Category: General interest

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14th Annual Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival

co-sponsored by Poetry Flash, Ecology Center/Berkeley Farmers’ Markets, and EcoCity Builders. A free day of poetry, music, and activism, exploring the State of the Planet.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, Noon to 4:00 PM

Martin Luther King, Jr. CIVIC CENTER PARK, Berkeley

Martin Luther King, Jr. Way at Center Street

Next to Berkeley Farmers’ Market, 1 block west of downtown Berkeley BART

Featuring:

  • STRAWBERRY CREEK WALK, 10:00 AM, Oxford & Center Streets, UC Berkeley campus
  • RIVER VILLAGE literary and environmental exhibits
  • WE ARE NATURE OPEN MIC (sign up at Festival Info Booth by Noon)

Including:

  • Robert Hass (former U.S. Poet Laureate)
  • acclaimed author and California farmer David Mas Masumoto (Wisdom of the Last Farmer: Harvesting Legacies from the Land)
  • New Mexico poets Arthur Sze (The Ginkgo Light) and Carol Moldaw (The Widening)
  • poet and novelist Kim Addonizio (Lucifer at the Starlight (poems) and Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within)
  • Joseph Stroud (Of This World: New & Selected Poems)
  • poet and novelist Marilyn Chin (Rhapsody in Plain Yellow (poems) and Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen (novel))
  • poet/eco-educator Chris Olander (Mallard)
  • student and youth poets from River of Words, California Poets in the Schools, and Poetry Inside Out will all be presented onstage by Bay Area poet/emcee Richard Silberg, an editor of Poetry Flash.
  • Patricia Bulitt, dancer and performance artist, will perform “The Cloud Maiden,” a site specific and interactive performance with music, storytelling, and movement
  • Environmental updates will be provided by Kirstin Miller of EcoCity Builders, Kirk Lumpkin of the Ecology Center/Berkeley Farmers’ Market.

PUBLIC INFO: (510) 526-9105; www.poetryflash.org

ACCESSABILITY: Convenient public transportation, near downtown Berkeley BART and buses on MLK and Shattuck / street and lot parking / wheelchair access.

WHAT: 14th Annual WATERSHED  ENVIRONMENTAL POETRY FESTIVAL co-sponsored by Poetry Flash,
Ecology Center/Berkeley Farmers’ Markets, and EcoCity Builders. A free day of poetry,
music, and activism, exploring the State of the Planet.

WHEN:  SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, Noon to 4:00 PM

WHERE:  Martin Luther King, Jr. CIVIC CENTER PARK, Berkeley

Martin Luther King, Jr. Way at Center Street

Next to Berkeley Farmers’ Market, 1 block west of downtown Berkeley BART

PLUS: • STRAWBERRY CREEK WALK, 10:00 AM, Oxford & Center Streets, UC Berkeley campus

• RIVER VILLAGE literary and environmental exhibits

• WE ARE NATURE OPEN MIC (sign up at Festival Info Booth by Noon)

WHO:  Robert Hass (former U.S. Poet Laureate), acclaimed author and California farmer
David Mas Masumoto (Wisdom of the Last Farmer: Harvesting Legacies from the Land), New
Mexico poets Arthur Sze (The Ginkgo Light) and Carol Moldaw (The Widening), poet and
novelist Kim Addonizio (Lucifer at the Starlight (poems) and Ordinary Genius: A Guide for
the Poet Within), Joseph Stroud (Of This World: New & Selected Poems), poet and novelist
Marilyn Chin (Rhapsody in Plain Yellow (poems) and Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen
(novel)), poet/eco-educator Chris Olander (Mallard),  and student and youth poets from
River of Words, California Poets in the Schools, and Poetry Inside Out will all be
presented onstage by Bay Area poet/emcee Richard Silberg, an editor of Poetry Flash.
Patricia Bulitt, dancer and performance artist, will perform “The Cloud Maiden,” a site
specific and interactive performance with music, storytelling, and movement.
Environmental updates will be provided by Kirstin Miller of EcoCity Builders, Kirk
Lumpkin of the Ecology Center/Berkeley Farmers’ Market.

PUBLIC INFO: (510) 526-9105; www.poetryflash.org

ACCESSABILITY: Convenient public transportation, near downtown Berkeley BART and buses on
MLK and Shattuck / street and lot parking / wheelchair access.

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Autumn Equinox Gathering, Cesar Chavez Solar Calendar

Sunset at Solar Calendar

Solar Calendar
Cesar Chavez Park

Tuesday, September 22nd
6:15pm to 7:15 pm
Sunset @ 7 pm
Led by Rabbi David Cooper

Gathering includes:

  • Mini-workshop on Astronomy & Season
  • Celebrating the Chavez virtue:  Courage
  • Culture & Season

Links:

Sunset gatheringhttp://www.solarcalendar.org
http://www.ecologycenter.org/chavez (Cesar Chavez Commemorative Activities)
http://solarcalendar.blogspot.com (Evolution of the site)

Dress warmly ­ The weather is part of the experience.

NOTE
Thank you to all the dog walkers who have been helping by keeping their dogs on a leash.   This is particularly important when there are a lot of people,  dogs and excitement in the center circle.  It makes for a more orderly and enjoyable experience for all in attendance.  You are some of our biggest supporters.

Those of you who have been there in the past know that we regularly review four virtues of Cesar Chavez which are metaphorically associated with the four cardinal directions.  Tolerance is also one of those virtues.  And it is a good one to be reminded of as we learn to be with one another harmoniously in a special space and moment.

Thanks again to Lee Trampleasure for his photos of our gatherings, these  from the June Solstice.  http://www.bpfp.org/gallery/v/album_001/album/

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Free Opera at John Hinkel Park

From Nina Davis, comes news of two Open Opera performances of The Marriage of Figaro on July 25 and 26 at John Hinkel Park, in North Berkeley. “Charming, lighthearted and endlessly enjoyable, The Marriage of Figaro is Mozart’s most popular opera. Vivid characters, glowing wit, dizzying ensembles, mistaken identities, and carefully constructed intrigue make for a miraculous marriage of music and drama in this sublime comedy of manners as touching as it is funny. Gourmet food, great setting and grand music at John Hinkel Park – be there!”

A picture named figaro.jpg

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Summer Solstice Gathering (11th Annual) Interim Solar Calendar César Chávez Park

Saturday, June 20th
7:45 pm to 8:45 pm
Sunset @ 8:30 pm

Led by Tory Brady, Exploratorium Teacher Institute, or Alan Gould Lawrence Hall of Science

Mini-workshop on Astronomy & Season
Celebrating the Chavez virtue:  “Determination”
Culture & Season

 Dress warmly – The weather is part of the experience.

Note:
Thank you to all the dog walkers who have been helping by keeping their dogs on a leash.  The Memorial Solar Calendar site is located in the “on-leash” section of the park.  This is particularly important when there are a lot of people, dogs and excitement in the center circle.  It makes for a more orderly and enjoyable experience for all in attendance.  You are some of our biggest supporters.

Those of you who have been there in the past know that we regularly review four virtues of Cesar Chavez which are metaphorically associated with the four cardinal directions.  Tolerance is also one of those virtues.  And it is a good one to be reminded of as we learn to be with one another harmoniously in a special space and moment.

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Chocolate & Chalk Art Festival

CHOCOLATE & C H A L K A R T

The sidewalks along North Shattuck Ave. in the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley are the target of artists young and old, professional and greenhorn during the 13th annual CHOCOLATE & C H A L K A R T FESTIVAL on Saturday, May 30.

With no fees to artists, areas of sidewalk will be assigned to participants to create their own fanciful chalk drawings. A CHOCOLATE & C H A L K A R T Contest for the best drawing will be judged after 4 p.m. Winners will be notified the following day. First prize is $250 with $50 gift certificates awarded for runners up. Same-day registration takes place 10AM-5PM in event booths located along North Shattuck Ave. Artist’s chalk is available for a fee.

For CHOCOLATE sampling, start by purchasing a packet of tickets (10 for $10) at any of the registration sites. The to-go menu features organic café mocha, chocolate mochi ice cream, and spicy chocolate tandori chicken, as well as the weirder chocolate goat cheese truffles, chocolate garlic clusters, and chocolate soap! Spend your tickets on these delights in the businesses flying festival balloons.

Vendors with chocolate-related items and hand made arts & crafts fill the Farmer’s Market area, music fills the air, clown’s laughter fills your heart, and many more surprises fill your senses as you stroll along the sidewalks viewing the artwork that remains in place for the next two weeks. See last year’s winners at www.chocolateandchalkart.com

Produced by Another Bullwinkel Show 510.548.5335 www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com and sponsored by the North Shattuck Association www.northshattuck.org . Take BART to downtown Berkeley and walk north six blocks.