Featured Events in Berkeley in October, 2024 (Continuously Updated)

Join local author David Jay at Books Inc. Berkeley for a thoughtful exploration of his eye-opening book Relationality : How Moving from Transactional to Transformational Relationships Can Reshape Our Lonely World! How moving from transactional to transformational relationships and organizations can save our democracy, nurture our connections, and make us happier and healthier. Powerful institutions, from schools to tech and social media companies, create breeding grounds for isolation by failing to invest in relational work. This obstacle stands in the way of our fight for racial equity, economic justice, and climate resilience. In Relationality, leading asexuality and relationship activist David Jay brings clarity to the crisis with a fresh perspective that expands upon the fundamental idea that all entities in the universe are connected. Jay draws from a range of vivid personal experiences, including his time spent helping tech workers and policymakers reform social media. This book is for people who believe in the power of relationships and want to see increased investment in relational work. Its scientifically grounded framework will help readers foster conversations about relational work, establish conditions for relationships to thrive, and quantify the impact of them. Equipping professionals and activists involved in nonprofit, political, and other types of relational work with the knowledge they need to fight for and utilize resources, Relationality shares valuable insight on: The history of why institutions fail to invest in relationshipsReimagining ROI calculations to account for relational workUsing tools of prediction and emergence theory to build communitiesHow stories and data about relationships can help us direct resources toward relational workRelational economics and the redistribution of wealthWith isolation and loneliness on the rise in a post-lockdown world, Relationality offers a roadmap to nourish our connections toward a better, more liberated world—personally, organizationally, and in community. In a time of general malaise and epidemic loneliness, David Jay offers a vision of a more connected, less isolated social experience. His willingness to look squarely at our failing social dynamics is bracing, and his notion of relationship is at once radical and sensible, with the potential to mitigate a great deal of sadness and pain. —ANDREW SOLOMON, author of Far From the Tree This is not a glib call for community, or a dire portrait of a world in which loneliness has reached epidemic proportions. David Jay offers a clear-eyed telling of what happens when we invest in relational containers—and the consequences when we don't. Relationality is an indictment of a society and an economy that has consistently undervalued and underinvested in real relationships and settled for its commodified imitations. And it is a playbook shared by one of our generation's most studied movement leaders about how we might do better, and how we might redirect the resources required to make it so. —LENNON FLOWERS, cofounder and executive director of The Dinner Party Relationality offers insight into the transformative power of relationships and calls attention to the well-being deficit many face from chronic loneliness and disconnection. I commend David for his work in breaking down these concepts to get to the heart of what we all desire and what we need now more than ever—meaningful relationships. —JILLIAN RACOOSIN, executive director of the Foundation for Social Connection A wake-up call to institutions that fail to understand the importance of relationships. Whether we succeed together or fail together depends entirely on the quality of our relationships. This book is an invaluable map to improve them. —AZA RASKIN, cofounder of the Center for Humane Technology Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, David Jay is a community organizer with a background in physics. From founding the Asexual Visibility and Education Network to working in the heart of the tech reform movement, David has centered the work of building relationship as a tool of healing and driving social change. His research and writing centers on the reasons why these important relational tools so often go underappreciated and underfunded and on how that reality might change. David is regularly invited to speak at conferences and universities on topics that include asexuality, movement organizing, tech reform, and queer family structure. He lives with his two co-parents and two children in Oakland, California. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Part of Litquake’s Words Around the World Sponsored by the Government of Ireland: Emigrant Support Programme, Culture Ireland, and Center for the Art of Translation If the accolades for Irish writer Paul Lynch’s Prophet Song are any indication, the novel is no less than required reading for our turbulent times. Awarded the 2023 Booker Prize, Lynch’s fifth novel recounts in exacting, all-too-plausible detail the inexorable descent of Ireland’s liberal democracy into authoritarian rule. Booker Prize chair Esi Edugyan called the novel “soul-shattering and true,” and noted that readers “will not soon forget its warnings.” Join us for one of Lynch’s few North American events in honor of the paperback release of Prophet Song; he will be in conversation with Irish writer Ethel Rohan, author most recently of the novel Sing, I. FREE, $10-15 suggested donation This event will also be live-streamed and videorecorded for those unable to attend in person. Mrs. Dalloway's Books in Berkeley will have extra signed copies of Prophet Song available for purchase after the event. Information Source: Litquake, San Francisco's Literary Festival | eventbrite

Creative expression is a way to integrate phenomenon and visions experienced in altered states of consciousness, whether they be meditative or entheogenic in nature. From the very first forms of mark-making to the caves of Lascaux to the works of Pablo Amaringo and Alex Grey, humanity has sought to understand our internal landscapes through visual expression. Alligator Lizards in the Air: Healing and Integration through Creative Expression, is a once a month chance to bring these experiences to life through two dimensional mark making. Art mediums from paint to colored pencils, crayons to markers, will be available for everyone to use along with paper and canvas. Krisztina Lazar will be your visionary guide in creativity and will help you realize your experience before your eyes. No art background needed for this class. All you need is an open mind and a willingness to explore. Krisztina Lazar is a visionary artist primarily working in oil paint, watercolor and drawing. She is a Mische Technique lineage holder, a mixture of oil and egg tempera painting invented during the Dutch Renaissance and revolutionized by modern master, Ernst Fuchs. This technique creates an opalescent under painting that the colors are then glazed over, rendering each painting out of light rather than shadow, bringing the images to life with fractal clarity. Utilizing this transformative style that she learned from visionary pioneer, Brigid Marlin, her current body of work explores painting a hybrid of Mische and Alla Prima to render hyperealistic sacred art. With these two techniques combined, Krisztina creates images of Pop Shamanism, portals and visions that speak to today’s cultural climate of the occult, magic, fantasy, psychedelics, meditation, pop, nostalgia, and the environment movement. Originally from Cleveland, OH, she completed her BFA at Carnegie Mellon University in 2004 and her MFA graduate degree in 2011 at the San Francisco Art Institute New Genres department. Her paintings have been exhibited in group and solo shows throughout the United States and Europe, most notably at the H.R. Geiger museum in Gruyere, Switzerland. She teaches her unique styles of painting to many students in group and private settings. Her work has been featured in multiple articles, galleries and book publications. She currently lives and works in Northern California. Information Source: The Berkeley Alembic Foundation | eventbrite

Join us on Tuesday, October 15th at 7:00 PM at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore when Berkeley author/illustrator Gabe Jensen comes to the store to launch his new children's picture book Nocturnal Nico: A Bedtime Picture Book for Night Owls. Gabe will read from and discuss his book with author/illustrator duo, Mackenzie Joy and Tony Piedra. Gabe will sign copies of his book after the presentation. Click Here to preorder a copy of Nocturnal Nico.With a cast of characters as quirky as the artwork by author and illustrator Gabe Jensen,Nocturnal Nicofollows the title character as he resists bedtime, mirroring the nocturnal creatures outside in the moonlight. Nico doesn’t want to sleep—he must be nocturnal! Like the owl in the tree, Nico is alert. Like the bat flying in the night, Nico isn’t afraid of the dark—or is he? With comic-like illustrations and obscure nocturnal animals throughout, this picture book will help your little night owl get to bed. Hopefully! Includes one page of backmatter explaining the difference between nocturnal and diurnal animals and the adaptations that allow them to thrive at night. After working as an advertising creative for clients like Coca-Cola, GABE JENSENspent 15 years making children’s digital media for Poptropica, Miniclip, and Ranger Rick Online. His first children’s book, Neverwoof, was released in 2021 and was shortlisted for the Kids’ Book Choice Awards. Gabe grew up in Brooklyn and currently lives in Berkeley, California, with three kids, a one-eyed cat (true), and a two-eyed Cyclops (false). MACKENZIE JOY is the co-creator, with Tony Piedra, of One Tiny Treefrog: A Countdown to Survival. As an artist, she loves to scribble and paint on nontraditional canvases. As a writer, she enjoys finding the perfect rhythms, sounds, and words. As a storyteller, she wants to share stories that are quirky, hopeful, and thought-provoking. Mackenzie Joy lives in Northern California. TONY PIEDRA is the author-illustrator of The Greatest Adventure and, with Mackenzie Joy, co-creator of One Tiny Treefrog: A Countdown to Survival. He grew up in Houston, Texas, chasing lizards in the backyard and capturing great adventures in his sketchbook. Eventually, he relocated to California, where he worked for many years at Pixar Animation Studios, building environments for some of the studio’s most popular movies, including Up and Coco. He now lives in Northern California. THIS EVENT is free but pre-registration is requested. Registration ends at 5:30 pm on October 15th. BECAUSE SEATING is limited, please register only if you plan to attend. DUE TO SPACE limitations, we may not be able to accommodate every person at an event, so early registration is encouraged. WALK-INS will be accommodated only if space allows. WE ASK that attendees arrive between 6:45 and 7:00 PM for the event. PLEASE leave your non-support companion animals at home. OUR shared restrooms are not accessible after 6:30 PM, please plan accordingly. Information Source: Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore | eventbrite

Join musician and writer Dianne Dugaw at Books Inc. Berkeley for a celebration of her hybrid memoir California Medieval: Nearly A Nun in 1960s San Francisco! Interspersed with poetry, song, and lyrical vignettes. It explores the world of a Franciscan convent during the heyday of the 1960s in San Francisco at the birth of the flower-power era, as seen through the eyes of a novitiate nun, newly arrived in the Bay Area from a rural community in southwestern Washington State. This book is a stylistically and structurally adventurous narrative that forms a literary intersection of music, spirituality, nature, sociology, and sexuality. Written in an engaging, wryly humorous voice, Dugaw's unique story of her early adulthood at a convent is sure to draw readers who are curious about her cloistered life at a time in our country's history that was in the midst of its own spiritual and social awakening. DIANNE DUGAW is a singer-musician, writer, and scholar who publishes in folklore, music, and literary studies with an emphasis on queer topics. Her childhood on a small Pacific Northwest ranch and her early years as a Catholic nun shape her storytelling and scholarship. Her books, which include Warrior Women & Popular Balladry (University of Chicago Press) and 'Deep Play'-John Gay & the Invention of Modernity (University of Delaware Press), investigate cross-dressing women heroes, ballad origins of musical comedy, and gender and sexuality in history. She has also recorded two CDs, singing traditional British and American folksongs. Professor Emerita at the University of Oregon, Dugaw lives in the Willamette Valley with her wife and wee dog. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on Friday, Octber 18th at 7:00 PM when local children's book phenomenon Elizabeth Partridge comes to the store to launch her latest children's picture book Golden Gate: Building the Mighty Bridge. Elizabeth will read from and discuss her book and will sign copies after the presentation. She will be joined in conversation by SF Chronicle columnist Peter Hartlaub. Click Here to preorde a copy of Golden Gate.The Golden Gate Bridge, beloved landmark and symbol of San Francisco, finally gets a gorgeous picture book that tells the thrilling story of how it was built! Written by National Book Award finalist and Sibert Medal winner Elizabeth Partridge. Across a treacherous strait where deep ocean waters rip back and forth with the tides, and during the depths of the Great Depression, daring teams of engineers and builders set out to make something many thought impossible. Begun in 1933 and officially opened on May 27, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge and its awe-inspiring and groundbreaking construction are truly a testament to the power of hope and perseverance. Told from the point of view of the lighthouse keeper’s kids, who watch in fascination as the trucks and crews arrive and steel towers coated in heavy red paint begin to rise above the tempestuous water, Golden Gate shares a thrilling visual perspective on each stage of the breathtaking project. Young readers can look and learn as each turn of the page reveals dazzling, color-soaked artwork paired with text that blends factual details into the narrators’ keen observations. By the final spread, where fireworks explode in celebration over the mighty bridge, the tale is complete—not only of an astonishing feat of engineering but of the potential of human ingenuity to defy the odds and make the impossible possible. ELIZABETH PARTRIDGE has lived near the Golden Gate Bridge all her life. Driving or walking across the strong steel bridge, suspended between sky and water, always thrills her. The author of many books, Elizabeth is a National Book Award finalist and has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature, ALA’s Printz Honor Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and the Sibert Medal. She lives in Berkeley with her three-generation family, two dogs, and the world’s shyest cat. For more information, please visit elizabethpartridge.com. PETER HARTLAUB is the San Francisco Chronicle's culture critic and co-founder of Total SF. The Bay Area native, a former Chronicle paperboy, has worked at The Chronicle since 2000. He covers Bay Area culture and writes the Total SF newsletter, engaging with locals to explore and find new ways to celebrate San Francisco and the Bay Area. He loves independent bookstores and old movie theaters, and lives in Alameda. THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 5:30 pm on October 18th. BECAUSE SEATING is limited, please register only if you plan to attend. DUE TO SPACE limitations, we may not be able to accommodate every person at an event, so early registration is encouraged. WALK-INS will be accommodated only if space allows. WE ASK that attendees arrive between 6:45 and 7:00 PM for the event. PLEASE leave your non-support companion animals at home. OUR shared restrooms are not accessible after 6:30 PM, please plan accordingly. Information Source: Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore | eventbrite

Join Lynne Stegner at Books Inc. Berkeley for a celebration of her novel The Half Life of Guilt! Lynne will be in conversation with Anita Barrowes. Lynn Stegner’s acclaimed novels and story collections have drawn comparisons to the works of Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Alice Munro, and John Updike. Now in her new novel, The Half-Life of Guilt, Stegner tells the story of Clair Bugato and Mason Comstock. Together they journey to the world’s largest saltworks in Baja California, where a proposed expansion threatens the California gray whale population, recently come back from the brink of extinction. In the midst of a conservation battle, they meet a mysterious son of Mexico, Rubio Cantú, who leads them to the powers that be. Their two-week journey sends Clair deep into the past, where she reviews the divergent paths she and her near-identical twin sister have taken away from a childhood tragedy. At the same time, Mason confronts his own unhappy past in Cornwall, England, with a father whose hate was stronger than his love. No other work of fiction patterns the warp and weft of human guilt, the homesickness only love can cure, environmental crises, the intrinsic conflict between international commerce and planetary health, and the necessity of forgiveness. The Half-Life of Guilt is woven from these themes, delivering to the reader an engrossing and transformative literary experience. “The Half Life of Guilt adroitly braids paired narratives: a risk-filled present journey down the coast of Mexico and the fraught past of a family in northern California. The twins at the center of the story—Nina and Clair—compel our close attention, and the novel somehow manages to be both action-packed and contemplative. Lynn Stegner gives us scientists and vintners and idealists and cynics: troubled creatures all. And she does so in prose as vivid as her scenery; the dead remain wholly alive.”—Nicholas Delbanco, author of Why Writing Matters “As Stegner explores both personal responsibility and our responsibility to care for the natural world, she illuminates the ways we love, fail to love, and repair our failures. Her unique sensibility makes for a fascinating read.”—Andrea Barrett, author of Natural History and Ship Fever “In this beautiful and layered novel Lynn Stegner takes us on a passionate tour of self-discovery and family history written so closely and with such astonishing sincerity that the entire novel becomes a kind of surprising tenderness. Stegner has the writer’s gift of creating a dear victory from the uneasiness of pristine places. This is a rich, rich book.”—Ron Carlson, author of Return to Oakpine “The Half-Life of Guilt is a powerful tale of family loyalty, romantic love, and the long reach of a single, shocking childhood tragedy. Lynn Stegner has a profound understanding of how sisters relate—or fail to relate—and how the truth of the past can be lost to our misperceptions. This sobering and insightful story is beautifully told.”—Elizabeth Crook, author of The Madstone and The Which Way Tree “Lynn Stegner is a beautiful writer. This fiercely wrought family saga will take your breath away with its sharpness and depth.”—Rick Bass, author of For a Little While: New and Selected Stories Lynn Stegner’s books include the novels Undertow, Fata Morgana, and Because a Fire Was in My Head, which won the Faulkner Award for Best Novel and was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Her novella triptych, Pipers at the Gates of Dawn, was awarded a Faulkner Society’s Gold Medal. She divides her time between San Francisco and northern Vermont. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Explore California v Oregon State sporting information for 26th October, as well as links for American Football tickets and more with Fixture Calendar. The California American Football team has a rich history of success, making it one of the most dominant teams in the National Football League. Founded in 1946, the team has won numerous championships and is a regular competitor in the Super Bowl. With top players such as Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch, and Richard Sherman, the team boasts a strong and talented roster. They call the impressive Levi's Stadium their home, which can hold up to 75,000 cheering fans. This state-of-the-art stadium has been host to several memorable games and is known for its lively atmosphere. The California team also has a strong presence in the community, regularly giving back through philanthropic efforts and initiatives. This team truly embodies the competitive spirit and passion for the game of American Football. Oregon State University's American Football team, known as the Oregon State Beavers, is highly competitive and has a rich history in the sport. The team competes in the Pac-12 Conference of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. They have won a total of 10 conference championships and have appeared in 18 bowl games, including the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. Some notable players who have donned the Oregon State jersey include NFL stars like Steven Jackson, Jonathan Smith, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The team's home stadium is the Reser Stadium, which can hold over 45,000 enthusiastic fans. The Beavers also have a strong record of individual accolades, with players earning conference awards such as Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. With a dedicated fan base and a talented roster, the Oregon State Beavers continue to make a mark in the competitive world of American Football. Information Source: fixturecalendar.com

Welcome to the **HELLA COMIX READING - SPOOKY EDITION**! Join us on **Sun Oct 27 2024** at **7:00 PM** for a night of chilling tales and thrilling comics. The event will be held at 2727 California and is open to the public but 18+ is highly recommended. We'll have:*Readings from local BIPOC cartoonists*Books and zines from EVEN MORE local BIPOC cartoonists*Free art supply swap (bring some to trade or just take some home)*SNACKS! Brace yourself for a night of horror and eerie content! Feel free to come dressed in your favorite costume, enjoy snacks and refreshments and be prepared to be entertained by talented local artists and writers. Don't miss out on this frighfully fun event! Should be a scream. 👻 Information Source: The East Bay BIPOC Cartoonists | eventbrite

This year, we are excited to have distinguished featured panelists from our Cal Athletics alumni community, the Bay Area pro sport community, and our current staff, coaches and student athletes. The moderated conversation, inclusive of our representatives from campus, will be grounded in the 2024 theme for Latinx Heritage Month: “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together.” Our Cal Athletics Heritage Month Playbooks are being held at the Cal Alumni Association this year. The goal is to encourage folks to attend the Playbook and then walk across the courtyard to cheer on our Cal volleyball team at 7pm at Haas Pavilion for our Latinx Heritage Month Game. There is also a Latinx emphasis at the October 5 Cal football game versus University of Miami the next day. Information Source: eventbrite

A 2 class series with Zoe. Fusion Bellydance for all levels, with some layering and faster tempos to challenge you. We start with a strength-building warm-up, do some technique drills, and put everything together that we learned into a fun combo! A 2 class series! Tuesday, September 24th and October 1st from 7:30 to 8:45 PM PST So come join me online via ZOOM (lots spots) or in-person at my studio (limited to 20 students) HOW TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKET: E ach ticket type shows 2 different amounts. You will pick an amount and pay no less than the first amount but no more than the second amount. E xample: If the ticket you are getting shows 100-140$ it means you will not pay less than 100$ but not more 140$ The in-person, classes will be held at: 1741 Alcatraz Ave1741 Alcatraz Avenue, Berkeley, CA, 94703 Information Source: Zoe Jakes | eventbrite

Focusing on active flexibility, a live class on Zoom, with the option to watch the videos at any time for a month! Get stronger so you can dance better and longer! Zoe’s love of dance conditioning takes center stage in this class, where we will work the core, glutes, and upper back with all of Zoe’s favorite butt-kicking exercises. These exercises are PT and Circus training based, and are meant to build a greater range of motion and more muscular balance in the body. 2 yoga blocks and a mat are recommended, as well exercise bands are great. Tuesday, September 24th and October 1st from 5:00 to 6:00 PM PST So come join me online via ZOOM (lots spots) or in-person at my studio (limited to 20 students) HOW TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKET: E ach ticket type shows 2 different amounts. You will pick an amount and pay no less than the first amount but no more than the second amount. E xample: If the ticket you are getting shows 100-140$ it means you will not pay less than 100$ but not more 140$ The in-person, classes will be held at: 1741 Alcatraz Ave1741 Alcatraz Avenue, Berkeley, CA, 94703 Information Source: Zoe Jakes | eventbrite