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Peiting C. Li teaches a Chinese calligraphy class at Teance Fine Teas. Credit: Teance Fine Teas.<\/p>\nWe work for you \u2014 reporting on the stories our community needs. Our journalists attend city council and school board meetings, follow tips and make the calls to keep you informed on the important issues in Berkeley. Will you chip in today to support that work during our year-end fundraising campaign?<\/p>\n
Peiting C. Li teaches a Chinese calligraphy class at Teance Fine Teas. Credit: Teance Fine Teas.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f The newly created Palestine and Arab Studies program at UC Berkeley hosts \u201cFrom Apartheid to Democracy: A Blueprint for Peace in Israel-Palestine,\u201d a talk with Sarah Leah Whitson,<\/a> co-author of From Apartheid to Democracy<\/a> and executive director of DAWN, an organization that seeks to support democracy and human rights in the Middle East. Thursday, Nov. 13 4 p.m. UC Berkeley Law School. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udf4e Test your knowledge at Trivia Night with Ms. Jenna, a bartender and third-grade teacher. Questions are often pulled from tests she gives her students. 6:30 p.m. every Thursday. Starry Plough. FREE<\/a> (donations accepted for Ms. Jenna\u2019s classroom)<\/p>\n \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf3 The Berkeley Historical Society & Museum present Russell Low\u2019s \u201cRising from the Mission Home: The Remarkable Journeys of Three Chinese Women,\u201d a multimedia presentation exploring the lives of three courageous Chinese women in the East Bay via rare historic photographs and vivid illustrations of San Francisco and Oakland Chinatowns from the 1890s and early 1900s, set to music and narrated by the author. Thursday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m. FREE (RSVP to info@berkhistory.org for the Zoom link)<\/a><\/p>\n \u2640\ufe0f Prolific Canadian poet, translator and essayist B\u00e4noo Zan and Cy Strom, editors of \u201cWoman Life Freedom: Poems for the Iranian Revolution,\u201d lead a reading and discussion with Bay Area contributors to the anthology, followed by audience Q&A and book signing. Friday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m. Pegasus Books Downtown. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfc3\u200d\u2642\ufe0f Run through Telegraph Avenue, the UC Berkeley campus, Fourth Street, the Berkeley Marina, and more at the Berkeley Half Marathon. Choose between running a 1K, 5K, 10K, or the full race distance of 13.1 miles. Kids 1K on Saturday, Nov. 15, all other races on Sunday, Nov. 16. $95-$225<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb5 Celebrate Amoeba Music\u2019s 35th anniversary with a party that includes a \u201990s-themed DJ set from noon-4 p.m., a music-themed raffle, and goodie bags and limited edition posters with purchase. Saturday, Nov. 15, store open 11 a.m.-7 p.m.<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa4 UC Berkeley\u2019s first student-run record label, Public School Records, is hosting an on-campus music festival featuring local student bands, vendors, and concert promoters. Saturday, Nov. 15, noon-5:30 p.m. Savio Steps\/Sproul Plaza. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfad Shotgun Players debuts the Stephen Sondheim classic, \u201cSunday in the Park with George.\u201d An artist struggles to finish his latest painting while balancing his love life, and a century later, the artist\u2019s great-grandson struggles to maintain his creative streak. With onstage seating and immersive stage design, audience members may find themselves part of the painting, too. Shows run Nov. 15 to Dec. 30. $15-$90<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udf75 Teance holds monthly tea socials where you can taste test teas from their extensive menu with fellow community members. Other activities for this upcoming social include mahjong, drawing Wisdom of Tao oracle cards, and karaoke. Saturday, Nov. 15, 5:30 p.m. $25<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf7 Diaspora Arts Connection presents Mohamad Khodadadi\u2019s \u201cImmersion,\u201d a three-hour guided listening experience exploring centuries-old Persian repertoires and lesser-known regional sounds from Iran, each framed with context, reflection, and poetic insight by a master of Persian classical music. Saturday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m. Impossible Stage. $100<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb8 A triple bill at the living-room-like Monkey House featuring award-winning Berkeley singer\/songwriter and filmmaker Alexis Harte, jazz-steeped bassist\/songwriter John Lester, and Pilgrims of Stoke, a collective represented by a guitarist and singer Nick Peters and bluegrass guitarist Rob Morris (joined by Lester on bass). Saturday, Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. Monkey House. $20-$40 donation<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb6 The rollicking gutbucket psychedelic blues combo HowellDevine plays the Back Room, celebrating drummer Pete Devine\u2019s birthday and his return to the bandstand while fighting cancer. Saturday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m. Back Room. $25<\/a><\/p>\n \u2712\ufe0f Dive into Chinese calligraphy while sipping some tea. This session will cover the concept of \u7a7a kong\u2014which translates to \u201cempty,\u201d \u201csky,\u201d \u201cair,\u201d \u201cspace,\u201d or \u201cvoid\u201d \u2014 and how it has been written by different calligraphers and scripts. Calligraphy enthusiasts of all levels are welcome. Sunday, Nov. 16, 10 a.m. Teance. $25 for class, $5 extra for materials<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83e\uddf6 Explore the loose ends of Eli Leon\u2019s collection of textiles, fabric scraps, and other materials that were posthumously donated to BAMPFA. (Read more about Leon\u2019s collection of over 3,000 African American quilts, currently on display in the \u201cRouted West\u201d exhibition.<\/a>) Sunday, Nov. 16, 1 p.m. FREE with museum admission<\/a><\/p>\n \u2721\ufe0f KlezCalifornia presents another Joy of Jewish Music and Dance series of workshops and jam sessions, and this one features cantor Achi Ben Shalom and multi-reed player Asaf Ophir leading the music and Bruce Bierman teaching the dance. Sunday, Nov. 16, 2-5 p.m. Netivot Shalom. $25-$54 (under 18 free)<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfbb Cellist Rebecca Roudman\u2019s hard-rocking Renegade Orchestra previews a new album \u201cSounds of San Francisco \u2026 and the Bay Area\u201d at Berkeley\u2019s Finnish Hall, delivering symphonic arrangements of classic works by acts from Jefferson Airplane to the Dead Kennedys. Sunday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m. Berkeley Finnish Hall. $30<\/a><\/p>\n \u265f\ufe0f Try out new board games with their game designers to have fun and provide feedback, or bring your own original game for others to playtest. Monday, Nov. 17, 6-11 p.m. Victory Point Cafe. $12 (or buy 2+ items from the cafe)<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udca5 Got aches from sitting, typing, and staring at a screen all day? Join a hands-on workshop where you\u2019ll learn sustainable ways to manage pain using a \u201cpleasure and consent-based approach.\u201d Wednesday, Nov. 19. 6 p.m. Tarea Hall South Branch Library. FREE<\/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.<\/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 \u2026 We have a small favor to ask.<\/p>\n We work for you to provide free and independent journalism covering the stories that matter most in Berkeley. And we rely on readers like you to make our work possible. That\u2019s why we\u2019re asking you to contribute to our year-end membership campaign today. We\u2019ve set a goal to raise $180,000 by Dec. 31 and we\u2019re counting on readers like you to help get us there.\u00a0<\/p>\n Your support will enable us to continue doing the work for you and our community to provide the reporting Berkeley needs. So, what do you say, will you join us in doing the work?<\/p>\n “*” indicates required fields<\/p>\n \t![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/large-IMG_9149.jpg\")
Runners pass through Sather Gate at UC Berkeley during the 2022 Berkeley Half Marathon. Credit: Kelly Sullivan<\/p>\n