COYOTE Calendar: March 12-March 18

​​Welcome to the COYOTE Calendar. Here are this week's hand picked events, just for you. This weekend is PolaCon, "the ultimate 3-day instant film photography festival;" the 31st Annual Collage des Cultures Africaines Conference and Performance, which features 20 different dance and drum workshops showcasing "music, dance, and art from across Africa;" and Mexica New Year featuring the nation's oldest and largest Aztec New Years ceremony. It's also Pi Day this weekend (a holiday invented in the Bay Area!) so please consider making yourself a slice of Jagger Pie to really go all in on slightly obscure regional pride. Next week is the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting (yes, we're sending a COYOTE to convene with some of our favorite kinds of nerds) and St. Patrick's Day, so there really is something for everybody.

In today's list, we've got crafts, crows, and corner pockets. We'll post new events each Wednesday. Go forth and enjoy!

• Alysa Liu Celebration Rally 〰️ Come celebrate Oakland's latest Olympian, Alysa Liu. Even if you know nothing about figure skating, Liu's story is genuinely worth learning about and rooting for. And if you want to feel the warm fuzzies right now: here's a video of her specifically skating over to a trans flag in warmups and making heart hands at it. In Liu's own words: "That's what I'm fucking talking about!" 〰️ 12-1:30pm 〰️ Frank H Ogawa Plaza, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Paranoid Publics: Psychopolitics of Truth 〰️ I'm back at the helm of the COYOTE Calendar, and you know what that means: mushroom and academic lectures! This one is the latter, although you might want to bring some magic mushrooms to not feel too depressed after hearing Dr. Zahid Chaudhary, misinformation expert, talk about why so many people seem so quick to fall into paranoid conspiracy thinking and so easily swayed by fake news and "how psychic realities mark politics as deeply as do self-interest and class dynamics." 〰️ 5-7pm 〰️ UC Berkeley 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• POW: XIV 〰️ This is the 14th year of POW, 8bitsf's annual GDC mega-concert. If none of those letters means anything to you, it's basically a super long list of artists putting on chiptune, video game music, progressive metal, synthwave, and that kind of thing. Oontz oontz meets up up down down left right left right B A. Do not ask me how old I am. 〰️ 7pm-2am 〰️ DNA Lounge, SF 〰️ $25 in advance, $35 at the door 〰️ more info
• SHANTYOKE 〰️ Kick off St. Patrick's weekend early with some sea shanty karaoke. Yes, that's right, sea shanty karaoke (aka shantyoke). Plus, Gary Keep of Dogwatch Nautical Band will be on live guitar. Bring your favorite shanty or learn them as you go! "We’ll need your voices to help put the wind in our sails—whether you sing out or simply sway with the tide." 〰️ 7:30pm 〰️ Sláinte, Oakland 〰️ FREE (but tip your KJ) 〰️ more info

• Meet the Non-Binary Runners Who Will Race from Los Angeles to Las Vegas 〰️ Imagine running from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. I simply cannot! But the group No Binary, No Problem is sending a group who will make the 340-mile relay as part of the Speed Project. Last year No Binary No Problem became the first all non-binary team to compete in the race, and they're doing it again because they are true sickos (complimentary). If you want to meet people who think this sounds like fun (and help support them) come out and say hi. 〰️ 6-7pm 〰️ Local Economy, Oakland 〰️ $20 suggested donation 〰️ more info
• Kilowatt Celebrates 100 Years of Reddy 〰️ I confess I had never heard of Reddy Kilowatt until I saw this event, but I absolutely recommending reading up on him. What a weird little dude! And to celebrate his 100th birthday, a host of rad artists are presenting their take on the iconic energy dude. 〰️ 7pm 〰️ Kilowatt, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• HEATED RIVALRY: A Jockstar Rave 〰️ How many Heated Rivalry events can we put on this calendar before someone holds an intervention? We're going to find out I guess. Here's another Heated Rivalry themed rave for you — find yourself a himbo jock (literal or spiritual) to take to the cottage (literal or spiritual). 〰️ 9pm 〰️ Rickshaw Stop, SF 〰️ $15+ 〰️ more info
• Rage Cage Reloaded 〰️ There is a lot to feel rage about these days, so maybe you want some hard techno and some sanctioned, sports-adjacent violence. Good news, RAGECAGE is back. Watch people kick the shit out of each other while the beat kicks the shit out of your organs. 〰️ 9pm-1am 〰️ Berkeley 〰️ $10 〰️ more info

• Stewardship Saturday: Craft for Conservation 〰️ This one is for high school students who are interested in how sustainability and conservation are deeply connected to the world of art. Participants will make treasure out of trash, by creating jewelry, patches, and other hand-sewn creations out of "upcycled material" (a fancy word for garbage). 〰️ 10am-1:30pm 〰️ Ciclo Sewing Lab, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• There’s Nothing Common about the Common Crow! 〰️ You know how some bird names are downright rude? The fearful owl? The lesser goldfinch? Excuse you??? Count the common crow among these unfairly named birds because, as you will learn in this presentation, there is nothing common about these corvids. Justice for the murmeration!!! 〰️ 11am-12pm 〰️ Don Edwards Refuge Headquarters & Visitors Center, Fremont 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Pi Day 〰️ Did you know that Pi Day was invented right here in the Bay Area? It's true! The first Pi Day celebration was in 1988 at the Exploratorium! So it's only right to return to the ancestral birthplace of cheesy math puns and baked goods this year, and join their annual procession around the Pi Shrine. All hail pi. 〰️ 11am-4:30 〰️ The Exploratorium, SF 〰️ $39.95 〰️ more info
• CRIP CAMP screening & discussion 〰️ If you haven't seen Crip Camp yet, this is a great way to rectify that. Come view the Oscar-nominated documentary film and then hear a conversation between filmmakers Nicole Newnham and Jim Lebrecht. Plus, this event kicks off "a series of celebrated California documentary films supported by critical — and threatened — public funding sources, such as the NEH, NEA, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), and more." 〰️ 2-5pm 〰️ Oakland Main Library 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• BayFC Home Season Opener 〰️ Big weekend for local soccer, as the Roots and BayFC both open their season on the same day. BayFC is also kicking off their home games this weekend, playing the brand new Denver FC. Lots of new faces on the team this year, plus a new coach and some slightly better merch designs (finally). 〰️ 3:30pm 〰️ PayPal Park, San Jose 〰️ $55+ 〰️ more info
• Cussing Crafts: DIY Rage Crafting Workshop 〰️ Maybe you'd rather not channel your rage through kicking and techno (see above) but instead through crafts? Turn your fury into felt, by creating a pennant with your favorite curse word on it that you can wave in the air at the next protest and/or hang in your Zoom background. 〰️ 6pm 〰️ Fireside Lounge, Alameda 〰️ $32.73 〰️ more info
• Punk Pi Day! 〰️ I am simply unable to resist punk + nerdery so yes, I'm putting the punk pi day show on this calendar. Come see The Greyhound Playboys, Brain Freeze and Truth or Dare or Die and thrash about with your fellow math homies. Someone has promised to eat one whole pizza in-between each song. I don't know if I'm rooting for or against that, to be quite honest. Which really is the essence of punk I guess. 〰️ 7pm 〰️ Lanesplitter Pizza & Pubs, Emeryville 〰️ more info
• Oakland Roots Home Season Opener 〰️ If men's soccer is more your bag (ball?), The Roots have their home opener today too. Bonus points to anybody who makes both the BayFC and the Roots game. The team has already clocked a win, and perhaps the soccer gods will smile upon us this season. At the very least, we have a new coach and some new talent on the roster. 〰️ 7pm 〰️ Oakland Coliseum 〰️ $42+ 〰️ more info

• Sparrows in the Mist: Complex Winter Social Behavior in a Little Brown Bird 〰️ Again I am here to sing the praises of misunderstood birds, in particular what many call "LBB's" or "little brown birds." Come hear about a 22-year study (!!) of a population of golden-crowned sparrows in Santa Cruz that "discovered remarkable social complexity in these birds that is similar in some ways to the societies of mammals, including primates." I, for one, will watch this season of Love (Bird) Island. (Birders please don't yell at me I know these are not love birds.) 〰️ 10am-12pm 〰️ UC Santa Cruz 〰️ more info
• Turkish Mosaic Lamp Masterclass 〰️ Put away your phone for a couple of hours and make something beautiful you can take home with you. Plus, enjoy complimentary Turkish tea & snacks while you work. Bring the hottie you met at the Heated Rivalry rave. 〰️ 10am, 2pm, or 6pm 〰️ Four Points by Sheraton, Emeryville 〰️ $109 〰️ more info
• Tales of the Tofu Goddess: A Tribute to the Artful Life of Flo Oy Wong 〰️ It's not often that you can watch two different documentaries about a person, and then hear that person speak. But that's on offer on Sunday, when you can watch Tales of the Tofu Goddess: The Artful Life of Flo Oy Wong, and Drawn from Life: The Creative Legacy of Flo Oy Wong followed by a Q&A with the woman herself. A true living legend. 〰️ 1-3pm 〰️ Oakland Asian Cultural Center 〰️ FREE (but registration is required) 〰️ more info
• East Bay Baddie Billiards 4 Year Anniversary 〰️ Celebrate four years of East Bay Baddie Billiards by entering their 8-ball BCA tournament! Can I learn to play pool in time to enter this? Probably not. Am I tempted to try? Yes. 〰️ 3pm 〰️ White Horse Inn, Oakland 〰️ $40 per team 〰️ more info

• The Refracted City: New Films by Mark Street 〰️ Calling all experimental film lovers, this one's for you. NYC-based filmmaker Mark Street is showing a set of recent short films rooted in the tradition of street photography at Shapeshifters. "Juxtaposing the familiar and the unexpected, this work reveals an idiosyncratic view of city vignettes captured while wandering, camera in hand, eyes open wide." Come see interesting films, and support Shapeshifters, a vital indie creative space in Oakland. 〰️ 7pm 〰️ Shapeshifters Cinema, Oakland 〰️ $14 〰️ more info

• St. Patrick’s Day at the Starry Plough 〰️ You can probably just walk into any bar on St. Patrick's Day and have a grand old time, but Starry Plough is celebrating 53 years as an Irish bar so I'd bet they're gonna do it better. 〰️ 3pm 〰️ Starry Plough, Berkeley 〰️ $15-20 sliding scale 〰️ more info
• Trans Picnic 〰️ Spring is upon us, the plants are budding, the caterpillars are about to molt — what better time to celebrate trans folks? Join your fellow trans cuties for a picnic at Golden Gate Park. There will be food provided, but you're welcome to bring a snack to share. (Note: this event is specifically for trans folks!) 〰️ 6pm 〰️ Robin Williams Meadow (Golden Gate Park) 〰️ more info
• Cookbook Launch Celebration: Chef Crystal Wahpepah with Tommy Orange 〰️ Crystal Wahpepah, of the iconic Wahpepah's Kitchen in Oakland, is celebrating her new cookbook A Feather and A Fork with a conversation and some delicious Indigenous bites. Hear Wahpepah speak with Tommy Orange about how she assembled 125 recipes across a diverse nation of tribes. 〰️ 6-8:30 〰️ Intertribal Friendship House, Oakland 〰️ FREE, $39.19 if you want the cookbook with your ticket 〰️ more info
• Happy Accident 〰️ I'm in my puppet era so get ready to see a lot of these kinds of things in the calendar. At this event, "found objects, large scale puppets and sputtering lights bring you face to face with the cuddly nightmare that is everyday life." 〰️ 7pm 〰️ Marin Theatre Company, Mill Valley 〰️ $15 〰️ more info
• Mushrooms & Culture of Greece 〰️ Greek food isn't known for mushrooms, but the COYOTE calendar certainly is! And in this talk Olga Tzogas will take attendees to the "diverse ecological haven of the country of Greece" and explain how the locals use and think about their mycelial neighbors. 〰️ 7:30pm 〰️ 〰️ Randall Museum, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info

• Pink Stiletto, Tiffadelic, The Treasury 〰️ One cool thing about writing the calendar for COYOTE is that I wind up listening to bands I probably wouldn't have come across otherwise. And now I have a new gym banger, courtesy of Pink Stiletto. 〰️ 8pm 〰️ Thee Stork Club, Oakland 〰️ $13.40 in advance, $16.49 day of 〰️ more info
• JOTERÍA 〰️ Sometimes it's best to just let the organizers tell you about the event. So here you go: "JOTERÍA is a night of FAGGOTRY for all enjoyers of latincore and its ever-changing sound. From guaracha, to dembow, to neoperreo and more obscure global sounds, the high-BPMs and heavy bass are sure to keep you dancing the whole night through." 〰️ 9pm-2am 〰️ Club Waziema, SF 〰️ FREE (tip your DJs) 〰️ 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!