For many of us, 2025 was a year when the arts took on a greater significance in our lives. Surrounded and troubled by national and world events, we marched and wrote letters and tried to assure one another that we can endure. And when we were not doing that, we sought comfort and joy in witnessing creativity, for which there was a wonderful supply. What follows is a second ovation for those people and projects that were especially spectacular, particularly beautiful, and such fun.
[1]Book of the Year: The Strength of Water by Karin Jensen
While previously published in 2023, Karin Jensen’s memoir of her mother was reborn this year [2] and offered a poignant reminder that this is a nation of immigrants and that those who come here and make this their home are heroes. Told in great detail, Jensen chronicles the travels, the day to day struggles, and the grit and courage her mother showed, a story both unique and familiar. And while unintentional, the message of her book was echoed across the island in Encinal High School’s fall play, Anon(ymous) [3], which showed the myriad challenges newcomers endure.
[4]Dance Event of the Year: “Where Do We Draw The Line” choreographed by KT Nelson
While we certainly can’t ignore the appearance of the Dancing Christmas Trees on Thompson Lane, the dance offered by KT Nelson and her performers—part of the Rising Seas [5] project from this past summer—was remarkable for its beauty and meaning. The lyrical movements, the inclusion of audience members, and the phenomenal kelp prop made this piece both educational and awesome, pulling the watchers into the water and reminding us how fragile our island has become.
[6]Play of the Year: Good People at the Altarena Playhouse
The story of a struggling woman in South Boston, directed powerfully by Russell Kaltschmidt, was another important window and mirror this past year [7]. Alicia Rydman’s Margie works at a dollar store and then loses her job. Here in Alameda we have such terrific places to shop for so many of our necessaries, but we also have dollar stores where folks get their groceries and birthday balloons. The play showed the contrast between the working class and the professional class, showcasing how affordability is not a hoax.
[8]Performance of the Year: Paul Bisesi as Hamlet
On a small stage in a rustic space over on Webster Street, theater people were able to witness not only the best performance of the year, but one of the finest Hamlets in recent memory [9]. Paul Bisesi’s version of the troubled prince of Denmark was remarkable by being both accessible and exceptional. He made the great words of William Shakespeare, some say the greatest words ever assembled, majestic and personal, truthful and tragic.
[10]Culinary Art Event of the Year: Shannon Marsden’s Holiday Pies
When the holiday season arrives, Shannon Marsden [11] of Julie’s Coffee and Tea Garden gets ready to rock our tables with her edible culinary art objects. Her canvas is a pie pan, her medium dough, fruit, sugar, and magic, and the result is round offerings pleasing to the eye and, my oh my, the palate. Shannon and her crew sculpt traditional and fancy-shmancy pies that are chewable architecture. From the pinched edges to the delicious ingredients that sing within the borders, eaters often pause to admire their lucky forkfuls before blissfully chewing.
May the year ahead be one of greater peace, more love for our neighbors near and far, and may we be fortunate for more art that teaches and inspires, soothes and startles.
Gene Kahane is the founder of the Foodbank Players [12], a lifelong teacher, and former Poet Laureate for the City of Alameda. Reach him at [email protected] [13]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Gene-Kahane [14].