Oakland Review of Books calendar (of not just literary events), May 6–12
When was the last time you saw a live performance? Pre-pandemic? Plays currently on in the East Bay include: Ironbound, taking on immigration, class, and gender at Oakland Theatre Works; Bamboozled in Benicia (closing May 11!), exploring Blackness and history; Angry Black Woman 101 in Berkeley, doing Blackness and gender; Overlooked Latinas in Berkeley, addressing sexuality and Latinx identity (closing May 10!); Other Desert Cities in Berkeley, about Palm Springs and family drama; and, opening May 10 in Berkeley, Yellow Face takes on racism IN theater. And also, circus! At Kinetic Arts in Oakland on May 10 and 11, Circonium, in which two scientists and two tech villains compete in a search for an infinite source of sustainable energy. Inspiring flips and acrobatic tumbling are perhaps the best metaphor for what launching a sustainable future will take. -MS
Tuesday, May 6
Seed Starting with Pollinate Farm, 6 p.m. West Oakland Branch OPL. Join urban farmer Yolanda Burrell of Pollinate Farm for a hands-on seed-starting workshop! You'll learn all the tricks to get your seeds growing strong, and you'll take home your own seeded trays. Many local libraries have seed libraries, so you can take a packet, exchange seeds you save, and grow plants for you and the bees. [OPL]
Abby Reyes,Truth Demands: A Memoir of Murder, Oil Wars, and the Rise of Climate Justice, 6 p.m. Brower Center, Berkeley. Join author Abby Reyes in conversation with local leaders Rosa Gonzalez of Facilitating Power and Miya Yoshitani of Movement Innovation Collaborative. Reyes has written this book to share the stories of environmental leaders who were murdered while defending the Amazon from extractive fossil fuel interests. One of those environmentalists was her own partner. [Pegasus]
Wednesday, May 7
Jaz Brisack with Robert Reich: Get on the Job and Organize, 5:30 p.m. Maude Fife Room (315 Wheeler Hall), UC Berkeley. Gen Z and the Last Good Boomer chart a course toward solidarity and worker power, starting at Starbucks, tearing through Tesla, and circling the question of how to survive the inevitable backlash. [Pegasus]
The Odyssey with Daniel Mendelsohn, 6 p.m. Clio’s, Oakland. This new translation by Daniel Mendelsohn of the Homeric classic focuses on the rhythm and form of the poem. Discussion and Greek food to follow. All ages (if you bring your kids, don’t forget to ask about the Secret Nook for kids’ books). [Eventbrite]
Obi Kaufmann Presents "The California Field Atlas: A Retrospective," 7 p.m. Mrs Dalloway’s, Berkeley. East Bay author-artist Obi Kaufmann has invented a genre, the Field Atlas, and explored the coasts, forest, deserts, and interlinked ecologies of California in these works of art that combine maps, visual representations of scientific data and processes, Obi’s gorgeous watercolors, and the philosophy of place and interrelationship that informs this entire project. Now he’s ready to take on an entire unexplored axis: time. How does dwelling in deep time allow us to understand this place we share in the present? The adventure continues.... [Mrs. Dalloway’s]
Radio for Emergencies with The Lefty Radio League, 7 p.m. Bathers Library, Oakland. Instead of hoping disaster won’t ever knock on your door, get prepped for helping yourself, your family, and your community by learning a new (old) skill: radio! Meshtastic as an alternative to text messaging by cell phone will also be discussed. Radio for Emergencies is presented in association with the Disaster Reading + Action group run by Kelly Pendergrast, who just celebrated her birthday with wine and accidental ORBishness at Golden Sardine, followed by intentional pizza. [Bathers Library]
Rebel Kings of Oakland Drag King show, 9:30 p.m. White Horse Inn, Oakland. One of the most delightful nights when I really needed a good one was spent in the warm embrace of this show on a Wednesday in the White Horse’s back room. VERA! is the funniest, kindest, kingliest host, and this week is an AAPI showcase, sponsored by Southern Exposure. If you need a midweek pick-me-up, Rebel Kings’ combination of karaoke, drag, burlesque, and performance art has you covered. Don’t forget to bring singles! Tip your hosts and performers! [Instagram]
Thursday, May 8
Exquisite Collage with Rena Tom, 7 p.m. Bathers Library, Oakland. Go make things, go do it together, be surprised, be influenced, bring something to collage, tell me all about it. [Bathers Library]
Improvised Parenting, 7 p.m. 2727 California Street Gallery, Berkeley. I have no idea what this means, there is no description, just a calendar listing, but goddamn if I’m not intrigued. Let’s replace helicopter, gentle, and authoritative parenting with “Yes and...” Will someone please go and report back? [2727]
Friday, May 9
Intersectional Reading Room with Jupiter, 2 p.m. Berkeley Public Library Central. Do you have books and/or essays piling up that you’ve been meaning to read? Need to talk out some weird knotty theory? Reading is a conversation that continues here. Bring all your media hot takes and literary inquiries to this unconventional interdisciplinary multimedia collective study space. [Bay Anarchist Free School]
WHERE ART LIVES, 6 p.m. Creative Growth, Oakland. This annual immersive installation of artwork and homewares develops into questions of what it means to live with art. From playful ceramics and bold textiles to sculptural furniture and functional design pieces, this year’s Home Show features work by more than 50 Creative Growth artists. [Creative Growth]
Poetry, R&B, hip hop with a surprise line up, 6 p.m. Kinfolx, downtown Oakland. Love what Kinfolx does, and the poets and artists and conversations they host, and the space they hold for creative community among Black and brown Oaklanders and those who want to come listen in and support. [Instagram]
Tamarack’s Friday poetry series, 6:30 p.m. Tamarack, Oakland. Featuring: Melissa Mack, Dana Swensen, and Wren Farrell. Mack’s collection The Next Crystal Text was published by Nighboat in 2018. Swensen has work published in The Gate of Memory: Poems by Descendants of Nikkei Wartime Incarceration, edited by Brynn Saito and Brandon Shimoda (Haymarket). Wren Farrell’s day job is disaster preparedness reporter so maybe you’ll see him at the Radio for Emergencies event on Wednesday, too? [Tamarack]
Woolsey Heights, late night reading, 8 p.m. Berkeley (DM @woolseyheights on Instagram for address). Poets on deck: Ted Rees, Joni Flint-Gonzalez, Cecily Nicholson, Ryan Skrabalak. [Instagram]
Saturday, May 10
Writing with the Plants with Taylor Rose, 11 a.m. Gill Tract Farm, Albany. Each session focuses on one plant in depth and then invites folks into creative (writing) reflection. Engage with the lessons that plants can offer about how we might more inhabit our ecologies in ways that generate more possibilities for collective survival. Come get to know plants and imagine together. [Bay Anarchist Free School]
510 Day, noon until sunset at the lake. Oakland. The 10th anniversary of resisting displacement and gentrification in Oakland. We Still Here Stage & Housing Justice Zone, graffiti painting areas and Black Book Party, Comedy Stage, A.F.R.O. Entertainment Open Mic Stage, and surprises! This festival is a gateway for Oaklanders facing displacement to enter and stay connected to the fight for the real changes that will keep BIPOC communities in Oakland. Open mic hosted by O2TheGoodBadGuy and UpsideDownGhost, list opens at noon, performances start at 3 p.m. [Instagram]
Black Fae Day, noon until sunset at the Fairyland sign. Oakland. Aligned with 510Day, Black Fae Day calls on the mystical creatures in the 510's Black community: fairies, wizards, dragons, unicorns, you name it! The event centers and celebrates Black folks who love the supernatural and welcomes genuine allies who want to celebrate magic and community. [Eventbrite]
Grief in Full Bloom, noon. Couchdate, downtown Oakland. Care and community for Black and brown folks grieving on Mother’s Day weekend. Continues at 5 p.m. with a spiritual jazz listening session. [Couchdate]
Reef-Building Workshop, noon. 2727 California Street Gallery, Berkeley. Francesca Borgatta is leading a workshop for participants to collaborate in using recycled materials to construct a coral reef for the 2727 exhibit Water. Get hands-on to bring imagination into material reality and recreate this delicate biosphere in art. Materials provided, or bring your own. Suggested materials: textiles, rope, ribbon, party favors, broken toys, artificial flowers, natural elements, plastic scrap, cardboard. Adults and children welcome. [2727]
FOCUS FEST, noon. Alameda. Art and a call to action all day long in Alameda. This weekend launches In Plain Site, a visual journey into our future. The Alameda Point shoreline becomes an open-air gallery for work by international and local photographers. Through powerful imagery, the event illuminates the pathways to a more climate-positive world. Bring the family to an island that’s definitely got to stretch its imagination to deal with rising sea lapping at its temporal and physical shores, and celebrate the possible with climate-friendly food and conversations about mitigation and solutions. [Rising Tides]
CAT MAN BINGO! 2 p.m. Two Pitchers Brewery, Oakland. Come on down for some bingo, a beer, and a bite, build a paper bat puppet, and see some marionettes up close to help fundraise for the Driveway Follies 2025 Halloween shows! [Two Pitchers, Instagram]
Strike Debt Bay Area Book Group: The New Possible: Visions of Our World Beyond Crisis, 5 p.m. (Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com for location.) Read then discuss the first 14 essays in The New Possible: Visions of Our World Beyond Crisis. We need to imagine a possible future before we can move toward it. That’s what artists and writers help us to envision. Read these speculative visions and bring them into reality, starting by talking about them in community. [Indybay]
So Far Sounds, doors at 7:30 p.m. Temescal, Oakland. (Address revealed 36 hours beforehand.) Secret music show, one night only. I heard a bunch of musicians talking about this last weekend and thought ORB should be in the know. You’ll get up close and personal with artists, meet likeminded music fans, and experience a cool local space in an entirely new way. Escape the algorithm by taking your music discovery journey to literally unknown places. [So Far Sounds]
Bonus Marin event: Isabel Allende with Matthew Félix, book launch for My Name Is Emilia del Valle, 7 p.m. Dominican University, San Rafael. A historical novel of love, war, and California–Chilean connection. [Book Passage]
Sunday, May 11
Bonus West Bay event: 19th Annual Mother’s Day Golden Gate Bridge Walk for Peace, 11:45 a.m. Golden Gate Plaza. Bring a sign, center the children and families losing their lives in Gaza. Believe in motherhood as care for our local and greater community. [Indybay]
Clothes for Every Body: Hemming Workshop, 3 p.m. PLACE - Community Center, Makerspace & Permaculture Site, Oakland. Workshop to learn how to shorten pants, skirts, and anything else that needs hemming. Aesthetics are not just for the page and the gallery wall—how can giving new life to your clothes bring sensory and visual pleasure and the satisfaction of making do into your everyday life? [Eventbrite]
