Hey Garden(ers),
For our folks who are parents, we know it is important to have spaces to connect! By request, we have launched a Parents Lounge! Located inside of the Meeting Rooms building on Garden Map, this lounge is specifically for our folks wanting to share space with others about what it means to be raising children as BIPOC folks navigating this current pandemic world. If you are a parent, feel free to utilize this space to leave each other notes on the blackboards, decorate (if you are a desk build member) and/or have dedicated space to run into others who share similar joys/struggles around parenthood!
⏰ Our events are generally listed in PST/PDT. Need help converting to your time zone? We recommend using World Time Buddy!
🖱️ January 18th at 1pm PST, Emma has been hard at work and would love to introduce the Enchanted Cybersecurity Garden — a permanent place within Garden she has been building that teaches cybersecurity basics through an affirming, queer-centered virtual world. The session will include a short talk on digital safety for LGBTQ+ communities followed by a guided exploration of the space together. RSVP to attend Enchanted Cybersecurity Garden walkthrough + talk on queer digital safety!
❤️🩹 Join us in the Kinship Room (Enchanted Library) Jan 18th at 2:30pm PST /5:30pm EST to discuss chapters 1 and 2 of ❤️🩹 The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color by Natalie Y. Gutiérrez, LMFT. We'll listen to the audiobook together, practice some of the exercises in the chapter, and leave time to share our thoughts on what we've read and practiced so far. See Deeda for more info. Make sure to RSVP!
💄 Sunday January 25th at 3pm PST wind down your Sunday w/ a little nostalgia and a lot of movie magic in "Throwback Sunday", a Julia Roberts Double Feature 🎬✨ // In this back-to-back screening we will watch Julia Roberts star in "Pretty Woman" (1990) and "Erin Brockovich" (2000). Within the span of a decade, Roberts goes from a Hollywood sex worker who falls in love with a rich customer, to a single mom who takes on a lawsuit against a mammoth bay area based utility company contaminating water causing devastating illnesses among its residents. // Grab your popcorn, bring a friend, and settle in for an night of classic 90s vibes 🍿💄⚖️ RSVP to attend
🎭 Places, theater nerds! At Do You Hear the Garden Sing? (Musical Theater Night) we'll be watching musical theatre movies, pro-shots (and some bootlegs) every other week. This is a bi-weekly space to nerd-out about musical theater, enjoy some tunes and perhaps even share some hateful takes ;) For our first movie, we'll be watching tick, tick... BOOM! The biographical musical about the mind behind Rent, Jonathan Larson. Come join for the first curtain call on Saturday January 31st at 5pm PST! RSVP
🫁 Want to increase your lung capacity? Come to Breathing in the Knowledge Nursery! Every weekday at 9am PT. RSVP here!
💃🏾 Co-Twerking is on Tuesdays at 3pm PT with Caroline! RSVP to get notified!
📔 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. 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 night is a popular horror that wants you to get out of the places you are not welcomed. Think you know what it is? Come thru and find out! RSVP via the visit page.
🪷 Stretch it out as Caroline leads us in a 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.
🫂 The next session of Chronic Illness and Long Covid Support Group will be Thursday January 15th 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!
🗡️Join us Friday January 16th at 5pm PT for Garden's Among Us Game nights! Join for fun, strategy, and a little bit of betrayal 🗡️ Complete your 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!
✍🏽 Are you an aspiring writer? Come join The Storytellers' Anthology returns to every other Saturday, Jan 17th 1pm PT, hosted by Louis. 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.
😷 Hang out, chill and play games with Black folks who take COVID precautions at Bonfire in Garden! The next Bonfire will be Saturday January 17th at 5pm PT RSVP here. (Black folks only.)
🍿 Monday, January 19th at 5pm PT, BJ will be hosting Black Movie Night, a bi-weekly movie (and show) night to highlight movies (and shows) made by, for, and about Black people. The media will generally be entertainment focused, but will also include nights where the intention is education. (Black Folks only.) RSVP! Jan 19th's movie will be South Central
🏳️⚧️ At our first Trans Meetup, the group was unanimous in deciding that Trans Meetup will be a monthly occurrence. Every fourth Sunday in Garden, at 2pm PT will be a day that Trans folks have made! The next meetup will be Jan 25th! Join us by RSVP'ing here.
☕ Sunday February 1st at 1pm PT, Garden will be hosting its next 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, get feedback or even host at a Garden Social Hour? The format is flexible as needed, and can be a space to practice facilitation skills for those wanting a friendly place to try something new. Want to share your topic at the next, or a future Social Hour? Send us your proposals here! RSVP to attend 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.
🧶 Applications for the 2026 Crafting the Future grants are officially open!
We're offering ✌️ grant opportunities for Black and Brown visual artists and organizations:
‣ Artist Micro Grants - $500 unrestricted grants (10 available)
Perfect for covering art supplies, studio fees, travel, housing, and other expenses that support your practice.
‣ Special Project Macro Grants - Up to $10,000 ($40,000 total available)
Fund projects that create opportunities for multiple artists of color through internships, assistantships, residencies, workshops, community programs, and more. Who can apply? US-based visual artists of color aged 18+ and organizations centering Black and Brown artists, working in materials-based craft, folk/traditional arts, and other visual arts.
Applications close February 15, 2026 at 11:59pm PST
😷 The Sick Times, a journalist-founded website chronicling the Long COVID crisis, is looking for a new part-time/remote podcast and social media producer to join our remote team part-time. The position will ideally start in February 2026. Pay is a stipend of $2,750 per month (as a W-2 employee), with an expectation of 20-25 hours of work per week. // To apply: Please send your resume and a brief email (3-4 paragraphs) detailing your applicable experience and work samples to editors@thesicktimes.org by 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 20. Include “podcast producer application” in the subject line. **We will not review any applications that were drafted with AI.**
💌 As Gata transitions out of her admin role, to honor the work she has put into supporting Garden, please share your notes, your love, your care for her directly here.
🥐 If for whatever reason, you are in the US and find yourself, or someone you care about, to be food insecure, here are three sites to find food banks where you/they are: Food Finder, FindHelp and Feeding America. If these are not resources you personally need, please share with your folks.
🍉 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 months 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
🎉Want to host your birthday, or the birthday of a friend in Garden? Check out our Birthday Guide and email us!
💌 Don't forget, we can design and host non-Garden virtual events too.
Until next our avatars meet,
🪄Al &🪻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!