Hey Garden(ers),
Have you ever played Among Us? Maybe you haven't played since the early pandemic days when most folks seemed to be either roller skating or playing online games. Or maybe this is your first time hearing about this game. Regardless, we are starting an Among Us game night here in Garden! Join us every other Friday (starting September 12th at 5pm PT) for a night of fun, strategy, and a little bit of betrayal 🗡️ Complete tasks (yes, even after you are killed!), look around to see who is acting suspicious and see if you can spot the Impostor before it’s too late. Whether you're a seasoned crewmate or a sneaky saboteur, all skill levels are welcome to join! RSVP here!
📽️ This Saturday August 23rd, starting at 1pm PT we'll be hosting a Black Classics Movie Marathon! From comedy, to documentary, drama and horror, let's get into it! A tentative schedule can be found here. (Black folks only.) RSVP here
🌱 But is it Reparations: A Deep Dive into Reparations Frameworks with J Mase & Lady Dane happens on August 31st from 1-4pm PT. What can reparations actually look like? How does the Reparations Movement intersect with other social movements and how do non-Black POC participate? What are models that currently exist? What else goes into Reparations beyond money? RSVP here (This session is open to all.)
📺 Based on Issa Rae's acclaimed web series Awkward Black Girl, Insecure is a show about the awkward and messy experiences of a young Black woman. Join us for the next showing this Friday August 22nd at 6pm PT to stream and chit-chat about Issa and her crew's hilarious moments, relationship drama, bad decisions, breakups and glow-ups. Issa watch party at The Dunes! RSVP via the visit page.
🎥 Join Nathan and Zahra this Friday August 22nd at 6pm PT as they stream the Thai BL film - The Red Envelope! Synopsis: When Menn, a super-straight mugger-turned-police spy, accidentally picks up a mysterious red envelope, he is bound by a supernatural contract that forces him to wed a ghost. Fate plays an even crueler trick on him. His "spouse" is not only dead, but a cute and unapologetically progressive gay man named Titi. Run time = 2 hours 7 minutes. We will have a 15 minute break half-way. Themes: Horror, Supernatural, Queer, Comedy. RSVP here!
🤔 Have you become a member of Garden, but still feel like you have questions about how to navigate the Gather.Town platform, or how the space works? Come ask all your questions and get acclimated at New Member Orientation on Saturday, August 30th at 1pm PT! RSVP here for a reminder!
✍🏽Are you an aspiring writer? Come join The Storytellers' Anthology every other Saturday starting September 6th at 1pm PT, hosted by Louis J. Mason. This group is created for writers who want feedback and constructive criticism on their unpublished literary works, especially for those looking to publish their piece, but just need an extra pair of eyes and encouragement. All genres are welcomed and encouraged. RSVP to attend here
☕ September 7th at 1pm PT, Garden will be hosting its first Social Hour series. Each Social Hour will feature a 15-30 min rant// talk// presentation// performance from a Garden member on a subject of their choosing as well as time for folks to meet other members in a casual hang out space with games and activities. Want a place to share your random idea, your new poetic works, to present something special or even host at a Garden Social Hour? We are seeking our first brave presenter, is it you?! Send us your proposals here! RSVP to attend here.
🛋️ Join Deeda as she hosts Fall Forward: A Cozy Vision Board Party on Saturday September 13th at 3pm PT. As the season shifts, come settle in for a gentle Saturday evening of reflection, intention-setting, and creative visioning. Folks will gather in the Enchanted Library to dream together about the months ahead. Feel free to bring your favorite cozy drink, comfy socks/blanket, and a few images or words that speak to your heart. ✨ No pressure--just presence and imagination!✨RSVP here
🫁 Want to increase your lung capacity? Come to Breathing in the Knowledge Nursery! Every weekday at 9am PT. RSVP here!
💃🏾 Co-Twerking this Tuesday with Caroline at 3pm PST!
📔 Quiet-ish Reading Club / Connect (QRC) 💜💛📚 meets Tuesdays at 6pm PT! QRC - Garden Edition is where we chill together in mostly quiet company of 45 min reading blocks. Bring your own: book, audiobook, article, magazine, comic book, training manuals, graphic novel, paperwork/forms, poetry, etc. anything you’d like to or need to read. Most of the time will be us practicing sustained silent reading (SSR) in cozy, quiet company together. We will take occasional breaks to chat and socialize - mics optional. Learn more about QRC - Garden Edition. Like to be kept up-to-date on QRC meet-ups in Garden? Fill out this interest form. RSVP here
🎥 Name That Movie (Night!) is Wednesday at 5:30pm PT! This week's movie is a 1999 queer camp comedy- about a cheerleader. Think you know what it is? Come thru and find out! RSVP via the visit page.
🫂 The next session of Chronic Illness and Long Covid Support Group will be next Thursday August 28th from 5:30pm-7:30pm PT with Chanelle! Navigating everything that comes with chronic illness can be difficult - from managing symptoms to experiencing grief over missing your pre-illness life. This is a peer support space where we can share our feelings about living with any chronic/long-term illness, including long COVID, during an ongoing pandemic. RSVP here!
🪷 Stretch it out as Caroline leads us in another weekly afternoon Yoga sesh Fridays at 3pm PT by streaming a yoga video from YouTube and following along. Videos will be between 25-45 minutes long between easy to moderate pace. Drop ins are always welcome! RSVP via the calendar on the visit page.
😷 Hang out, chill and play games with Black folks who take COVID precautions at Bonfire in Garden! The next Bonfire will be Saturday September 20th at 5pm PT RSVP here. (Black folks only.)
🦾 Self Defense Discussion Series will be on Sundays at 8am PT. We focus on ease of movement, light strengthening or flexibility exercises, and reading/discussion on self-defense and liberatory principles. Message Caroline with any questions. RSVP via the visit page!
🎨 Let’s unlock our creative spirit together! Garden's Way a 12-week meetup where we’ll discuss chapters, share progress, and encourage each other as we move through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Open to anyone (writers, painters, musicians, dreamers, etc.) looking for a supportive space to grow and express themselves. 🌱 every Sunday at 11am PT through Oct 5th, hosted by Deeda & Mo & Dan. Meeting weekly at Garden and yapping asynchronously in our Signal group. DM a host to be added to the Signal group, or join us at their weekly meeting! RSVP here.
💻 Do you work from home and sometimes feel a little too isolated from others? Come Co-Work with us in Garden! We are a 24/7 drop in space for folks to join to co-work silently, listen to music, play a game or chat amongst each other in the chat box.
🏢 Welcoming Neighbors Network, America’s only national network of independent state and local pro-housing advocacy organizations, is hiring for two remote positions: 1. Communications Associate (Salary: $65k-$85k) and 2. Communications Hub Press Secretary (Salary: $95k-$115k.) Applications are due August 26th.
👨🏾💻 Salesberry Group (SG) is a financial, people, and operations firm serving organizations working in the progressive political arena. Our mission is to actively support members of the progressive movement in creating a more just and equitable existence for all. SG is currently hiring a fully remote Associate to assist clients with standard operations, administration, bookkeeping, payroll duties, budgeting, and other analysis and projects as needed. Salary: $55k-$65k annually +benefits. Applications are due August 29th.
🔭 The Radcliffe Fellowship Program supports 50 scholars, artists, and public intellectuals who have demonstrated records of achievement in their respective fields and show great promise for future contributions. Fellows will each receive $78k.Applications are due September 11th.
🌎 The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers (via the New York Public Library) is an international fellowship program open to people whose work will benefit directly from access to the collections at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building—including academics, independent scholars, and creative writers (novelists, playwrights, poets). Visual artists at work on a book project are also welcome to apply. Fellows are appointed for a nine-month term at the Library, from September through May. In addition to working on their own projects, the Fellows engage in an ongoing exchange of ideas within the Center and in public forums throughout the Library. A Cullman Center Fellow receives the use of an office with a computer, full access to the Library’s physical and electronic resources, and a stipend of $90,000. Applications are due September 25th. *Please note this is an in-person fellowship open to folks all over the world.
✒️ The Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry is an annual award of USD $1,000. Established in 2015 and named for late literary philanthropist and APBF friend Glenna Luschei, this pan-African poetry prize is the only one of its kind in the world and aims to honor and promote African poetry written in English or in translation and to recognize a significant book published each year by an African poet. Each year, a significant African writer judges the contest. Open annually from May to October to submissions from authors and publishers. Winner will be announced in the following year. Submissions are being accepted from now, until October 1st.
🍉 Centering Palestine has a zoom every Tuesday at 5pm PT, along with other resources to show up for Palestine available here.
😷 World Health Network has a weekly call to organize community members against mask bans every Friday at 12pm PT.
📢 As a follow-up to the Anti-Blackness sessions GenDoc facilitated with us a few weeks ago, she has graciously provided this Notes on Anti-Blackness write-up which shares some key takeaways about how Anti-Blackness shows up in BIPOC spaces and what non-Black folks can be doing to support dismantling that.
🌻 We are continuing to open Garden up to more community orgs who would like to share space with us here. If you are part of an org that may benefit from office/event space here, please email info@meetatgarden.com
💌 Don't forget, we can design and host non-Garden virtual events too.
Until next our avatars meet,
🪄Al, 😻Gata & 🪻J Mase
PS: Have a one-time-event or a recurring event and need a place to host? Email us at info@meetatgarden.com!
Garden is a free 24/7 space, but it does cost money for us to maintain it on Gather.Town. If you'd like to donate to this work, consider throwing some money in the pot here. To send donations directly through our 501c3 fiscal sponsor, email us!