Featured Events in Berkeley in January, 2025 (February Updated)

Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on January 15th, 2025 when Bay Area author Barbara Rhodes comes to the store to share her new book Composting Our Karma: Turning Confusion Into Lessons for Awakening Our Innate Wisdom. Barbara will sign copies of her book after the presentation. Click Here to preorder a copy of Composting Our Karma .Engaging teachings on the core Korean Zen practice of “don’t-know mind” that encourage us to cultivate and apply a clear mind, improve our intuition, feel naturally at ease, and generate compassionate wisdom to face whatever arises. ​​Barbara Rhodes (Zen Master Soeng Hyang) offers the core Korean Zen teaching of don’t-know mind as an antidote to the over-thinking, overly stimulating modern world that is the cause of so much suffering. In this collection of essays, Rhodes shows us that there are ways we can work with, or “compost,” whatever we’ve got in front of us, digest it into energy that can get us through the rough times, and cultivate a satisfying life. “Don’t-know mind,” Korean Zen’s foremost teaching, points to our clear enlightened mind before suffering arises based on concepts and judgments of like and dislike. While simple, it is a lifelong exercise, with immediate benefits that get deeper with practice. By applying don’t-know mind to meditation, everyday existence, and life’s challenges, readers will learn to work with their own mind’s reactions to things; trust their intuition; perceive situations clearly; and act with natural courage, compassion, and enthusiasm. Rhodes offers fascinating insights from her professional life as a nurse; her commitment to engaged Buddhism; her life experience as a member of the LGBTQ community; her use of psychedelics on her spiritual path; and more. Readers will appreciate her down-to-earth wisdom, compassion, enthusiasm, and faith in the power of this practice. Based in Richmond, California, BARBARA RHODES is the School Zen Master of the Kwan Um School of Zen, a longtime Buddhist practitioner and teacher, and a retired hospice nurse. Information Source: Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore | eventbrite

The NEXT install of the seasonal DARK Events will occur this upcoming New Years Eve for our first ever Neo-Masquerade. In a world where many feel compelled to hide their dark sides, we invite you to a night where the shadow side is cast open and shared freely & anonymously at our masked event. Come dressed in your modern interpretation of a Dark masquerade and step into 2025 with us. For this event, DARK Events returns to Flux Vertical Theatre for an enchanting evening of sultry performances, masked characters, and a magnificent midnight moment. Add on to your experience by selecting to indulge in an aerial champagne service with our in-house troupe, The Dragonettes. The Main Show will be opening with a b0ndage performance by performers Dancehall Dyke & Slab Me Harder. The Variety Show features aerial acrobatic performances by our in-house troupe, The Dragonettes, as well as performers from Flux Vertical Theater, DAM Circus, Nerds Cradle, Misfit Cabaret + MORE. Stay after the main show for a countdown & dance party to close out 2024. We invite you to bring your dark side into the light and share it anonymously while masking only your face. We encourage you to dive deep into the concept and come dressed & ready to be part of Dark Masquerade NYE. The night features dancy beats by Veteranø. DATE + TIMENYE Show is ONE NIGHT ONLY: Tuesday December 31st, 2024 NEW YEARS EVE. Time: Doors at 9 PM, Main Show at 10 PM. Midnight Countdown followed by dancing, drinking and stepping into the New Year. TICKETS + REFUNDSWe offer ticket tiers for all levels of patrons: General Admission: Standing room for the main show. Seated Tickets: A seat on the main floor for the evening . VIP Table for 2: A front row VIP table for 2 for the evening. Includes Aerial Champagne Service High Top VIP Table: VIP table behind the seats. Includes Aerial Champagne Service. Aerial Champagne Service: Add on this service which occurs from 9 - 10 PM and resumes at 11:40 to prepare for the Midnight Countdown. Sales are refundable up until December 23rd. ALL of our previous events have SOLD OUT so make sure to get your tickets in advance. LOCATION + PARKINGFlux Vertical Theatre is located at 811 University Ave. There is a parking lot directly in front of the venue, as well as one around the corner on 4TH Street. There is also plenty of street parking in the nearby neighborhood. Information Source: DARK Events | eventbrite

Join Rebecca Brantstetter at Books Inc. Berkeley for a reading and discussion of her helpful guide to a career in education, Small Habits Create Big Change! Small on-the-job changes you can make to identify your strengths, prevent burnout, and maintain your passion for being an educator Small Habits Create Big Change is a valuable collection of micro-habits—small, science-backed adjustments—that educators can use to reclaim their mental health and their love for their jobs. This book helps you identify your unique personality type, so you can find the hacks and tweaks that will actually work as you strive to manage stress and reignite your passion for working with students. Many educators feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and on the verge of burnout, but it's never too late to turn things around. Best of all, psychologist Rebecca Branstetter gives you solutions that you can use while you work, so you don't have to sacrifice your already-scarce downtime. Large-scale approaches to preventing educator burnout often fail to consider an important fact—educators are individuals, and no one-size-fits-all solution will really fit everyone. People's innate strengths and weaknesses play a big part in determining whether the changes we make are likely to work for us. This unique book accounts for what makes you who you are, giving you options, ideas, and proven strategies that set you up for success. This way, you can manage stress, battle burnout, and get excited about your career once again. Identify your strengths and weaknesses using the exclusive Thrive-o-gram personality indicatorLearn micro-habits that turn research about burnout prevention into transformation in your daily lifeUnderstand how to tap into your core strengths and protect your positive energyPersonalize your action steps with a Thriving RoadmapThis book isn't just about understanding who you are. It's about preventing burnout by aligning your work with your core strengths, values, and habits. All K-12 educators, including school psychologists and school-based mental health providers, will benefit from this balanced approach to work, fostering self-compassion, mindfulness, and resilience. REBECCA BRANSTETTER, PhD, is the founder of The Thriving Students Collective and Thrive Hive TV Network, online platforms for boosting the mental health and learning needs of children and the educators who support them. A national media expert, Rebecca’s expertise has appeared in The Washington Post, NPR, CNN, and Parents magazine. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

"Currents of Creativity ART SHOW is set to take place in Berkeley at 2727 California St on January 5, 2025. This art show promises to be a captivating display of creativity, featuring a diverse range of talented artists and their works. The event is free to attend, offering art enthusiasts an opportunity to explore and appreciate a variety of artistic expressions. Don't miss this unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the beauty and inspiration of the art world at 2727 California Street, Berkeley, CA 94703."

Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on Tuesday, January 7th at 7:00 PM when local Berkeley author Simone Elias comes to the store to present her new book Old Films, Young Eyes: A Teenage Take on Hollywood's Golden Age. Simone will sign copies of her book after the presentation. Click Here to preorder a copy of Old Films, Young Eyes.Why would a modern teenager find classic films enthralling? This book presents an eye-opening tour of how old movies foreshadowed, influenced—and continue to shape—popular culture in many surprising ways. From foreseeing today’s image-dominated social media landscape to ushering rock music into the mainstream, and sparking elements of the #MeToo movement, classic movies remain relevant and inspiring. Despite prevailing attitudes that old films are outdated, many dramatically broke boundaries around racism and antisemitism. They predicted current trends in divorce and sexual relations. They helped shape current icons like Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, as well as foreshadowing more sobering events such as the Covid-19 pandemic. A Gen Z-age cultural critic, author Simone O. Elias presents an insider’s perspective on the socio-cultural impact of classic Hollywood films on a modern generation. SIMONE O. ELIAS is the teen author of Old Films, Young Eyes: A Teenage Take on Hollywood's Golden Age. She started her career in podcasting: producing, and writing for Teenage Golden Age, a podcast about classic Hollywood from the teenage perspective. She focuses on classic films, screenwriting, and songwriting, and divides her time between Placerville and Berkeley, California. THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 5:30 pm on January 7th, 2025. 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

In January, La Bruja Tango welcomes tango instructor Luz Castineiras! Luz's tango classes emphasize rhythm, playfulness, and connection. In the beginner class, she introduces simple, elegant movements for social dancing. She is equally excellent at leading and following, and she gives useful technique tips for both roles. Luz is originally from Buenos Aires and has lived in the Bay Area for many years. This series is geared towards total beginners and people who have been dancing tango for less than six months. (We recommend taking multiple beginner series before moving on to an intermediate series.) This dance class is taught using the terms leaders and followers and is inclusive to queer, trans, and non-binary people. Wednesdays, January 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th 6:45-7:00 pm check-in 7:00-8:00 pm beginner class 8:00-8:30 pm practica The practicas are included with the classes. Stay, dance, and ask questions! $87.21 general admission (four classes) $65.87 for student with ID (four classes) The listed prices include the eventbrite fees. Drinks are for sale at Morgan’s Bar and Lounge, across the hall from the ballroom. All ages are welcome in the dance classes. We are a 10-minute walk from Downtown Berkeley BART. For bike parking, use the bell to enter through the service entrance, and go straight to get to the back courtyard. No parking in the City Club lot. Extra parking is available for $2 per hour at the Ellsworth Structure at 2337 Haste St. Event organized by Lindsey Newbold www.labrujatangoberkeley.com Luz Castineiras was born and raised in Buenos Aires and brings a unique perspective to tango. For over five years, she researched tango as a therapy tool to improve social-emotional and cognitive skills in palliative care settings. Luz studied contemporary dance and music therapy in addition to tango. She began dancing tango at Studio Dinzel in Buenos Aires, where she was able to incorporate these two disciplines. In 2011, she moved to the Bay Area and began teaching tango with various partners at la Pista SF, Studio 1924, and Alma del Tango Studio. Luz is a heart-and-soul tango dancer, and her dance communicates her strength and knowledge of music.​ In her classes, students are encouraged to explore tango and dance techniques, connection and musicality. She creates a friendly, inviting atmosphere for learning and always looks for active feedback from students. Information Source: La Bruja Tango | eventbrite

Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on Thursday, January 9th at 7:00 PM when Oakland author & illustrator Andy Hartzell comes to the store to present his latest graphic novel Monday: An Apocryphal Comic Book. Andy will joined in coversation by graphic novelist Briana Loewinsohn and will sign copies of the book after the presentation. Click Here to preorder a copy of Monday. Andy Hartzell's Monday offers up a strange and delightful peek into the quirky heart of humanity. As funny as it is strange. —Gene Luen Yang,American Born Chinese It’s the day after the Day of Rest, and God is back in the Garden, building Something Big… Can Eden’s first couple ride out the vibe shift, or will they be tossed with last week’s trash? Monday is a new metaphysical slapstick suspense comic, a Genesis for our Jittery Generation. In brushy black-and-white, Andy Hartzell has rendered into cartoon form the illuminated scriptures of The People of the Eighth Day, an ancient gnostic sect. Or maybe he just made the story up. Either way, Monday is a provocative metaphysical slapstick comic, a fable for our unstable age. ANDY HARTZELL'S first graphic novel, Fox Bunny Funny, was a New York Times holiday pick. He has contributed to many anthologies, including No Straight Lines (Eisner nomination) and Qu33r (Ignatz Award). He makes his personal paradise in Oakland, CA, where his partner Ron tends the garden, and his boxador Louis tears it up again. When he’s not making comics, he works as an interaction designer and creative strategist. BRIANA LOEWINSOHN is an American cartoonist. She is the author of the acclaimed graphic memoir Ephemera, published by Fantagraphics in 2023. It was listed as one of the American Library Association's top graphic novels of 2023 and was awarded the 2023 Foreword Indies Editors Prize for non-fiction. Her new YA book, Raised By Ghosts, will come out in February 2025, also with Fantagraphics. Loewinsohn lives in Oakland, CA with her husband and two kids. If she doesn't text you back, she is probably gardening. THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 5:30 pm on January 9th, 2025. 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

*****ARTISTS APPLY HERE: https://forms.gle/1ou7rQhmKLYZkoBW9 (selected artists do not need to buy tickets)artists do not need to buy tickets) An Art Tasting is a community fundraising dinner for Bay Area artists. It combines our love of great food, local performers, & a desire for our guests to make new friends. Join us for an evening of delicious dinner & awesome art! Last time we threw this event was January 2020. We raised over $1000 for local artists & fed 80 friends old & brand new. This year the food will be different, the art will be new, & our goals will be bigger. With your help, we hope to raise at least $2000 for local performing artists all while filling your stomachs with a fabulous meal. Here's how it works: When you arrive, a portion of your ticket cost will be returned to you in Play Money. Throughout the evening you will enjoy six spectacular stage performances that showcase the diverse talents of the Bay Area community. These performances will spark conversation & connection as you share a three course meal served family style at each table. There will by time to discuss amongst your new friends & at the end of the night you each choose how to spend your dollars in donation directly to the artist(s) of your choice. *****ARTISTS APPLY HERE: https://forms.gle/1ou7rQhmKLYZkoBW9 (selected artists do not need to buy tickets) We will need volunteers for set up, service, & clean up! If your interested in a free volunteer ticket (including the Play Money), reach out to Zac via email (zacharylstein@gmail.com). We believe in equitable access to events like this. Please buy a ticket at the price you can afford so more people can attend. Lowest cost tickets are for people who live pay check to pay check. Highest cost tickets are for people who are high income & have savings. Everyone else is in the middle. PS. This event will almost certainly Sell Out. Get your tickets early! Information Source: Gina Dinner | eventbrite

Join @CardioWithCarah weekly for Line Dancing. This special indoor party is every Monday from 5:30-6:30pm at Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center (1317 San Pablo, Berkeley, Calif). What time of line dancing? ALL GENRES! Country. RnB. Jazz. Hip Hop. Pop. Admission: $20. Purchase your tickets via CardioWithCarah.com. More preferably, you can pay via cash, Venmo or Zelle. Purchase your tickets via CardioWithCarah.com or bring cash/ Venmo/ Zelle / PayPal Questions? Email us at cardiowithcarah@gmail.com. Arrive around 5:15-5:20pm to get registered. Dancing will start at 5:30pm SHARP. Tickets: $20. You can pay on site. Class is indoors. Also check out facebook.com/CardioWithCarah and Instagram: @CardioWithCarah. Questions? CardioWithCarah@gmail.com or call/text 336.707.4255. Also check out facebook.com/CardioWithCarah and Instagram: @CardioWithCarah FAQs The most important question: What are you wearing? Fun workout clothes that you don't mind sweating out. Cute, yet comfy. Wear what makes you feel and look awesome! What if I don't know anyone?! I don't want to go alone? You'll be fine. Promise!! If not, bring a friend. If you're rolling solo, you will meet new friends there. Seriously. What exactly is it? A party, a Line Dance class or a line dance workshop? Hunnie, it's all of the above. Alladat. LOL!!! Bottom line: it'll be a good time. Just be ready to dance and learn. Can I request certain line dances? Of course!!! Feel free to email your song requests to CardioWithCarah at gmail.com Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event? No. Everyone is welcome. What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event? There is free and metered street parking all around. Lyft and Uber are always good, low-cost options. North Berkeley is a super safe area, but as a general rule: Leave ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OF VALUE IN YOUR CAR. Not under the seat. Not in the glove compartment. Not in the trunk. Travel light, and only bring the bare essentials. Car break-ins are all too common in the Bay Area. What should I bring into the event? Your ID. Your phone so you can take lots of pictures and videos for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, using the hashtag #CardioWithCarah and #BerkeleyLineDance DEF bring a bottle of water and a face towel. Will tickets be available at the door? Yes. You can come with cash, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal or CashApp. What's the refund policy? All sales are final. No exceptions. Dance instructors don't usually don't earn 6 figures, so consider it a donation for the culture if you are no longer able to attend. Love you lots! Muah. How can I contact the organizer with any questions? Feel free to email CardioWithCarah at gmail.com Information Source: @CardioWithCarah | eventbrite

Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on Tuesday, January 14th when Oakland author Elizabeth Husserl comes to the store to discuss and sign copies of her new book The Power of Enough: Finding Joy in Your Relationship with Money. Click Here to preorder a copy of The Power of Enough.It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by money — bewildered by the complexities of building wealth and frustrated by the persistent sense that no matter how much we earn, something crucial feels missing. But what if the key to financial freedom isn’t found in striving for more but in redefining what “enough” truly means? Financial growth expert Elizabeth Husserl’s The Power of Enough invites you to rethink your relationship with money, offering a groundbreaking blueprint that replaces chasing financial success with cultivating a life of meaning, balance, and fulfillment. This transformative guide reveals how our attitudes toward money shape our well-being, illuminating the ways that financial systems block us from achieving true contentment. Elizabeth helps us embrace wealth as a way of being that is grounded in purpose and our core values rather than something to endlessly accumulate. Through practical exercises, you’ll learn to: • uncover your financial DNA, revealing the inherited beliefs, behaviors, and habits that shape your financial decisions • create a wealth mandala to redefine your relationship with money • design a life that honors your whole self, bringing vitality, purpose, and lasting joy With The Power of Enough, you’ll have the tools to break free from the cycle of endless striving and create a life that’s truly rich — in every sense of the word. ELIZABETH HUSSERL is a registered investment advisor representative, financial advisor, and cofounder of Peak360 Wealth Management, a boutique wealth planning firm. She holds a BS in economics from Tulane University and an MA in East-West psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, where she has also taught as an adjunct professor. Her experience spans nonprofit work throughout the Americas, and she is a highly sought-after speaker, having led workshops at major tech companies, including Airbnb, Unity, and Google. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter. For more information, visit www.elizabethhusserl.com. THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 5:30 pm on January 14th, 2025. 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 award-winning journalist John M. Glionna at Books Inc. Berkeley for a reading and discussion of his new book No Friday Night: Reservation Football on the Edge of America. John will be in conversation with photojournalist Randi Lynn Beach. No Friday Night Lights is the story of a rural Nevada high school football team that never wins. Veteran reporter John M. Glionna examines the 2022 season in which the McDermitt Bulldogs practiced for weeks in the summer only to learn once again that they had come up short of the necessary players due to the dwindling population on the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation on the Nevada-Oregon border. Eight-man football helps give the coaches and kids a sense of community—despite a lack of wins, and despite their home’s status as one of the most remote locations for a public school in the West. Glionna’s relationships with coaches, players, parents—and even those McDermitt residents remotely connected to high school football—provide telling insights into local lives, many of them from the Paiute and Shoshone tribes of Fort McDermitt. Although victory and recognition elude the players, Glionna illuminates their hard work and dedication—leaving the reader with glimpses of life on the ground in “flyover” country. No Friday Night Lights features a smart, sharp reporter taking us to a place we'd never be able to visit on our own—a place, frankly, we probably wouldn't want to visit. Glionna finds humanity and community there, and occasional glimpses of hope. —Will Leitch, Los Angeles Review of Books “In his nuanced, deeply reported, and beautifully written book, John Glionna takes us to a tiny town with a rugged past, uneasy present, and uncertain future. Still, the indomitable residents and their high school’s struggling eight-man football team carry on. Glionna reminds us why such towns and teams matter.”—Steve Padilla, editor with the Los Angeles Times “With a lysergic flair for heart-of-America storytelling, John M. Glionna takes us deep into a football country where few boys are left with what they need to bring a much-needed win to a town on the other side of glory days. Get in the truck and let Glionna take the wheel. You’re in good hands for a periscope view into a contemporary slice of the American West you’ve never before seen.”—Ed Komenda, reporter for the Associated Press “Veteran reporter John Glionna tells the story of McDermitt, Nevada, population 114, a dying former mining town steeped in poverty where the fielding of an eight-man high school football team is a Sisyphean task that underscores how, even in the face of crushing defeat, sport offers hope by building character. For the McDermitt Bulldogs, winning isn’t the goal—simply being able to play the game is.”—Mike Anton, former reporter for the Kansas City Star and Los Angeles Times “Ever a friend of the underdog, John M. Glionna travels the secluded backroads of Nevada to chronicle the travails of a hardscrabble reservation football team. Along the way we encounter all manner of characters, from the young high school athletes and their fans to a supportive if dwindling community clinging to their routines in an abandoned mining town. The McDermitt Bulldogs rarely win, but the players and the town itself remain resilient champions on the field of life.”—Joe Eckdahl, assistant managing editor of the Los Angeles Times, retired “In this terrifically poignant, soulful book about a hollowed-out town and its remaining people, John Glionna makes you feel as though you’re walking through lilies in the field, everything blessed and enlivened by his attentiveness, humor, and real affection.”—Robert Basil, professor of communications at Kwantlen Polytechnic University “While the typical traveler through McDermitt, Nevada, hastens to put this dying, segregated town behind him, John Glionna saw something different, through the lens of the town’s eight-man high school football team, coached by a white and a Native American. Having endured persistent adversity in their personal lives, the coaches fielded teams that, though nearly always scoreless, endured failure with grace and dignity. Glionna’s plainspoken, inspirational study of these young football failures guides the reader into the rich soul of this community.”—David H. Wilson Jr., author of Northern Paiutes of the Malheur: High Desert Reckoning in Oregon Country “John Glionna is one of our best narrative journalists. This book shows why—about a piece of our country that’s never had it easy, now populated with the Say When casino, mercury mines, Paiutes and whites and their history, and a coach who battles each year to field an eight-man high school football team. Haunting yet peaceful as a ranch at dusk, his story doesn’t find endings made in Hollywood but instead in a real and forgotten American small town that no one, not even its own residents, expects to make it.”—Sam Quinones, author of The Least of Us and Dreamland “There are few better feelings for a nonfiction bibliophile than to escape life’s requirements and return to a cast of literary characters you were reluctant to leave in the first place. No Friday Night Lights was that book for me. . . . Small town football is this story’s centerpiece, but those tied to it by seemingly the thinnest of threads are as fascinating as the players and coaches. McDermitt may be a speck on the map, but it looms large in this raconteur’s tale.”—Tris Wykes, reporter for the Valley News (West Lebanon, NH) John M. Glionna is an award-winning journalist who has traveled the world as a newspaper and magazine writer. After twenty-six years at the Los Angeles Times he now works as a freelance writer. He is the author of Outback Nevada: Real Stories from the Silver State. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, and Outside and has been included in Best American Sports Writing and Best Los Angeles Times Foreign Reporting. Randi Lynn Beach is an award-winning photojournalist, artist, and filmmaker who has spent the last 15 years working with editorial, non-profit, and corporate clients. Her photographs have appeared in Rolling Stone, People, Seventeen, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and Washington Post among others. Her most recent documentary series can be seen at www.pixchannel.com. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Join Books Inc. Palo Alto in welcoming local author JR Rice for a reading and book discussion of his novel Broken Pencils. Jonah Tarver, a troubled Oakland teenager grappling with his parents' troubled marriage, his own mental disorder, and the weight of his best friend's death, embarks on a desperate quest to find meaning in life. On his eighteenth birthday, coinciding with his Senior prom, Jonah, along with his girlfriend Taniesha, his best friend Trevon, and a group of peers, spirals into a night of reckless indulgence in drugs and alcohol in the vibrant city of San Francisco. As tensions escalate and emotions run high, Jonah finds himself thrust into a gripping twelve-hour journey through the dark underbelly of San Francisco's nightlife, forever altering his perception of the world. Will Jonah uncover the purpose he so desperately seeks, or will he discover that life, like broken pencils, may have no point? I highly recommend Broken Pencils, and not just for a young adult audience. I think that everyone who reads this book will put it down with a heavy heart and a deeper understanding of what many people go through when grappling with bipolar disorder. J.R. Rice is a fantastic writer and I'm hoping to read more of his work. — Richard Bist, ReaderViews Kids J.R. Rice's Broken Pencils is more than a story of a teenager's life; it's a reflection of how things from the past can unfold in a single day...At its core, the novel grapples with the theme of brokenness, portraying it not as a defect to be mended but as an intrinsic part of the human experience. - Karen Almeida, Literary Titan Broken Pencils tackles a sensitive and difficult topic in a meaningful way that provides food for thought and allows one to become introspective about mental illness and the difficulties faced by those who live with it. — Jennie More, Readers Favorite Filled with youthful exuberance, raucous partying, vicious truths, and heartbreaking volatility, Broken Pencils is a novel that aims for poignancy, targeting an age group where many struggle to find meaning. — R.C. Gibson, IndiesToday Rice delves into the complex life and psyche of Jonah, a young Black man suffering from mental health issues and trauma following the death of his best friend....A gripping coming of age story and a skilful exploration of grief, the human psyche and broken relationships. — Beth Thompson, Readers' Choice Book Awards Rice weaves together moments of heartache, triumph, and introspection with such vividness that it feels like peering into real lives rather than fictional characters. This authenticity deepens the emotional impact felt by the reader and truly makes this book a must read. — Literary Global In this literary work, Rice boldly explores the profound impact of losing a loved one and how parents' constant fighting can disrupt their children's happiness...The book underscores the vital importance of seeking help to heal mentally and find inner peace, as carrying pain for too long can impede progress. — Amanda Hanson, The US Review of Books Broken Pencils is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that explores the complexities of human relationships, the enduring impact of family dynamics, and the redemptive power of friendship and self-discovery. — Neena H. Brar, The Prairies Book Reviews Broken Pencils is a singular feat of narrative momentum. Dauntless insight and camera angle dance sharply producing a new geometry of storytelling. — Tongo Eisen-Martin, Poet laureate of San Francisco, California, activist, and author Broken Pencils pulls you down a complex river of identity, coming-of-age, mental illness, and issues of class and race in a way that taps into the universal experience of being human, all while couched in the skilled prose of a literary masterpiece. —M.M. Chouinard, USA Today bestselling author of The Dancing Girls J.R. Rice drives the reader headlong through the looking glass of Jonah Tarver's soul — and oh what ride. It is both hypnotic and often hallucinatory, but ultimately a journey of devastating truth. — Andrew L. Roberts, Author of Tears for Shulna Compelling and vulnerable, Broken Pencils is a poetic peek inside what it means to feel surrounded and alone at the same time. It juxtaposes the safety and simplicity of childhood against the illusion of freedom that adulthood brings. — Angela Drew, Author of ElderBerry Wine In this visceral odyssey through a single night, the reader is enveloped in Jonah's gut-wrenching journey toward clarity and acceptance...If there ever was a flawed hero to root for, it's Rice's modern-day Odysseus, Jonah. — Rosa del Duca, Author of Breaking Cadence The action of the book is full-throttle, but the story is also gripping because of Rice's multi-layered storytelling. It's rare that a book achieves this intensity of suspense and is also philosophically and psychologically resonant. — Heidi Kasa, Award-Winning author of The Beginners Author JR Rice has indeed illuminated a subject matter that deserves to be revisited. Starting with an important question, What can we do as a village to raise and protect the Jonah's of the world? — Monique McCoy, Author of Poetry's Daughter J.R Rice deftly uses Langston Hughes' work as both a structural and spiritual template...Rice emerges with his own voice as a life affirming force and a literary badass! — Dr. Mtafiti Imara, Professor of Music, CSUSM, and album composer As he tries to make sense of his life, Jonah rides through Rice's use of metaphors, poem excerpts, song lyrics, and the never ending quote, 'Still no cure for the common birthday.' Rice's use of imagination makes for a fantastical tale of what it means to be alive. — Leticia Garcia Bradford, editor and publisher at MoonShine Star Co Rice's writing pulls you into the edgy emotions of a young man caught between a strict and successful father, freewheeling friends, and his inability to shed past sorrow and make sense of his future. Broken Pencils catapults you into the complex emotional rhythms of a teen on the cusp of adulthood. — Tish Davidson, Author of From War Room to Living Room Broken Pencils is an in-your-face category five hurricane of written words. A beautifully written, yet tragic and gritty reminder that we are the choices we make. — Tony Aldarondo, Author of Poet on the Run Broken Pencils tackles youth and mental illness with an authenticity and sincerity that lingers with you long after you've finished reading. — Jason Baum, Author of Rocket J.R Rice had always been captivated by the power of words and their ability to inspire, motivate and transform lives. As a young man, he knew that he wanted to make a difference in the world through his writing and his ability to connect with people. After receiving his B.A in Creative Writing and an English Education teaching credential from California State University of Long Beach, J.R set out to pursue his dreams. He traveled abroad to Greece, where he had the honor of being mentored by the renowned author, George Crane. It was there that he honed his skills and developed his unique voice, which he would later use to inspire and empower countless others. His novella, Broken Pencils earned the 2024 Literary Titan Gold Book Award, the Literary Global Gold Award, 2024 Hawthorne Prize finalist, 2024 Independent Author Awards finalist in both Best African-American Literature and Best Debut Fiction, and 2024 International Firebird Book Award Third place winner in Best African-American Literature and Best New Fiction. In addition to his writing accolades, he earned the Rookie of the Year award at the 2005 National Collegiate Poetry Slam in Philadelphia. He was a Semi-Finalist in the 2023 Berkeley Poetry Slam Finals. He is the host and curator of SOCIAL SATURDAYS artist showcase in Oakland. He currently resides and teaches in the Bay Area. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on Tuesday, January 21st at 7:00 PM when storyteller of the highest order and legendary filmmaker John Sayles comes to the store to share his latest novel To Save The Man. John will sign copies of his book after the presentation. Click Here to preorder a copy of To Save The Man.In the vein ofNever Let Me GoandKillers of the Flower Moon, one of America’s greatest storytellers sheds light on an American tragedy: the Wounded Knee Massacre, and the ‘cultural genocide’ experienced by the Native American children at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. In September of 1890, the academic year begins at the Carlisle School, a military-style boarding school for Indians in Pennsylvania, founded and run by Captain Richard Henry Pratt. Pratt considers himself a champion of Native Americans. His motto, “To save the man, we must kill the Indian,” is severely enforced in both classroom and dormitory: Speak only English, forget your own language and customs, learn to be white. As the young students navigate surviving the school, they begin to hear rumors of a “ghost dance” amongst the tribes of the west—a ceremonial dance aimed at restoring the Native People to power, and running the invaders off their land. As the hope and promise of the ghost dance sweeps across the Great Plains, cynical newspapers seize upon the story to whip up panic among local whites. The US government responds by deploying troops onto lands that had been granted to the Indians. It is an act that seems certain to end in slaughter. As news of these developments reaches Carlisle, each student, no matter what their tribe, must make a choice: to follow the white man’s path, or be true to their own way of life . . . JOHN SAYLES is an American independent film director, screenwriter, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for Passion Fish (1992) and Lone Star (1996), and nominated for the National Book Award. He has written eight novels, the most recent being Yellow Earth (2020) and Jamie Macgillivray: The Renegade’s Journey (2023), which was a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice. THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 5:30 pm on January 21st, 2025. 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 us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore Tuesday, January 28th at 7:00 PM when Bay Area author and illustrator Maria van Lieshout comes to the store to share her stunning debut graphic novel for young adults, Song of a Blackbird. Maria will sign copies of her book after the presentation. Click Here to preorder a copy of Song of a Blackbird.Fictionalized but based on actual events, Song of a Blackbird (ages 14 & up) is a graphic novel with two intertwined timelines: one is a modern-day family drama, the other a courageous tale of art and resistance under Nazi occupation. In 1943 Amsterdam, Emma Bergsma’s world changes when she witnesses Jewish families being forcibly deported to concentration camps. In that moment, she decides to joins the Dutch Resistance. In 2011 Amsterdam, Annick’s world has changed as well. A search for a bone marrow donor for her beloved Oma leads to a shocking revelation: her grandmother was secretly adopted as a child. The only clues to finding their lost family are a series of art prints hanging on the wall—each signed by a mysterious “Emma B.” In Song of a Blackbird, these two intertwining timelines reveal how art, in the face of nearly insurmountable adversity, can become our greatest lifeline. MARIA VAN LIESHOUT was born and raised near Amsterdam, where she spent many weekends in the Museum Quarter row house with her artist aunt and metalsmith uncle. Drawing while her aunt painted, and pecking stories on a typewriter while her uncle soldered metals inspired her love for creating. After high school in Leiden, Maria studied Visual Communications at GWU in DC. In 2000, Maria became an illustrator full-time. She has illustrated/written 15 picture books. Song of a Blackbird is Maria’s first graphic novel. THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 5:30 pm on January 28th, 2025. 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

JOSIAH is theatrical magic: Cassel Miles is on a bare stage with only a cap, a handkerchief, and a bucket. Using excerpts from Josiah Henson's autobiography and vernacular from the time, he takes you on a remarkable journey from enslavement to freedom. Miles creates dozens of characters and conjures setting from thin air. It is true storytelling at its essence engaging audiences with a mix of drama, dance and movement. Join us on this Underground Railroad journey to freedom as you experience the captivating story of the 'Real Uncle Tom'. Information Source: Josiah - The Show | eventbrite

During this class we will explore the transformative power of mythic story creation, using improv exercises and other story crafting methods to co-create worlds that bridge personal and collective healing. Our aim is to unlock aspects of ourselves and experience liberation and joy through embodied creative expression as we traverse the healing realms of co-created story. 🌟 What to Expect 🌟 Dive deep into Viola Spolin's method and make mythic stories come alive. Harness the wisdom of the Sacred Fool to break free from old, useless, constrictive programming. Collaborate with fellow creative mythic travelers in a supportive and inspiring environment. Tap into your intuitive knowing as we dance our way into the creative realms. Let's embark on this journey together into the invisible realm and manifest living mythic worlds that we can see with our own eyes! Reach out if you would like to learn more or check out our website medicinetheater.com. Asher Lyons is the founder and visionary of Medicine Theater, an expressive arts organization with the mission to support people young and old in finding liberation, joy, and healing through the art of spontaneous play and mythic story creation. Asher has been facilitating this type of work for over 20 years, and has found that the essence of freedom is discovered through connecting to our creative spirit and the natural world. Asher has also spent the past two decades learning from storytellers in a wide range of cultures and traditions throughout the Americas, which has deeply informed his work as a story creation facilitator and performer. Information Source: The Berkeley Alembic Foundation | eventbrite