Occupy Oakland #3 (oil on hardwood ply). Through his work, plein air oil painter Anthony Holdsworth has been witnessing Bay Area goings-on for 40 years. “Occupy Oakland is one of the most significant events I have painted,” he says. “This long-overdue awakening of the American people is on a par with my experience painting in revolutionary Nicaragua in the ’80s.” Holdsworth’s studio, located near the West Oakland BART Station, is open to the public the last Sunday of every month from 1-6 p.m, with prints and postcards of his paintings available for purchase. Registration closes Jan. 31 for Holdsworth’s June 16-30 painting workshop on a Tuscan farm near Florence. For more info about the artist’s work, or to register for workshops in Oakland, Mexico, and Italy: anthonyholdsworth.com.

NEXT MONTH: Old pros on the Occupy movement, steampunk style, and an excerpt from the new novel, The Lost Saints of Tennessee, by Amy Franklin-Willis.

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January 2012 Issue:
Table of Contents

FEATURE |  Thinking Ahead
One local inventor says it’s the coffee that makes high-tech types so smart around here. Pass the java, please—and meet a trio of East Bay brainiacs who are busy making your life (or your kid’s, or your great-aunt Irma’s) easier, richer in human connection—and happier. By Suzanne LaFetra.

REAL FOOD |  It’s No Bones About It
Butchers? In Berkeley? It’s all part of our celebrated foodie mix, say the owners of a new meat shop in the heart of the Gourmet Ghetto.  By Julia Park Tracey.

SHOPPING AROUND | Sweat with the Best
Having a hard time breaking up with the couch? Today’s high-profile charities (the kind that rally against cancer, AIDS, and heart disease) would be delighted to get you in shape for anything from a gritty Ironman to a sedate six-mile walk. By Stephen Weldon. 

The Kilduff File |  Tom Frainier
When this erstwhile Clorox exec tumbled down the corporate ladder, he landed in the bread business—butter-side up. By Paul Kilduff.

Available in print and in the
digital edition above:

Editor’s Note: a look at this month’s issue and commentary on life in the East Bay

Letters: reader responses to The Monthly’s stories
Be East Bay: an introduction to interesting people, places and events in your community

Critics Choice: highlights of this month’s happenings in art, theater, film, dance and music

Boutique Bazaar: distinctive small shops in the East Bay

Food for Thought: local caterers and food and wine purveyors

Dining Guide: a selection of East Bay restaurants

Marketplace Home: a catalog of services for your home and garden

Marketplace Services: a catalog of personal and creative services

Kartoon Korner: editorial cartoons to entertain and agitate