Since its publication more than 150 years ago, Little Women has been adapted into plays, musicals, operas, ballets, silent movies, feature films, TV series and Japanese anime.

One of the most referenced literary works in pop culture, it was even name checked on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, whose star—neurotic curmudgeon Larry David—described the March sisters “mawkish and twee.”

Playwright Lauren Gunderson adds her own spin on the classic Civil War-era story in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, running at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Sept. 24 through Oct. 12. In Gunderson’s adaptation, directed by Giovanna Sardelli, Alcott is inserted into the play to show how much of her life directly influenced the book and its themes of family, feminism and resilience.

“I have always loved the book,” Gunderson says. “I was in middle school when I played Jo March in our production, and it meant so much to me back then. I really wanted to do something special with it. So instead of just being the story of the March sisters, it’s also the origin of those beloved characters and Louisa discovering the reason to write them, and stepping into the story through herself and putting her sisters into it. We get to know both the Alcott and the March families.”

Gunderson, who lives in San Francisco, has created several plays inspired by famous historical women, namely supreme court justices, French revolutionaries, tennis player Billie Jean King, author Lorraine Hansberry, astronomer Henrietta Levitt and the first woman in congress, Jeannette Rankin.

TheatreWorks recently staged part of her trilogy Christmas at Pemberley, based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and co-authored by Margot Melcon. The theater, along with City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh), Northlight Theatre (Skokie, Ill.) and People’s Light (Malvern, Pa.), co-commissioned Gunderson to come up with a “fresh take” on Little Women “that is still really true to the book.”

“It’s really a rare model for developing plays,” Gunderson says. “All of the theaters were looking for a similar thing. But because of the cuts in arts funding and precariousness of our arts sector, none of the theaters could really do this commission on their own, so they all came together. It was a wonderful, fruitful collaboration. And I love all these theaters independently. It was a chance to meet all of them and talk about what each of them is looking for. I just absorbed all of that and filtered it through my own artistic lens.”

Gunderson began writing the play in 2023 and the following year presented a reading of the script at Alcott’s Orchard House and museum in Concord, Mass., where Little Women takes place.

In her interpretation, Alcott’s real-life mother and sisters interact with the fictional Marmee, Meg, Beth, Amy and Jo (the middle March sister and aspiring writer, who also plays the author). The characters speak Gunderson’s dialogue as well as some of the original language from the book, which was published in two parts in 1868 and 1869. The male characters—Laurie, John, Friedrich and the sisters’ father—are also represented. Gunderson’s modern take highlights the parallels between the novel and Alcott’s biography, but it also retains the story of a close-knit family struggling with war, poverty, independence and gender roles in 19th-century society.

“Alcott admits that so much of the book is drawn from her life and her sisters,” Gunderson says. “So it was really easy to see them in each other. By working that into the script we could mix it up. They don’t just stay in their lane. There’s a lot of Meg in Jo, and there’s a lot of Jo in Marmee. Beth isn’t just weak and Meg isn’t just domestic and sweet. Meg has some of Amy’s pluckishness and humor in her. They’re one unit as a family, but they build upon each other’s characteristics.”

After debuting last year at the Northlight Theatre, the production has been commissioned by other theaters beyond the end of its initial run in 2026.

“I hope the audience sees this as an American classic and a classic that is as universal as American classics written for men and boys,” Gunderson says. “Little Women is not a polite, tidy, easy and sweet story, but something that’s raucous, deeply intellectual and romantic. It’s all the things that I want from a great work of literature. And I want audiences to be reminded that women can be brave, brazen, creative, ambitious and, yes, absolutely head over heels in love. And they deserve a big, full-throttled love story.”

The TheatreWorks Silicon Valley production of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women runs Sept 24–Oct 12 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. Tickets are $39-$109. theatreworks.org

Ghosts of Muji, the Cinequest VIP Lounge and Pic-a-Dilly Fine Food are watching over the jackhammers.

When I hear construction noise inside an abandoned Japanese retailer that only existed because a hotel was moved 186 feet down the street so that a newer hotel could expand in its place, an expansion that later also failed and was then saved by a university to house students, I can only be in San Jose.

The southwest corner of First Street and what’s now called Paseo de San Antonio, the ground-level corner of the former Fairmont Annex, has been vacant for years, ever since Muji shut its doors. 

Muji originally opened in 2013, to major fanfare. It seemed like every developer and real estate broker in San Jose was there. Multiple news cameras arrived for the occasion. After many years of downtown retail failure, San Jose had become the only city on earth where the opening of one store constituted a major news story. So that’s what happened.

Unfortunately, seven years later, the pandemic forced Muji to close, so the space went vacant yet again. C’est la vie.

For a couple years before this, in 2011 and 2012, Cinequest used the same space for its VIP Lounge during the film festival—yet another example of arts intelligentsia converting abandonment into creativity.

The building in question came into being in the early aughts after Fairmont owner Lew Wolff demanded the city give him millions to add an additional annex to the hotel, which required relocating another structure that stood in the way—the defunct Hotel Montgomery. San Jose was an attention-starved city, desperate for any possible name recognition, anything to “put us on the map,” so if Lew Wolff wanted more hotel rooms, the city was happy to oblige.

Originally San Jose’s most lavish accommodation when it opened in 1911, the Montgomery had long since fallen into neglect and disrepair. In a highly publicized and contentious adventure, the city literally picked up the building and moved it 186 feet down First Street so Lew Wolff could then build his Fairmont extension, while the Montgomery then underwent costly restoration. Only in San Jose would such absurdity take place.

Nowadays, any native who looks at the current incarnation of the old Fairmont Annex—the building that now includes SJSU student housing, Bijan Bakery and maybe a new tenant on the corner—will remember that corner as the original location of the old Hotel Montgomery.

As a wandering Zen-adjacent scholar inspired by ancient ruins, I’m more interested in the endless cycles of birth, death and rebirth, which tend to happen at every single corner around here. When I heard the jackhammers signaling the possible arrival of a new tenant, my gaze went straight back to some old photos of the same corner, when the Montgomery was still there.

A fabulous shot from the late ’60s depicts the hotel in all its faded glory, after it morphed into an $80-a-month flophouse. The despair is inspiring. Facing First Street, we see Guttman’s, a boarded-up women’s clothing store, plus Squires Restaurant, likewise shuttered. On the corner, we can spot “budget dinner plates” at Pic-a-Dilly Fine Food. An optometrist office appears in the middle. At the southern end is the Skol Room, the hotel’s cocktail lounge.

The Skol Room was owned by Nate Wasserman, the same guy that opened the Branham Lounge in 1969. But that’s a different column.

Much of downtown at this time looked similar: retail struggling to survive as the neighborhood deteriorated; transient hotels, dive bars and worn-out steakhouses; medical and legal offices inside peeling mid-rises. Yet up the block remained Orange Julius, See’s Candies, Frederick’s of Hollywood, a crumbling Montgomery Ward department store and the Sapphire Lounge—also another future column.

But this is not about the past. Ultimately, I am after beauty in the mundane. I am experiencing the ongoing cycle of births, deaths and reincarnations, this time at the southwest corner of First and San Antonio. When I sit inside Bijan Bakery and see the SJSU WiFi appear on my laptop, and I see the flow of students leaving the building on their way to school, I see nothing but beauty, and I am content in the present moment.

Generational habits have always shaped how people connect, but the shift from phone calls to texting is especially stark. For Monica O’Brien, a communications scholar based in southwest Florida, the contrast has become part of her research and her daily life.

“For Gen Xers, using the phone was a privilege,” she said. “Every kid dreamed of having a phone in their bedroom. I probably had a hundred numbers memorized, and now I can’t remember anyone’s.”

O’Brien recalls her father being strict about phone use, a reminder that in the 1970s and ’80s, making a call was not just convenience but standard. Today, she sees that context missing from her younger coworkers’ experiences.

“A lot of them feel anxiety about answering the phone on the sales floor,” she said. “They just never had to learn those skills. They’re so used to screens.”

That difference in comfort is borne out in research. A survey conducted by the recruitment firm Robert Walters found that 59% of young professionals prefer to use email or messaging instead of phone calls, and about half report feeling uncomfortable making business calls. Only 16% said phone conversations are an effective use of time. Older workers, by contrast, often worry that fewer calls and in-person meetings undermine relationships.

The split between generations appears in personal life as well. A 2023 YouGov poll covering 17 countries found that 40% of people said text messages were their most-used method of staying in touch with loved ones. Voice calls came in second at 29%. Among 18-to-24-year-olds, nearly half favored texting, while adults over 55 were more likely to pick up the phone.

For Keisha R., a Gen Xer from Berkeley, the choice depends on context.

“Texting is definitely more convenient,” she said. “I can schedule a text and communicate when I’m available.”

That balance between efficiency and intimacy captures the current divide. Texting offers flexibility and control, but the human voice conveys emotion that words on a screen can’t always deliver.

O’Brien recognizes both.

“I’m actually a Gen Xer who likes to text a lot,” she said. “But if I have to have a serious conversation with someone, it’s better not to text because things can get misinterpreted.”

Gen Xers, O’Brien argues, stand out for their versatility: Raised on phone calls but fluent in texting, they occupy a unique middle ground between the call-oriented Baby Boomers and the text-first Gen Zers.

“We can do it all. We’re in that sweet spot,” she said.

For Anna Trinh, who is in her early 20s, the calculation is very different. Texting is not just convenient—it is low-pressure, safe and even creative. Saying most of her discomfort stems from social anxiety, her experience echoes that of many people her age.

“I find that texting is a low-pressure form of communication, especially when compared to calls. It allows for a lot of freedom,” Trinh said.

She described the practical benefits of being able to respond on her own schedule.

“I can choose when to text back,” she said. “If I’m busy or if I’m not feeling up to responding yet, I can reply at my own convenience. This is a benefit to the other party as well.”

Texting also allows her to be mindful and expressive in ways calls cannot. She described the joy in being more mindful of what she says and using memes to creatively convey how she is feeling with friends. Safety and privacy are also factors for her. Trinh pointed to the rising number of spam and scam calls, as well as potential AI misuse of voice clips.

“There’s been a lot of scams nowadays, which is another reason why I really don’t like phone calls,” she said. “Tech is advancing rapidly, and there’s been talks of people using AI to take voice clips to impersonate others. Not only that, but I get a TON of spam calls from random VOIP numbers every day.”

Her “motto” captures her generation’s approach to phone calls: “If it’s that important, they’ll leave a voicemail,” she said.

Statistics reinforce her experience. A 2022 survey from Communication Research Reports of 18-to-24-year-olds found that 81% reported feeling anxiety before making a phone call, while most reported texting as their preferred method of communication. While older adults continue to rely on calls, young adults treat the ring with caution or avoid it entirely.

The ring of a phone may be less common among the youth today, but it has not disappeared. Instead, it competes with pings, vibrations and unread notification bubbles. For some, it provokes anxiety. For others, it signals intimacy. For many, like O’Brien, Keisha and Trinh, the real skill lies in being able to switch between modes depending on the moment.

“I think the goal is not to lose the ability to talk,” O’Brien said. “You need to be able to do both. There’s a lot you can tell from someone’s voice that you’ll never get from a text.”

Still some, like San Jose Baby Boomer Alison England, are firmly rooted in old-school ways. She believes texting is “lazy.”

“I do not even own a cell phone,” England said. “I have a landline. Personally I hate the idea of being reduced to a text recipient.”

Still, there are Gen Zers who prefer calls, Boomers who favor text and a spectrum of habits in between. O’Brien reiterates that the focus should not be on the generational divide itself, but on bridging the differences so that everyone can communicate effectively in a variety of settings. 

“You need to be able to switch,” O’Brien said. “That’s what makes you a good communicator.”

Three young lives were cut short last week in South San Jose, gunned down by someone they knew.

The victims were not immediately identified when the suspect was arrested on Sept. 17, the day after the triple murder. On Sept. 19, court documents identified the victims as Tarrah Lynn Taylor, Jeannessa Lurie and Max Chavez Ryan, all in their 20s, all from San Jose.

Authorities and family as of Monday provided no information, except age,  residence, date of deaths, and cause of death. Additional information about the victims has come from friends, employers and social media.

Taylor, 26, Lurie, 24, and Ryan, 26, were killed by multiple gunshots shortly after midnight on Sept. 16.

Taylor, who police said was the primary target of the attacker, filled her social media posts with photos of herself with friends, dogs and cats.

She reposted content about National Parks and pro-environment causes. She had attended Foothill College.

Ryan had worked as an outreach worker with the San Jose Housing Department since February, assisting homeless people moving from Columbus Park campsites to more temporary housing.

He is survived by his parents, Joe and Carla Ryan, and two younger brothers.

Ryan graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2022 and in addition to his work helping the homeless, was a writer, musician and painter.

“He had helped hundreds of people move from the Columbus Park homeless encampment,” the housing department said in a statement. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to his friends, colleagues, and loved ones. Max served his community on our Homelessness Response Outreach Team. His commitment to the people of San José, and in particular the most vulnerable among us, exemplified the thoughtful, caring human he was. He will be remembered not only for his professional contributions, but also for his kindness, compassion, and spirit.”

Lurie, a graduate of Mid-Peninsula High School in Menlo Park who attended CSU Monterey Bay, was pursuing a career in animal behavior science. Lurie had begun work as a security dog trainer for Bite Club K9 in Monterey. In addition to her work as a dog trainer, she worked part-time at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Monterey.

She lived in San Jose at the house near Martial Cottle Park where the fatal attack occurred.

The three victims were reportedly at the house when Taylor was strangled and beaten by her ex-boyfriend last Sunday and again on Monday. The 24-year-old reported the attacks to San Jose police, which detectives said prompted an alleged return by the killer to silence Taylor and her friends.

Authorities said police were searching for the ex-boyfriend when the fatal attack occurred.

Shortly after midnight the next day, Sept. 17, police said in court documents filed Sept. 19, that Taylor’s 27-year-old ex-boyfriend, Joseph Vicencio, returned to the apartment and shot Taylor, Lurie and Ryan, then fled into the night.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen presented the charges against Vicencio at his Sept. 19 arraignment in Santa Clara County Superior Court: three counts of murder and three related felony weapons crimes.

The suspect remains in the Santa Clara County Main Jail, without bail. He is to return to court Oct. 24.

The weekend attacks on Taylor weren’t the only time Vicencio had appeared on the radar of San Jose detectives.

The district attorney’s frustration with one particular incident during his tenure as the county’s top prosecutor—when Vicencio was convicted in 2020 of 11 felony counts, based on a September 2019 incident in which he emptied an automatic pistol into the front window of the Martin Luther King Jr. library and never served time in prison—figured in Vicencio’s arraignment.

“We charged him with 11 felony counts and asked for him to be sent to prison for nine years. We recognized that he was a dangerous person,” Rosen told reporters. “The judge granted probation in that case over our extremely strong objection.”

The judge in 2020 placed Vicencio in mandatory confinement for mental health treatment, under the supervision of Santa Clara County’s Mental Health Treatment Court. He was later able to get the conviction completely expunged from his record.

Though his record was expunged, Vicencio was still legally prohibited from owning a firearm. Investigators reported they are still working to determine the origin of the suspected weapon, which police have declined to identify.

“Gun violence is a huge scourge in our community and our state and in our country. Just a few days ago, we put out a public service announcement about gun violence restraining orders, red flag laws,” Rosen told reporters. “We use these restraining orders more than any other county in the Bay Area, by far, and they save lives. We did not have an opportunity to get such a gun violence restraining order in this case.”

Vicente Vera contributed to this report.

Sculpture has traditionally been a male-dominated art form until the emergence of female sculptors in the 19th century. One such artist was Edmonia Lewis, who not only carved a name for herself in the medium as a woman, but also broke the color barrier.

Lewis was the most famous female sculptor of color in America. Done in neo-classical style, her sculptures were inspired by Civil War heroes, abolitionists, biblical characters and mythical creatures, as well as her Black-Indigenous heritage. The Cantor Arts Center’s new exhibit, “Edmonia Lewis: Indelible Impressions,” which runs Sept. 17 to Jan. 4, explores both her life and work and her connection to the Bay Area.

“In the course of my research, I learned that three of her sculptures were on exhibition at the San Jose Public Library,” says curator and Stanford University professor Jennifer DeVere Brody, who’s writing a forthcoming biography on Lewis. “And while they’re accessible to the public, they are behind a wall and not in a museum context. So I had the idea to bring them to the Cantor and to the larger public.”

Lewis was likely born in 1844 near Albany, N.Y., of mixed African, Haitian and Ojibwe descent. She was orphaned at a young age and raised Catholic; her half brother, Samuel, lived for a time in San Francisco. She attended Oberlin College in Ohio—one of the few colleges that admitted female students—but was forced to leave before graduating due to accusations of stealing and poisoning classmates, which were thought to have been racially motivated.

Lewis opened a studio in Boston, where she created portrait medallions of well-known abolitionists. After moving around Europe, she set up another studio in Rome that was home to a group of female expatriates, namely Harriet Hosmer, the most famous female sculptor, and Emma Stebbins, who designed the central sculpture in Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain.

Frederick Douglass visited her there. Ulysses S. Grant commissioned a bust of himself. Lewis also sculpted a bust of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose poem The Song of Hiawatha inspired her sculpture, Old Arrow Maker.

In 1876, she displayed her most famous sculpture, The Death of Cleopatra, at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. The statue, which took ten years to complete and weighs more than 3,000 pounds, depicts Cleopatra at the moment of her death. It went missing for nearly a century, having traveled around various locations, including a saloon, golf course and a mall. The sculpture currently resides in the Smithsonian American Art Museum along with several other Lewis works.

Lewis exhibited in San Francisco in 1872 and in San Jose in 1873; an article published in a local Black newspaper described her art as having “indelible impressions.” A fundraiser was organized to purchase her bust of Abraham Lincoln as a gift to the San Jose Public Library. Sarah Knox-Goodrich, a women’s suffrage activist in San Jose, bought Awake and Asleep, Lewis’ companion sculptures of two small children. All three are housed inside the library’s California Room. The Cantor exhibit, which also features historical text, articles, photographs and video, will be the first time the three sculptures have been shown together outside the library in 30 years.

“The sculptures are about sleep and peacefulness,” says Brody. “These images of sentimental innocence were very popular in that period.They were made to sit in homes, on a table. They talk about the cycles of life. And they were cut from a block of stone, so you have to remember how much was involved in chiseling the exquisite details.”

There has been a resurgence in Lewis’ art the last couple of years. She died in 1907 in London in an unmarked grave, but her grave was restored thanks to a GoFundMe. There was a play and opera made about her life. In 2017, Google announced a Google Doodle in Lewis’ honor. In 2022, the U.S. Postal Service celebrated Lewis with a Black Heritage stamp. And that same year, Oberlin College issued her a posthumous diploma.

“There was a historic precedent for art and culture in the Bay Area during the Gilded Age,” Brody says. “One of the key figures to help foment that was this American sculptor who produced works for this burgeoning culture. She was a sculptor from the U.S. who had made a name for herself globally, and she brought that cachet back to the Bay Area.”

Edmonia Lewis: Indelible Impressions runs through Jan. 4, 2026, at the Cantor Arts Center, 328 Lomita Dr., Stanford. museum.stanford.edu

It was a match made in heaven.

The Promised Land Brewery in Gilroy has developed a new craft beer called “The Wave,” named after “Krazy” George Henderson and the audience engagement technique that he originated.

Owner and brewer Brian Schwab said a chance meeting with Krazy George led to the new brew.

The iconic cheerleader recalls that encounter with Schwab. “He came up to me at a function in Los Gatos and told me of his idea,” Henderson said at the packed Britannia Arms in Capitola, which hosted a release party for the new beer on Sept. 6. “I thought he was joking. Two days later he called me and already had the label designed. It’s amazing.”

Schwab said it was a blast watching everyone enjoy the beer and interacting with the local celebrity. 

“We’re giving praise to an icon,” Schwab said. “This is awesome.”

For more than 50 years, Krazy George Henderson has been the ultimate superfan. His story began in 1968 at San Jose State University. His wild energy and booming drum soon turned him into a legend throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1975, his big break came when Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, brought him in for one game. Henderson was such a hit that he was hired full-time for every home game for the next four years.

But Krazy George didn’t stop there. At an Oakland A’s vs. New York Yankees playoff game on Oct. 15, 1981, he made sports history by inventing The Wave. That simple, brilliant spark of energy circled the stadium that day and went on to entertain fans everywhere.

From the NFL and NHL to the World Cup and countless other events, Henderson has transformed crowds into unstoppable fanatics—whether it’s 25,000 fans in a stadium or corporate crowds at business events. Teams and companies that bring him in once usually bring him back again and again.

After all these years, Henderson remains the world’s most famous cheerleader. His mission is simple: get people on their feet, get them cheering, and keep The Wave rolling strong.

Henderson’s niece, Kendra Bonham, made the trip to Capitola from Oroville with seven other friends and family.

“This is an honor, it really is,” she said. “To have my uncle honored like this is incredible. He deserves it.”

ARIES March 21-April 19

In Tonglen, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation, you visualize yourself breathing in the suffering, pain or negativity of other people, then imagine breathing out relief, healing or compassion toward them. The practice can also be done on your own behalf. The goal is to transform tension and stress into courage, vitality and healing. I recommend this practice, Aries. Can you turn your scars into interesting tattoos? Can you find mysterious opportunities lurking in the dilemmas? Can you provide grace for others as you feed your own fire?

TAURUS April 20-May 20

In a YouTube video, I watched Korean artisans make hanji paper in the same way their predecessors have for 1,300 years. It was complicated and meditative. They peeled off the inner bark of mulberry trees, then soaked it, cooked it and pounded it into pulp. After mixing the mash with the aibika plant, they spread it out on screens and let it dry. I learned that this gorgeous, luminous paper can endure for a thousand years. I hope you draw inspiration from this process, Taurus. Experiment with softening what has felt unyielding. Treat what’s tough or inflexible with steady, artful effort. Be imaginative and persistent as you shape raw materials into beautiful things you can use for a long time.

GEMINI May 21-June 20

Legendary jazz musician Sun Ra was a Gemini who claimed to be from the planet Saturn. He aspired to live in a state of “cosmic discipline”—not just in his musical training but in his devotion to self-improvement, aesthetic exploration and a connection to transcendent realities. He fused outrageous style with sacred order, chaos with clarity. I invite you to draw inspiration from him. Put your personal flair in service to noble ideas. Align your exuberant self-expression with your higher purpose. Show off if it helps wake people up.

CANCER June 21-July 22

In Inuit tradition, qarrtsiluni means “waiting in the darkness for something to burst forth.” It refers to the sacred pause before creativity erupts, before the quest begins, before the light returns. This is an apt description of your current state, Cancerian. Tend your inner stillness like a fire about to ignite. Don’t rush it. Honor the hush. The energies you store up will find their proper shape in a few weeks. Trust that the silence is not absence but incubation. Luminosity will bloom from this pregnant pause.

LEO July 23-Aug. 22

You’re feeling the stirrings of a desire that’s at least half-wild. A surprising vision or opportunity has begun to roar softly within you. But here’s key advice: Don’t chase it recklessly. Practice strategic boldness. Choose where and how you shine. Your radiance is potent, but it will be most effective when offered deliberately, with conscious artistry. You’re being asked to embody the kind of leadership that inspires, not dominates. Be the sun that warms but doesn’t scorch! PS: People are observing you to learn how to shine.

VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22

If humans ever perfect time-travel, I’m going to the Library of Alexandria in ancient Egypt. It was crammed with papyrus scrolls by authors from all over the world. It was also a gathering point for smart people who loved to compare notes across disciplines. Poets argued amiably with mathematicians. Astronomers discussed inspirations with physicians. Breakthroughs flowed freely because ideas were allowed to migrate, hybridize and be challenged without rancor. Consider emulating that rich mélange, Virgo. Convene unlike minds, cross-pollinate and entertain unprecedented questions. The influences you need next will arrive via unexpected connections.

LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22

The ancient Mesopotamians believed each person had a personal god called an ilu who acted as a protector, guide and intercessor with the greater gods. You’re in a phase when your own ilu is extra active and ready to undergo an evolutionary transformation. So assume that you will be able to call on potent help, Libra. Be alert for how your instincts and intuitions are becoming more acute and specific. If you feel an odd nudge or a dream insists on being remembered, take it seriously. You’re being steered toward deeper nourishment.

SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21

In Venice, Italy, floods periodically damage books at libraries and bookstores. Trained volunteers restore them with meticulous, hands-on methods. They use absorbent paper and towels to separate and dry the pages, working page by page. I offer this vignette as a useful metaphor, Scorpio. Why? Because I suspect that a rich part of your story needs repair. It’s at risk of becoming irrelevant, even irretrievable. Your assignment is to nurse it back to full health and coherence. Give it your tender attention as you rehabilitate its meaning. Rediscover and revive its lessons and wisdom.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21

In classical Indian music, a raga is not a fixed composition but a flexible framework. It’s defined by a specific scale, characteristic melodic phrases, and a traditional time of day for performance. Musicians improvise and express emotion within that expansive set of constraints. Unlike Western compositions, which are written out and repeated verbatim, a raga has different notes each time it’s played. I think this beautiful art form can be inspirational for you, Sagittarius. Choose the right time and tone for what you’re creating. Dedicate yourself to a high-minded intention and then play around with flair and delight. Define three non-negotiable elements and let everything else breathe.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19

In medieval European monasteries, scribes left blank pages in certain texts. This was not done by accident, but to allow for future revelations. Later readers and scribes might fill these spaces with additional text, marginalia and personal notes. Books were seen as living documents. I recommend a metaphorical version of this practice to you, Capricorn. You will thrive by keeping spaces empty and allowing for the unknown to ripen. You may sometimes feel an urge to define, control and fortify, but acting on that impulse could interfere with the gifts that life wants to bring you. Honor what is as-yet unwritten.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18

In West African Vodún cosmology, the deity named Lêgba guards the crossroads. He is the mediator and gatekeeper between the human world and spirit realm. He speaks all languages and serves as the first point of contact for communication with other spirits. In the weeks ahead, Aquarius, you may find yourself in Lêgba’s domain: between past and future, fact and fantasy, solitude and communion. You may also become a channel for others, intuiting or translating what they can’t articulate. I won’t be surprised if you know things your rational mind doesn’t fully understand. I bet a long-locked door will swing open and a long-denied connection will finally coalesce. You’re not just passing through the crossroads. You are the crossroads.

PISCES Feb. 19-March 20

In 1977, NASA launched two Voyager spacecraft into the abyss. Both carried a message in the form of a golden record to any extraterrestrial who might find it. There were greetings in 55 languages, natural sounds like whale songs and thunderstorms, music by Chuck Berry and others, plus over 100 images and diagrams explaining how to find Earth. It was science as a love letter, realism with a dash of audacity. I invite you to craft your own version of a golden record, Pisces. Distill a message that says who you are and what you are seeking: clear enough to be decoded by strangers, warm enough to be welcomed by friends you haven’t met. Put it where the desired audience can hear it: portfolio, outreach note, manifesto, demo. Send signals that will make the right replies inevitable.

Homework: You know that insult you fling at yourself? Stop flinging it! Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

If you missed Rob Brezsny’s Free Will Astrology last week, no worries. Find it here.

Last month, through a cruel trick played by fate, City Lights had to cancel the closing weekend of its season finale, Head Over Heels, due to illness in the cast. As Executive Artistic Director Lisa Mallette stated at the time, “It’s painful to lose performances for any show, but this one is particularly hard, with such a beautiful cast and story, and with such a timely message of love and pride.”

Fortunately, this week the theater troupe is back and ready to deliver a seasonal treat: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, a gender-bending comedy with six actors playing over a dozen roles. This vampire story, from veteran comedy writers Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, owes as much to Mel Brooks as it does to Bram Stoker. Caitlin Lawrence Papp, who played Queen Gynecia in Head Over Heels, directs the play, which Forbes magazine describes as “sexy and campy with non-stop hilarity.” 

The production previews on Sept. 25 and 26, with opening night on Saturday, Sept. 27. Performances continue through Oct. 19; tickets are available at cltc.org. 

Thu, Sept 25

Oktoberfest Downtown Redwood City—This peninsula city salutes Germanic traditions with gusto, becoming a magnet for lederhosen-wearing, beer-guzzling crowds, drawn by seasonal contests (stein-holding, yodeling, dancing), lively music, and lots and lots of brats and brews. Tickets: $10-$35 (includes a commemorative stein); food and extra drink tickets are sold separately. Sept 19-28 (every day except Sept 22) in Courthouse Square. redwoodcity.org

McNeal—San Jose Stage presents the West Coast premiere of this play by Ayad Akhtar. The drama explores artificial intelligence, artistic integrity, and the line between genius and fraud. Directed by Randall King. $34–$84. Previews Sept 24-26; opening night Sept. 27, with shows through Oct. 19. The Stage, 490 S 1st St, San Jose. 408.283.7142. thestage.org

A Taste of Ireland—The “Irish music and dance sensation” comes to California on its 2025 world tour, featuring a cast of acclaimed Irish dancers and musicians. Sept 25. Fox Theatre, 2215 Broadway, Redwood City. ATasteofIrelandShow.com

Quilt National 2025—The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles features selections from Quilt National, a juried biennial exhibition of contemporary quilt art, first held in 1979. Sept 25, 2025-Jan 2, 2026. 520 S 1st St, San Jose. sj-mqt.org

Fri, Sept 26

Festival Fright Nights—In honor of the spooky season, Winchester Mystery House debuts three haunted attractions, themed food and beverage offerings, and access to never-before-used spaces. $54.99+. Sept 26–Nov. 1. Winchester Mystery House, 525 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose. festivalfrightnights.com

Live on Main—Bring a lawn chair or blanket, grab a meal from a local eatery and catch a concert of country pop and rock by Michelle Lambert. Free. Sept 26, 6:30-8:30pm. Town Square, 19419 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino. 

Marcos Varela Trio—The SJZ Break Room Fall Series begin with this trio, whose other members are Liberty Elman and Mark Ferber. $21.80. Sept 26, 8pm. SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose. sanjosejazz.org

Sat, Sept 27

The Sound of Music—South Bay Musical Theatre presents the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Sept 27-Oct 18. Saratoga Civic Theater, 13777 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga. southbaymt.com

Mozart and More—Mission Chamber Orchestra of San José opens its season with a program of Mozart’s most popular works, plus Jacques Ibert’s Hommage à Mozart, a tribute to the composer within a 20th century idiom. Plus, pianist Sandra Wright Shen performs the Piano Concerto No. 21. $26.62 (discounts for seniors, students, children). Sept 27, 7:30pm. Shannon Theatre at Fremont High School, 1279 Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd, Sunnyvale. missionchamber.org

Great Glass Pumpkin Patch—Pumpkins come in all colors at this festive annual event sponsored by the Bay Area Glass Institute and the Palo Alto Art Center. Sept 27-28, 10am-5pm. Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto. greatglasspumpkinpatch.org

Services Search & Rescue K-9 Benefit—The Quarter Note serves up live music, a car show, a charity auction and a barbecue meal to raise funds for the crucial services provided by K-9 officers and their dogs with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department. Free. Sept 27, noon-6pm. 1214 Apollo Way Sunnyvale. 408.732.2110. quarternote.com

Sun, Sept 28

El Ultimo Baile—San Jose Jazz, in collaboration with the Culture Night Market, presents the closing celebration of the Alebrijes in San Jose installation, featuring music by DJ Chale Brown, Spaghetti Cumbia, Chika Di and La Misa Negra. Sept 28, 2-8:30pm. Plaza de César Chávez Park, 1 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose. alebrijes.sanjosejazz.org

Mon, Sept 29

Cook Like a King Book Signing—Top Chef All-Stars winner Melissa King celebrates the release of her debut cookbook, Cook Like a King. $40 (includes signed copy of the book). Sept 29, 6pm. Williams Sonoma at Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto. melissaking.squadup.com

Tue, Sept 30

Maria Pazos—A solo exhibition by the painter goes on view today, with an opening reception Oct 3, 5-8pm. On view Sept 30-Nov 2. Gallery 9, 143 Main St, Los Altos. gallery9losaltos.com

A native of Monkton, Maryland, Dennis Jones got his musical start on drums, but by age 13 he had switched to guitar and joined a band. After traveling the world, he landed in Los Angeles, joining Mississippi bluesman Zac Harmon’s band, with whom he won the 2004 International Blues Challenge. Jones’ solo debut, Falling Up, came in 2003. Subsequent albums showcased his artistry and featured guests including Kenny Neal, Guitar Shorty, and Etta James saxophonist Jimmy Zavala. In 2023, Jones was the recipient of the Bobby Rush Entertainer Award. His latest release is About Time, released in June 2024.

Dennis Jones

Wed, Oct 1, 6pm, $13

Club Fox, Redwood City

The iconic sludge metal shredder, Matt Pike, continues to prove why he’s one of the greats with the unrelenting High On Fire. Founded in Oakland in 1998, this sludge metal act is in a league of their own with an armory of heavy albums in their back pocket, ready to melt faces and rot brains. Truthfully, it’s a miracle Pike is still alive with the crazy life he has lived, so for those who haven’t seen him play, this show is a perfect opportunity. Plus, they’re playing with the Motorhead-loving Charger and Bastardane featuring Castor Hetfield, son of Metallica frontman James Hetfield.

High on Fire

Tue, Sept 30, 6:30pm, $28-$32

The Ritz, San Jose