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Jessica Laskey

Journalist

About This Author

Jessica Laskey is a freelance writer and professional actress who has lived and worked in Sacramento, San Francisco, Dallas, New York City and Paris. She is also the co-founder of Theater Galatea and Indomita Press.

Articles by this author

No Plain Jane

If you walk past the Sterling Hotel at 13th and H streets on Sunday, Jan. 11, and see people in Regency dress, you haven’t stumbled into a time warp.

It’s Jane Austen’s 250th birthday party, put on by the Jane Austen Society of North America, Greater Sacramento Region.

With luck, you’re a reveler in the ballroom, dressed in Austen-era finery, enjoying small plates, stimulating conversation and English country dance in an Austen novel come to life.

“Because it’s her 250th birthday, we decided we’d pull out all the stops,” event Chair Alanna Butterworth says. “We’re hoping to entice people who have not participated yet or who’ve never been to a Regency dance to come and enjoy a warm environment.”

Life Lessons

After 35 years in public relations, Mia McDaniel knows how to grab attention. That’s why she titled her book “My Father’s Burning in Hell.”

“I was scared because I knew the title was really negative,” McDaniel says. “You’re either going to say, ‘Wow, I’ve got to get this book’ or ‘I never will read this.’ But I figured if you’re buying this book, you really want to see what this is about.”

The memoir isn’t built around a traumatic childhood. Rather, the Carmichael resident exposes family secrets and discusses the impact of having two narcissistic parents, one who’s a predator. But it’s not a sob story. It’s a well-told tale of how truth can set you free.

Form Fitter

Frankie Hansbearry breathes life into artistic forms, from ceramic dogs and papier-mâché masks to vibrant mosaics and figures that resemble ancient artifacts.

The Oak Park artist credits much of her inspiration to National Geographic magazines she flipped through as a kid.

“Those images just fascinated me,” she says. “They were so different than the life I grew up with in a very homogenous community. Something about those images of artifacts from ancient sites really interested me—the rawness, the fascination that so-called ‘primitive peoples’ could have the ability to create images in such an interesting way.”

Taking Root

The garden at Eskaton Village Carmichael is more than a beautiful place for residents to grow plants. It’s a place to get outside and connect with nature and each other.

Helen Root has headed up the gardening committee for five of the seven years she’s lived at Eskaton. Under her leadership, the garden expanded in size and mission.

“One of the first things I did when I was elected in 2021 was update our mission statement,” Root says. “The one I inherited was so straightforward: We rent boxes and fees are used to buy supplies. We do so much more than that! The revision became: We develop camaraderie with one another, encourage other residents to come through and enjoy nature and make it a real experience.”