options include $120 per person for all five concerts or a mini-subscription for $90 for three concerts. All subscribers receive a complimentary ticket to the annual Marin Music Chest Young Artists Concert in May 2019. MORE INFO & TIX.

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Mill Valley Philharmonic kicks off its 2018-19 season – its first season without founder and artistic director Laurie Cohen – on Nov. 7 with a trio of performances.

New MV Philharmonic executive director Richard Aldag says the organization's 19th season of bringing free concerts of orchestral music to the community will feature three prominent guest conductors for the season, all of whom are candidates to become artistic director and join Aldag, the former executive director at the Napa Valley Symphony, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and Lincoln Theater Napa Valley, in filling part of Cohen's role. 

Paul Phillips, the director of orchestral studies and associate professor of music at Stanford University, begins the series

Phillips will be followed by Dana Sadava, the artistic director of Pasadena Opera, among myriad other roles, in March, followed by Alexander Kahn, associate professor of music and director of orchestral activities at Sonoma State University, where he directs the Sonoma State Symphony Orchestra, in May.

​Based on input from the musicians and audience members, MVP will then select one of them as its next permanent artistic director/conductor.

The mission of MVP is "to enrich the cultural life of the Bay Area by offering free orchestral programs to people of all ages and means in their own communities," according to the organization's website. "As an organization, MVP believes that music is a vital part of individual and community life. Whether participating as a player or as a listener, music engages our imaginative powers, awakens our aesthetic sensibilities, and inspires our creative expression."

Here are the details for the 2018-19 season (all shows are at the Mount Tamalpais United Methodist Church on Sycamore Avenue in Mill Valley):

The 411: Mill Valley Philharmonic kicks off its 2018-19 season – its first season without founder and artistic director Laurie Cohen – on Nov. 7 with a trio of performances​ on Nov. 7, Nov. 9 and Nov. 10. All shows are at the Mount Tamalpais United Methodist Church at 410 Sycamore Avenue. Free. MORE INFO.

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Here's you're to-do list for Tuesday, Nov. 6 (besides all of your familial and professional responsibilities):

1. VOTE.
2. Feed your soul by checking out some incredible art all over Mill Valley as part of the Mill Valley Arts Commission's First Tuesday Artwalk, a monthly celebration of local art (and maybe set the DVR for election results coverage).

​The Artwalk, set for Tuesday, Nov. 6 from 5:30-7:30 at venues all over town, including O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, the Mill Valley Public Library, Depot Bookstore & Café, City Hall, Famous4, Mill Valley Community Center, Seager Gray Gallery and the Throckmorton Theatre, is highlighted this month by a trio of exhibits, among others.

At City Hall (26 Corte Madera Ave.), longtime Mill Valley resident Kirke Wrench, a volunteer photographer for the National Park Service, showcases nearly 40 photographs of such parks as Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Death Valley as well as local favorites like Point Reyes, Muir Woods, the San Francisco Presidio, and the Marin Headlands.Wrench, who played a key role in the creation of the digital library of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area as well as several other National Parks in California, has captured and contributed more than 30,000 photgraphs to the National Park Service and the Golden Gate Natioanl Parks Conservancy over the past 12 years.

One block away at the at the Mill Valley Chamber (85 Throckmorton Ave.), Tam High Honors Photography students are exhibiting their work around a simple but creative theme: their fellow artists at work. Students photographed local artists working in their studios and on location in the community.

"For this project, students were asked to find a visual artist in their community and do an in-depth documentary exploration of their work as an artist as well their studio and workspace," says Tam High photography and fine art teacher Mary Krawczyk, who notes that the project is funded by PATH (Patrons of the Arts at Tam High), a parent-run organization that supplements district funding for the Tam High Studio Arts program. "Many of these students will continue working in the arts as they enter college and beyond."

And at the other end of the Depot Plaza, the Rug Establishment and Michael Tracy showcase Bay Area artist Alex NikAnpour's paintings, as seen above center. After graduating with a masters of fine arts in communications design from the HDK University in Gothenburg, Sweden, NikAnpour studied environmental design at Parsons School of Design in New York City. NikAnpour has participated in a number of group and solo art exhibitions in New York, Sweden, Denmark and Shanghai. He's currently working on commissioned projects in Shanghai, China and the United States.

The 411: The Mill Valley Arts Commission's First Tuesday Artwalk, a monthly celebration of local art, is set for Tuesday, Nov. 6 from 5:30-7:30 at venues all over town, including those mentioned above and many more. MORE INFO.

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Mill Valley resident and author Rina Z. Neiman will appear at the Depot Bookstore & Cafe on Thursday, Nov. 1 to read from and discuss Born Under Fire, her debut novel.

Drawing from historical documents and events and based on the life of her mother, Neiman's novel tells the story of Shula, a child prodigy pianist, who grows up in British Mandate Palestine as war erupts throughout the world. The novel brings to life the birth of the State of Israel, as well as the horrors and dangers of growing up in a conflict zone, through the eyes of one courageous woman. Artifacts from the author’s collection, including one-of-a-kind Yeminite, Arab and Bedouin dresses, will be on display at the event.

Neiman is a writer, event producer and public relations professional. She based Born Under Fire on the true story of her mother, Shulamit Dubno Neiman, a Sabra, a musician, and one of the first generation of modern-day Israelis.

The 411: Mill Vally author Rina Z. Neiman reads from and discusses her debut novel, Born Under Fire, at the Depot Bookstore & Cafe on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 7pm. Free. MORE INFO.

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Suzy Ekman's six-month-old Makers Market shop at the Mill Valley Lumber Yard remains one of the busiest shops in town. On the eve of its October 27th Outdoor Market event, which boasts more than 20 independent creators, artists and makers showcasing their wares, the shop has unveiled an upcoming jewelry trunk show from Bay Area jewelry artist Char Maassen.

The event, set for November 3-4 from 11am to 5pm, will feature an array of Maassen's work, as well as cocktails and snacks. Maassen says her work is inspired by her years working in architecture and design.

"I'm drawn to the colors and materials found in nature," she says.

Maassen works primarily with semi-precious gems and a variety of metals such as fine silver, sterling silver, gold, vermeil and copper. Her collections include necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. 

The 411: Makers Market, which is open in the Mill Valley Lumber Yard at 129 Miller Ave., hosts a jewelry trunk show featuring the work of Bay Area jewelry artist Char Maassen on November 3-4 from 11am to 5pm. 129 Miller Ave. Free.  

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Homestead Valley resident Lisa Katz met Kristin K. Lee Swenson at a 2016 event for 10,000 Degrees, the Marin nonprofit that helps students from low-income backgrounds get to and through college.

They hit it off quickly on a variety of fronts: both were working moms with young kids. Both had spent their spent their careers in marketing and branding, Katz largely in retail with companies like Banana Republic, GAP, and Juicy Couture, and Swenson primarily in tech. Both were very involved in their local communities – Mill Valley and Novato, respectively. And both had been energized by a recent realization that came with being a working mom: make it matter.

“If we’re going to be away from our kids, we want it to be meaningful,” says Katz, who was doing some marketing work for 10,000 Degrees at the same time that Swenson’s Kreativz, which she launched a decade ago, was the nonprofit’s agency of record. They agreed to team up, with Katz joining Kreativz as senior marketing strategist.

That work for 10,000 Degrees became a blueprint of sorts for Kreativz’s work ever since.

“We like working with social impact clients,” Katz says. “Companies and organizations that are doing some good for the world. It doesn’t have to be a nonprofit, but many of our clients are.”

Both women have deep experience in marketing, brand strategy, all aspects of nonprofit management, branding, communications, design and fundraising. They’ve recently worked with United Religions Initiative, a grassroots, interfaith, peace-building organization based in the Presidio in San Francisco.

The launching pad for Katz’s attraction to social impact marketing was her work for the GAP Foundation, where she drove the marketing efforts around the company’s support for women and underprivileged children.

“I really just enjoyed it so much that cause marketing became the draw for me,” she says. “I just couldn’t go back to straight retail marketing after that.”

With Kreativz, she’s found the perfect fit.
​
The 411: Kreativz is a brand strategy firm designing solutions for brand development and marketing, media communications. MORE INFO.

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For pediatric dentist Gila C. Dorostkar, limiting her patients' Halloween candy consumption while also expressing gratitude to U.S. troops and first responders is as close as you can get to a win-win.

Dorostkar, who opened her Mill Valley office at 650 East Blithedale Ave. in 2017, launches her annual candy collection to benefit Operation Gratitude starting in her Greenbrae office on Thursday, Nov. 1, and in her Mill Valley office on Monday, Nov. 5.

Operation Gratitude sends care packages to thousands of American troops deployed overseas, far from home and loved ones. Those packages include a handful of candy. Donations must be new, unopened candy in its original packaging (no Pixie Sticks), and letters of support are also welcomed. 

"Last year, we collected more than 600 pounds of candy!" Dorostkar says. "Any leftover new, unopened candy you’d like to donate in support of our troops serving overseas can be dropped off at either our Mill Valley or Greenbrae office locations during normal business hours. You don't need an appointment to drop off candy."

Last day to donate is Thursday, Nov. 8. Call the office at 415.448.8120 for more info.
 
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Suzy Ekman's six-month-old Makers Market shop at the Mill Valley Lumber Yard has unveiled the lineup for its October 27th Outdoor Market event, and it boasts more than 20 independent creators, artists and makers who will be showcasing their wares, including jewelry, handbags, ceramics, glassware, soaps and candles throughout the property. There will also be live music throughout the event, which runs from 10am-5pm. 

“We’re really excited to continue to connect with this community,” Ekman says.

NOTE: Help the environment and take advantage of the easy transit, pedestrian and bike access to the Lumber Yard, with 60 bike parking spaces onsite. If you need to drive, don’t park in front of neighbors homes as there is ample median public parking in the surrounding area.

​HERE ARE THE VENDORS:

The 411: Makers Market, which is open in the Mill Valley Lumber Yard at 129 Miller Ave., hosts an outdoor market featuring an array of artists and makers on Saturday, Oct. 27 from 10am-5pm. MORE INFO. And here's the full story on Suzy Ekman and Makers Market.

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The Mill Valley City Council on October 1 honored the incredible, longstanding anti-litter and pro-beautification efforts of Clean Mill Valley, the organization founded in 2012 by civic stewards Joan Murray and Jill Young, among others.

"Clean Mill Valley, led by indefatigable Joan Murray and Jill Young, is an organization of exceptional community members that exemplify the very best in our city," Mayor Stephanie Moulton-Peters said. "With relentless cheer and a can-do attitude, they tackle an issue that most of us would prefer to ignore but which they undertake with civic spirit and dedication to the betterment of our community in and the environment."

Longtime Mill Valley resident Maureen Parton, an aide to Supervisor Kate Sears, agreed.

"Litter is not just a nuisance to complain about," she said. "Litter on our streets and sidewalks are a public health and environmental hazard that, if not cleaned up, it flows into our creeks and waterways, into the food chain and ultimately into our bodies. Clean Mill Valley is a community service, a nonstop volunteer effort and a public health hero."

In honoring Clean Mill Valley and the efforts of Murray, Young and team of volunteers, the Council shone a light on the organization just as it was launching a promotional campaign for its Adopt-a-Spot program with banners around the Depot Plaza (see photo above). which is as simple as it sounds: pick a neighborhood, location, street corner or storefront that could use a regular cleanup, and adopt it. Email Clean MV to adopt-a-spot.

Volunteers to date have adopted areas such as Old Mill Park, the civici parking lot on Miller Avenue and the bed of poppies at East Blithedale Avenue and Tower Drive, widely known as "the Bermuda Triangle of trash." 

"We are seeing good results, but we need more hands!," Murray said. "We are encouraging people to pitch in and adopt a section of a street in their neighborhood, an area of a favorite Step, Lane or Path, or an unsightly corner at a bus stop. We hope our combined efforts will help keep our town, its creeks, marshes and bay clean."

The Adopt-a-Spot program adds to Clean Mill Valley's efforts, which include the collection of of 3.74 tons of litter to date, 1,634 volunteer hours and more than 150 businesses participating in the merchant program to clean up the area in front of their business regularly, in collaboration with the Mill Valley Chamber.

MORE INFO ON CLEAN MILL VALLEY.

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Pianist Larry Vukovich performed a concert with jazz vocalist Jackie Ryan at the Community Church of Mill Valley in October 2017, delighting a packed house with a set of jazz standards and more.

That response incited church officials to invite Vukovich back, this time to team with violinist Eric Goliub for a set of jazz standards, world music with a Balkan touch, as well as some Latin and Brazilian music and more. The event is set for Sunday, Oct. 21 at 4pm.

Vuckovich has won acclaim from critics and jazz audiences for his deeply imaginative style and repertoire heard at prestigious North American and European jazz clubs, concert halls and festivals. He is as equally at home in world music/classically influenced modal jazz as he is in hard-swinging bebop, post-bop, contemporary jazz, and down-home blues. Jazz violinist Golub performs straight ahead and contemporary jazz but specializes in music of the Balkans, Middle East and Asia.
 
Wine and other refreshments will be available for sale prior to the concert and during intermission.
 ​
The 411: Pianist Larry Vukovich teams with violinist Eric Golub for a duet concert on Sunday, Oct. 21 at the Community Church of Mill Valley, 8 Olive Street. Tix $20. MORE INFO & TIX.

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In the kooky, upside-down world of the The Addams Family, to be sad is to be happy, to feel pain is to feel joy, and death and suffering are the stuff of their dreams.

Despite those upside down traits, the tale of this quirky family has enjoyed amazing success, first as a TV show beginning in 1964, as a Hollywood feature film starring Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia and Christopher Lloyd in 1991 and later as a Broadway smash musical in 2010.

The next stop for The Addams Family is Mill Valley's Throckmorton Theatre, whose Throckmorton Youth Performers' production of the musical kicks off Oct. 26 and runs through Nov. 4. The play shows that the family still has to deal with many of the same challenges faced by any other family, including the reality that the Addams kids are growing up.

Directed by Lily Jackson with musical direction from Carl Pantle and choreography from Zoe Swenson-Graham, Throckmorton officials describe the storyline as  "every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart “normal” (eek!) boy from a respectable family. And if that weren’t upsetting enough, she confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before — keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s 'normal' boyfriend and his parents’"

"This Broadway smash-hit tells an uplifting story about how to accept and delight in the uniqueness of others and stay true to yourself," Jackson says.

The 411: The Throckmorton Theatre's production of The Addams Family runs form Oct. 26 through Nov. 4. MORE INFO & TIX.

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What's the latest state of affairs at Mill Valley City Hall?

From traffic and fire prevention to housing and infrastructure improvements and everything in between, Mayor Stephanie Moulton-Peters and City Manager Jim McCann will update the community at a free public event at the Outdoor Art Club on November 1 at 1pm.

OAC officials encourage the community to bring questions and a friend. One West Blithedale. MORE INFO.

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