Community newsletter: New year, soft sky, many events
After a rainy start, the New Year is now soft and long shadowed. Everything is about to be so green. It's our first January at Local Economy and we thought we'd re-introduce ourselves a bit to this list.
Local Economy is a community resilience hub. We believe that the first step in building a deeper sense of belonging and place is just ... doing the work of gathering. So, on a day to day basis, people work and hang out at Local Economy. Painted Leopard sells coffee 8:30am-2pm Wednesday to Saturday. We have a small retail shop for home goods and gifts and snacks. And we are putting on about 15 events a month, most of them in the evenings. In short: we bring people together, whether it's over coffee, shared geography, or a particular interest.
You probably know that we're member-supported. That means that hundreds of your neighbors pay monthly dues to keep Local Economy thriving. In return, they get some special member-only hours on weekday mornings, and they get early access to event registrations. We try to keep all of our events open to the public, but for workshops and smaller events, there's a ton of interest from our members and they fill them up. We also know that there are many ways to contribute to a community, so if your finances are tight, just get in touch with us.
Membership support underpins everything we do. It lets us organize events and happenings without needing to make money from them, opening up a huge array of events that would otherwise be hard to justify financially. It's awesome! And we are very grateful to be able to do this work.
We send our members a newsletter every Sunday with new events and community advisories, and we try to send this one to the broader world every other Tuesday (or so). So, take a look, and we hope to see you soon. Yes, you can (and should!) come to Local Economy, whether or not you are a member.
Events Coming Up
We've got a bunch more events than listed here, but some of them are full up (like botanical drawing, a utopia book club, a demo night, and a mending circle). But we're always announcing new stuff, just about every week. If you want to see the full calendar, just head to the website or check out the Luma page.
Jan 10, 4:30pm: How to Ditch Single-Use Waste at Home
In the first of our collaborations with our neighbors across the street, Re-Up Refills, co-owner Matt Zimbalist will be holding a talk and Q&A about household waste, sustainability essentials, and how we can make effective change as consumers and individuals. Afterwards, everyone is invited to cross the street and explore Re-Up's array of bulk products.
Jan 15, 6pm: Sundial Reading Series
Poet Ben Gucciardi hosts a new reading series at Local Economy. Up first, poets will read to benefit the non-profit, Refugee and Immigrant Transitions. Sundial hopes to invite in those both inside and outside the literary worlds. For this first edition, Gucciardi will be joined by Zeina Hashem Beck, Armen Davoudian, Chris Feliciano Arnold, and Lauren Markham.
Jan 21, 10am: Storytime with Nina Renata Aron
Patricia Zaballos brings you a literary series that’s for the caregivers, not the cared for. Each month a writer with a caregiving theme shares their work, chats about their reading, and ends with a book for the baby/toddler crowd. This month we’ll be joined by Nina Renata Aron, the author of Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls, a memoir and cultural history of codependency. Babies & toddlers welcome, but not required.
Jan 21, 6pm: Emptyset Magazine Reading Group
Zoelle Enger leads a discussion about a new magazine of technology writing called Empty Set, a challenging and interesting publication with a first issue all about decay.
Jan 25, 10am: Imperfect Caregiving
We can all read a parenting book, but what does it mean to really think about what kind of caregiving works for you, and why and how you can live it? Come learn, reflect, and set intentions around your caregiving for the year – what you want more of, what you want less of, and what you can let go of altogether. For caregivers of all types and all ages of dependents. The session will be led by Sarah Wheeler, educational psychologist and imperfect caregiver.
Jan 25, 1pm: Zine Workshop
Artist Rena Tom returns to Local Economy for another zinemaking workshop. On the one hand, a zine is just a tiny magazine, cheaply produced, often handmade. On the other hand, THE ZINE is a way of life, an approach to the world of letters. Come join and learn.
Feb 12, 6:30pm: Zyzzyva Issue 131 Release Party
Zyzzyva, the legendary San Francisco literary magazine is crossing the Bay, for an Issue 131 party. In this issue, you'll find fiction by Tomas Moniz. Essays by Harmony Holiday and Raia Small. An interview by Chris Feliciano Arnold and a whole bunch of great poems. We don't have the exact lineup for this event yet, but we'll definitely have editor Oscar Villalon.
A Desk with a View
You see the little desk in the picture at the top of the newsletter? It's for you. You'll find some note cards in the drawers, and you are welcome to sit at the window and write a message or a letter to someone and watch the world go by.
