At the end of the theatre season they put classics on to fill the seats. Warm up with Shotgun Players and check out some Sondheim between now and the end of the year, and/or revisit Cabaret at Oakland Theatre Project (and check out whatever that weird not-quite-Macbeth thing they’re doing down at Cal). Nomadic Press is coming back and starting a bookstore with a so-soft-you-can-poke-it-in-the-dimples opening in a couple weeks. Looking even further ahead: Write down all the poems you’ve been thinking of this year before the new year comes. Be friends with a creek, it’s getting cold, creeks get cold too. Qui Nguyen is gonna be killing monsters. Wiseman is still watching people work at BAMPFA. Stop by East Bay Booksellers on Sundays this month: profits from sales will go to Alameda County Community Food Bank.–MS, AB
Tuesday, Nov 18
Anti-Flock Meeting, 6pm, Oakland City Hall, Main Room (Downtown). Amplify the hell no to OPD working with a for-profit company that profits from surveillance and collaborates with ICE. [eventbrite]
Kiss and Tell Literary Salon, 6:30pm, Books Inc. Alameda (The Island). Saucy novelists Claire Kann and Mara Williams join in to share their new romance novels The Marriage Narrative and The Truth is in the Detours. Lonely men: go & take notes on what women want & fix yourselves. [eventbrite]
Jimmy in Saigon, 6:30PM, The New Parkway (Uptown). With director Peter McDowell, who has made a movie about the haunting of his much older brother’s death, its mystery, its lingering pall. Dan Savage as Exec Producer. [New Parkway]
American Solitaire, 7pm, Grand Lake Theater (Lake). Bay Area Premiere. A soldier comes home but finds violence here too. Turns out guns were a bad idea all along. [Grand Lake Theatre]
Also: Black Authors Book Club at West Oakland Branch OPL (Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory) / Lakeview Branch Book Club at OPL Lakeview Branch (A Feather On The Breath of God by Sigrid Nunez) / Javier Zamora via live zoom at CSU EB (Hayward).
Wednesday, Nov 19
No Bioengineering Seminar Today, all day, pretty much everywhere (Cal). Fuck off. Not happening. [UCB]
A Dictionary of Lost Words: Creative Writing and Relocating Language During/After War 12:30pm, Berkeley Law Building (Cal). Two professors from Ben-Gurion University in Israel talk about a creative writing workshop established there, in which students who are also reserve soldiers are able to give voice to otherwise silent and silenced experiences. (Is it murdering infants, toddlers, schoolchildren, journalists and how bad that makes the students feel in their sad tummies?) [rsvpify]
Lawless with Leah Litman, 1 pm, Room 110 (Berkeley Law). Leah Litman, law prof and cohost of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, on her new book: Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes. Next thing the originalists are gonna be calling in psychics to channel the Founding fucking Fathers. [UCB]
Roman Comedy against the Subject, 1pm, 220 Stephens Hall (Cal). Mario Telò talks about Roman comedies named after objects, exploring what it means to be an “it.” Ooooh remember when we were all into object oriented ontology--looks like it finally made it over to the Classics dept! [townsend center]
Fire in Every Direction: A Memoir, 5pm, Dwinelle Hall (Cal). Tareq Baconi, the author of Hamas Contained: A History of Palestinian Resistance, presents in his new memoir a portrait of how political consciousness is passed down through generations. A love story and a queer coming-of-age tale, from the Middle East to London, from 1948 to the present. [UCB]
This is for You: Gift-Giving as a Way of Life, 6:30pm, Rockridge Library (The Neighborhood Formerly Known as Shafter). Local designer and conveyor of whimsy Lea Redmond tries to get us to think about gift giving as kinkeeping, as connection, and this is how ugly sweaters are born. [OPL]
The Tallest Dwarf, with post-film discussion 6:45pm, New Parkway (Uptown). A vision of disabled beauty and power from a director with dwarfism about coming together with other little people. [veezi]
Women in a Golden State 7pm, Clio's (Lake). Cari Borja in conversation with three poets over 60: Lucille Lang Day, Maw Shein Win, and Susan Cohen. Alongside other women poets over 60 from California in the new anthology, they trace a landscape of aging as alchemy, of love as resistance, of language as renewal. [eventbrite]
Extreme Private Eros: Love Song, 7pm, BAMPFA (Cal). So Miyuki Takeda and Kazuo Hara could have worked on boundaries, but instead they just made a movie about not having them – the latter IS more entertaining. [BAMPFA]
[West Bay] Understanding the Self, Ethical Romantic Relations, and Regulation in Community with Brooklyn and Caro: Community, 7pm, Bound Together Book Store (Haight). Workshop reflecting on and discussing core aspects of Dean Spade’s radical self help book, Love in a Fucked Up World. Third session is on community at large. All are welcome, prepare to learn repair (mending circles are usually for clothes, but this one’s for people).
If An Owl Calls Your Name, 7:40pm Grand Lake Theater (Lake). The stories of First Nations people confronting and healing the trauma of boarding schools, forced assimilation, and broken ties to family and land in Canada. Post-film Q&A with directors. [GrandLake]
The Berkeley Slam 8pm, The Starry Plough (Berkeley). Farah Habad, Bay-born Somali poet, comes back and says, “In a world where we are discarded, we have a duty to be delusional.” [eventbrite]
Also: Dimond Book Club at OPL Dimond Branch (Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange) / James Cagney at Lyrics & Dirges at Pegasus Books (Berkeley)
Thursday, Nov 20
[online] From Chocolate to Green City, 12pm (the internet). On “the political ecology of green gentrification in Oakland”: by tracing global environmental and federal housing policies and examining their impacts on residents, political ecologist C.N.E. Corbin reveals how the City of Oakland has contributed to environmental injustices and green gentrification. [UCB]
Copaganda, 12:50pm, Berkeley Law 132 (Cal, the law school part). Chesa Boudin moderates a talk with abolitionist Alec Karakatsanis on his new book (subtitled How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News so that our fear of crime remains high and our cities’ budgets keep being swallowed by police departments -- a little wordy but now you know). [UCB]
Poetry Circle, 6:00pm, Claremont Branch BPL (Berkeley). A friendly reading circle. I am not reassured, feels like they protest too much. [BPL]
Black Film: Unscreened & Unstreamed, 6:30pm, Oakstop (Uptown). A child's eye view of incarceration, a screening of Daughters, a documentary that explores the lives of young girls navigating relationships with their incarcerated fathers, from their emotional reunions and the lead-up to a bittersweet celebration: the “Date with Dad” daddy-daughter dance inside a prison. Post-screening discussion facilitated by Dr. Derethia DuVal. [eventbrite]
Sex Change and the City, 6:30 pm, Local Economy (College Ave). A lot of feelings and stories about gender inside two covers, plus also: Mad Libs, M.A.S.H., AIM chat logs, a personality quiz, puppy girls, and something called “Mr. Big’s Phalloplasty Emporium.” Editor/Publisher Tuck Woodstock conversing with Coyote Media’s Soleil Ho. [Luma]
The Strike, 6:45 PM, The New Parkway (Downtown). A generation of California men who endured decades of solitary confinement in Pelican Bay and, against all odds, each in their individual cells, launched the largest hunger strike in U.S. history and won; with post-film discussion. [veezi]
In the Shadow of the Bridge, 7pm, David Brower Center (Berkeley.) West Bay photographer Dick Evans, East Bay essayist Hannah Hindley, and North Bay (and occasionally Antarctic) Grant Ballard, Chief Science Officer at Point Blue Conservation Science, show you a good time inspired by Evans and Hindley’s new book, In the Shadow of the Bridge: Birds of the Bay Area. [pegasus]
Ginza Cosmetics 7pm BAMPFA (Cal). Lonely types and brassy molls in midcentury Japan. [BAMPFA]
[Bonus West Bay] Books not Bans packing party, 7pm, Fabulosa Books (The Castro). Pack and ship free LGBTQ+ books to orgs in Missouri and Ohio. [instagram]
Queer Bedtime Stories, 7:30pm, Tamarack (Downtown). Collective reading of LGBTQ+ poetry, memoirs, fiction, and history from cultural ancestors and contemporary creators. Center queerness in brief readings. Bring your own words or those that inspire you. [insta]
Also: Learn about wild mushrooms at Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch Library (Berkeley) / Repulsive Reads at North Branch BPL (The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones) / Weaving a Web to Catch Memories Opening Reception at Climate Control (West Bay) / Between Land-mines and Snipers’ Bullets by Rabbia Sukkarieh at Townsend Center (Cal) / Gender Journal Open Mic at Long Haul Info Shop (Berkeley) / Kevin Moffet’s Only Son at McSweeney’s (The Mission)
Friday, Nov 21
[West Bay Bonus Event] A Celebration of Filipinx Poets, 5 pm, Sentro Filipino (The Mission). An evening of poetry, conversation, and a reception with poets Luisa A. Igloria, Aileen Cassinetto, Kabel Mishka Ligot, Karen Llagas, Michelle Peñaloza, Zosimo Quibilan. [eventbrite]
Bay Aerial, 6pm, Local Economy (College Ave). What does looking at half a century of aerial photographs reveal about the Bay Area’s ongoing transformation? East Bay Yesterday host Liam O’Donoghue closely examines a mysterious archive of images he rescued from destruction. [Luma]
“Food Bank Monument,” 6pm, Dream Farm Commons (Downtown). Build a temporary social sculpture with non-perishable food item(s), in response to our government’s withholding of SNAP benefits and as a part of “Rad Tender”, a group exhibition about community care. Share in conversation and personal invocations: What actions and poetics do you want to focus on in these crucial times? Hot beverages will be provided. [instagram]
Poetry!, 6pm, Tamarack (Downtown). Featuring Sid Ghosh (bio: a levitator of language, meandering through the rivers of Down Syndrome, gilling himself through poetry). and The Poet of Our Times, Coldplay’s Chris Martin (guest host Peach Kander). [Tamarack]
Gunvor Nelson: Program 3, 7 pm, BAMPFA (Cal). A bunch more short films by an influential Bay Area experimental movie maker from Sweden. [BAMPFA]
Film & Flick Friday, 7:30pm, 5500 Doyle St (Emeryville). Watch an indie short (by a local artist) then gaze at a feature film together. They take requests! “Wine and dinner included,” but also “bring a snack to share!” so maybe YOU’RE the snack. [Luma]
Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda: Divine Offering Celebrating the Legacy, 8 pm, The Freight (Berkeley). This special performance is part of the John & Alice Coltrane Home’s Year of Alice project celebrating the life and legacy of Alice Coltrane. It features an ensemble led by Sita Michelle Coltrane, their Artistic Director, vocalist, composer and daughter of Alice. [The Freight]
Also: Ritual for Chilseong 칠성 새남굿- Chilseong SaenamGut at EastSide Arts Alliance (Deep East) / Take Place Reading with 14 HIlls at The Poetry Center (West Bay) / Fall of Freedom at Green Apple Books on the park (Sunset) / Manga’s First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905-1989 at Cal (Berkeley) / Epicenter Opening Reception at GCS Agency (FiDi)
Saturday, Nov 22
HorŠe Tuuxi, My name is Kai!, 11:30 am, Central Library (Berkeley). Angel Heart (Quechua-Puna) discussing Lisjan Ohlone Peoples' culture and history, with her books for kids. [BPL]
Bookness Opening Reception, 12 pm, Kala Gallery (Berkeley). Celebration of the opening of an exhibition exploring the book as a dynamic medium for artistic and cultural inquiry. The show features book artists Steph Rue, Iván Acebo-Choy, Mary V. Marsh and more. At the reception, you can screen print an image of Mary V. Marsh’s artwork with the quote: “Read the message, hold the knowledge, create the story, send the message on—long may we wave.” Join in the Fall of Freedom, a nationwide wave of creative resistance. [kala]
City Hall 12:30pm, BAMPFA (Cal) “The mundane and consequential business of city government in Boston. City Hall follows Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh, an affable Irish American with a spectacularly old-school accent.” All Frederick Wiseman films, if you haven’t seen them, sound like something someone made up as the sort of thing Frederick Wiseman would do. [BAMPFA]
From Erasure to Rematriation, 1 pm, Redwood Day School (Reservoir/Dimond) An afternoon of community connection and listening, including a keynote presentation by Corrina Gould, tribal spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan and co-director of Sogorea Te' Land Trust. [rvsp]
think of others revolutionary poetry reading, 2pm, 1520 Lakeside Drive (The Lake). An afternoon of insurgent poetry and collective reflection. Featuring Justin Ebrahemi. think of others “is a container for the in-between—a liminal space where we gather not to escape change, but to move with it. In a time marked by crisis, violence, and erasure, the act of witnessing and archiving together is urgent, centering the voices of queer and trans poets of color, we pause, reflect, and read aloud, letting poetry find us as much as we find it. [eventbrite]
Great Good Birthday, 2 pm A Great Good Place for Books (The Hills). Celebrate 20 years in Montclair with Kathleen and A Great Good Place for Books. All the books are birthday cakes. [instagram]
[West Bay Bonus Event] WAVEMACHINE26, 4pm, A Disclosed Location (Bernal). Sid Ghosh (with Garrett Caples and Jason Morris), Youna Kwak, Rob Schlegel, Kim Shuck. [insta]
We Cry Freedom, 4pm, Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch (South Berkeley). Donté Clark, also known as DONBLAK explores the vulnerability of Black masculinity in the face of systemic racism, white supremacy, and hyper-violence amongst black youth. Reading from We Cry Freedom. [BPL]
My Pen is Sharp Like the Gun in My Hand, 5 pm, Eternal Now (West Oakland). A conversation on revolutionary feminism and the Tamil Tigers with Rebecca Devika Dharmapalan on her debut book, on the revolutionary feminism of the Tamil Tigers, joined by the artist-writer-activists Aniya Butler and Sarah O'Neal. Music to follow. [eventbrite]
The Fall of Otrar, 7pm, BAMPFA (Cal). If you missed it the first time. [BAMPFA]
The 4th Witch, 8pm, Zellerbach (UCB). A young girl, orphaned during wartime, who becomes unwittingly apprenticed to the three witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and as the truth of her family’s fate is revealed, she must choose between paths of reconciliation and vengeance. Told without text—like a silent film coming to life on stage—the story explores themes of war and generational conflict through shadow puppetry, actors in silhouette, immersive sound design, and live music. NO WORDS [UCB]
Also: California Writers Club at Rockridge Library (College Ave) / Rainbow Trout Tour at Dimond Park / Punk band karaoke at Ivy Room / Ballet Folklorico de Ricardo Velazquez Performance at Elmhurst Branch / My Heroes Have Always Killed Colonizers at La Peña / Free shit in Berkeley / Autumn Urban Foraging at Tamarack / Journaling and handmade inks in Live Oak Park
Sunday, Nov 23
Sound of the Mountain, 2pm BAMPFA (Cal). All of these are Mikio Naruse movies are in a “marriage cycle,” about disintegrating relationships in a changing world, which has nothing to do with perimenopause though, just existential malaise. [BAMPFA]
Four Nights of a Dreamer 4:30pm BAMPFA (Cal). An ordinary love story begins, but also can we ever truly know the other? Only what they see is seen. Go see. [BAMPFA]
Thangs Taken, 6pm, La Peña (unceded Huchiun land). Now in its 18th year of challenging and reshaping the colonial “thanksgiving” narrative by centering Native resistance, rematriation, and collective healing through art, music, dance, ancestral knowledge, and storytelling. [insta]
[SOLD OUT] Revolt and Repression: a Galleanist History, 6pm, Hasta Muerte (Fruitvale). History class exploring the ideas and actions of Galleanist anarchists in the early 1900s. Think together about Italian-American anarchist responses to anti immigration legislation and deportations. [Luma]
Also: golden hr house show & song circle at 612 San Luis Rd
