In this past year La Luz Center, and its founder Ligia Booker, have been honored with three awards, The Heart of Sonoma County Award, from the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL), the Spirit Award, from the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of... Continue
Under The Sun: Interviews
Joe Boldt has been bringing the fireworks show to Sonoma for forty years. Anna Pier sat down with him at the Al Mazza Fire House on Second Street West to hear all about how he does it, how he got into it, his work as... Continue
Meeting with Dr. Jason Sutter, the new Superintendent of Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) the morning of Graduation Day, May 29, Anna Pier asked about his first months on the job, and his vision for leading the District. You started here March 1? Yes.... Continue
Anna Pier sat down with Vanessa Rognlien (pron."rung-lin,") in the Board Room of the Sonoma Community Center (SCC) to learn about its Executive Director, and discover some of the reasons the Center is flourishing How did you connect with the Community Center? I began as... Continue
Anticipating the celebration of Mother’s Day, Anna Pier sat down to speak with 34-year-old Carmen Farías, who gracefully combines her roles as wife, mother, integral supporter of Quetzalén folkloric dance group, and educator committed to the migrant community. You were dancing at the Cinco de... Continue
Meeting with Anna Pier just after the Friday Soup’s On, 44-year-old David Seyms was full of enthusiasm for the weekly event, and for the many programs under his direction as part of his work as Executive Director of Vintage House. Talk about the Friday Soup’s... Continue
Talk about your Lebanese heritage. I'm third-generation Lebanese. My Lebanese family was from LA and Brooklyn. The families knew each other in Beirut. My maternal grandparents' marriage was essentially "arranged" – not formally, but their parents introduced them, and there was some heavy pushing. My... Continue
The Japanese film “Perfect Days” features renowned actor Kôji Yakusho leading a Zen-like life in the heart of Tokyo, where he works as a public toilet cleaner. Yakusho won Best Actor for the role at the Cannes Film Festival. His character, Hirayama, is shown playing... Continue
Gary Edwards was recently selected by the City Council and past Alcaldes to be the honorary mayor of Sonoma, the 2026 "Alcalde" (Spanish for mayor). Anna Pier talked with the 66-year-old tireless volunteer about how he got to Sonoma, why he cares so deeply about... Continue
The Sonoma Valley Unified Board of Trustees has made two monumental decisions since Trustee David Bell took the gavel in December, the approval of the MacArthur Park Charter School petition, and selection of a new Superintendent for the District. Anna Pier met with the new... Continue