This Is My Home from Mark on Vimeo.
There are big changes happening at Owl and Raven. Some of these changes will be obvious. Other changes will look subtler, but will have a big impact on the long-term sustainability of our community space.
What’s going on?
The biggest change is that we are reorganizing as a collective. With our one-year anniversary on the horizon, a team of dedicated members have stepped up to help with running open hours, planning events, fundraising, and decision making. We’ve been meeting regularly, distributing tasks, and working together to lay a more stable foundation.
What it means for you?
In the future, the collectivization of Owl and Raven will mean increased open hours, more events, more people to meet, and better funding. We’re working toward this goal! In the meantime, remember that good, sustainable change happens slowly.
If you’d like to help with this transition, we are currently seeking more volunteers for weekday open hours, Friday open hours, and anyone who can donate a few hours here and there to help clean, paint, and distribute posters!
Join us tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan 25) at 7pm for a radical parenting discussion facilitated by Jen Hartley, homeschooling mom and activist.
It’s a daunting era for anyone who cares about children and making the world a better place. We’ll explore what it means to be a radical parent and share strategies for navigating one’s way outside the mainstream, with all the challenges presented by this culture. We’ll also talk about radical parenting as a way of maximizing joy, freedom, and delving into the meaning of life.
This skillshare is open to parents, those contemplating parenthood, and anyone who is committed to the well-being of children.
We’re kicking off the New Year with some awesome upcoming events!
- On the first Wednesday of every month, we’ll be hosting a sci-fi writing group. We’re meeting for the first time this week! Space is limited, so let us know in advance if you’d like to join in.
- This Saturday, we’ve having another pay-what-you-want sale! This time, we’ll also have pay-what-you-want artwork. Consider donating some art or munchies to support Owl and Raven!
- Sunday, join us for the newest iteration of the Talon Team. A potluck, a movie, and nature skills – all rolled into one evening. This week’s movie is GASLAND, a film about the environmental implications of hydraulic fracturing.
Owl and Raven is run entirely on small community donations. We’d like to keep our events free. If you appreciate the space, be sure to drop a token of appreciation into the coffer. 
Thanks to everyone who dropped by for open hours this week. It was a great time to work and play before the holiday break. Owl and Raven will be closed December 23rd through January 1st for cleaning, reorganizing, and a fresh coat of paint. We’ll reopen Monday, January 2nd for acupuncture and game night.
See you in 2012!
Please join us in the fight against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect-IP Act). SOPA is being debated in Congress this very moment, and we have serious concerns about the impact this legislation will have on creative innovation and information sharing.
SOPA’s stated purpose is to stem online piracy of copyrighted materials (games, movies, music). Unfortunately, the legislation could have startling implications for anyone who uses and appreciates the internet, whether you live in this country or elsewhere. SOPA, as it is written:
- will require web services to collect information about what you’re searching for, what you’re downloading and uploading, and links that you have visited online
- will allow the US to partake in the type of web censorship that we’re currently seeing in China and Iran
- will deny website owners due process by law (if even suspected of a SOPA breach)
This legislation has raised the ire of the co-founders of Mozilla Firefox, Google, Twitter, Flicker, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Youtube, the Huffington Post, Paypal, and Twitter, in addition to the founders of Craigslist, Ebay, and Wikipedia.
We urge anyone reading this post to do your own research, watch the live coverage in congress, and to contact your representative through the Fight for the Future website.
We’re getting prepped for the oncoming winter, but we’re not slumbering! Every Monday from 5:15-5:45pm, the Freedom Center offers free ear acupuncture at Owl and Raven. Stay on through for game night at 6pm!
Friday evenings at Owl and Raven are a time to kick back and relax in the company of friends. Check out our pay-what-you-want book selection, enjoy a cup of tea, play a game, or join an ongoing discussion about community resilience. The space opens at 6pm and stays open late.
And of course, our daytime open hours are a great time to do independent work in the company of others. Open hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10am-3pm. Free tea and $1 wi-fi!
Now, enjoy this happy owl video.
We’re having a Pay What You Want Booksale for three days straight! Come in on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday from 10-3 to grab some books at whatever price seems fair to you. Those hours too early for you? We’ll still have the books out Friday evening from 6pm-9. Come stock up!
Also happening this week:
Monday, November 14th, 5:15pm: Free Acupuncture Clinic
led by the Freedom Center
Ear acupuncture is a safe, simple, effective treatment that is used in clinics and treatment centers around the world. It is effective for addiction, cravings, detoxification, insomnia, stress, depression, and trauma. It is said to provide a ‘drug-free high’ that produces a deep sense of relaxation and promotes healing and recovery. It is also helpful for withdrawal from psychiatric drugs.
These are free, anonymous, drop-in, clinics. No questions are asked about why you are there and intake paperwork is optional. Everyone is welcome.
Monday, November 14th, 6:00pm: Game Night
Join us for tea and games. Come to play an old favorite, learn something new, or bring a game of your own.
Wednesday, November 16th, 7:00pm: Talking About Sex
led by Meg Baker
Come talk about why it can be challenging to talk about sex and sexuality, and how to make it less so. Come share and learn new ways of seeing sexuality and tools to communicate more clearly about sex. Whether you are not yet sexually active, or you are dealing with your children’s sexuality, or you are discovering what sex is like as you age, it’s part of your life for your entire life. Let’s talk about it in an all-gender-friendly and judgment-free space with skilled facilitation.
This group is an on-going, drop-in group open to anyone 15 and over.
Friday, November 18th, 6:00pm: Food, Friends, Discussion
On Friday nights, we’ll be offering evening open hours in addition to our weekly discussion. Bringing food is encouraged, but don’t stay away if you don’t have time to make a dish! Join us on Friday to discuss how we, as individuals and communities, can prepare for an uncertain future – regardless of our physical abilities or economic means. Please bring your own serving utensils and a plate or bowl to eat from.
Saturday, November 19th, 1:00pm to 2:45: Season of Plenty
led by Joshua Gannon-Salomon
Bring the whole family because it’s story time once again at Owl and Raven and there’s always enough to go around. Joshua Gannon-Salomon is serving up big portions of songs and stories themed around Thanksgiving from all around the world! So take a break from swapping recipes, coordinating invitations, and raking leaves, and come enjoy the Season of Plenty with us!
This weekend, I trekked down to Morristown, New Jersey to attend Metatopia, an awesome new conference for game designers and publishers! It was an amazing experience, and I came back to Owl and Raven totally inspired by the creative force of this event.
One of the games that I’m excited to support is a card-based board game called Ghost Pirates. Ghost Pirates is a two-player, tactical game suitable for for ages 13+ (I would even say 10+, considering some of the kids we’ve met here). The game can be played in around 30 minutes, and it’s friendly both to strategy gamers and novice players!
Ghost Pirates is being self-published by designer Tim Rodriguez, and the game is on Kickstarter in the early days of fundraising. You can support the game at any pledge amount, and there are pledge rewards from $1 to $750. For $10, backers will receive a print-and-play copy of the game. For $25, backers will receive a standard copy of the game when production is complete.
Owl and Raven will be backing this project! If you’d like a copy of the game for yourself, you can support the project here. If you do back the project, let us know. We’re always excited to see community members supporting independent artists!
And here I am talking about Ghost Pirates with Tim!
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