Tickets to the Free Key Choir retrospective concert (May 29–31)are available now, and I'm putting it here because if I wait until the week of the concert they will almost certainly be sold out. Get them now! I warned you! Similarly, if you want to go to the May 24thGrown N' Thirsty Queer Dance Party for Over-30 Cuties (which is also a fundraiser for Let Iran Live), get your ticket now, as they don't have many left. Same goes for the annual Chapel of the Chimes concert (June 21st), which always sells out — get your spot now.
This week we've also got bestiaries, pond scum, beekeeping, and several ways to treat your mother (defined expansively). We'll post new events each Wednesday. Go forth and enjoy!
North Bay Zero Waste Symposium 〰️ If you still think that there are just three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) it's time to refresh (see what I did there) your understanding of sustainability. Come learn about the two new zero waste Rs that have been invited to the party (redesign and rot) and how you can put all five to work in your life and business. 〰️ 8am–5pm 〰️ SOMO Village, Rohnert Park 〰️ $92.55 〰️more info
Out of the Closets, Into the Streets: 50+ Years of LGBTQ+ History in Santa Cruz 〰️ An opening reception for a new exhibit that celebrates queer history in Santa Cruz — a little further afield than our usual calendar entries, but this one looked cool! 〰️ 5pm 〰️ London Nelson Community Center, Santa Cruz 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
From Wakanda & Beyond: Afrofuturism Explained 〰️ You've probably heard the term "afrofuturism," but what does it actually mean? Come hear Sherinda Bryant, founder of theAfrofuturism Discovery Academy, talk about the past, present, and future of a fascinating and rich vein of Black creativity. 〰️ 6:30pm 〰️ Drake's Brewing Company, San Leandro 〰️ $25 〰️more info
Acorn Harvest Training 〰️ We don't put a lot of online events in the calendar (part of the point of this whole thing is to get you out in the world) but this one was too exciting to pass up. Learn all about acorns, including "the cultural, ecological, and practical foundations of working with one of the most important traditional foods in the region." 〰️ 6–7:30pm 〰️ ONLINE 〰️ $15 (registration required) 〰️more info
"Don't Let Them Take You Alive" Closing Night 〰️ If you missed the opening of this show, now's your chance to fix your mistake. Come see the closing, look at the art, and swing by Mayes for an afterparty and punk show to cap it all off. 〰️ 6–9pm 〰️ Punk Majesty, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
Group Therapy Opening Reception 〰️ Come see 70 Bay Area artists in a huge group show centered around mental health, addiction, growth, grief, pain, and trauma. Plenty of all of that to go around these days, but the show will also remind us that there are other things too: shared emotions, community, vulnerability, connection, and growth. Bring tissues. 〰️ 6–10pm 〰️ Rosebud Gallery, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
The Fresh End of a Long Thread 〰️ One of the coolest ways to see art is while it's still in the oven. Here, you can come see author and advice-giver S. Bear Bergman as they work through ideas of storytelling, trans experience, resilience, and justice. 〰️ 7:30–9:30pm 〰️ Folsom Street Community Center, SF 〰️ $10 〰️more info
Hands-On Flogger Workshop: Learn to Wield with Confidence 〰️ There's flogging and then there is expert flogging and you know you want to be able to deliver the latter. Participants are encouraged to bring their own flogger, but there will be a few loaners on offer. 〰️ 7–9pm 〰️ Kinkstore, SF 〰️ $43.83 〰️more info
Hell in a Handbag Book Talk 〰️ Jibz Cameron is a freak's freak (complimentary) and is here to tell all the deep cut stories from her memoir Hell in a Handbag about "a childhood spent with hippie clowns on the broken-down commune scene of Northern California, to making morbid zines as a teen in the East Bay punk scene, to in-your-face experiences of misogyny in New York City’s avant-garde theater scene, to the grisly birth of Dynasty Handbag and her droll evisceration of contemporary life." Everything Cameron touches turns into a wild and surprising ride, so buckle up and come through. 8pm 〰️ The Lab, SF 〰️ $23 in advance, $25 at the door 〰️more info
Artists of the African Diaspora – Opening Reception 〰️ This exhibit is worth heading to purely for Stacy Mootoo’s incredible paper sculptures. I'm less familiar with the other artists, but really excited to see work from "an eclectic mix of diasporic cultures and techniques" from nine local artists with roots in places like Nigeria, Trinidad, and Panama. 〰️ 6–8pm 〰️ Rythmix, Alameda 〰️ FREE (please RSVP) 〰️more info
Queer Prom Carnival 〰️ Little me wouldn't have been out enough to go to this, but today's teens can enjoy a night of celebration and joy at this carnival-themed prom! Wear your stilts and your suits and your best ringleader outfits. Grades 6–12 only. 〰️ 6–9pm 〰️ Veterans Memorial Building, Alameda 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
San Jose Hypnosoiree 〰️ For those who want literally mind-melting sexytimes: "a play party featuring a hot tub, hypnosis, and sexy shenanigans." Please bring a towel and your most hypno-receptive mind. Snacks and refreshments provided. New attendees have to get approval, so see the link for more on that. 〰️ 7:30–11:30pm 〰️ Riverhaven, San Jose 〰️more info
Optic Nerve: The Art of the Protest Poster 〰️ A good protest poster is a thing of true beauty, and you can see a bunch of them gathered here at this show "highlighting the power of graphic design and art to convey themes ranging from resistance to resilience and equality to emancipation." Posters have the power to condense a message to a simple and concise point and galvanize a movement. 〰️ 7pm–12am 〰️ Kilowatt, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
Interfaith Pilgrimage for Palestine 〰️ Put on your walking shoes and join this heavy, but important pilgrimage to bear public witness to the tragedy of war and genocide. "We carry our prayers, our grief, and a steady hope that another world is possible." The route is 12 miles total, but you can join for legs if that's not doable for you. 〰️ 8am–7pm 〰️ Oakland 〰️ FREE (but donations encouraged) 〰️more info
Planter Workshop 〰️ Get your hammers ready and build an outdoor planter just in time to plant some good spring goodies in your garden. No experience necessary, and you'll learn how to safely use the chopsaw, drills, drivers, and pocket hole jigs. 〰️ 9am–1pm 〰️ Treasure Island Workshop, SF 〰️ $150 〰️more info
Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk 〰️ If you're not gonna grow your own plants, how about learning how to forage for them? Go on a hike with Certified California Naturalist Mary Good to learn which local plants are useful, how to identify and sustainably forage them, and their varied and sometimes highly entertaining histories. Be ready to walk 2–3 miles, bring water, wear sunscreen. 〰️ 10am–1pm 〰️ Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Kenwood 〰️ $15+ 〰️more info
Mother's Day Market 〰️ Moms love thoughtful, locally made art and you can get some for your moms (literal or figurative) at this cute little market full of artisans. It's not last-minute shopping if you plan to do it last-minute. 〰️ 10am–4pm 〰️ Abrams Claghorn Gallery, Albany 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
Tribal Marine Foods Symposium 〰️ Join tribal organizations and representatives in a conversation and series of talks about indigenous foods focused on the marine. From aquaculture to seafood supply chains, this looks like a packed day of incredibly cool stuff. 〰️ 11am–1pm 〰️ Native American Forum & the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute, Humboldt 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
Native Arts Festival 〰️ Lots of really cool Native-led stuff this week and this is no exception: a celebration of dancers, singers, painters, chefs, and storytellers who are all exploring traditional and contemporary forms of Native creative work. All ages welcome, and there will be a scavenger hunt for kids. 〰️ 11am–4pm 〰️ Windsor Town Green 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
Bee-yond the Basics 〰️ Every year I think to myself: is this the year I get into beekeeping? Maybe the answer this year is finally yes! Join fellow bee-brains and go deep on handling and managing hives gently and confidently. There are only a couple spots left in this one so sign up quick if you want to attend. 〰️ 11am–1pm 〰️ Fig Leaf Gardens, Oakland 〰️ $50 〰️more info
Spring Bloom 〰️ It's flower season, and if you want to go all-in on the florals, there's no better place to begin than this flower power event featuring 20 vendors dedicated to all things floral: fresh flowers, dried flowers, plants, artwork, planters, floral-inspired goods, and more. Come paint a vase, and get some flowers to put inside it! Plus tasty food, workshops, demos, and more. 〰️ 12–5pm 〰️ Parque de los Pobladores, San Jose 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
New Star Popup 〰️ Forget Depop, get cool clothes from cool people in a real place! I will be on the lookout for additional pieces for my "manic pixie dread dad" wardrobe. 〰️ 11am–5pm 〰️ Northlake, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
The Far Far Away Market 〰️ Can someone explain to me why Gen Z is so into Shrek? I'm serious, I want to know! This movie came out before many of you were born! (Also, while we're on the topic, why doesn't the Bay get aShrek Rave? Who can make this happen for us?) Maybe I should go to this Shrek themed market and do some investigative reporting. Will I return Shrek-pilled? Only time will tell. 〰️ 2–6pm 〰️ 866 Park Ave, San Jose 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
Local MILFS in Your Area 〰️ Shoutout to the working moms. To celebrate Mother's Day, Bay Area Workers Support is having a picnic to bring together sex worker parents and their families for an easy afternoon in the park. Bring a snack, your kids, and yourself as you are. 〰️ 2–5pm 〰️ 😷 COVID safe, please test before you come, masks strongly encouraged and provided 〰️ location after RSVP 〰️more info
Collage in Conversation 〰️ Collage has always been a really fascinating practice to me, and this talk featuring collage artists promises to be full of the kind of overlapping layers that the form itself offers up. Featuring Bay Area artists Anthony R. Grant and Lyn Patterson, hear them talk to Mike Nicholls about creativity, preservation, and storytelling.〰️ 2–5pm 〰️ Kinfolx, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
Oakland IlokanaScreening 〰️ Follow one of the first Filipino children born in 1930s Oakland "as she reflects on a lifetime shaped by migration, community, and resilience" in this film that tackles displacement, cultural inheritance, memory, and place. After the film, director Elenita Makani O'Malley will talk to the audience about cultural preservation and practical ways to document, safeguard, and share their own family narratives for future generations. 〰️ 2–4pm 〰️ Oakland History Center 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
SF Dyke March Benefit 〰️ Party with some of the best DJs in the Bay Area (Mango, Mother, and SouLovely) to celebrate and raise money for dyke spaces (crucial, fun, and hot). Advance tickets to this sold out fast, but there will be a few available at the door until they run out of those too so get there early if you want to party! 〰️ 3–8pm 〰️ El Rio, SF 〰️ $15–55 〰️more info
Alan Chazaro on These Spaceships Weren't Built For Us 〰️ 🚀🚀🚀 COYOTE co-founder event alert!!! 🚀🚀🚀 Come hear Alan talk about his latest book of poetry (excerpts to get you excited can be found here) alongside friends and fellow poets Sarah O'Neal (also a COYOTE contributor!), Kevin Madrigal, and Sara Borjas. 〰️ 7pm 〰️ Medicine for Nightmares, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
Mothers Day Foraging Brunch 〰️ Learn about all the amazing ways you can forage from the sea at this brunch and demonstration. You'll hand over your foraged finds to chef Linda Tay Esposito who will teach you how to make a Malaysian salad and prepare local seafood laksa over a fire. 〰️ 11:30am–2pm 〰️ Muir Beach 〰️ $145 〰️more info
Oakland Soul Home Opener 〰️ I maintain that the Oakland Soul has some of the best vibes of any sporting event in the entire Bay Area. Come see what I mean at their home opener! Plus they're running a Mother's Day special right now that gets you a ticket, a flower, and a complementary drink. Bring your soccer moms and your soccer mommies (ikyk). 〰️ 3pm 〰️ Merritt College, Oakland 〰️ $27+ 〰️more info
Thrill House Helmet Show 〰️ If there's one thing about punks, it's that we fucking love a fundraiser. Come get down for a good cause and bring essential goods to donate to community members in need like a true punk. Featuring music from Big Tractor, Ladybug Headshot, Moosetrout, Tangled Ends, and See You At Work. 〰️ 3pm 〰️ Thrillhouse Records, SF 〰️ FREE, bring donations/stuff 〰️more info
Mamacitas con Rositas 〰️ Make some linocut floral stamps and zines with a cute art community at this new pop-up run by some mutual aid art baddies. They'll have a couple of carving tools to borrow, but bring your own if you have them. 〰️ 5–7:30pm 〰️ SoFa Pocket Park, San Jose 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
Mother Earth Day Dinner 〰️ If you're ready to splurge this week, here's your chance. An evening dedicated to those who care, and are cared for, featuring nine courses of Japanese-inspired vegan dishes assembled by chef Miyoko Schinner (yes, that Miyoko, of vegan creamery fame). Just a few tickets left on this one so get them now if you want them. 〰️ 5pm 〰️ Rancho Compassion, Nicasio 〰️ $225 〰️more info
Mother's Day Afternoon Tea at the Ferry Building 〰️ Take your mother (or yourself) to tea! Set in the unmatchable light of the San Francisco Ferry Building's historic Grand Hall, this high tea service will feature snacks, Polaroids, and more. Plus, you can learn to arrange a bespoke bouquet while you're there. 〰️ 11:30am–1:30pm 〰️ San Francisco Ferry Building 〰️ $84 〰️more info
Water Wars, Episode 1 〰️ "They stole the water. They broke the treaties. Now the rivers are fighting back." Come see a special screening of a new documentary series that looks at nearly two hundred years of US betrayal of Indigenous people through the stories of waterways. Plus, the ways in which those stewards of the land continue to lead the way towards repair. 〰️ 12:30pm 〰️ The New Parkway, Oakland 〰️ $16 〰️more info
Allen Ginsberg Centennial 〰️ This year would have marked Allen Ginsberg's 100th birthday and the the 70th anniversary of Howl and Other Poems, and you can celebrate those things with a real murderer's row of Bay Area cultural movers and shakers: the Kronos Quartet, Merrill Garbus, Andy Cabic, Kim Stanley Robinson, Peter Coyote, Brontez Purnell and more. What peaches and what penumbras! 〰️ 7pm 〰️ The Chapel, SF 〰️ $58 for standing room, $126 if you want a seat 〰️more info
Lavender Pinball League Summer 2026 Kickoff 〰️ If you're ever been pinball-curious but also pinball-intimidated, come check out this inclusive, beginner-friendly pinball league for queer people and their allies! This Monday listing is their kickoff date, but there are weekly meetups on Monday nights alternating between SF (Emporium, Detour) and Oakland (Beeryland/Legionnaire, Hesher's Pizza). 〰️ 7pm 〰️ Emporium Arcade Bar, SF 〰️ $5 suggested cover 〰️more info
Pond Scum Night in the East Bay 〰️ There are very few places you can bring a small jar of pond scum to without making people think you've lost it (ask me how I know). But thankfully, the Merritt Microscopy club is extremely down for your little bar of gunk. Come see what's in it! Hydra? Duckweed? Daphnia? Protists? All of the above? Only one way to find out. 〰️ 5:30–7:30 〰️ Barbara Lee Science and Allied Health Center, Merritt College, Oakland 〰️ FREE〰️more info
IndigeQueer & QTBIPOC Healing Drum Circle with Wakan Wiya Two Spirit Drum 〰️ Join this healing circle as two-spirit and Indigenous queer organizers gather and contemplate how to heal in such a terrifying world. "Reconnect through tobacco relations, a form of building capacity, and understanding between us. Come see. Come find voice in song and prayer. Come add your visions and dreams for us, for ancestors, trancestors, and those still to come." This is open to all, which is an incredible kindness. Be respectful and cool. 〰️ 6pm 〰️ ARTogether, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
Coyoteland author talk with Vanessa Hua 〰️ You say "coyotes" we put it on the fucking calendar!! And in all seriousness this novel looks really good — a story of teenage friendships, messy family politics, housing, race, and the kinds of twisted, warped worldviews that only a fancy suburb can create. And, yes, a coyote attack. 〰️ 7pm 〰️ The Booksmith 〰️ San Francisco 〰️ FREE (RSVP appreciated) 〰️more info
All Abilities Day at Ardenwood Historic Farm 〰️ Come enjoy a historic farm at whatever speed you need — featuring hands-on opportunities; paved, wheelchair-accessible paths; ASL interpreters; and other accommodations rarely found at historic sites. 〰️ 10am–2pm 〰️ Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont 〰️ FREE 〰️more info
Bestiaries of the More-Than-Humane 〰️ What can we learn from the ways in which non-human animals create, relate, invent, and govern themselves? How can we observe and capture the intelligence and creativity that's all around us in the natural world? Join Jonathon Keats, author of the new book, A Field Guide to More-Than-Human Governance in a workshop that's part philosophy, part craft as you build a tiny bespoke book of animal wisdom.〰️ 6–8pm 〰️ Local Economy, Oakland 〰️ $10 〰️more info
How Money Shapes Minds 〰️ Can you become wealthy without becoming evil? In theory yes, but there's a wealth of research that shows that you'll have to work hard at it. Come hear Dr. Daniel E. Martin talk about that research and whether compassion can be trained in leaders and institutions and what it would take to get them to even consider such a thing. 〰️ 6–8:30pm 〰️ Bartlett Hall, SF 〰️ $15 〰️more info
The Great Curious Cocktail Party 〰️ Curious about non-alcoholic cocktails? Come meet other sober-curious folks and taste a host of delicious offerings without the hangover or psychological trauma. Dress in theme (florals and botanicals) and take home a goody bag. 〰️ 6:30–8:30pm 〰️ Groundfloor, Oakland 〰️ sliding scale, pay what you wish 〰️more info
Art-Science Undisciplined Book Talk 〰️ What does true collaboration between the arts and the sciences look like? It's playful, it's strange, it's harder than you think, but it can unlock something truly transformational. Hear astrophysicist and artist Dr. Natalie Gosnell speak with her longtime collaborator Janani Balasubramanian about their new book on unlocking the potential of these sorts of partnerships. 〰️ 7pm 〰️ Green Apple Books, 9th Ave, SF 〰️ masks encouraged 〰️ FREE, please RSVP 〰️more info
You can see all of COYOTE's past calendar pickshere. 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!
Reo Eveleth is an award-winning reporter and writer who has covered everything from fake tumbleweed farms to million-dollar baccarat heists. Their work has been nominated for a Peabody, an Emmy, and an Eisner Award.
