Events - Modern Times Bookstore

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Tede Matthews Initiative Special Events The Tede Matthews Initiative (TMI) is a new project of Modern Times Bookstore. Honoring the fierce cultural legacy of founding collective member Tede Matthews’ queer literary cultural activism, TMI partners with Mission District community cultural organizations, schools, artists, and educators to launch a series of performances, workshops and free to low cost cultural events to support the Bay Area's activist, artistic, and literary communities. To support us or find out more, click here.

Activist Spanish Classes with Francisco Jimenez! Led by Justin Hall - Saturday, April 3, 10, 17, 24 - 2 PM-3:30 PM - $15-$20, pay what you can Do you have basic Spanish language skills but want to improve and build them? Do you feel like traditional Spanish classes are too expensive, and not focused on the kind of Spanish you want to learn? Instead of institutional classes, come to Francisco Jimenez’ drop-in Spanish classes. Through talking about our lives and experiences, about real conversations and topics, we’ll build Spanish language skills and self confidence. About Francisco: Francisco Jimenez has teaching Spanish for the past four years in the Bay Area. An immigrant rights activist, he works with homeless people and teaches in after school programs in San Francisco public schools. He believes in creating non-hierarchal educational settings where everyone can feel free to learn. top of page

Modern Times is a Community Partner with CUAV's SAFETYFEST! This April, CUAV (Community United Against Violence) will host a 100% free festival celebration of all the fierce ways queer and trans people in the Bay Area stay safe and strut our stuff. Our communities already have so many of the tools we'll need to end violence and be truly safe in all the ways we deserve to be--we just need to share them! SAFETYFEST 2010 is THE gay way to do what we do best and then spread it around--skills, knowledge, art, food, craft, conversation, party, or simply that beautiful face of yours. Proceeds will benefit CUAV's 30+ years of supporting LGBTQQ survivors of hate violence and domestic violence to heal and create safer communities.

Let Our Words Be Heard: A Queer Writing Workshop and Open Mic Presented by Maisha Johnson in conjunction with CUAV's SAFETYFEST - Wednesday, April 14 - 6-9 PM Our voices matter! Regardless of writing skills or experience, all are welcome to take part in this queer writer’s workshop. Together, we’ll take on the empowering, interactive process of discovering the use of words for healing, for sharing our history and for celebrating our community. The evening will end with an open mic, where workshop participants can read their work. It will be a night to celebrate the incredible stories and voices throughout our community; please join us even if you don’t participate, to show your support and hear what we have to share. top of page

Ending Bullying in the Workplace Presented by the Undermining Acceptable Violence Art Collective as part of CUAV's SAFETYFEST! - Friday, April 16 - 7-9 PM Come learn about the dynamics of ant-LGBTQQ bullying in the workplace and tips for intervention. top of page

The Revolution Starts At Home Practicing Community Accountability in Real Life A workshop by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha as part of CUAV's SAFETYFEST! - Saturday, April 17 - 2-4 PM Partner abuse within queer, politicized communities is a dirty secret and a difficult issue to deal with. Many people face complicated choices in dealing with abusive partners, from hesitancy about using the criminal justice system because of racism and homo and transphobia to the difficulty of dealing with community disbelief when our abuser is a beloved figure within our queer, trans, people of color or other activist community. In this workshop, we’ll talk about the nitty-gritty issues of partner abuse/ domestic violence within our communities and discuss community accountability strategies that can help us walk towards building accountability, justice and violence free zones in our lives. top of page

The Burger Queen Social - Saturday, April 24 - 5:30 PM From the minds that brought about Gay Shame and Ships in the Night comes the Burger Queen Social—a fun and exciting opportunity to meet other radical queer, trans, and genderqueer folks to hook up with for political witchery and discussion. With free vegan eats and a wildly engaging DJ! top of page

Gay Shame Weekly Meetings - Every Saturday - 5:30 PM Gay Shame seeks nothing less than a new queer activism that foregrounds race, class, gender and sexuality, to counter gay consumerism and the increasingly hypocritical left. Come to a general meeting: all are welcome. top of page


	Party + Reading McSweeney's April Fools Day Night of Mayhem with James Hannaham and Andrew Sean Greer - Thursday, April 1 - 6:30-8:30 PM - OFFSITE: Amnesia Bar, 853 Valencia St. McSweeney's and Modern Times Bookstore present an evening of drinking, gay NASCAR, and Waffle House bathroom sex. Come see James Hannaham read from his award-winning debut novel, God Says No, and Andrew Sean Greer read his acclaimed NASCAR piece from the San Francisco Panorama. Our gracious hosts—Amnesia Bar at 853 Valencia—will be slinging drinks, Modern Times will be selling books, and McSweeney's will be hosting with bells on. top of page

	Workshop Novel Writing Bootcamp Tony Du Shane - Tuesday, April 6 - 7 PM - $25 (includes a copy of Tony's book, Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk) Learn the ins and outs of novel writing as well as what it takes to publish a novel. There will be writing exercises so bring paper and a pen. Tony DuShane is the author of Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk published by Soft Skull Press. His writing appears in the San Francisco Chronicle, SFGate.com, The Believer, Mother Jones and more. His radio show, Drinks with Tony, has showcased many author interviews since 2002 including James Ellroy, Irvine Welsh, Chelsea Handler, David Sedaris and more. top of page

	Slideshow and Artists' Talk with Print Sale Artists in the Struggle: Creating Radical Graphics For the Global Movement for Social Justice Dignidad Rebelde: Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes - Thursday, April 8 - 7 PM Dignidad Rebelde is a graphic arts collaboration between Oakland-based activist-artists Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes. Their art is a reflection of community struggles, dreams and visions. Following principles of Xicanismo and Zapatismo, they create art that translates the stories of everyday people in struggle into images that they can be put back into the hands of the communities who inspired them. Jesus and Melanie will be presenting a slideshow of their work contextualizing their work in the history of social movements and the graphic arts traditions that have served those movements. Limited edition screen prints will be available for sale after the talk. top of page

	Workshop ¡REBELATE! Radical Poster Making for Our Liberation A Printmaking Workshop by Melanie Cervantes and Jesus Barraza of Dignidade Rebelde - Saturday, April 10 - 2-5 PM There has never been a movement for social change without art and visual communications being central to that movement. Graphics in particular are powerful living reminders of various struggles for justice. In this workshop Jesus and Melanie frame the workshop by giving participants a brief history of the role of political posters in liberation struggles. This history will be illustrated via a short slideshow presentation. Participants will then work in small groups to put together a poster design using copy-left graphics. The goal of this workshop is discuss the role of design, art and culture in community transformation and movement building and to give participants hard skills for how to apply. top of page

	Talk No Rich, No Poor! Charles Andrews - Monday, April 12 - 7 PM in Cooperation with the Institute for the Critical Study of Society Capitalism - repair or replace? Political activists have debated the question for two centuries. Now relentless problems of employment, education, and health care compel millions of people to consider this choice. If it cannot be repaired, what replaces it? The answer to this question, a program of common prosperity, emerges out of analyzing how the economy got where it is today. Charles Andrews discusses these issues in a talk based on his new book, No Rich, No Poor. top of page

	Reading From Here To There: The Staughton Lynd Reader Staughton Lynd and Andrej Grubacic (lecturer at the ZMedia Institute and San Francisco Art Institute) will be in attendance. - Tuesday, April 13 - 7 PM From Here To There collects unpublished talks and hard-to-find essays from legendary activist historian Staughton Lynd. Staughton Lynd taught history at Spelman College and Yale in the 1960s and coordinated the hugely successful Freedom Schools during the Mississippi Summer Project of 1964. After moving to New Haven, Lynd became a spokesperson for opponents of the Vietnam War. As a result of these activities, Lynd was blacklisted as a university professor and he and his wife became lawyers. Since 1976 they have lived in Youngstown, Ohio, working with and representing local victims of deindustrialization, and prisoners confined at Ohio’s first super-maximum security prison. top of page

	Launch and discussion Firewalkers: Madness, Beauty and Mystery Edited by Cassandra Nudel, Brian Parrish, Ann Benner, Bev Ball, Mitzi Ware, Ken Moore, Debra Knighton, Malaina Poore, Yolande Long, Cynthia Power, and Underground Ads. - Thursday, April 15 - 7 PM Cosponsored by the Icarus Project A field guide to radically rethinking mental illness, Firewalkers chronicles the profound, turbulent, spiritual experience of living through a mental health crisis. What our society labels as “mental illness” can be a sacred quest that has the power to enrich us, reveal unknown strengths, and transform our lives. Firewalkers redefines mental illness as a journey of emotional turbulence, crazy blessings, ecstatic visions and mad gifts. Editor Malaina Poore and Icarus Project Bay Area members will be on hand for a stimulating reading, slideshow and discussion about mad culture. top of page

	Film screening and artist filmmaker talk Angela Y Davis: Radical Pedagogy Filmmaker Angela Carroll will be in attendance - Monday, April 19 - 7 PM Angela Y Davis: Radical Pedagogy talks to students, academics, grassroots organizers, rappers and everyday people on the streets about the contributions of Professor Angela Davis. It is a must see if you are in any way interested in radical politics or women’s studies. top of page

	Launch and Discussion In and Out of Crisis: The Global Financial Meltdown and Left Alternatives Greg Albo, Sam Gindin, Leo Panitch With Sasha Lilley (Against the Grain, KPFA) - Tuesday, April 20 - 7 PM While many around the globe are increasingly wondering if another world is indeed possible, few are mapping out potential avenues and flagging wrong turns en route to a post-capitalist future. In this groundbreaking analysis of the financial meltdown, renowned radical political economists Albo, Gindin and Panitch lay bare the roots of the crisis in the inner logic of capitalism itself. top of page

	Reading Envisioning Sustainability Peter Berg - Thursday April 22 - 7 PM A collection of 40 years of writing by a man known as the "father of bioregionalism" and "a thorn in the side of the environmental movement", Envisioning Sustainability collects seminal essays that defined the bioregional movement and shaped the sustainability revolution including "More Than Just Saving What's Left", "Growing a Life-Place Politics" and "A Metamorphosis for Cities: From Gray to Green." top of page

	Queer Open Mic - Friday, April 23 - 7 PM sign-up for performers - 7:30 PM start time Queer Open Mic is a regular event offering a mixed bag of open mic performances (usually poetry and short stories, sometimes music or comedy) and kick-ass features. Primarily serving the queer community, it’s been running since 2004. All ages and minds of queer writers are welcome- just bring that rough draft or polished gem! Five minutes max, $3-5 donation, no one turned away, and lots of queer literary love. For more information: queeropenmic.com top of page

	Spanish Book Club/ Circulo de Lectoras/ es de Literatura en Espanol Book of the Month: El Viajero del Mar, de Ildefonso Falcones Andrés Neuman - Tuesday, April 20 - 7 PM Join us for our Spanish language book group A mix of native speakers and advanced level hablantes, the group has been meeting in the Mission District on a monthly basis for nine years. Participants receive a 10% discount on their book purchases. Los libros estan en la seccion de libros en espanol. Las personas que participan en el grupo reciben 10% de descuento al comprar los libros. top of page

	Reading and panel discussion Seeking Spatial Justice Edward Soja with Maria Poblet and Robbie Clark of Just Cause/Causa Justa and Will Dominie of Urban Habitat - Thursday, April 29 - 7 PM In Seeking Spatial Justice, Edward W. Soja argues that justice has a geography and that the equitable distribution of resources, services, and access is a basic human right. Building on current concerns in critical geography and the new spatial consciousness, Soja interweaves theory and practice, offering new ways of understanding and changing the unjust geographies in which we live. Come talk about organizing campaigns to reclaim public space, like the Bus Riders' Union, with Soja and community organizers from Just Cause/Causa Justa and Urban Habitat. top of page

	Reading Transgender Explained For Those Who Are Not Joanne Herman - Friday, April 30 - 7 PM Cosponsored by the Transgender Law Center Joanne Herman, a transgender woman who read everything in sight to understand her own gender incongruity, has been helping others with her non-complicated explanations of transgender for almost a decade. Now she has written down her explanations for all to read in Transgender Explained For Those Who Are Not. Organized by topic into short, easy-to-read chapters, Transgender Explained is perfect for parents, relatives, colleagues, friends, allies and even journalists who want to quickly get up to speed on what it means to be transgender. top of page