BATS Improv
Authentic San Francisco
JoAnne Tobias
San Francisco's Best Improv Performs Weekly in the Historic Fort Mason Center. For two full hours it's there and then it's gone. You're left only with aching cheeks and the sense of giddiness that comes from experiencing fearlessness. click to read more
Morgan Silk
The F STOP Magazine
JoAnne Tobias
Not everyone gets a second chance with a team of Navy Seals. But, for photographer Morgan Silk, inspiration is hard to shake. It wasn’t enough that he’d shot the special forces as they reenacted a hostage rescue scene. Silk wanted to get down from the director’s platform, away from the commercial constraints and create his own intense, individual portraits. click to read more
I'm With the Band
Diablo Magazine
JoAnne Tobias
Release your inner Mick Jagger at this East Bay School of Rock
I’ve been taking classical cello lessons for three years, and not once in that time have I felt inspired to passionately smash my cello to bits, Pete Townshend-style. To me, this is a sign that something is missing from my musical education. This is why I have come to the BandWorks studio in Oakland. I have come to satisfy my primal urge to play rock and roll. And I am not alone. click to read more
Oakland, Filmmakers follow girls' lives, from playtime to puberty
San Francisco Chronicle
JoAnne Tobias
For most people, the teenage years stand out in sharp relief. What tends to be blurry are those years between childhood and becoming a teen. Two Oakland filmmakers documented that transition, trailing four East Bay girls of color as they left childhood behind and entered the maelstrom of adolescence. click to read more
Beyond Baby Mozart : Kid's Music Programs
Diablo Magazine
JoAnne Tobias
Scientific research—and common sense—say that music classes are good for children. With our guide, finding the best program for your kids has never been easier.
For years we’ve been pumping sonatas into nurseries, hoping to produce a new generation of wunderkinder. Although the Mozart Effect on children’s intellectual development renewed excitement about classical music, it turns out that such an effect is real only when children learn how to actually play music. Listening to classical music does aid concentration, but recent studies show that to raise your IQ, you have to sing or play an instrument, not a CD. click to read more
Daddy Does the Dusting
Diablo Magazine
Copyright JoAnne Tobias
Ever wish your husband helped out more around the house? Well, you’re not alone. For 20 years, Oakland psychiatrist Joshua Coleman has heard that same lament from many of his clients.
To help all the frustrated wives out there, the Orinda resident wrote The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework. And his book has touched a nerve. Coleman has already shared his tips on CNN and Good Morning America, and participated in reality-show–style therapy sessions on 20/20.
Day and Night Safaris at Conservatory of Flowers
Authentic San Francisco
JoAnne Tobias
One of San Francisco's most beloved living exhibits just got better. Every year hundreds of moths and butterflies hatch in the Conservatory of Flowers, deep in the heart of Golden Gate Park. Old and young alike look forward to watching these creatures emerge from their cocoons and chrysalides and then flit among the public. But now there's an added thrill: the night safari. click to read more
Erwin Olaf
The F STOP Magazine
JoAnne Tobias
“All dressed up and no place to go,” says Erwin Olaf, describing the image that jumped into his mind as soon as the New York Times Magazine asked him to photograph this year’s couture. “I wanted to have this woman more or less locked up in this beautiful environment,” explains the Amsterdam-based photographer.
Sacha Waldman
F STOP Magazine
JoAnne Tobias
Don’t call Sacha Waldman a traditionalist. This South African photographer never took a photography class. He never shot film. Jumping straight into digital, Waldman just tinkered with his images until he found inspiration. “Experimentation is the main thing,” said Waldman. “You create a look that turns you on….and you move from there.” click to read more
Great Graduates
Oakland Magazine
JoAnne Tobias
High school seniors do amazing things. For this article on outstanding Oakland high school seniors, we spent a month scouring school Web sites, prodding nonprofit contacts and querying Oakland principals, teachers, counselors and other outreach program directors, asking them to tell us who makes the biggest splash in their respective ponds.
The 15 students we ultimately selected reveal Oakland's vibrant tapestry of culture and history. These students come from the flatlands and hills, charter schools and home schools, public and private schools. They are smart, with many boasting grade point averages well above 4.0; they are artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, dancers and community organizers. A few have faced and overcome formidable obstacles. click to read more