Coming Attractions!

We’re planning an enormous array of events, and we also want our community to co-create the programming at the space. We cannot wait to hear from new members about what they’d like to do and see at Local Economy. Here’s what we have so far.

A Repair Cafe co-hosted by Jenny Odell. We’ll source experts in repair from within and outside the community, and then everyone else gets to bring their broken stuff and save it from the landfill. November.

Author events co-hosted with East Bay Booksellers. Meet the most interesting writers from the Bay Area and maybe even New York. Up first, Jeff Chang talking about his new biography of Bruce Lee. Regularly. 

Work-in-Progress. A special guest will share work from a work-in-progress and then you can too. Not a crit or a seminar, but a place to try stuff out and have people clap for you. Up first, musician Thao Nguyen, reads from her forthcoming book of essays. Monthly. 

Quiet Noisy Night with Mac Barnett. Read and think about Margaret Wise Brown’s Quiet Noisy Book with the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. October 17.

Utopia(s) Book Club with Sarah Rich & Tracy Clark-Flory. Reading together about futures we actually might want, or at least aren’t Handmaid’s Tale. Monthly. 

A “Writing About a Place” workshop taught by Alexis Madrigal. Over three weeks, we’ll look at three different ways of digging into where you are: historical, spatial, bodily. November.

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

My Life’s Work. Gatherings where older members will share with the community what they’ve dedicated their lives to. Up first, we’ll have Diane Ehrensaft, Director of Mental Health at UCSF’s Child & Adolescent Gender Center. Monthly.

A communal gathering with the DIY Museum. This queer art collective brings us together to spark dialogue…in these times. October.

Oakland Ephemera Exhibition with East Bay Yesterday. Liam O’Donoghue has hosted a Bay Area history podcast for years, accumulating ephemera along the way. He exhibits it for the first time. November. 

Good Neighbor Working Group. A regular meeting with local leaders and activists to help you plug into the civic life of Oakland. Monthly.

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

Cookbook Club. Together with East Bay Booksellers’ Thu Doan, we select and collectively cook through a cookbook culminating in a potluck. Up first, My Cambodia by Nite Yun, who will also join us. Monthly. First date: October 26.

Oakland Garden Club teach-ins, co-hosted by PlanterDay. Cactus breeding! Everyone takes home a little prickly baby. Then, The Secret Life of Plants. And growing cannabis in your backyard with a UCSF PhD. Monthly.

Members Night Out. Teaming up with the community group, Joiners, we’ll sample local restaurants and bars. Up first, Gold Palm/Moonglow. Monthly. 

Coyote Media x Local Economy. The new worker co-op media outfit brings their journalism live to the neighborhood. October. 

(Not Always) Poetry Reading Series hosted by Ben Gucciardi. You need more poetry in your life. It’s a fact. Monthlyish. 

Friday flowers with East Oak Bouquets. Pick up fresh flowers grown in East Oakland by Romi Hall. Weekly.

BYOB Show and Tell. Bring a significant object and tell us its story. (Probably a true one.) Monthly. 

Collaborative storytelling and worldbuilding games for middle schoolish-aged kids. Gentle gaming meetup led by middle-school game-lover, Orion. Weekly. 

The community resilience series. Come with your neighbors and/or friends and learn from preparedness experts how to get ready for current and future emergencies. Monthly.

A night from the future with sci-fi authors Annalee Newitz & Charlie Jane Anders. We’ll celebrate their new fall books with a special dual reading. October. 

Mending workshop with Carrie Sloan. Learn the basics of mending your clothes and take home a mending kit. October.

Sunday Coffee, hosted by Jeff Wright of Edith’s Pie & 50 Minutes. A chill, low-stakes morning of chatting, coffee, and pastries. Monthly. First date: October 12.

The Present Moment Game. Participate in a playful, yet profound social meditation practice with Alli Magidsohn. November.

Communal collage night with Rachel Rosen & friends. Collage is the most democratic art form. Come find out why and how. October.

Caregiver Story Hour hosted by Patricia Zaballos. Daytime series for parents and caregivers, much like library story time, but the content is for the adults. Monthly.

Tuesdays Together freelancer meetup. Cherlyn Wagner hosts a monthly potluck for creatives to get help with their work, next up: tax accounting. October.

Artists Legal Cafe with the Sustainable Economies Law Center, Vital Arts, and Movement Law. Artists need legal help, but rarely get it. This gathering connects legal resources with artists. First date: October 30. 

Graphic novel launch and charity art auction with Pixar animator, Bobbie Podesta. December. 

Board game night with Oakland Boardgamers. Learn how to play new games with nice people. Regularly.