January
Reading Hours Thursday January 1, 6-8:30pm
Have you been meaning to browse our library, look closer at our zines, or just sit down with a book? Come read and relax with us for Reading Hours – A dedicated time for quietly reading at Black Oak.
January Open Hours Sunday January 4, 11, 18 & 25 1-4pm
Drop in for chats, coffee and tea, to pick up something new from the distro, or to browse the library!
Noodle Arms: QT+ Self-defence Tuesday January 6 & 20, 7-8pm
For people who don’t think they could fight their way out of a wet paper bag. Please arrive early; space is limited.
Stay Solid: Anti-Repression and Court Support Wednesday January 7, 2-6pm
Early January marks initial court appearances for four of six individuals facing charges for allegedly disrupting an arms conference in London, Ontario. The annual conference hosted state military interests, and weapons manufacturers known for their role in supporting the state of Israel with the ongoing genocide of Palestinians.
Join us at Black Oak as one individual makes their initial court appearance by zoom. While court is sure to be absurdly boring and unproductive, we’ve filled the afternoon with other activities as well. Drop in to learn about the arrest & court process, have anti-repression discussions around fear and solidarity, and write letters or make art to contribute to care packages for all the London arrestees. Snacks, drinks & supplies provided. Sure to be way better than sitting in a stuffy courtroom! Can’t make it but want to contribute? Get in touch to find out how: pwswg@cupe3906.org
Writing New Worlds Wednesday January 7 & 21, 7-9pm
Writing New Worlds is a bi-weekly meet-up for anarchist and anti-capitalist creative writers. These sessions will be a space where we can break the rules of form while we engage with ideas like mutual aid, direct action, and solidarity.
Sessions will alternate bi-weekly between a more structured session that will include writing prompts and a less structured session where we can edit each other’s work, share feedback, and/or just write quietly together.
Soirée de film // French movie night Thursday January 15, 7pm
Join us for part 1 of the documentary series Ni Dieu Ni Maître: La Volupté de la destruction (1840-1914). Practice your french and nerd out about anarchist history!
Tender Possibilities Poetry Reading Group Saturday January 24, 1-3pm
A collaborative gathering hosted by the Garden of Repairs and led by Tender Possibilities, a participatory poetry exploration and creative placemaking initiative.
This session turns to poetry as a practice of sustained attention, being with the remnants, contradictions, and hybrid inheritances that shape us. Drawing on anti-colonial traditions of kinship, we’ll read and discuss poems that unsettle imposed borders. These works offer intimate cartographies that counter settler histories and patriarchal geographies.
By exploring ecopoetics, we come to understand that it is not the world’s desires that drive the Earth, but the Earth itself (generous and instructive) guiding us toward deeper attunement. Together, we’ll consider how repair emerges through renewed relationality with one another and with the living systems that hold us. The session is facilitated by Featured Poet Danielle Boissoneau and Tender Possibilities’ founder, Farhia Tato
*Masks will be required and provided for this event
Open Mic and Coffee House Sunday January 25, 4-7pm