Community newsletter: Summer!

Hello friends! Summer is suddenly upon us. Schools are getting out, fog is rolling in. We've been making some upgrades at Local Economy. First, we added in some sound-muffling panels on the ceiling to create a more sonically comfortable environment. Voices bounce around less and it's easier to hear each other. Second, we added in some small tables in the very front of the shop, near Painted Leopard. It's another zone for everyone to use. Come check it out, grab a coffee, write a letter, stare into space.

We've got a bunch of types of events coming up. Learn to write a ghazal poem. See one of our area's funniest writers. Check out a true legend of civil rights. Share a story from your kitchen. Hear some ambient jazz (and learn Bay science).

One note! Tomorrow (May 30, depending on when you read this), Painted Leopard will not be serving coffee. But in general, they're slinging pristine drinks from 8:30am-2pm, Wednesday-Saturday.

See you around,

Sarah & Alexis

• Sat, May 30, 1pm: Oakland Noticing Club
  Member Jeni Paltiel helps you turn on your curiosity radar. For this session, bring your sightings of Sidewalk Joy. Think art or messages on the sidewalk, impromptu hopscotch games, boxes of free stuff, little free libraries, leaf shadows, neighborhood cats; whatever brings you joy on the sidewalk! There's a lot of room for interpretation here and there are no wrong answers.
• Sun, May 31, 2pm: Firefly Family Fundraiser
  Come help raise support for the first annual Bay Area Firefly Family Conference—a weekend convening for families of trans youth, with programming from trusted providers, legal experts, advocates, artists, and community builders. There will be food and drinks, a raffle with fantastic prizes, and outdoor games and crafts for kids.
• Tues, Jun 2, 6:30pm: The Friendship Lab
  Are you craving deeper, more meaningful connections? A broadening of your friend network? In this class, we will learn and practice research-based approaches to making and strengthening friendships. The session will include techniques, self-assessments, friend plans, discussion, exercises, and play. 
• Fri, Jun 5, 6pm: An Evening with Daniel Lavery
  Daniel Lavery is one of the funniest writers of his generation. A former Dear Prudence advice columnist at Slate, the cofounder of The Toast, and the New York Times bestselling author of Christmas at the Women’s Hotel, Women's Hotel, and several other books, he's back with a new novel, Meeting New People, about friendship, aging, and resilience.
• Sat, Jun 6, 2pm: Ghazal Poetry Writing Workshop
  Join Iranian American poet Farnaz Fatemi for an all-levels writing workshop focused on the ghazal, a poetic form with deep roots in Iranian culture and tradition. The workshop begins with a brief history of the form and the ways that Persian poets built on its Arab legacy, but will mostly focus on contemporary examples of ghazals as inspiration for the afternoon.
• Sun, Jun 7, 5pm: Civil Rights and Structural Attacks: A Conversation with Walter Riley
  If you ever wondered where Boots Riley gets his deep conviction and labor movement knowledge, you have his father, Walter, to thank. Walter Riley visits Local Economy to celebrate his new book, Civil Rights and Structural Attacks, co-authored with Oakland organizer Jesse Strauss, who will join him in conversation. Get ready for eighty years of lessons from the Black freedom struggle, labor movements, and internationalism.
• Tues, Jun 9, 7:30pm: Bedtime Club
  A monthly gathering for non-gestational parents of all kinds—men, women, enbies, trans, cis, queer, straight, adoptive—to slow down together and sit with the stuff that doesn’t always get airtime.We start with a little hangout time to connect. Then we move into group conversation—room to share, room to listen, room to just be.Vibes: Warm, talky, parental, supportive.
• Wed, Jun 10, 6pm: Writing a Novel in Real Life
  Lenore Weiss hosts a quartet of novelists from The Writers Grotto. They'll discuss their novel-writing process—how they got started, how they keep going, and what they've learned through successive drafts. Then, they'll share short readings from their current novels-in-progress.
• Thurs, Jun 11, 6pm: Connection Circle: Choosing a Life Without (Your Own) Kids
  Join us to share your experience about choosing NOT to have (or be primary caregivers for) children. Whether you're in the process of making this decision or decided decades ago, come share and connect with others. We'll use a circle format based on Healing Circles Global that allows for deep sharing and listening without advice-giving, caretaking, or needing to impress or perform.
• Sun, Jun 14, 2pm: That Art Party's Flora and Form
  An afternoon of floral creativity for POC. Inspired by the intentional philosophy of ikebana but entirely our own, we're going bold and tropical. Make sure you check out the description to make sure this event is for you!
• Wed, Jun 17, 6pm: Pre-Father's Day Special: The Music of Fatherhood
  Matt Fogelson presents Restrung: Fatherhood in a Different Key, a memoir exploring fatherhood, grief, and identity through the music that shaped him. For this evening, Matt distills that story into six songs. Kirkus Reviews calls it "a memoir of growing up, loss, and the expressive power of rock music," adding that "readers, especially Gen Xers who turn to music for connection and expression, will savor this book."
• Thurs, Jun 18, 6pm: Kitchen Stories: Sharing Home Recipes and Why They Matter to Us
  Cooking is personal, communal, and filled with histories. Bring a dish, a copy of the recipe, and the story behind it—whether it’s rooted in deep family lore or a new kitchen success story. We’ll share food and talk about why these dishes matter to us. Everyone leaves with something new to make and a closer connection to the casual cooks around us. Hosted by member Danny Scuderi.
• Fri, Jun 26, 6:30pm: Lo-Fi Oyster Co. and Local Economy Present Tide Tables, Ambient Jazz and Bay Science
  Tide Tables is a special series presented in collaboration with Lo-Fi Oyster Co. Each event combines ambient jazz with conversations about the Bay water, climate, and food systems. Up first, the Wild Oyster Project will be paired with experimental ambient vocalist Roco Córdova. This is gonna be super special and unlike anything we've done before!