Hey Garden(ers),

This Thursday, is the National Day of Mourning. There are calls around the globe for solidarity with the people of Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon, Congo, and other oppressed peoples around the world to challenge consumerism by not buying anything or going to work from November 27-29 (also known as "Thanksgiving" and Black Friday). Please consider showing up and challenging the systems by not purchasing anything or calling out of work (if possible) during that time.

However, if you are going to "Thanksgiving" dinner with family (chosen or not), check out these helpful slides from Protect Palestine on how to navigate conversations at the dinner table.

In Garden, member Ze will lead us in an Indigenous Ceremonial Gathering for the National Day of Mourning, which will start promptly at 8:30am PST on Thursday.

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Upcoming Events

⏲️ Our events are typically listed in Pacific Standard Time (PT). Need help converting PT to your time zone? Check out this handy WorldTimeBuddy clock!

🏳️‍⚧️December 7th at 1pm PST, join Lady Dane & J Mase for Finding the Divine Trans (a writing workshop), for Trans, Non-Binary &/or Gender Expansive Gardeners about discovering our Trans stories of divinity, creation and calling ourselves into existence! Come whether you are an experienced writer or novice. Expect to come out of this session with 2-3 new poems. RSVP for updates.

🎨Skyriver will be guiding us into Imagination & Creative Space, an open space and time to work on creative projects, and crafts, on December 14th at 1pm PST. Finish an old project, start a new skill, follow the offered prompt or do your own thing. Joy is resistance. Imagination is the path to liberation. You can RSVP!

🪩New Year's Eve/Day is right around the corner! We're looking for performances, vendors, workshops, space holders, DJ's and more! If you're interested in volunteering, check out and fill out the interest form by December 9th! RSVP for the festivities!

🗣️What random subject could you explain in 15 min or less? Submit to Garden Talks, a festival of ideas/dreams/rants happening here in Garden Jan 11th, 1-5pm PST. RSVP here!

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Ongoing events in Garden

🫁 Want to increase your lung capacity? Come to Breathing in the Knowledge Nursery! Every weekday at 9am PST. RSVP here!

🥣 Grab your favorite cereal for dinner and watch anime & cartoons with us at Monday Night Cereal! Join us every other Monday at 5pm PST. December 2nd, we're watching people's grandpas and little brothers get stolen for the sake of a children's card game. Your move! Read more about the event here.

🎥 Name That Movie (Night!) is Wednesday at 5:30pm PST! This week's movie is a two room double feature! Room 1 will be a recently released horror about a demon that jumps bodies and has a killer smile. Room 2 will be an old animated classic that involves fish who just keep swimming. Think you know what it is? Come thru and find out! RSVP via the visit page.

🫂 The next sessions of Chronic Illness and Long Covid Support Group will be Thursdays December 5th and 19th from 5:30pm-7:30pm PST with Chanelle! Navigating everything that comes with chronic illness can be difficult - from managing symptoms to experiencing grief over missing your pre-illness life. This is a peer support space where we can share our feelings about living with any chronic/long-term illness, including long Covid, during an ongoing pandemic. RSVP via the calendar on the visit page.

🪷 Stretch it out as Caroline leads us in another weekly afternoon Yoga sesh this Friday at 2:15pm PST by streaming a yoga video from YouTube and following along. Videos will be between 25-45 minutes long between easy to moderate pace. Drop ins are always welcome! RSVP via the calendar on the visit page.

🦾 Self Defense Discussion Series with Caroline will be moving to Sundays at 8am PST, and will resume on December 8th! Each group includes reading, discussion and (potential) movement on self-defense principles! In these politically challenging times, it is especially important for our collective liberation and self-care to learn self-defense. RSVP via the visit page!

😷 Hang out, chill and play games with Black folks who take COVID precautions at Bonfire in Garden every 3rd Saturday! The next Bonfire is December 21st at 5pm PST. RSVP here.

💻 Do you work from home and sometimes feel a little too isolated from others? Come Co-Work with us in Garden! We are a 24/7 drop in space for folks to join to co-work silently, listen to music, play a game or chat amongst each other in the chat box.

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Opportunities

🎩Due December 15, 2024, Newberry Library Artist in Residence Fellowships offers three different fellowships for visual and performing artists, writers, journalists, filmmakers, and other humanists, each with a $3,000 stipend.

📖We have been gifted physical copies of the book Pretty which covers subjects of Black transmasculinity and growing up in Texas. Would you like to be considered for a copy? Let us know!

😷Need some antigen tests for the season? We just got a new shipment, and have lots to share! Each package includes a total of 46 rapid antigen tests. Want one?

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Announcements & Actions

🍉 Centering Palestine has a zoom every Tuesday at 5pm PST, along with other resources to show up for Palestine available here.

😷World Health Network has a weekly call to organize community members against mask bans every Friday at 12pm PST.

🐣If you are a parent and filled out our parents' survey, expect a direct email to announce the scheduled meet up time! If you are a parent, interested in meeting with other Garden parents, and haven't filled it out, make sure you do!

🌻 We are looking to open Garden up to more community orgs who would like to share space with us here. If you are part of an org that may benefit from office/event space here, please email info@meetatgarden.com

Until next our avatars meet,

🪄Al, 😻Gata & 🪻J Mase

PS: Have a one-time-event or a recurring event and need a place to host? Email us at info@meetatgarden.com!

Garden is a free 24/7 space, but it does cost money for us to maintain it on Gather.Town. If you'd like to donate to this work, consider throwing some money in the pot here. To send donations directly through our 501c3 fiscal sponsor, email us!