Hey Garden(ers),
Last month, Garden member Mo (they/them) hosted Garden's Roast Wanted on the Garden Talks stage where we heard folks roast everyone from historical problematic figures, to "nice" allies, Dungeons and Dragons, and more. If you missed out, or if you were there and you want to re-watch the roasts, you can do so by visiting the second floor of the Pandemic Sanctuary room (located in the Enchanted Library).
Starting in September, Garden will be hosting a 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? Send us your proposals here!
Running low on Covid tests? Garden has once again been gifted a large donation of Rapid Antigen Tests that we will be distributing to Garden members and expire in September of 2026. Garden members can fill out the form to request a box of tests (40+ tests) here.
Thanks to everyone who came to the Best Practices for Facilitating & Hosting in a Virtual World workshop on Saturday! Slides from this session can be found here. Should we do something like this again? We have a short, two question poll here.
As we mentioned over the weeks, this will be the second year that Garden will be observing Black August. Celebrated for 46 years, it's a time that honors Black Revolutionaries and the Fight for Liberation with various ways folks may participate in this call of solidarity. Some folks may participate in fasting, some create space for community education, some may create art to share the stories of folks lost to state and/or imperialist violence. Below, check out the events we have planned for Black August! Each event is labeled as to whether it is open to all, or specifically for a Black audience.
😷 Hang out, chill and play games with Black folks who take COVID precautions at Bonfire in Garden! The next Bonfire will be Saturday August 16th at 5pm PT, where will have a facilitated conversation with Ohene:waa about solidarity across the African diaspora. RSVP here. (Black folks only.)
✊🏾Sunday August 17th, we'll have a special screening of The Black Power Mixtape 1967-75, at 1pm PT! (This session is open to all.) RSVP here
📽️ 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! Schedule will be available on or before August 15th. (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 8th 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 on 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!
☕ 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? 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! Please note that on Wednesday the 23rd, Breathing will be pushed to 10am PT.
💃🏾 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 the third installment of a horror franchise where we meet new characters in this world of zombie apocalypse that started almost 30 years ago. 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 this Thursday August 14th 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.
🦾 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.
👁️ Looking for grants for your project, organization or collective? Have you seen this amazing resource built by Funding for Social Change? Peruse over 500 grants compiled by the team at Funding for Social Change by using the sort and search options on their database which covers grant opportunities globally.
🌏 Thailand International LGBTQ+ Film Festival & TV Festival (TILFF) is proud to host its second edition! This event shows our ongoing commitment to championing diversity, inclusivity, and freedom. Featuring an impressive lineup of Thai and international films, the festival will be a jubilant celebration of gender diversity and a platform to support the unique voices of LGBTQ+ filmmakers. Films will be screened at the ICON Cineconic at ICONSIAM in central Bangkok between September 2-7, 2025. Submissions are due by August 8th, free to enter.
⚧️ JAHA Film Festival is a radical and joyful celebration of nonbinary and trans voices in Palestine, the Global South, and Indigenous communities. In a world that seeks to silence these voices, the festival reclaims stories, amplifies perspectives, and fights for freedom and liberation through the transformative power of cinema. Submissions for this festival close on August 31st.
🍉 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 looking 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!