The 20th-anniversary celebration of Napa Valley Open Studios was both a party and a preview that drew more than 300 people to Robert Mondavi Winery Friday evening.

Miranda Peralta, 9, of Napa, was in Washington, D.C. last weekend to be honored as a winner of the American Kidney Fund’s 12th annual national art contest for children with kidney disease.

The 27th annual Napa Valley Writers’ Conference earned high approval ratings from the majority of the 94 participants hailing from across the United States and abroad. The writers attended a full week of workshops, lectures and readings as they studied with nationally recognized writers including Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Stephen Dunn and best -selling novelist Antonya Nelson.

It wasn’t a large gathering — a dozen citizens, a handful of staff from Arts Council Napa Valley and one guitarist.

Saturday night at Dreamweavers Theatre the audience was treated to a performance of Ivan Menchell’s poignant yet comic play, “The Cemetery Club,” which ran on Broadway in l990 and became a movie in l992.

Napa Valley Arts & Lectures presents Cathryn Jakobson Ramin, the author of New York Times best seller ”Carved in Sand: When Attention Fails and Memory Fades in Midlife,” on tonight at 8 p.m. at Copia.

LONDON — Over the course of more than 500  pages, Graham Hancock, in his new book, “Supernatural,”  concludes there is convincing evidence for a direct connection between the 35,000-year-old cave drawings seen throughout Europe, the spiritual realm frequented by shamans and shamanism, the fairy world, aliens (and alien abductions) and the world’s religions.

"Look closely at Brian's work," one viewer instructs another in the preface to "Aquatique," a collection of photographs by Brian Oglesbee. "It brings great rewards."

Widely considered one of contemporary African music's most exciting new talents, 25-year-old Dobet Gnahoré performs at the Napa Valley Opera House on Sept. 22. The singer, dancer and percussionist from the Ivory Coast thrilled the audience when she appeared at the Opera House in 2006 with Putumayo's Accoustic Africa with Malian guitarist Habib Koité and South African troubadour Vusi Mahlasela

An evening for the arts