California has been on the front lines of the culture changes surrounding marijuana over the past half century. A local writer documenting them has subtitled his book, "Dispatches from An American War."

Jonah Raskin

In Marijuanaland, Jonah Raskin writes from both his personal experience and interviews with a wide range of people involved with marijuana, including people who smoke, grow, raid, sell, prescribe or write about it. And he chronicles some significant changes over the past several decades.

One factor in the defeat of Proposition 19 last year was the widespread opposition it met in the "Emerald Triangle" counties—Humboldt, Trinity and Mendocino—where growers feared that legalization would undermine their substantial profits. But Raskin reports that some of that price erosion is already happening anyway.

As an environmental writer, Julia Whitty reports on the oceans of the world and the life they support, from beneath the surface--in more ways than one.

A scientist before she became an ecological jounralist, Julia Whitty says she tries to offer readers a literary link to the natural world, not just in Deep Blue Home, but in most of her work.

Whitty recognizes that her journalism, both in film and print, has given her many rare and remarkable experiences in the natural world. In order to fully express them to readers, she explains, she has to introduce some of her own response to those sights and events in her writing, both in her blog, and her book.

Elegant Terns nest close together, pushing out the larger and darker gulls in this small valley on Rasa Island. Julia Whitty photo.Last sumnmer, Whitty revisited Rasa Island in the Sea of Cortez (right), an important nesting site for endangered Elegant Terns and Heerman's Gulls. Following a successful effort to erdicate rodent invaders there, she reports that the rookery is thriving once again.

The works of Sonoma County writers can get lost on the shelves of even the most supportive local bookstores. So one resourceful author has found a way for their books to stand out.

Many of the Sonoma County writers who are participating in Jeane Slone's local authors bookselling program have been published by established publishing companies. But these days, she observes, that's only a starting point for a little known or first time author.

Laura McHale HollandWorking with publishers turned out to be a years-long exercise in frustration for Laura McHale Holland, so she ultimately published her memoir, Reversible Skirt, herself.

Jeane SloneSlone admits to being surprised by the way her local authors initiative has been embraced, and attributes that to the burgeoning interest in "localism" in Sonoma County. 

The roster of authors and topics featured in the local authors book display is impressively diverse.Still, Sloan has been surprised at which of those titles has been the "best seller."

The Sonoma County authors' books can be found at the following locally owned coffee shops:

Apple Box Coffee, Petaluma

The Barking Dog Roasters, Sonoma

The Bean Affair, Healdsburg

Bungalow Coffee and Tea, Larksfield

Café Noto, Windsor

Community Café, Sonoma

Cookie's Café, Santa Rosa

Food Bar, Petaluma

Golden Bean, Rohnert Park

Gaia's Garden, Santa Rosa

Local Folkal, Cloverdale

Midtown Café, Santa Rosa

Muffin Street Baking, Santa Rosa

Off the Track Coffee Shop, Forestville

Pearson & Co. Expresso & Catering/McCoy's Cookware,

Santa Rosa

Studebaker Cheese Cake, Sonoma

Viva Cocolat, Petaluma

Book clubs also also invited to email Jeane Sloan atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to invite most of the local authors and receive discounts. She also maintains a local authors blog with interviews and information about new locations.

Whether by retailing local crafts and fine arts, or offering office infrastructure for business self-starters, the Share Exchange has been quick to make its presence known in Sonoma County's home-grown economy.

The Made Local Marketplace, a colorful bazaar of artisanal creations, debuted in time for holiday shopping last year, and has greatly expanded its offerings this December. And, Share Exchange Director Kelley Rajala notes, it's there the other 11 months of the year, too.

Kelley Rajala One of the highlights of the Share Exchange's first year, says Rajala, was the Sunday afternoon street market they organized and called the Share Faire. It's a concept she is already preparing to build on.

 Along the way, the Share Exchange has collaborated with some other cooperative initiatives, including the Santa Rosa Tool Library and the Sonoma County Time Bank. (Follow the links to hear previous North Bay Reports on those projects). Now Rajala is looking forward to rolling out two other new projects to further strengthen the local economic base.