Dreaming of Dordrecht Girls (oil and gold leaf on canvas). Elena Zolotnitsky, a Bay Area artist for the past 12 years, painted “Dreaming of Dordrecht Girls” as a tribute to “The Dordrecht Family” by Dutch painter and Rembrandt student Nicolaes Mayes, whose work is currently part of the Norton Simon Museum’s permanent collection in Pasadena. “It first caught my eye a few years ago and has been haunting me ever since,” says Zolotnitsky, the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships. Zolotnitsky’s artwork will be on display Nov. 12-Dec. 9 in a solo show at Bucci’s, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville; (510) 547-4725 or buccis.com. For more info on Zolotnitsky and upcoming shows: (510) 444-6228 or zolotnitsky.com.

NEXT MONTH: Flash fiction contest, Berkeley Nobel Prize–winner Saul Perlmutter, and our annual holiday gift guide.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
For our December literary issue
The Monthly is now accepting flash fiction—complete stories of 500 words maximum—for possible publication in our December issue. Your story must include one of the following words: “crow,” “silver,” “elbow.”
To submit, paste the story into your email to editorial@ themonthly.com and attach as a Word document (“.doc,” not “.docx” file). Please include your name, email address, and phone number.
Deadline: Monday, Oct. 17.

WRITE FOR THE MONTHLY! We’re looking for persuasive, eloquent, passionate, and just plain fun blogging about food, art, and intriguing neighborhoods in the vast and varied East Bay. Contact us at editorial@themonthly.com.

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November 2011 Issue:
Table of Contents

FEATURE |  Revered and Reviled
Quick, what’s your favorite building in the East Bay? Oft-cited answers: the grand old edifices of downtown Oakland; Berkeley’s Julia Morgans and Craftsman bungalows. But that’s not to say we don’t have our share of aesthetic atrocities. Arts critic Jeanne Storck ferrets out opinions from leading architecture critics and average (but vocal) Joes. By Jeanne Storck.

UPFRONT |  Rituals to Relish
Local characters dish about holiday traditions that don’t require a single second of kitchen prep. By Mike Rosen-Molina.

BY THE BOOK |  The Big One
An excerpt from the new novel by Berkeley professor and nationally acclaimed arts critic David Littlejohn. 

SHOPPING AROUND |  Easily Entertained
Veteran Monthly columnist (and parent) Paul Kilduff details the specialties of shops that sell kids’ toys and games around the East Bay. By Paul Kilduff.

ON LOCATION |  Harley Forrey
Favorite haunts of Harley Forrey, general manager of Oakland’s Chapel of the Chimes.  By Ronny Smith.

The Kilduff File |  Lisa Lutz
San Francisco crime novelist Lisa Lutz reveals what happened when she hooked up with her ex to co-author a headless-body mystery. By Paul Kilduff.

Available in print and in the
digital edition above:

Editor’s Note: a look at this month’s issue and commentary on life in the East Bay

Letters: reader responses to The Monthly’s stories
Be East Bay: an introduction to interesting people, places and events in your community

Critics Choice: highlights of this month’s happenings in art, theater, film, dance and music

Boutique Bazaar: distinctive small shops in the East Bay

Food for Thought: local caterers and food and wine purveyors

Dining Guide: a selection of East Bay restaurants

Marketplace Home: a catalog of services for your home and garden

Marketplace Services: a catalog of personal and creative services

Kartoon Korner: editorial cartoons to entertain and agitate