COYOTE Calendar: January 15-21

Welcome to the COYOTE Calendar. Here are this week's hand picked events, just for you. This week we've got water-themed raves, calligraphy classes, and three different kinds of swaps (plants, clothing, and cookbooks). Monday is MLK Day, and there are plenty of ways to honor the legacy of Dr. King all across the Bay Area. We'll post new events each Wednesday. Go forth and enjoy!

• Simultaneous Chess Exhibition with GM Elshan Moardiabadi 〰️ A man playing a single chess match? Meh. A man playing 25 chess matches at once? Now I'm listening. Come see Chess Grandmaster Elshan Moardiabadi take on an entire soccer team's roster and probably still come out on top. 〰️ 6:30am-8:30pm 〰️ Mechanics Institute, SF 〰️ $30 〰️ more info
• Water Futures: Flood Zone 〰️ Luíz Barata from the Port of San Francisco Climate Mitigation team joins Bay Area artists, technologists, and "cross-disciplinary makers" to talk about the future of SF's water — from king tides, flood zones and the living sea wall. "From unequal access and global flows to Indigenous stewardship, shifting shorelines, and nonhuman kinship, Water Futures foregrounds water as an active force linking intimacy to infrastructure, climate to care, and human life to all other living systems." 〰️ 6-7:30pm 〰️ TIAT, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Free Movie Night: The Godfather 〰️ While Megalopolis is the last we heard (and kept hearing) from director Francis Ford Coppola, it’s easy to forget that he used to make good movies, too. 〰️ 6:30pm 〰️ Orinda Theater, Orinda 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Cosmik Debris: An Interstellar Variety Show! 〰️ Puppets are hot right now in the Bay Area, I'll have you know. And one of my favorite Bay Area puppeteers, Risa Lenore, will be performing at this variety show. Plus: dagger swallowing, sonic lunacy, and more. 〰️ 6:30pm 〰️ The Planetarium, Richmond 〰️ $15 〰️ more info
• Rice Showdown 〰️ I thought this was going to be some kind of wrestling match on different beds of rice, but it's actually an event bringing together chefs and food writers to talk through three dishes and highlight how rice weaves through culture and cuisine. Still cool! 〰️ 7pm 〰️ The Commons at KQED, SF 〰️ $30 in person (livestream free) 〰️ more info
• Flatways, Toussaint St. Negritude, Julia Mazawa, Sung Kim 〰️ "A cosmic spectacle of trans-dimensional journeys, all sights, ears, and souls are summoned to the poignant joys of our collective humanity." I don't know what that means, but all the artists in this show sound amazing and I'm excited to find out. 〰️ 8-11pm 〰️ Peacock Lounge, SF 〰️ $5-$15 NOTAFLOF* 〰️ more info
• ¡FUERA ICE! 〰️ Shit is fucking bad right now y'all. Show up for your community, go out and document ICE, help your neighbors, support your communities, but also build in time to celebrate that there are way more of us than there are of them. In the words of the organizers of this event: "KEEP ON FAMILY! BE RADICAL! BE READY! PRAY! LOVE! CRY! SING! RUN! JUMP! DANCE! AND PRAY SOME MORE!" 〰️ 8pm-12am 〰️ El Rio, SF 〰️ $15 NOTAFLOF* 〰️ more info

• SOMA Camp 〰️ Fungal freaks, get your wallets out. This one is pricy, but special. Join fellow mushroom sickos for a weekend of "fungi, forest walks, workshops, and community magic." 〰️ 8am 〰️ CYO Camp, Occidental 〰️ $600 for the entire event; $100 for day pass 〰️ more info
• Mabuhay Gardens for Creativity Regeneration and Joy 〰️ Our very own Emma Silvers covered the re-opening of Mabuhay Gardens as more than just a punk venue. And this is one of those "more than" events — a gathering of artists to talk about what is possible at this venue. (Note: I'm pretty sure the flyer for this event is AI-generated, which fucking sucks. Please stop doing this, event organizers! Maybe those who attend this event can tell them to knock that shit off.) 〰️ 4-6pm 〰️ Mabuhay Gardens, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Cookbook Swap 〰️ I love the premise of this event, and I wish it was more common for all books! Here's how it works: Bring a cookbook you're ready to part with, give a little pitch for why you love it, and then send it along to a new home, and pick a new one for yourself. Way better than leaving your used cookbooks out on the curb. 〰️ 6-7pm 〰️ Preserved, Oakland 〰️ FREE (Registration Required) 〰️ more info
• Erotikon 〰️ "A refined and stylized work that is perhaps the greatest comedy of the Swedish silent film era." That sentence means nothing to me, a person who knows nothing about film (let alone Swedish silent films) but this one looks really interesting. Apparently the members of the Stockholm Opera were enlisted as extras? The film includes a wife simultaneously courting two lovers? With live piano accompaniment?! Okay, sure, let's go. 〰️ 7pm 〰️ BAMPFA, Berkeley 〰️ $18 〰️ more info
• Promiscuous: Y2K Club Bangers 〰️ If the word "promiscuous" immediately conjures up the dulcet tones of my Portuguese queen Nelly Furtado, you're probably due for a colonoscopy AND you should check out this event. Dress code: Y2K core. Make Gen Z proud and confused, friends. 〰️ 9:30pm-2:30am 〰️ DNA Lounge, SF 〰️ $12 advance/$25 door 〰️ more info
• Gothic-Lolita Fashion Ball 〰️ My style has been described as "manic pixie dream dad" so for this I will be a loving and deeply impressed spectator. But for my gothic lolita baddies, come strut your stuff and dance the night away at this party, and if you're feeling extra fly enter the midnight costume contest. I would vote for each and every one of you. 〰️ 9:30pm-2:30am 〰️ Cat Club, SF 〰️ $7 before 10 pm, $10 after 〰️ more info

• Delicious and Deadly Mushrooms & Plants of Berkeley 〰️ You will pry the mushroom events from our cold, dead hands after we accidentally ingest a death cap. But you won't have to do that because we're going to hear Saumitra Kelkar teach us how to identify edible from deadly mushrooms. She'll also cover how to find local nuts like bay laurel and acorn, and teach us about the many edible and medicinal plants in the SF Bay area. 〰️ 10am-12pm 〰️ UC Berkeley Botanical Garden 〰️ $85 〰️ more info
• Winter Herb Walk: January Session 〰️ If you prefer plants to fungi, when it comes to local foraging, this one is for you. A nice, relaxing walk through Strawberry Creek Park to harvest local herbs and learn what you can do with them. Dress in layers, and come learn about the bounty of plant neighbors that surround us! 〰️ 10am-12pm 〰️ Berkeley Herbal Center 〰️ $35 〰️ more info
• Writing for The Graphic Medium! 〰️ How do you make a comic or graphic novel? How do you take a story and convert it into that kind of medium? Come see Dr. Rebecca Hall walk through the basics. Hall turned her own dissertation into the book Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts and will "explain the arc of the comic storyline, and the rules of comic grammar and when to break them to tell a more effective story." 〰️ 12-2pm 〰️ Sour Cherry Comics, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Trans Bay Area Walk and Draw at Lake Merritt 〰️ Meet up with trans cuties and draw together at Lake Merritt! In these times it's so crucial to do fun cute things with fun cute people and this is a great way to do that. Make sure to wear comfy shoes and bring whatever art supplies you wish. 〰️ 1-3pm 〰️ Lake Merritt (meet by the Fairyland sign) 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Tenant and Neighborhood Councils Clothing Swap 〰️ Don't give your clothes to Goodwill (fuck them), bring them to a community meetup or mutual aid swap like this one. And if you need new clothes, come get some here. Plus, meet up with members of the Bay's autonomous tenant union — they do great work. 〰️ 2-5pm 〰️ Two Pitchers Brewery, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Seed and Plant Swap 〰️ If you don't have or need clothes, but you do have or need plants, this one is for you. Bring your greenery and supplies, and go home with new ones. Meet plant lovers, and get ready for spring. 〰️ 2-5pm 〰️ Crisis Club, Berkeley 〰️ 😷 COVID SAFE: masks required inside 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Savor: A Sampler Party 〰️ If your favorite part of Costco is the free samples, and you are into kink, boy do I have good news for you. Come to this private event and sample a variety of kink styles short, curated tasters led by skilled house tops. "Think of it as a tasting menu: small bites, distinct flavors, no obligation to commit to a full course." This is not for newbies, please read the info in the link carefully. 〰️ 5-9pm 〰️ SOMA, SF 〰️ $22+ 〰️ negative COVID test required in advance 〰️ more info
• Black Eyes & Hostile Design 〰️ Black Eyes's 2003 self-titled album got a lot of play on my shitty CD player back in the day. They disbanded in 2004, but have been back at it for a few years and now they're back in the Bay. Whether you're an original fan, or new to the music, this one will be fun. 〰️ 8pm 〰️ Neck of the Woods, SF 〰️ $24.66 〰️ more info

• Kakizome Japanese Calligraphy Workshop 〰️ We're getting close to Lunar New Year, which is always an amazing time of year in the Bay Area. To kick things off and get into the mood, why not try learning a little calligraphy? No experience needed for this one, and you'll go home with your own beautiful hand made scroll. 〰️ 1pm and 3pm 〰️ Japanese American Association of Northern California, SF 〰️ $40 〰️ more info
• Farewell PLACE 〰️ After fifteen years, PLACE is closing. Come celebrate the community resource, art, and friendship that was built over those years. 〰️ 1-4pm 〰️ St. Columba Catholic Church, Emeryville 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Mountain View Cemetery Walk 〰️ Halloween may be over technically, but it never has to be over in your heart. Join fellow lovers-of-all-things-eerie on a quiet walk through a beautiful cemetery. Meet at the fountain. 〰️ 4pm 〰️ Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Aquatic Algorave 〰️ A night of aquatic themed raving, where the music and visuals are coded in real-time. Dress like a fish, or the water they swim in, and vibe the night away. 〰️ 9pm-12am 〰️ tiat (the intersection of art & technology) 〰️ $10-$25 suggested donation 〰️ more info
• Claude Forever 〰️ Hard to believe that Claude is really gone 😭 Come celebrate his life, recount memories, and meet fellow Claude-heads. Afterwards, the Cal Academy is putting on some special programming, craft activities, and an artisan marketplace featuring commemorative Claude souvenirs available for purchase from local vendors. (If anybody can snag one of these I will envy you forever!) 〰️ 11am-1pm 〰️ California Academy of Sciences, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Clothing Swap and Flash Tattoos 〰️ Another clothing swap, this time with flash tattoos! Refresh your wardrobe and your skin all in one go. New year, new you, that sort of thing. Read the post for more on what to bring and how to swap. 〰️ 12-4pm 〰️ Mirage Tattoo, SF 〰️ $12.51 〰️ more info

There are lots of ways to celebrate MLK's legacy, but the best one is probably some kind of act of service. There are plenty of options, including some of the ones below.

• MLK Day of Service @ Urban Tilth 〰️ Join community members to help maintain and improve the Richmond Greenway Trail. See event details for various ways to help out on this one. 〰️ 9am-1pm 〰️ Richmond Greenway Trail 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Berkeley MLK Breakfast 2026 〰️ Start the morning with a gathering celebrating MLK's life with breakfast and speakers, then break to join one of several community projects across the East Bay including Cesar Chavez Park and the Dorothy Day House. 〰️ 9am-11am 〰️ DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Berkeley Marina 〰️ $35 〰️ more info
• MLK Jr. Day Gathering 〰️ Hear a range of poets and community activists speak on what it means to show up in this moment with MLK in mind. "Come to reflect, be inspired, and recommit ourselves to the work of justice and beloved community." 〰️ Oakland City Church, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Supper Club: My Friend Fernando X Wingen Bakery 〰️ Mexican meets Italian in this collaboration between Jacob Croom and Aimee & Bryan Wingen. A perfect combination of classic and surprising, in a homey environment. 〰️ 5pm and 8pm 〰️ Wingen Bakery & Restaurant, Livermore 〰️ $161 〰️ more info

•  Kelly A. Spring talks SPAM: A Global History 〰️ I'm a vegetarian and the thing I miss the most about eating meat is SPAM. I'm not ashamed of this! SPAM is fucking delicious. It's also extremely interesting. Spring's book "explores how this 1937 canned protein became a WWII cultural marker, spreading American values globally and shaping foodways in Hawaii, Guam, Philippines, Okinawa, and South Korea." I'm absolutely going to this one. 〰️ 6:30pm 〰️ Omnivore Books, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Film Night: Dispatches from Resistant Mexico, featuring the premiere of Lekil Kujlejal 〰️ Come watch a series of shorts on Indigenous resistance in Mexico, including the premier of "Lekil Kujlejal," which follows a Tzeltal Mayan community that "seeks a holistic way of living that promotes mutual care and respect for nature and is rooted in the belief that all beings are interdependent." After the screening, the filmmakers will be around for a discussion. 〰️ 6:30-8:30pm 〰️ Medicine for Nightmares, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Chanel Miller and R.O. Kwon talk The Moon Without Stars 〰️ Two icons in one place, talking about Miller's new adorable new book The Moon Without Stars. Miller and Kwon are both genuinely great people who drop incredible wisdom, humor, and generosity wherever they go. 〰️ Book Passage Corte Madera 〰️ FREE (RSVP Required) 〰️ more info

• Beginning Machine Sewing: Make a Rice Heating Pad 〰️ I was introduced to the magic of rice-filled, microwaveable heating pads a few years ago after a lifting injury and they are absolutely incredible. And you can make your own! This class is beginner friendly, and all the supplies are provided. 〰️ East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, Oakland 〰️ $71.21 〰️ more info
• Kokedama Making 〰️ Japanese moss balls (kokedama) look simple, but are sneakily unique and interesting. Come learn how to make one, even if you kill everything else. And when people ask you what the little weird green ball thing on your desk is, you can regale them with moss facts! 〰️ 6:30-7:30pm 〰️ Savvy Nursery, SF 〰️ $49.87 〰️ more info
• 2026 Public Domain Film Remix Contest Screening & Party 〰️ Forget the Golden Globes, this is the real red carpet that matters. This year, creative work from 1930, and sound recordings from 1925 entered the public domain. And if you come to this, you'll see what the creative people of today did with those pieces. 〰️ 6-10pm 〰️ Internet Archive, SF 〰️ $15 〰️ more info
• Pecha Kucha: Architecture and Manufacturing in the Bay Area 〰️ Pecha Kucha translates from Japanese to "chit-chat" and in this case that means a quick set of presentations in which each speaker shows 20 slides for 20 seconds each responding to the question: What does manufacturing and/ or architecture mean to you? 〰️ 5-7pm 〰️ Museum of Craft and Design, SF 〰️ $45-$50 〰️ more info

You can see all of COYOTE's past calendar picks here. If you have an event you'd like to see on a future COYOTE Calendar, email us at calendar@coyotemedia.org. If you attended and enjoyed any of these events, we'd love to hear about it in the comments!

*NOTAFLOF = No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds