​Join us as we come together in support of Lamea Abuelrous, neighbor and owner of local business, Temo's Cafe. Lamea is raising funds to support her family of 10 in West Gaza so that they can relocate to safety and receive medical care. Of the 10 family members, 6 are children. They are currently living in a tent on the streets after escaping Rafah and have been sick because of contaminated food and water. Let’s come together to help them reach safety.

​This will be an intimate course capped at 15 students. Lamea will be showing us how to make several Palestinian homestyle dishes and we'll then sit down for a community feast!

​Tickets are sliding scale starting at $65 per person. Please give what you can. All proceeds will go directly to the family.

​Direct donations can also be made here. Please consider donating even if you are unable to join us.

​Looking forward to gathering as supporters, neighbors and friends!

RSVP

To accompany happy hour on a full moon, a portal of interspecies entanglement opens. Helen Shewolfe Tseng will give a performance talk and preview of her forthcoming book project, Trickster at the End of a World, a visual narrative into the tall grasses of uncertainty and the spaces between realms, guided by coyotes and in search of things lost. (Thank you to the San Francisco Arts Commission for supporting this project's development.)

Let's close out the week together with conversation, libations (alcoholic & non-alcoholic), and refreshments!

When the weather is nice, we sometimes host on our outdoor deck.

Friends of members are welcome to join.

RSVP

With a combination of strategic use of color, delicate line work, and a healthy dose of humor, cartoonist Agnes Lee interprets what’s known in Buddhist tradition as the bardo, the 49 days between death and rebirth, through the journey of her protagonist, Kit. Lee (who’s known for her winsome “Metropolitan Diary” NYT column) will take us inside her creative process, introduce us to her characters—and maybe even share some of the food that plays a key role in the graphic novel. Attendees are invited to bring something to eat that evokes a memory. Let’s share food and stories!

About Agnes Lee

Agnes Lee grew up in the Bay Area and is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Art Center College of Design. She is a former Chronicle Books fellow and was an Art Director at the The New York Times for several years where she began illustrating the Metropolitcan Diary column. She now lives in Portland, OR, with her partner and cat. In addition to art, she loves the outdoors and playing ultimate frisbee.

About Litquake

Litquake’s diverse live programs aim to inspire critical engagement with the key issues of the day, bring people together around the common humanity encapsulated in literature, and perpetuate a sense of literary community by providing a vibrant forum for Bay Area writing. Because we believe in literature as a public good, we work to produce events that are accessible to all.

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Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or a brand new beginner, these classes will offer a space to combine breath, movement, stillness, and surrender. The classes will be an accessible, heartful flow with some music and some silence. There will be plenty of room to dial it up or dial it down, depending on what you need from the class. I find that writing as a practice and yoga as a practice have many synergies, and I hope these classes will continue our commitment to accessible and affordable community yoga at The Ruby!

Class will be held on the 2nd floor, classic Ruby space.

About the Instructor

Marissa Mika has been on the yoga mat since 2010 and teaching since 2019. She’s studied and practiced with Yoga Like Water in London, Point Reyes Yoga in the Bay Area, and Yin Yoga with Corina Benner in Philadelphia. You can read more about Marissa and her approach to practicing and facilitating yoga here.

*This is an intimate gathering for Ruby members

Our November book is Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner. The book is available at local bookstores, the library, and on Bookshop.org.

This event is open to Rubies and hosted transfemme, women, and nb friends of Rubies.

About Creation Lake

Creation Lake is a novel about a secret agent, a thirty-four-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics, bold opinions, and clean beauty, who is sent to do dirty work in France.

“Sadie Smith” is how the narrator introduces herself to her lover, to the rural commune of French subversives on whom she is keeping tabs, and to the reader.

Sadie has met her love, Lucien, a young and well-born Parisian, by “cold bump”—making him believe the encounter was accidental. Like everyone Sadie targets, Lucien is useful to her and used by her. Sadie operates by strategy and dissimulation, based on what her “contacts”—shadowy figures in business and government—instruct. First, these contacts want her to incite provocation. Then they want more.

In this region of centuries-old farms and ancient caves, Sadie becomes entranced by a mysterious figure named Bruno Lacombe, a mentor to the young activists who communicates only by email. Bruno believes that the path to emancipation from what ails modern life is not revolt, but a return to the ancient past.

Just as Sadie is certain she’s the seductress and puppet master of those she surveils, Bruno Lacombe is seducing her with his ingenious counter-histories, his artful laments, his own tragic story.

Written in short, vaulting sections, Rachel Kushner’s rendition of “noir” is taut and dazzling. Creation Lake is Kushner’s finest achievement yet as a novelist, a work of high art, high comedy, and unforgettable pleasure.

About Rachel Kushner

Rachel Kushner is the author of the New York Times bestseller Creation Lake, her latest novel, The Hard Crowd, her acclaimed essay collection, and the internationally bestselling novels The Mars Room, The Flamethrowers, and Telex from Cuba, as well as a book of short stories, The Strange Case of Rachel K. She has won the Prix Médicis and been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Folio Prize, and was twice a finalist for the Booker Prize and the National Book Award in Fiction. Creation Lake was also longlisted for the National Book Award. She is a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow and the recipient of the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her books are translated into twenty-seven languages.

Join us for fika, the Swedish coffee and cake break. (From Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break: "Functioning as both a verb and a noun, the concept of fika is simple. It is the moment that you take a break, often with a cup of coffee, but alternatively with tea, and find a baked good to pair with it. You can do it alone, you can do it with friends. You can do it at home, in a park or at work. But the essential thing is that you do it, that you make time to take a break: that’s what fika is all about.")

Join us at 3 p.m. for the cake break. There will be cake, and we'll make small batches of tea and coffee to enjoy on the big deck. Wear layers!

Ruby member friends are welcome to join.

RSVP

Join Lizzie & Eesha for Film Club's newest event series, discussing trends in filmmaking by Asian diasporic filmmakers and how "representation" has evolved in the last thirty years! Enjoy movie screenings at The Ruby featuring refreshments and reflection together afterwards.

Mississippi Masala, directed by Mira Nair and written by Sooni Taraporevala, is a romantic classic. The film was released in 1991, and in 2022 it was recovered and restored for the Criterion Collection: "Years after her Indian family was forced to flee their home in Uganda by the dictatorship of Idi Amin, twentysomething Mina (Sarita Choudhury) spends her days cleaning rooms in an Indian-run motel in Mississippi. When she falls for the charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius (Denzel Washington), their passionate romance challenges the prejudices of both of their families and exposes the rifts between the region’s Indian and African American communities. Tackling thorny issues of racism, colorism, culture clash, and displacement with bighearted humor and keen insight, Nair serves up a sweet, sexy, and deeply satisfying celebration of love’s power."

Topics to consider: Choice of setting, "third culture" specificity, depictions of interracial tensions & romance, how this story compares with similar ones today (also, what are similar stories being depicted today, if any?)

*This is a small gathering of Ruby members and member friends

Come join the Ruby Writing Accountability Group! A warm and welcoming community to support each other on our projects!

​Looking for a supportive writing community without the hassle of applying for workshops and retreats? Join The Ruby’s Writing Accountability Group!

​All Rubies are welcome, whether you are journaling, just beginning to explore your writing, working on a poetry collection or zine, or grinding on the umpteenth revision of your manuscript – no matter where you are in your practice, you’ll find a friendly community here.

​The Writing Accountability Group is an accessible complement to the writing workshops, residencies, fellowships, and conferences that writers have traditionally relied upon to improve their craft and build community. Often these opportunities are pricey and time-consuming, and many have limited availability. For writers with limited time, applying for and attending these opportunities can even take time away from the writing itself! This group is our solution to these challenges.

​During the first 30-45 minutes, a Ruby member will lead a short craft or generative exercise, after which we will break and spend the remaining time working independently on our own writing (though you are always welcome to skip the exercise in favor of focusing on your writing the whole time). You can attend these sessions as often or as infrequently as you’d like; there’s no commitment to join every time.

​Our craft talks and generative exercises are wholly led by group members! In the past, we’ve had exercises around closely reading a short story, prompts to help us think about our writing from a different perspective, generative exercises using memes, and even discussions around writing goals and struggles. Leading a session is a great way to enrich our community with different craft approaches and activities that improve all of our writing – and you’ll have our support along the way! We’ll also be on hand to help you introduce the exercise once everyone gets settled in.

​Can’t join us in-person? There will be a virtual session the Last Monday of each month!

​Whenever you’re feeling discouraged with the writing or publishing process, we’re here to give you a boost!

​This is an intimate group of Ruby members**

Join Asian American Women Artists Association and The Ruby for a comfort-centered watch party and potluck on election day!

Contribute a fave comfort food item and bring any emotional support items. This is a cozy community gathering where we can be together on what can be a stressful evening.

*This is an intimate gathering of AAWAA and Ruby members and their invited women-identifying and nb guests.

Center for the Art of Translation, Medicine for Nightmares, and The Ruby in San Francisco welcomes Spanish writer Layla Martínez to discuss the English release of her debut novel, Woodworm, translated by Sophie Hughes and Annie McDermott. She will be in conversation with Ruby Daniela Blei.

The house breathes. The house contains bodies and secrets. The house is visited by ghosts, by angels that line the roof like insects, and by saints that burn the bedsheets with their haloes. It was built by a smalltime hustler as a means of controlling his wife, and even after so many years, their daughter and her granddaughter can’t leave. They may be witches or they may just be angry, but when the mysterious disappearance of a young boy draws unwanted attention, the two isolated women, already subjects of public scorn, combine forces with the spirits that haunt them in pursuit of something that resembles justice.

In this lush translation by Sophie Hughes and Annie McDermott, Layla Martinez’s eerie debut novel is class-conscious horror that drags generations of monsters into the sun. Described by Mariana Enriquez as “a house of women and shadows, built from poetry and revenge, ” this vision of a broken family in our unjust world places power in the hands of the eccentric, the radical, and the desperate.

Learn more

Join for a Día de los Muertos and Halloween-themed happy hour with conversation, libations (alcoholic & non-alcoholic), and refreshments!

When the weather is nice, we sometimes host on our outdoor deck.

Friends of members are welcome to join.

RSVP

Center for the Art of Translation and The Ruby SF present a conversation between Lau Yee-Wa, author of Tongueless (Feminist Press), translator Jennifer Feeley and Laurie Wen.

TW: This book discusses suicide.

Tongueless follows two rival teachers at a secondary school in Hong Kong who are instructed to switch from teaching in Cantonese to Mandarin—or lose their jobs. Apolitical and focusing on surviving and thriving in their professional environment, Wai and Ling each approach the challenge differently. Wai, awkward and unpopular, becomes obsessed with Mandarin learning; Ling, knowing how to please her superiors and colleagues, thinks she can tactfully dodge the Mandarin challenge by deploying her social savviness.

Sharp, darkly humorous, and politically pointed, Tongueless presciently engages with important issues facing Hong Kong today during which so much of the city’s uniqueness—especially its language—is at risk of being erased.

About Lau Yee-Wa

Lau Yee-Wa is one of Hong Kong’s most exciting up-and-coming fiction authors. Lau began her literary career writing poetry at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she obtained her BA in Chinese language and literature, and her Master’s degree in philosophy. Lau’s short story “The Shark”' won the prestigious Hong Kong Champion of the Awards for Creative Writing in Chinese in 2016. Tongueless has been highly praised by acclaimed Hong Kong authors including Chan Ho-Kei and Dorothy Tse.

About Jennifer Feeley

Jennifer Feeley is the translator of Not Written Words: Selected Poetry of Xi Xi, Carnival of Animals: Xi Xi's Animal Poems, the White Fox series by Chen Jiatong, Wong Yi's chamber opera Women Like Us, and Mourning a Breast by Xi Xi. She holds a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures from Yale University and is the recipient of the 2017 Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize and a 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Translation Fellowship.

About Laurie Wen

Laurie Wen’s writing has appeared in The New York Times and Geez Magazine. Her short film, The Trained Chinese Tongue, is in the Criterion Channel collection. She has translated subtitles for independent films from Hong Kong, her hometown. She’s also worked as a Cantonese-English interpreter in New York City criminal courts. She’s writing a book about Hong Kong.

About The Center for the Art of Translation

The Center for the Art of Translation champions literary translation, bringing original voices to readers, and leading students to new ways of thinking by teaching them to translate poetry. The Center's publications, events, and educational programming build audiences for literature in translation, enrich the library of vital literary works, nurture and promote the work of translators, and honor the incredible linguistic and cultural diversity of our schools and our world.

This event is supported by Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Hong Kong Arts Development Council supports freedom of artistic expression. The views and opinions expressed in this project do not represent the stand of the Council.

Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or a brand new beginner, these classes will offer a space to combine breath, movement, stillness, and surrender. The classes will be an accessible, heartful flow with some music and some silence. There will be plenty of room to dial it up or dial it down, depending on what you need from the class. I find that writing as a practice and yoga as a practice have many synergies, and I hope these classes will continue our commitment to accessible and affordable community yoga at The Ruby!

Class will be held on the 2nd floor, classic Ruby space.

About the Instructor

Marissa Mika has been on the yoga mat since 2010 and teaching since 2019. She’s studied and practiced with Yoga Like Water in London, Point Reyes Yoga in the Bay Area, and Yin Yoga with Corina Benner in Philadelphia. You can read more about Marissa and her approach to practicing and facilitating yoga here.

*This is an intimate gathering for Ruby members

Join R.A.I.C.E.S. Fellow Danielle Revives of Marigold Project in the creation of memorial candles dedicated to your Beloved. Special bonus, Selina Sanchez Cristobal of Kara (a non-profit organization that specializes in providing caring support for children and adults experiencing grief and loss) will be present for a Grief Circle with workshop participants. You will have the option to share your Beloved's story in a safe, judgment free place in the last half of the workshop.

This is workshop three of a three part series, where we channel our grief for those that we lost into something artful and beautiful inspired by Dia de los Muertos. In workshop three, we will show you the basics of memorial candle creating. You will learn about the significance of candles in the realm of Day of the Dead's culture and ritual. We will then get our hands active with a hot glue gun and all the other necessary supplies to create a glowing, adorned-to-perfection candle as an ode to your Beloved. The candle can either be placed on The Ruby's community altar or be carried in the Dia de los Muertos procession to the Festival of Altars on November 2, 2024 at Potrero Del Sol Park.

We will bring the colorful supplies to adorn the candles. **You bring the heart by way of a picture of your chosen Beloved to create the candle for. 

*This gathering is for women and non-binary members of The Ruby and extended community.

RSVP

Come join the Ruby Writing Accountability Group! A warm and welcoming community to support each other on our projects!

​Looking for a supportive writing community without the hassle of applying for workshops and retreats? Join The Ruby’s Writing Accountability Group!

​All Rubies are welcome, whether you are journaling, just beginning to explore your writing, working on a poetry collection or zine, or grinding on the umpteenth revision of your manuscript – no matter where you are in your practice, you’ll find a friendly community here.

​The Writing Accountability Group is an accessible complement to the writing workshops, residencies, fellowships, and conferences that writers have traditionally relied upon to improve their craft and build community. Often these opportunities are pricey and time-consuming, and many have limited availability. For writers with limited time, applying for and attending these opportunities can even take time away from the writing itself! This group is our solution to these challenges.

​During the first 30-45 minutes, a Ruby member will lead a short craft or generative exercise, after which we will break and spend the remaining time working independently on our own writing (though you are always welcome to skip the exercise in favor of focusing on your writing the whole time). You can attend these sessions as often or as infrequently as you’d like; there’s no commitment to join every time.

​Our craft talks and generative exercises are wholly led by group members! In the past, we’ve had exercises around closely reading a short story, prompts to help us think about our writing from a different perspective, generative exercises using memes, and even discussions around writing goals and struggles. Leading a session is a great way to enrich our community with different craft approaches and activities that improve all of our writing – and you’ll have our support along the way! We’ll also be on hand to help you introduce the exercise once everyone gets settled in. If you have an idea for a future session (even if you don’t want to lead it yourself).

​Whenever you’re feeling discouraged with the writing or publishing process, we’re here to give you a boost!

​This is an intimate group of Ruby members**

This event is meant to bring Rubies together with an interest in visual storytelling and film or digital photography! We'll host a photo walk in the neighborhood, with a new theme each time, to help guide our shots and exploration.

​You can bring their own digital or film camera, or use a disposable film camera as an affordable way to practice (typically about $15)!

​We'll collect and share photos when developed too. We can also feature photos at The Ruby near our sketch wall! This monthly event can also include discussions or panels features local, diverse female or femme identifying photographers with different levels of experience and styles.

​​​A non-member femme or non-binary friend may join if they are hosted by a Ruby member. For non-members, we hope you feel the warmth of our space and community. Please help us keep the space clean, safe, and comfortable so that it can remain a sanctuary for artists and writers.

​About the Facilitator

​My name is Negra Tutundzic and I have been part of the Ruby for about 5 months now! I started learning film photography about a year ago after I got my hands on my mom's old Zenit (Soviet era!) camera that I found hidden away in my parent's basement. My full time career is in employee engagement so I also have a passion for connecting people together in meaningful ways!

The Chronic Illness & Disability Group is a safe, non-judgmental space for Ruby members living with chronic illness and/or disability to talk about their experiences, share resources, and support one another. We meet once a month as a group over Zoom.

​The Ruby Open Reading event is a chill, supportive place to share your work-in-progress and hear from our amazing Ruby member writers. Channel your inner beatnik and enjoy the good vibes!

​We'll have a sign-up sheet for the reading when you arrive. If you're thinking about reading (which is not a requirement for attending), please plan for 5-8 minutes of time. Polished drafts and rough messes and everything in between are welcome! ​Non-readers are welcome!

​We'll mingle a bit with potluck-style snacks and get to know each other before opening the reading, and have time after to continue conversations.

*This is an intimate gathering of Ruby members

Join us for fika, the Swedish coffee and cake break. (From Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break: "Functioning as both a verb and a noun, the concept of fika is simple. It is the moment that you take a break, often with a cup of coffee, but alternatively with tea, and find a baked good to pair with it. You can do it alone, you can do it with friends. You can do it at home, in a park or at work. But the essential thing is that you do it, that you make time to take a break: that’s what fika is all about.")

Join us at 3 p.m. for the cake break. There will be cake, and we'll make small batches of tea and coffee to enjoy on the big deck. Wear layers!

Ruby member friends are welcome to join.

RSVP

Join the Ruby's Film/TV group to view STANDING ABOVE CLOUDS edited by our very own Diana Diroy! The film screening will be amongst the APATure 2024 Film showcase featuring works from Teao Sense, Sophia Perez, aka productions, Joyce Keokham, Elaine Nguyen, and featured artist Jalena Keane-Lee. These varied and poignant works explore cultural knowledge and belonging through a variety of different lenses: educational shows and music videos that foreground the lived experience of the AAPI diaspora, reflections on cultural belonging and embodiment, and a documentary that highlights Indigenous Hawaiians' righteous struggles for self-determination.

​The theme for this year is RETURN. From the Palestinian right to return, the call for Indigenous Land Back, and the various migrant histories and struggle for justice in our Pacific Islander and Asian communities, artists consider  what the idea of return means to them.

​​Get tickets here!

​​About the Film:

​Standing Above the Clouds highlights the movement to protect Mauna Kea through the intergenerational stories of women in three Native Hawaiian families as they stand for the sacred mountain. The film follows teacher and community organizer Pua Case and her two daughters — artist-activists Hāwane Rios and Kapulei Flores — who have been called to stop the telescope since 2010. Their lives quickly become consumed with frontline actions and court proceedings and immersed in ceremonies and cultural practices. As they face opposition and arrests, they are joined by a community who have dedicated their lives to protecting Mauna Kea.

​The film is an intimate journey through the women’s lives both on and off the mountain, and explores the physical and emotional toll of sustaining a grassroots movement. After nine months of living on the mountain, blocking construction, and establishing a frontline camp, Standing Above The Clouds shows their journey to heal once they return to their homes in March 2020. In the face of challenges and tragedy, the mountain gifts each woman with hope and strength and the understanding that victory is in standing in unity for sacred places and that healing occurs through the sisterhood they have created along the way.

This is workshop two of a three part series, where we channel our grief for those that we lost into something artful and beautiful inspired by Día de los Muertos. In workshop two, we will show you the basics of flower crown creating. You will learn about the significance of flower crowns in the realm of Day of the Dead's culture and ritual. We will then get our hands active with a hot glue gun and all the other necessary supplies to create the perfect flower crown for you to wear as an ode to your Beloved at the Festival of Altars on November 2, 2024 at Potrero Del Sol Park.

We will bring the colorful floral supplies to adorn your head. You bring the imagination and creativity to create a crown that will make your Beloved proud.

*This gathering is for women and non-binary members of The Ruby and extended community.

RSVP

The generous team at Acción Latina will be hosting us for Happy Hour! We will have a private tour of the newest exhibit and spend time in their space learning about the vital work they do. Acción Latina was formed from a class group project at San Francisco State in the 1970s. They sponsor year-round literary and performing arts events such as the Encuentro del Canto Popular and the Paseo Artistico community art stroll that brings free arts programming every other second Saturday. They also manage a collection of archival materials that document the history of social struggles and artistic movements of the Mission District from the 1970s to the present. You may also be familier with their publication, El Tecolate, the longest-running Spanish-English bilingual newspaper in California.

​Acción Latina’s mission is to promote cultural arts, community media, and civic engagement as a way of building healthy and empowered Latino communities.

​​They are holding a summer giving campaign to help continue their free cultural programming, community media programs, and civic engagement initiatives. If you are able, let's help support our neighbor in the incredible work they do!

​​*This is an intimate gathering for Ruby members

Come join the Ruby Writing Accountability Group! A warm and welcoming community to support each other on our projects!

​Looking for a supportive writing community without the hassle of applying for workshops and retreats? Join The Ruby’s Writing Accountability Group!

​All Rubies are welcome, whether you are journaling, just beginning to explore your writing, working on a poetry collection or zine, or grinding on the umpteenth revision of your manuscript – no matter where you are in your practice, you’ll find a friendly community here.

​The Writing Accountability Group is an accessible complement to the writing workshops, residencies, fellowships, and conferences that writers have traditionally relied upon to improve their craft and build community. Often these opportunities are pricey and time-consuming, and many have limited availability. For writers with limited time, applying for and attending these opportunities can even take time away from the writing itself! This group is our solution to these challenges.

​During the first 30-45 minutes, a Ruby member will lead a short craft or generative exercise, after which we will break and spend the remaining time working independently on our own writing (though you are always welcome to skip the exercise in favor of focusing on your writing the whole time). You can attend these sessions as often or as infrequently as you’d like; there’s no commitment to join every time.

​Our craft talks and generative exercises are wholly led by group members! In the past, we’ve had exercises around closely reading a short story, prompts to help us think about our writing from a different perspective, generative exercises using memes, and even discussions around writing goals and struggles. Leading a session is a great way to enrich our community with different craft approaches and activities that improve all of our writing – and you’ll have our support along the way! We’ll also be on hand to help you introduce the exercise once everyone gets settled in.

​Can’t join us in-person? There will be a virtual session the Last Monday of each month!

​Whenever you’re feeling discouraged with the writing or publishing process, we’re here to give you a boost!

​This is an intimate group of Ruby members**

The Ruby Book Club Returns! Join us on Tuesday, October 15 from 6:00 - 7:30pm.

​Our October book is Bear by Julia Phillips. The book is available at local bookstores, the library, and on Bookshop.org.

​This event is open to Rubies and hosted women-identifying and nb friends of Rubies.

​About Bear

​Sam and Elena dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena bartends at the local golf club, but even together they can’t earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence.

​Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that it’s time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the desire to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.

​A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among us--and within us--Bear is a propulsive, mythical, richly imagined novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers in America.

​About Julia Phillips

​Julia Phillips is the bestselling author of the novel Disappearing Earth, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year. A 2024 Guggenheim fellow, she lives with her family in Brooklyn.

Join us for fika, the Swedish coffee and cake break. (From Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break: "Functioning as both a verb and a noun, the concept of fika is simple. It is the moment that you take a break, often with a cup of coffee, but alternatively with tea, and find a baked good to pair with it. You can do it alone, you can do it with friends. You can do it at home, in a park or at work. But the essential thing is that you do it, that you make time to take a break: that’s what fika is all about.")

Join us at 3 p.m. for the cake break. There will be cake, and we'll make small batches of tea and coffee to enjoy on the big deck. Wear layers!

Ruby member friends are welcome to join.

RSVP

​It's a clothing swap! 🍂👗🧣🍷

​For Ruby members and friends, bring 1 bag (max) of shoes, accessories, your favorite clothes to give away and a dish or drinks to share (potluck-style). Join Ruby members to exchange clothes and share food in our clothing swap!

​Also if any folks can volunteer to help Jen and Tara load out the left over items (let us know!). 

RSVP

Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or a brand new beginner, these classes will offer a space to combine breath, movement, stillness, and surrender. The classes will be an accessible, heartful flow with some music and some silence. There will be plenty of room to dial it up or dial it down, depending on what you need from the class. I find that writing as a practice and yoga as a practice have many synergies, and I hope these classes will continue our commitment to accessible and affordable community yoga at The Ruby!

Class will be held on the 2nd floor, classic Ruby space.

About the Instructor

Marissa Mika has been on the yoga mat since 2010 and teaching since 2019. She’s studied and practiced with Yoga Like Water in London, Point Reyes Yoga in the Bay Area, and Yin Yoga with Corina Benner in Philadelphia. You can read more about Marissa and her approach to practicing and facilitating yoga here.

*This is an intimate gathering for Ruby members

​Join the Ruby's Film/TV group in our screening of 1999's BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER!

​Group facilitators, Rubies Lizzie Mayes and Eesha Ramanujam, are hosting! There will be popcorn and hot takes!

​About the Film:

​Megan (Natasha Lyonne) considers herself a typical American girl. She excels in school and cheerleading, and she has a handsome football-playing boyfriend, even though she isn't that crazy about him. So she's stunned when her parents decide she's gay and send her to True Directions, a boot camp meant to alter her sexual orientation. While there, Megan meets a rebellious and unashamed teen lesbian, Graham (Clea DuVall). Though Megan still feels confused, she starts to have feelings for Graham.

*We welcome Rubies and women-identifying and nonbinary friends to join us!

RSVP

In partnership with Omnivore Books, we’re proudly hosting Sarah Chamberlain, in conversation with Kate Leahy, to discuss her newest book, The Slowest Burn!

Omnivore Books will be hosting in their space. First come, first served. There will be overflow room outside if needed and the author will be mic'd. Everyone is welcome to attend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR & THEIR BOOK:

Sarah Chamberlain is a writer, editor, and cookbook translator whose articles have appeared in The Guardian (UK), Food52, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. When she’s not writing witty, sexy contemporary romance, she enjoys making dinner for her friends and family, watching Cary Grant movies, and setting records as an amateur competitive powerlifter. Originally from Northern California, she lives in London.

Kate Leahy has collaborated on more than a dozen books on food and wine, including Italian Wine, Wine Style, Lavash, and Burma Superstar. Her first book, A16 Food + Wine, won the IACP best book of the year and the Julia Child first book award. She co-hosts the podcast Everything Cookbooks and is currently writing a mystery set in Northern California.

The Slowest Burn — Ellie Wasserman’s life is neat and tidy, and that’s exactly how she wants it. Really. A top ghostwriter for celebrity cookbooks, she was widowed three years ago and has no interest in taking chances―not on writing her own cookbook, not on telling her still-grieving in-laws she wants to move out, and certainly not on dating, which is about as intimidating as a recipe with fifty steps.

Kieran O’Neill isn’t known for being organized. An up-and-coming chef who scored big on a reality television competition, he’s been the guy who cracks jokes and makes messes―something his chilly family has never let him forget. The only place he feels truly capable is at the stove. But when he’s paired with an uptight ghostwriter with cool blue eyes and distracting curves to write his debut cookbook, she shreds his class clown act like a paring knife cuts an orange peel.

As Ellie and Kieran are forced to work closely together in a hot kitchen for weeks on end, their sharp edges and harsh judgments slowly soften and sweeten into a wildly delicious attraction. Long, steamy days turn into even steamier nights, but they have to face their painful pasts to know if this tender new love can transform into something lasting.

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