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Today is Local News Day \u2013 a national day of action for publications like Berkeleyside that provide quality local news for their communities. A donation today will have triple the impact thanks to a generous match. Can you chip in for nonprofit local news in Berkeley?<\/p>\n
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The West Berkeley Community Print Festival returns on Saturday. Credit: Kala Art Institute<\/p>\n
\ud83d\uddbc\ufe0f The West Berkeley Community Print Festival is back! Chat with local artists selling their artwork, participate in art-making activities such as gelli plate and lego printing with teaching artists from the Kala Art Institute, print on your own t-shirt and\/or make your own screenprinted ceramic tile. Saturday, April 11, noon-4 p.m. 2990 San Pablo Ave. FREE (registration required for studio tours)<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc36 Children ages 5 to 12 can sign up for a 20-minute session where they will read aloud to a gentle dog provided by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, a nonprofit all-volunteer organization. Call 510-981-6250 or visit the North Branch to sign up for a slot. Thursday, April 9, 3:30-4:30 p.m. North Branch Library. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udcd5 UC Berkeley\u2019s Department of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies will host a \u201cHomerathon,\u201d where students will read aloud the English translation of \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d from start to finish \u2014 the way that the poems were initially presented in the ancient times. Friday, April 10, 9 a.m. Faculty Glade (If it rains, location is Archaeological Research Facility). FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\u2695\ufe0f Berkeleyans of all ages can meet staff and learn about free programs that provide support with nutrition and breastfeeding, stress reduction, parenting resources and more at a city-run resource fair. Free giveaways at the event include fresh groceries and emergency preparedness supplies. Kids can get their faces painted and play at interactive activity stations. With a live DJ, henna body art, a free meal, and a smoothie bike, there\u2019s something for everybody. Friday, April 10, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. West Berkeley Family Wellness Center. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udcda Examining how artistic practice functions as a site of resistance, refusal and world-making, this panel brings together three widely influential contemporary thinkers working at the intersection of art, race, surveillance, history, and political imagination, with Simone Browne, Cathy Park Hong, and Robin D. G. Kelley, author of the definitive biography of pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. It\u2019s moderated by Professor and ARC affiliate faculty member Ken Ueno. Friday, April 10, 3 p.m. Wu Performance Hall. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\uddbc\ufe0f Bring an art project and your creativity to Blue Willow Tea Spot\u2019s monthly Art Night. If you have art supplies you don\u2019t use anymore, bring some for the communal art box for people who want to borrow materials. Friday, April 10, 6-8 p.m. 1200 Tenth St. FREE (but we recommend buying a drink or pastry to support)<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc93 Have a night of love songs and poems with Zack Rogow, who will read from his collection, \u201cThe Kama Sutra for Senior Citizens and Other Poems on Aging\u201d; Pamela Rose, who will sing ballads written by great women composers of the American Songbook era; and pianist Sam Rudin. All attendees receive a copy of Zack\u2019s new book, one of Pamela\u2019s CDs and refreshments. Friday, April 10, 7:30 p.m. 1984 Bonita Ave. $30<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc8c In honor of National Letter Writing Month, the library will have a letter making station \u2014 including an envelope making station, materials to practice calligraphy (bring your own pen if you wish) and crafts for kids. Saturday, April 11, 2-3 p.m. North Branch Library. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udd8c\ufe0f Join Imasala Collective for gentle yoga, followed by a guided watercolor painting class. No one is turned away for lack of funds; email malikamalikasarah@gmail.com<\/a> for a free or discounted ticket. Saturday, April 11, 2 p.m. 1714 San Pablo Ave. $50<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa4 A national showcase for everything cringe, shameful and downright embarrassing, Mortified<\/a> is a Bay Area-based comedy and storytelling event that has found a home at Ashkenaz, where regular folk gather to share self-conscious experiences gleaned from childhood artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, plays, home movies, art), from first-kisses gone wrong to parents showing up at prom. Saturday, April 11, 7:30 p.m. Ashkenaz $25-$35<\/a><\/p>\n \u2721\ufe0f The City of Berkeley\u2019s 23rd annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, \u201cThe Urgency of Testimony in a World of Denial,\u201d\u00a0 featuresAnna Rabkin, a child survivor from Lviv, Poland, and Yiddish song by world-renowned Russian-born vocalist Polina Shepherd recorded specifically for this event. Sunday, April 12, 11 a.m. Online. FREE (with registration<\/a>)<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf0a A real contender, the Berkeley Historical Society\u2019s new exhibition \u201cOn the Waterfront: The Other Side of Berkeley\u201d opens Sunday with a reception and program led byEast Bay Yesterday podcast host Liam O\u2019Donoghue interviewing lead curator Mitch Fleischer. Sunday, April 12, 1:30-4 p.m. Berkeley Historical Society & Museum. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2721\ufe0f Berkeley\u2019s Joy of Jewish Music and Dance series presents some of world\u2019s finest musicians for enthusiasts to meet, learn, play, shmooze or simply take in the beauty of these rich diasporic traditions, and this one is taught by Siberian-born, UK-based Yiddish and Russian artist Polina Shepherd, a powerhouse pianist vocalist with a deep repertoire and a four-octave range. Dance will be taught by Bruce Bierman. Sunday, April 12, 2-5 p.m. Congregation Netivot Shalom. $25-$54<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb7 3rd Ear presents an evening of contemporary raga and jazz with fifth-generation Hindustani master Krishna Bhatt on sitar, percussionist Rohan Krishnamurthy, and Berkeley saxophonist George Brooks, who has collaborated with many of the most celebrated musicians in Indian classical music. Sunday, April 12, 7 p.m. The Alembic. $40<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83e\uddd7 Rock climbers who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color can meet up with fellow BIPOC rock climbers at a meetup hosted by the group \u201cThe People\u2019s Climbing Crew.\u201d Monday, April 13, 7 p.m. Berkeley Ironworks. Admission to the meetup is FREE<\/a> after paying a day pass or membership to enter Ironworks.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcda More than two decades after Los Angeles experienced its last smog alert, author and professor Ann Carlson shares her new book about one of our era\u2019s great environmental success stories, \u201cSmog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air.\u201d Monday, April 13, 7 p.m. Mrs. Dalloway\u2019s Bookstore. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udcac Join Berkeleyside for a panel conversation next week moderated by our higher education reporter, Felicia Mello, to explore how UC Berkeley is navigating the questions of whether, how and when limits to free speech should apply \u2014 and what the future holds for free expression and academic freedom in higher education. Tuesday, April 14, 6 p.m. David Brower Center. $13 (free tickets available)<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb6 The summer solstice might seem a ways off but it\u2019s not too early to sign up for Make Music Day Berkeley, a free, citywide June 21 celebration of music that welcomes students, amateurs, educators, DJs, choirs, music collectives, and working professionals. In order to turn the entire city into a stage the project needs venues and hosts, businesses, organizations, residents, and public-facing spaces that want to open their doors (or sidewalks!) to live music. Sign up by May 21<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f\u00a0See more things to do\u00a0in\u00a0Oakland<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Richmond<\/a>.\u00a0And check out our big list of\u00a0affordable things to do<\/a>\u00a0anytime in Berkeley.\u00a0Sign up for our\u00a0weekly arts and culture newsletter<\/a>, The Scene.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s an event you\u2019d like us to consider for this roundup, email us at\u00a0the-scene@berkeleyside.org<\/a>. If there\u2019s an event that you\u2019d like to promote on our calendar, you can use the self-submission form on our\u00a0events page<\/a>.<\/p>\n …We have a favor to ask for Our news is available for free for all of Berkeley, and it\u2019s made possible by our readers \u2013 your neighbors and community members who know that an informed Berkeley is a stronger Berkeley. Donations today for Local News Day will be tripled. Please consider chipping in to fuel more stories like this in Berkeley.<\/p>\n “*” indicates required fields<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/LocalNewsDay_Logo_Primary_Color-1-scaled.png\"){kind=logo}
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