Oakland Review of Books calendar of (not just) literary events, June 10 – 15
As the blackberries start to think about fruiting, like justice, this week goes very heavy, but very unevenly ... everyone’s putting their events on before vacations and people who don’t think fog counts as summer go try to get sunburned elsewhere. Fine, folks leaving town (none of you fine subscribers I am sure) will all just miss watching grunions beach themselves under a full moon and all the East Bay Yesterday boat tours. -MS
Tuesday, June 10
Art build for 6/14 No Kings Protest, 5:30 pm, Bay Resistance (Downtown). Make art, build props, and prepare. [Action Network]
The Bay Stands with LA, Community Interfaith Vigil, 6 pm, Fruitvale Plaza (Oakland). Stand in solidarity with LA for a community interfaith vigil. [Bay Resistance]
[Bonus North Bay Event] Keep Looking Up with Tammah Watts, 6 pm, Buteo Books (San Rafael). I saw a Steller’s Jay out the window today and its snappy little black hat brought me joy. Now there’s a new book about that! Buy a book, look up, listen, buy more books. Birders, man, they pull you in. [Buteo Books]
[Bonus West Bay Event] A Teenage Superhero: Celebrating Octavia E. Butler’s Lauren Oya Olamina, 6 pm, West Bay Main Library. Aida Ndiaye, a fifteen year old is moderating a panel featuring a professor and an acclaimed YA novelist, and she herself is a novelist which is just the most wonderful thing ever. Lead us north. [SFPL]
The WTF Did I Just Read Book Club, 6:30 pm, Book Society (Berkeley). We’re curious about a book club that charges thirty dollar tickets, but I guess the money goes to "red/white or non-alcoholic wine” and “yummy snack"? Anyway, the “interactive, facilitated book discussion” will be about Sayaka Murata’s Earthlings, a novel about being an alien when abuse alienates you from your body. [Book Society]
A Black-Billed Cuckoo, 7 pm, Shotgun Players (Berkeley). A staged reading of Mat Smart’s play about a close-knit group of Brooklyn birdwatchers turned upside down when some of its members see a rare bird and some don’t. A comedy that explores the complexities of loss, the power of wonder, and how to move on after missing out. I’m telling you: birders! Come for the ornithological awe, stay for the drama. [Shotgun Players]
Yazzabear Self-Publishing Press Open Mic, 7 pm, Bobby G’s Pizzeria (Berkeley). Poetry, music, comedy, storytelling, all voices welcome. Hosted by Antoinette Barton. Very into all the new bookish zinester risographing writers. Keep going, we’re ready for another mimeograph revolution! [instagram]
Wednesday, June 11
Stand with Mosab Abu Toha, 6:30 pm, Revolution Books (Berkeley). Poetry and solidarity with Cheryl Davila, Rafael Jesús González, Satsuki Ina, Devi S. Laskar, and Lorene Zarou-Zouzounis. Be warned: you might hear the name “Bob Avakian” while you’re there. [Indybay]
Flirting Lessons, 6:30 pm, Main Library (Oakland). Jasmine Guillory chats about her newest novel, a queer, friends-to-lovers romance story. Have read it, strong recommend. Enthusiastic consent is so hot. [OPL]
Also: No Other Land at the Roxie (West Bay) / Pop-Up Thrift For Palestine at Banter Wine Bar (El Cerrito) / Black Fatherhood documentary screening and book singing (OPL) / Community listening session with the Alameda Post (The Island) / Unrelatedly: Crime writers in conversation, on making up stories, Books Inc (Alameda) / Berkeley Rush Hour Resistance (I-80)
Thursday, June 12
OK this is where the metaphorical fireworks start, schedule-wise. You can’t have FOMO when there’s this much to miss out on, you just have to throw your hands up and be grateful the Bay is back.
A Taste of Tradition: The Ethiopian/Eritrean Coffee Ceremony, 2 pm, Piedmont Branch OPL. Coffee originates in Ethiopia; it only grows wild there. Led by Yordanos Ezra and Lidya Okubamichael, this event offers a welcoming space to learn, share, and experience the heart of East African hospitality. Let us always welcome each other. [OPL]
Mike Curato, author of Gaysians in conversation with Randy Ribay, 7 pm, Mrs Dalloway's (Berkeley). Gaysians is a graphic novel that’s a heartfelt, uplifting portrait of four gay Asian friends coming of age in Seattle, full of melodrama, love, and friendship. YA these days is so much better than Sweet Valley High. [eventbrite]
Another Word for Love: Carvell Wallace with Sadie Barnette, 7 pm, Womb House (Temescal Alley). If you’ve never read Carvell’s story of going to the Cowboy Poetry convention in Elko, start there and meet his brilliance in the lobby of a Nevada hotel. Then go hear him talk in person with an artist, and I guarantee the conversation will be shooting sparks. Campfire glow all night long. [eventbrite]
The 400 Blows, 7 pm, BAMPFA (Berkeley). A Very Important French New Wave Film by The Very Important French New Wave Director François Truffaut! If you haven’t seen it, pretend you have, or just come see it. This will also be cool because the event is introduced by Laura Truffaut, the director’s Berkeley-based oldest daughter. [BAMPFA]
Heavy Hitters of Contemporary LANGUAGE-Inflected Poetry Reading, Seriously Justin, Did You Have To Schedule Them For THIS Particular Thursday?! 7pm, Bathers Library (Telegraph). Carrie Hunter (my goodness!), Kit Robinson (contributor to The Grand Piano and “In the American Tree” for chrissake) and James Sherry (publisher of ROOF, omigawd), hosted by Steve Orth, who really should have checked my schedule. [instagram]
Rainbow Riot – Ruckus Pride Extravaganza!, 8 pm, The Continental Club (Downtown). Ruckus is a non stop ride of uncensored circus, stand up comedy, burlesque, pole performance, freestyle rap, aerial, beat-boxing, slam poetry, shocking sideshow, hilarious dirty haiku bouts & more! Sultry Sessions threw down the gauntlet and the Ruckus picked it up and will slap everyone silly with it. [eventbrite]
Poetreats! 9 pm, Euclid Manor (Grand Ave-ish). Savinay Nangalia, Shivangi Srivastava, and Rhea Joseph, hosted by Anna Spisak. Eat an artisanal cookie paired with a special audio poetry reading from a featured poet. They’re pairing wines with novels for $30 in Berkeley but this is an Oakland co-op and so the cookies and poems are free. [instagram]
Also (also also!): Overpass Visibility Brigade Action: I-580 (Oakland) / Vino & Vinyl Listening Session at Couchdate: Sade (Oakland) / Lincoln Summer Nights (Chinatown) / Get Scrappy Slow Food Potluck (West Berkeley) / Exhibition Opening Reception for Art/Act: Local - Object [Im]Permanence (Berkeley) / Playreaders Circle at Berkeley Public LIbrary: Raisin in the Sun (Berkeley) / Willow Harvest with Alameda Native History Project (Crockett) / Brian Goldstone and Alexis Madrigal on Homelessness (West Bay) / Shaping Landscape Futures: Art, Infrastructure, and the Climate Crisis Artist conversation at Saint Joseph’s Art Society which will be amazing and is why I can’t go to Bathers (West Bay)
Friday, June 13
Free Admission to the Immigration Station, 11 AM Angel Island State Park. It’s State Parks Week, and I was going to write that this is the closest one to Oakland, but it turns out basically any beachy East Bay recreational area is a state park: Emeryville Crescent, Robert W. Crown Memorial SB, McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, and even the mudflats near the Bulb. Angel Island is still the heavyweight, though. Get on a ferry to SF, then get on the Angel Island ferry, then walk a ways until you get to the US’s first immigrant detention center. [CA State Parks Week]
Historical Black Sacramento Street, 2 pm, Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch Library (Berkeley). A presentation about the second of a three-year series of exhibitions about Black businesses in Berkeley from 1940 to 1970. Led by Stephanie Anne Johnson, PhD, with invitations to the community to contribute. [BPL]
Opening Reception for QUEER R&R – Resistance & Resilience, 6 pm, JCAS (The Lake). The many shapes and forms of queer acts of resistance and resilience. This is a space for artists and creatives of all ages. Queerness is also for all ages. [JCAS]
The Long Goodbye, 7 PM, BAMPFA (Berkeley). Introduction and Post-Screening discussion with David Thomson. You can also come and see Altman’s MASH on Sunday, but this with David Thomson is a vibe. [BAMPFA]
Tamarack Friday poetry, 6:30pm, Tamarack (Downtown). Celebrate the re-release of The Golden Book of Words! Eat snacks, hear Bernadette Mayer’s family friends and fans read her poems, and snag a copy of this funny gorgeous classic. [Tamarack]
Also: Intersectional Reading Room with Jupiter at Tamarack (Oakland) / Sinners-Themed Juneteenth Bash and Fundraiser at Long Live Love Farm (Oakland)
Saturday, June 14
Bay Area Troublemakers School, 9:30 am, Oakland Tech (Oakland). Bringing together union members, labor activists, and local officers, a Troublemakers School is a space for building solidarity and sharing successes, strategy, and inspiration. It’s a real shot in the arm for newbies and seasoned activists alike. [Labornotes]
Walking Waterhoods: Temescal Creek, 10 AM, 51st St (Temescal). Ghost creeks flow underneath us, seeping, seeping. One of the tour bullet points is just “Italians, Italians, Italians!” There will probably be a lot more to the history discussions, but all of us can learn to see, feel and hear the waters that have shaped this place. Bring your own knowledge and add to the pot. [Zeffy]
Free Admission to the Immigration Station, 11 AM Angel Island State Park. See Friday!
Writing with the Plants with Taylor Rose, 11am, Gill Tract Farm (San Pablo Corridor). Each session focuses on one plant in depth, and then invites folks into creative (writing) reflection. I recommend a phacelia, if possible. Engage with the lessons plants can offer around inhabiting our ecologies in ways that generate more possibility for collective survival. Get to know plants and imagine together. [BAFS]
No Kings Protests and Rallies are happening all over, but in particular, 12:45pm, Wilma Chan Park (Chinatown). March together to Oscar Grant Plaza (one mile), for the rally held there. [Mobilize]
Volunteer Training + Orientation, 1 pm, Bandung Books (San Antonio, East Oakland) Learn how to get involved and support this community cultural space. Email volunteers@eastsideartsalliance.org if interested. [instagram]
Author Caro De Robertis in conversation with Kate Schatz, 3pm, Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch (Berkeley). De Robartis’s new book So Many Stars knits together the voices of trans, nonbinary, genderqueer and two-spirit elders of color. Hear many stories of being bold with gender in joyful celebration of containing multitudes. [BPL]
[West Bay Bonus Event] Light Jacket #20, 3 pm, Heroes Grove (Golden Gate Park). Local writers Kelly Egan, Carolyn Ho, Marthine Satris, and Madison Davis are reading. Perfect palate cleanser post-protest. Loaf at your ease observing a spear of summer grass ( wear a light jacket). [instagram]
Blood for Dracula, 9:00 pm, Orinda Theatre. Free Admission. Wikipedia tells us that the premise is “Count Dracula arriving in Italy to feast upon the blood of virgins, only to find difficulty with this due to the lack of virgins present in Italy” and that “According to the American Film Institute, the film opened to mixed reviews.” Well I should fucking hope so. Free, except for the psychic cost of traveling to Orinda. [Orinda Movies]
Also: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure at The New Parkway (Downtown)/ Oakland Asian Cultural Center Summer Showcase (Chinatown) / Summer Solstice Garden Party [a little early] (Oakland) / The Finnish History of West Berkeley (Berkeley) / Bon Marche second-hand market and clothing repair (Solano) / Lay of the Land Recology Art show opening (West Bay) / Death Cafe at the library (Berkeley) / / Babylon Salon Featuring Kate Folk [Sky Daddy] (West Bay) / Wild Oyster Monitoring at Point Molate (Richmond)
Sunday, June 15
Donate to your local bail fund.
World Refugee and Immigrant Day Festival, 12 PM, Clinton Park (East Oakland). Annual event co-hosted by East Bay Refugee and Immigrant Forum and ARTogether. This festival recognizes and celebrates refugees on World Refugee Day. It sheds light on the challenges faced by refugees worldwide due to war, persecution, ethnic cleansing, and natural disasters. [Facebook]
Films by Bruce Conner: Program 1, 5 pm, BAMPFA. An assemblage artist in the mid-1950s, Conner—who was also highly regarded as a sculptor, painter, and photographer—was drawn to the avant-garde collage film. If you liked Thursday night at Bathers, go here next. [BAMPFA]
Also: Plant Daddy Day at Curious Flora [get a phacelia, they’re so nice] (Richmond) / Buddhist Church of Oakland annual Bazaar and Food Festival (Oakland)
