COYOTE Calendar: June 4-June 10

Hello and welcome to the COYOTE Calendar. Here are this week's hand picked events, just for you.

It's officially Pride Month and so I must remind you all: Pride is a marathon, not a sprint. Hydrate. Wear sunscreen. Stretch. Pace yourselves. Get a gender affirming portrait.

This weekend, those of you who have strong opinions about kerning can head to SF Design Week and then carpool up to Guerneville for Big Wine Fest to drink and commiserate about being asked, once again, to make the logo bigger. The Total Accord Festival has begun and is putting on banger shows all month so check out that calendar. This weekend there is also a new variety show that looks bizarre but fun, a Santa Clara has a night market featuring over 100 vendors, and a circus performance that looks super interesting. If you missed the last two chorus concerts on the calendar, you're in luck: I Sing the Body Electric is on this weekend. And one of my personal favorite recurring events, East Bay Open Studios, is back again.

This week we've also got book bedazzling, sharks, night hikes, and pride, pride, pride. We'll post new events each Wednesday. Go forth and enjoy!

• Book Bedazzling 〰️ [Bilbo Baggins voice] After all... why not? Why shouldn't I bedazzle my spare copy of The Fellowship of the Ring? Bring a book and get ready to add sparkle to your summer reading. No bedazzling experience required. 〰️ 5pm 〰️ Rosa Fierro Cellars, Livermore 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• 64 Cartridges Tribute Art Show 〰️ Want to feel old? It's been 30 years since the N64 was first released. To celebrate the anniversary Cassa Jam is displaying 64 cartridges decorated by 64 different artists. 〰️ 6pm 〰️ Cassa Jam, Fremont 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Queer Ass Pride Show Opening Reception 〰️ Come through and get some queer art for your walls! Over 100 artists at this show, and all the art is under $399 to keep it affordable and accessible for the community. If you can't make the reception, the show is on through June 26th so go get good art when you have a minute. 〰️ 6-10pm 〰️ Rosebud Gallery, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Jewish Currents Spring Issue Launch Party 〰️ I'm a big fan of the way Jewish Currents has met the moment and stood up, unflinchingly, for a just and equitable future for Jews and Palestinians alike. Celebrate their latest issue with the folks working hard to continue bringing that reporting and writing to the people. 〰️ 7-11pm 〰️ Eli's Mile High Club, Oakland 〰️ $10 (free for members & subscribers) 〰️ more info
• Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You Book Event 〰️ The book itself isn't exactly a joyride (even if it is a beautiful, gutting portrait of grief and intergenerational trauma) but this book event certainly will be! Author Julián Delgado Lopera is bringing with him a whole host of icons for conversations, performances, and reading — Honey Mahogany, Grace Towers, Kochina Rude, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, and Maryam Rostami — and is teasing "a surprise from the GLBT Historical Society’s archive." 〰️ 7:30-10pm 〰️ The Lab, SF 〰️ $11.33 in advance, $12 at the door 〰️ more info
• Revamp a Canvas 〰️ We learned about this one from a good, old fashioned printed flyer! Come visit a sweet little art shop, and learn how to reuse a canvas. Materials included. 〰️ 8-9pm 〰️ XO MOJO, Oakland 〰️ $11 〰️ more info

• The Rhythm of Resilience 〰️ Like most good music, techno was invented by Black people. Come vibe to some of the artists who birthed and developed the genre using borrowed machines and building on the community around them. Dance to the rhythm of "the mechanical precision that was always, underneath, an act of survival and invention." 〰️ 5-10pm 〰️ Monarch, SF 〰️ $5.64+ 〰️ more info
• Sapphic Pride SF Photoworks Pride Show 〰️ Head to the Castro for an art walk, featuring lots of stuff including this show full of local artist submissions of their work documenting and celebrating lesbian culture and imagery. After the show, head to Mother for an afterparty. 〰️ 6-8pm 〰️ Photoworks, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• An Evening With Daniel Lavery 〰️ Our very own COYOTE co-founder Danny has a new novel out called Meeting New People, all about aging, friendship, death, and more. I love this line from the Kirkus review for the book: “Utterly human: funny, sad, happy, questioning.” 〰️ 6-7:30pm 〰️ Local Economy, Oakland 〰️ $10 suggested donation 〰️ more info
• Queer Natural History Trivia Night 〰️ Which of the following species exhibits homosexual behavior: a) giraffes b) ducks c) zebra finches or d) Bonin flying foxes? Trick question, it's all of the above. If you knew that, you'll probably do well at this trivia night! 〰️ 6-8pm 〰️ Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• A Benefit Show for West Oakland Punks With Lunch 〰️ The good folks at West Oakland Punks With Lunch could really use a hand right now. Come see some local music and help raise money for these folks doing incredible work in the community. If you can't make it, consider donating to help them replace their recently stolen drug checking machine. 〰️ 7pm 〰️ Spats, Berkeley 〰️ $20 〰️ more info
• The First Annual International Table Setting Competition 〰️ Yes, that's right, competitive table setting. Sandra Lee, girl, it is your time to shine! There are three categories: Dining Through the Decades, Magical Movie Moments, and Freestyle. Plus, there's a People's Choice Award, so you can go and judge these tablescapes yourself. 〰️ 7-10pm 〰️ SF Mint 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Traps & Night Blooms 〰️ Bring a headlamp and head out into the park for a night hike where you'll learn about the night-blooming Sacred Datura and the moths that depend on it. If you're scared of the dark, skip this one as they'll be encouraging folks to minimize the use of lights so as not to disturb the nighttime wildlife. 〰️ 8:30-10:30pm 〰️ Sycamore Grove Park Nature Area, Livermore 〰️ FREE but you need to CALL on the phone to get a spot (I believe in you) 〰️ more info

• Bay Area Tenant Assembly 〰️ Bay Area tenants are fighting and winning against terrible, predatory landlords. Together, tenants can build real power and make a huge difference in their communities. If you want to learn more, there's no better way than by heading to this gathering of organizers and tenants. 〰️ 10am-3pm 〰️ Unitarian Universalist Church of Marin, San Rafael 〰️ FREE but please register 〰️ more info
• Data Center Teach In 〰️ The in-person event sold out as the gods (me, in an earlier edition of the calendar) foretold. If you want the scoop on hot events that you'll want to get tickets to well in advance, become a paying subscriber and you'll get access to the Buy Tickets Now section at the top of every calendar. For this one, you can still watch online if you want, and learn about 12 (!!) new data centers planned for San Jose and how (and why) you can get involved to oppose them. 〰️ 10:30am-1:30pm 〰️ ONLINE 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• East Bay Pride Ride 〰️ Straddle up and ride with pride! Take a few laps around Lake Merritt and then gather for a snack and a drag performance. This one is family friendly and no drop (meaning they won't leave you behind). 〰️ 11am-2pm 〰️ Oakland LGBT Community Center 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• San Leandro Cherry Festival & Parade 〰️ Is there anything better than a good summer cherry? Come celebrate the delicious little tree candies with a parade, music festival, vendor market, and, yes, fresh cherries. If your mouth isn't stained red by the end of this I will be suspicious of your character. 〰️ 11am-6pm 〰️ Downtown San Leandro 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Rainbow Festival 〰️ Kick off Pride in San Jose at the library! This one features a resource fair, science education, a bike repair clinic, a book sale, and live music. 〰️ 11am-3pm 〰️ Alum Rock, San Jose 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Grinchfest 〰️ If you want a sampler platter of Bay Area punk bands, this is for you. Seventeen bands, two stages, plenty of pit action for you to sweat it out and knock around. 〰️ 12-11pm 〰️ Revolution Cafe 〰️ Oakland 〰️ $15 pre sale $20 door 〰️ more info
• Building The Block: Rainbow Reunion 〰️ Rock up to the SF LGBT Center for a queer block party featuring drag performances, live music, vendors, food trucks, free clothing closets, art exhibits, wellness classes, community resources, and more. 〰️ 12-6pm 〰️ SF LGBT Center 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Friends of SFPL Block Party Book Sale 〰️ Choose from over 20,000 books, comics, vinyl and other media at this one. Plus, author talks, a kid zone with button-making, food, drinks, and more. 〰️ 12-5pm 〰️ Potrero Hill, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Big Market 〰️ Three floors of the good, good stuff at this market full of local artists and crafters. Tip: got an eye on a cutie this Pride? Get them a little present! 〰️ 12-5pm 〰️ 945 Market Street, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Full Queer Wrestling 〰️ What does wrestling have to do with books? I'm going to be honest, I don't know. But you can come see queer wrestling at the library and that seems fun and cool so it's going on the calendar! Bring a lawn chair and practice your own finishing move, in which you say "I guess you shouldn't judge a book by its cover" before giving your opponent paper cuts. 〰️ 1-3:30pm 〰️ Berkeley Public Library, North Branch 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• The Deviance Debut 〰️ I'm at the art gallery. I'm at the queer dungeon. I'm at the art gallery queer dungeon. Come see a show full of deviance and delight at this show featuring over 40 artists showing watercolor, photography, woodwork, linocut, abstract, cyanotype, glass, metalwork, embroidery, film, collage, oil, charcoal, textural work, and more engaging with ideas of kink, taboo, and trouble. 〰️ 1-5pm 〰️ Paradox, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• At the Intersection of Valencia & Sandino Plaza: A Walking Tour 〰️ Learn about the history of lesbian Valencia Street and its intersections with the Nicaraguan Revolution with artist and poet Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta. Bonus: you'll be part of an experiment in public learning as Luboviski-Acosta works on a novel related to this history. 〰️ 1-4pm 〰️ 16th Street & Rondel Place, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Temescal Brewing Ten Year Anniversary 〰️ Celebrate 10 years of Temescal Brewing with DJs, special brews, swag, and tacos from the legends at Tacos Oscar. These days, we should celebrate every small business managing to survive. 〰️ 1-9pm 〰️ Temescal Brewing, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Family Puppet Making 〰️ Run out of Bluey episodes? Want to do something with the family that doesn't cost a billion dollars or require the Ticketmaster app? Make some puppets! Risa Lenore will guide you and your fam in the creation of your very own soft, strange buddies to take home with you. 〰️ 1-4pm 〰️ Oxtail Studio & Gallery, Berkeley 〰️ $20 per person 〰️ more info
• Anti-Repression Dance & Block Party 〰️ One thing I hear a lot in organizing spaces is that the left needs to "throw better parties." Well, here you go. A block party and fundraiser featuring "a bbq and a potluck, dance lessons, a clothing swap, live screen printing, community report backs, an anti-rep panel discussion, a dance party, and more!" 〰️ 5pm 〰️ Tamarack, Oakland 〰️ FREE (but it's a fundraiser so if you can donate, do) 〰️ more info
• 13 Orphans 1 Year Anniversary 〰️ I know I've said it before but I'll say it again: Mahjong is so hot right now (for better or worse) and you can come celebrate the one year anniversary of mega-hip mahjong den 13 Orphans featuring mahjong (duh), karaoke, food, cocktails, art, tattoos, and DJ's. 〰️ 5-11pm 〰️ 13 Orphans, Oakland 〰️ $13+ 〰️ more info
• Inferno 〰️ "What lengths would you be willing to go to bring back the one that you have lost?" This is a "full theatre experimental noise performance piece featuring all queer and trans artists of color that touches on themes of death, grief, love, community, politics, body modification, transhumanism, pain, spirituality, PTSD, trauma, and heartbreak." 〰️ DJ set at 7pm, show 8-9:30pm 〰️ 125 Quint St., SF 〰️ $15 NOTAFLOF* 〰️ more info
• Sutro Habitat Restoration 〰️ Don't just touch grass, rip it up and remove it (for a good cause)! Surely this will cure you. Plus, after, there will be pizza. 〰️ 8:45am-12:30pm 〰️ Mount Sutro, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Queerlantis IV 〰️ Out: microplastics. In: micro-festivals. Head to downtown Santa Cruz for an evening of live music, vendors, drag, DJ's and more as they kick off Pride Month. Plato would be so proud. 〰️ 8-11pm 〰️ Veteran's Memorial Hall, Santa Cruz 〰️ $33.85 〰️ more info
• La Peña's 51st Anniversary & Fundraiser ft. Orq. La Moderna Tradición 〰️ Two anniversaries in one here! Orquesta La Moderna Tradición turns 30 this year and La Peña Cultural Center turns 51. Come celebrate their combined 81 years with a concert and dance party, food, raffles, and more. Your support also helps raise funds for the La Peña’s Community Power Campaign 〰️ 8-10pm 〰️ La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley 〰️ $27.94+ 〰️ more info
• Hunx and His Punx 〰️ Online tickets for this are sold out but there will be some at the door and if you can get one, you'll be glad you did. The iconic Hunx and His Punx is returning to the scene with new music for the first time since 2013. 〰️ 8pm 〰️ Thee Stork Club, Oakland 〰️ $28-30 〰️ more info
• Liberation Nights: QUEER AS IN NO WAR 〰️ In this calendar house we define queer the way bell hooks does: "not as being about who you're having sex with (that can be a dimension of it); but 'queer' as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and that has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live.” To that end, queerness means liberation, justice, and resistance. Come join fellow queers seeking a new, brighter future at this anti-imperial dance party. 〰️ 9pm-1am 〰️ 1446 Franklin St, Oakland 〰️ Sliding scale $10-20 NOTAFLOF* 〰️ more info

• Critical Resistance Intro Workshop 〰️ It's never too late to get informed and get involved. If you're looking for a cause, the prison industrial complex is a wide reaching and deeply awful thing to join the fight against, and this workshop will help get you up to speed on the basics. 〰️ 10:30am-4pm 〰️ Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Portacount Fit Testing 〰️ A mask that doesn't fit doesn't protect you or your community. Thankfully, these wonderful volunteers are offering to help people get the best fit for their face shape. Sign up for a slot and make sure you're masked up properly in time to safely celebrate Pride. 〰️ 12-3pm 〰️ 😷 COVID SAFE, masks required, if you're doing a fit test negative rapid test required 〰️ Golden Gate Park, SF 〰️ FREE, but sign up for a slot if you want to be fitted 〰️ more info
• InsectPalooza 2026 〰️ Banging the table BUGS! BUGS! BUGS! Hold live insects from around the world! Learn about them! Make art about them. Family friendly, so bring the kids and get ready to fall in love with insects. 〰️ 12-3pm 〰️ Minnesota Street Project, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Cookbook Swap 〰️ Step one: bring a cookbook (in good condition, not the one covered in grease and flour). Step two: bookmark your favorite recipe within. Step three: swap. Along the way, meet fellow home cooks and swap tips, tricks, and tales of recipes gone right (or wrong). 〰️ 1-3pm 〰️ April Rose Provisions, Berkeley 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Pride in Yerba Buena 〰️ A real cornucopia of incredible drag and circus performers at this one including Per Sia, Tyson Check-In, Vix Nolan, Joey Tiger, and more. 〰️ 2-4pm 〰️ Yerba Buena Gardens, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• CRAIC Irish language, poetry, and art workshop 〰️ An hour of Irish language, poetry, and art to raise money for Palestinian families — open to anybody, not just Irish folks. Together, the workshop will tackle questions of decolonization, reclaiming culture, resistance, and language. 〰️ 2-5pm 〰️ Starry Plough, Berkeley 〰️ $50 donation requested, NOTAFLOF* 〰️ more info
• QTAPI Block Party Reinventing Refuge 〰️ I feel like I am going to be writing some version of this same entry a lot this month: come celebrate queer joy and art at this community event. There will be drag (say a prayer for your local drag performer this month the girls are working), art and handmade goodies, music, and good vibes. 〰️ 2-8pm 〰️ Intersection of Noe St. and Market St., SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Soft Sundaze Pre-Pride Kickoff 〰️ If you want to enter pride month in a more gentle way, this one is for you. A gentle yoga and movement session, and then an afternoon of low key hangs, and soft living. Bring a blanket, and a pal, and your best queer chill energy. 〰️ 3pm-sunset 〰️ Lake Merritt Pergola, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• The Living Art of Bonsai 〰️ Did you know that bonsai trees are not special species, they're just regular sized trees forced to grow small? I only recently learned this and it has blown my mind. If you want to become a god of small trees, start here. 〰️ 3pm 〰️ Civic Center Library, Livermore 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Afrobeat not Afrobeats Vinyl Listening Party 〰️ Roll up to listen to some Fela Kuti, Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas and more. (This is distinct from Afrobeats, with an s, which is a hotly debated genre of modern pop music that some argue is over-applied to all African artists regardless of the actual music they make.) Featuring icons of Afrobeat, and more modern descendents of the genre.〰️ 4-7pm 〰️ Couchdate, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Concert for the Amazon Workers Movement 〰️ A group of Amazon workers are raising funds to help them get to Chicago for the Labornotes conference, and you can help! Good music, good vibes, a good cause, and a crowd full of comrades. 〰️ 5pm 〰️ Eli's Mile High Club, Oakland 〰️ $15+ 〰️ more info
• Rainbow Chinatown Queer Standup Comedy 〰️ Here's my confession to you all: I'm not a standup comedy guy. But maybe you are! And maybe this set by Sean Sheepking, self-described Chinese gay bear, who was banned from the stage in Shanghai for "spreading obscenity" when he included gay content, is the one for you. 〰️ 7-9pm 〰️ Clarion Performing Arts Center, SF 〰️ $20 〰️ more info

• BAD ART CLUB: Sculpting Sh* Outta Clay 〰️ Here's my pitch for why you should get into ceramic work: When your hands are covered in clay, you can't touch your phone. Do you need anything more? Who cares if your work is good? Just get dirty and dissociate babes! "Come be yourself & do your worst with us!" 〰️ 6:30-9pm 〰️ The Nook, SF 〰️ $17.85 〰️ more info

• From Heather's Mommies to Tango's Daddies 〰️ Researcher and collector Randall Tarpey-Schwed will talk about his 200+ collection of books depicting queer families, starting in 1969 and running all the way up to 2023. "While created for young readers, the collection serves scholars studying developmental literature, censorship, and cultural history." 〰️ 12pm 〰️ Mechanics' Institute, SF 〰️ $5 〰️ more info
• Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music, 1969-2000 〰️ Come see journalist Barry Walters talk about his latest book ("my whole life has been preparing me to write this," he told the Boston Globe) which traces queer music from something marginal and illicit, to Chappell Roan blasting at every sports game. 〰️ 7-9pm 〰️ Fabulosa Books, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info

• Justice for our Relatives 〰️ This is a heavy one, but vital nonetheless: A community report back on the Bay Area's missing and murdered indigenous peoples research project. The Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley will be sharing an update on the survey findings, followed by a drum & dance practice dinner. Support will be on site for those who need someone to talk to. 〰️ 4:50pm 〰️ Intertribal Friendship House, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• A Mid Summer Night's Dream 〰️ What would happen if you tried to put on Shakespeare in a bar, with no director, no auditions, and only a single rehearsal? You can find out! Eat your heart out Kenneth Branagh. 〰️ 6pm 〰️ Drake's Dealership, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• The Monterey Bay White Shark Project - Tracking Predators and Prey 〰️ How many ways can you study sharks? It turns out, a lot: electronic tags, aerial drones, environmental DNA, genome sequencing, underwater video, coastal acoustic receiver arrays, and more. Hear about the results of all that data at this talk, and what it tells us about how to conserve these sharks and their ecosystem. 〰️ 11am-12pm 〰️ Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing 〰️ FREE 〰️ 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