Community Newsletter: Valentine's Pop Ups and more

Well, well, well, it's almost mid-February, and suddenly there are more hearts everywhere. We've got a variety of things on tap for you this week and month at Local Economy. Most of them are not about love letters or chocolates, but some of them are. There are also readings, curiosity-builders, journaling, and ideas we need for the future (like an East Bay public bank and participatory budgeting). Be on the lookout for some more community organizing sessions, too.

We're making some improvements to the space on an audio-visual level. We're also rebuilding some of our systems, and you'll notice our event listings should be more up-to-date on the website.

So, take a look, come on in. We're open 8:30am to 4pm. Coffee ends at 2pm.

And remember: Memberships support everything we do at Local Economy. You can become a member, or thank one.

This Week (and into next) at Local Economy

• Thursday, 6:30pm: Zyzzyva Issue 131 Release Party
  Come and toast the publication of the newest issue of ZYZZYVA, the award-winning literary journal publishing since 1985. Featuring short readings by contributors Tomas Moniz, Maw Shein Win, and Suzanne Rivecca, emceed by ZYZZYVA Editor Oscar Villalon. (There will be pizza.)
• Friday, 6pm: Let's Make Love Letters
  Come make a love letter – tender, playful, sincere. In this 90-minute workshop, you’ll write to a beloved of any kind: a partner, friend, family member, lost loved one, or an inner aspect of yourself.
• Saturday, 9:30am: Come by Valentine’s Day morning between 9:30am-12pm for a pop-up with Esmeria Bakehouse. Eric Esmeria was a baker at Fournée in Berkeley before launching his own little enterprise last year, featuring baked goods influenced by his Filipino roots. Keep an eye out for next weekend’s menu, which we (and @esmeriabakehouse) will post to Instagram.
• Saturday, 1pm: And on the afternoon of February 14, come through between 1-3pm for a chocolate + flower double header with Flying Noir’s beautiful hand-painted truffles and East Oak Bouquets floral arrangements.

Upcoming Events at the Space

• Tues, Feb 17, 10am: Storytime for Caregivers with Minna Dubin
  Story time is great, no matter how it works. BUT, Patricia Zaballos brings you a literary series that’s for the caregivers, not the cared for.
• Tues, Feb 17, 6pm: How Food & Bev Brands Get Built
  What does it actually take to build something in food and bev? A new series puts two Oakland founders in conversation about the loneliness, the stumbles, and the people who showed up.
• Sat, Feb 21, 12pm: Oakland Noticing Club
  Turn on your curiosity radar and join us for the inaugural meeting of the Oakland Noticing Club, an informal meet-up inspired by Rob Walker’s “Savor of the Month” at The Art of Noticing.
• Sat, Feb 21, 5pm: The Last Tea Shop: A Solo Journaling Game, Together
  What is a solo journaling game, you ask? Think of it as a generative creative writing activity where you use game dynamics dice, scenarios to guide yourself through a fictional world.
• Sun, Feb 22, 5:30pm: How to Build a Public Bank in the East Bay
  What if East Bay tax dollars stayed in the East Bay, funding affordable housing, local businesses, and clean energy instead of fossil fuels and private prisons? A public bank makes this possible.
• Tues, Feb 24, 6pm: Breathe Through It: Meditations for Existing in a Polycrisis
  Join us for a hands-on introduction to meditation practices designed specifically for navigating turbulent times. Led by Carissa Potter author of Breathe Through It this session offers practical tools for anyone seeking to find calm amid political crisis and uncertainty.
• Thurs, Feb 26, 6pm: Center for the Art of Translation Presents the Work of Korean Poet Kim Hyesoon
  Center for the Art of Translation and Local Economy co-present a reading from two new translations of the work of the Korean poet Kim Hyesoon. Cindy Juyoung Ok reads her translation of The Hell of That Star and Jack Saebyok Jung reads from his forthcoming translation of Lady No.
• Fri, Feb 27, 6pm: Botanical Drawing
  Our regular drawing event moves to a Friday night Expect some extra weekend vibes drinks and snacks to go with the usual creative gathering. Hannah Hirsekorn is an artist working in ink on paper and skin.
• Wed, Mar 18, 6:0pm: Book Release: Budget Justice
  Drawing on her years of engagement with democratic governance in New York City and around the globe, CUNY Graduate Center professor and poet Celina Su proposes a new kind of democracy—in which city residents make collective decisions about public needs through processes like participatory budgeting, and in which they work across racial divides and segregated spaces as neighbors.