Sunday Newsletter: New events, new members, new plants

Hello!

My gosh, we opened. Dozens of you came through the week, and it was fascinating and fun to meet each and every one of you. We also had our first big event (Coyote Media!) on Friday. We're learning a ton and getting ready for week two. Here's your guide to this email:

• Big news on the member front (the waitlist is moving)
• New events (including a really intriguing legal one)
• New plants and art at the space
• This week at Local Economy

New members

Our first, biggest announcement is that we've started emailing people who were signed up on the waitlist to welcome them in as members. We're gonna try to do it in waves over the next few weeks.

As I've said in this newsletter before, my biggest fear was that the space would feel overcrowded. That never happened this past week, and I would say it did not reach crowded outside the Coyote Media event. So: yes, now we can keep building this thing and welcome more people into the fold. A happy scenario for all.

New events

We've got a fascinating, downright newsy event on the docket for Tuesday, October 14, brought to us by Melissa Hooper, who worked for USAID. She's going to moderate a conversation between Polish Judge Monika Franckowiak and human rights lawyer Maciej Nowicki and recently fired American immigration judges Shira Levine, Kyra Lillian, Elisa Brasil, and Ila Deiss.  Hooper led USAID's programming on rule of law and autocratic power grabs in democracies before the dismantling of the agency. And they'll all discuss what lessons the Polish legal folks learned that might apply within the U.S. Feel free to share this one with friends in the legal community who might be interested!

Can't register for these next ones quiiiite yet, but we've got four new November events pinned on the calendar.

An introduction to Liberation Ecology. Dr. Sue Pierre of the Critical Ecology Lab teaches us how to decolonize the scientific enterprises surrounding environmentalism. November 11.

That Art Party. Naomi Peña brings art and play to build and grow BIPOC community. November 13.

Sex Change and the City. Soleil Ho interviews Tuck Woodstock about a new book the latter edited, Sex Change and the City, which present trans and queer perspectives on the Sarah Jessica Parker vehicle.

Zine making workshop with Rena Tom. Learn from a skilled and long-time practitioner of the zine arts how to make a tiny book. November 21.

New plants and art at the space

1) A neighbor needed to get rid of quite a helping of plants. So, next time you're in, prepare for a new level of jungle.

2) J.M. Marriner, noted sign painter and Fox Theater aficionado, painted Local Economy and Painted Leopard on the windows this past week. It looks so good. Clean, simple, gorgeous. Thanks, Scooter!

3) One of our favorite artists, Kija Lucas, will be installing some of her gorgeous botanical artwork at Local Economy this week. We can't wait for you to see it.

This week at the space

Reminder that our standard hours at 11-4pm, Wednesday-Saturday. Painted Leopard coffee is with us Wed-Fri through this month, as they wrap up some other pop-ups on Saturdays.

Our first bit of learning about events at the space is that we are still subject to the laws of event physics, which is to say, we had decent attrition from RSVP– >attendees at the Coyote event. You'll see that I'm gonna a little less stingy with caps on RSVPs, etc. It's still super helpful for us, though, if you can't make it, if you change your registration on Luma to "Not Going." It's in the "Be Kind, Please Rewind" category of easy courtesy.

This is our first week of "normal" programming. On Monday, we've got a Hannah Hirsekorn, tattoo artist and master gardener, leading a botanical drawing session. That looks like a great, intimate group. I believe it is all members, too, so you'll get to know some folks. (If you didn't get in this round, don't worry: it's gonna be a regular thing!)

On Tuesday, our 12-year-old Orion hosts some middle-schoolers for tabletop and worldbuilding games. How will it go? I'm not sure, but we'll be there to help them get started.

Wednesday, the shop'll be open normal hours with Painted Leopard coffee, 11-4pm.

Thursday, normal shop hours, and then in the evening, an Oakland Garden Club meeting. There are a lot of people RSVP'd, but as per above, a few "didn't RSVP, but in the neighborhood, and just wanna pop my head in" attendees would be fine.

Friday, we've got our first daytime event. Diane Ehrensaft talking about her decades of work with gender non-conforming children including at the UCSF Gender Clinic. I just opened up some more RSVP slots, if you're interested. Also: this is the first in a series where community members who've been at something for decades share their wisdom with the rest of us. If you would like to do so, or you know someone who would be good, please email: hi@thelocaleconomy.com (or just reply to this email).

ALSO, Romi Hall of East Oak Bouquets delivers fresh flowers to the space. Come grab something beautiful on your way home!

Saturday, Good Luck Bakery pops up at Local Economy. They are one of the coolest bakeries in the Bay, and we are so delighted to have them. Their menu sounds so good, but I'm not even gonna preview it here. Be surprised and delighted!

Sunday, Jeff Wright, of Edith's Pie and other things, hosts a Sunday coffee. I love this as a low-stakes way for y'all to meet each other. And FWIW, I just opened up some more space for RSVPs.

Whew, what a week! Hope you make it in just to hang out or for one of the events.