Read the full article by Casey Rafter at Sacramento News & Review
After an evening of laughter and smiles at the second monthly “In a Nutshell” storytelling event at The Sofia, Keith Lowell Jensen — the series’ curator and host — solemnly walked on stage to close the show with a heart-wrenching story highlighting his journey to war-torn Ukraine with his father-in-law in December of 2023.
The show, which premiered in January, continues at The Sofia in Sacramento the last Friday of every month. Aaron Carnes, who co-created the show with Jensen and Amy Bee, Carnes’ wife, said the show will continue each month at the Sofia tentatively through June 2026.
Each show features Jensen alongside at least four other storytellers, all tailoring their story choices to fit that month’s theme. Carnes said themes are already being planned out with guests confirmed for April.
The show’s name comes from a bit in Jensen’s act about the demands he has for those who will survive him after death. “Like storytelling, in a nutshell — especially if we’re doing themes in every show — it kind of works,” Carnes said. “The essence of the joke is that he … wants to be cremated and put in empty walnuts so people can say, ‘Oh, that’s Keith, in a nutshell.’”