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The annual Thangs Taken gathering at La Pe\u00f1a Cultural Center will take place on Sunday, Nov. 23. Credit: Clara Perez<\/p>\nWe work for you \u2014 and we’re matching your donations 1:1 this week! 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?<\/p>\n
The annual Thangs Taken gathering at La Pe\u00f1a Cultural Center will take place on Sunday, Nov. 23. Credit: Clara Perez<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc26 Heyday Books presents a talk with the creators of \u201cIn the Shadow of the Bridge: Birds of the Bay Area,\u201d a book that highlights the wide variety of birds in the Bay Area and how they interact with the urban environment. The talk will include an audience Q&A session, book signing, and time to chat with other bird lovers. Thursday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. David Brower Center. FREE (RSVP required<\/a>)<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb8 Berkeley guitarist, songwriter and raconteur Steven Emerson returns to this intimate venue for his monthly Songs, Stories and Stand-Up engagement, which features a set of his material followed by an open mic for stories, jokes, songs and show-and-tell items. Thursday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m. The Monkey House. $20 suggested donation<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddf1 Malian ngoni master Mamadou Sidibe joins forces with Eliyahu Sills on bass, ney, bansuri, oud, and vocals, Kele Nitoto on percussion and vocals, and Ashel SeaSunz on vocals, percussion and ngoni in Soulful Currents, a project that combines the sounds of Middle East, Mali and the African Diaspora. Thursday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m. La Pe\u00f1a Cultural Center. $35<\/a><\/p>\n \u2694\ufe0f Lovers of Dungeons & Dragons can see the game come to life in \u201cShe Kills Monsters,\u201d a play where D&D characters explore \u201cthe complexity of grief, love, and sibling bonds while celebrating the inner nerd within us all.\u201d Shows run from Nov. 20-23. Zellerbach Playhouse. $10-$20<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa8 Bonita Arts Gallery\u2019s latest exhibition, Life in Color, features recent paintings by three local artists that celebrate life\u2019s vibrancy. Friday, Nov. 21, 5:30-7 p.m., and Friday, Nov. 27, noon-2 p.m. 1942 Bonita Ave. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf7 Led by Brasilia-reared guitarist\/composer Papiba Godinho and vocalist and Salvador da Bahia native Dandha da Hora, Santa Cruz\u2019s SambaD\u00e1 regularly infuses Ashkenaz with a percussion-powered torrent of samba-reggae funk. Friday, Nov. 21 8 p.m. Ashkenaz. $20-$25<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udf43 Connect with the natural world in a nature journaling club, where participants will explore watercoloring and sketching the wildlife of the Berkeley Waterfront. Children are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. Saturday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m. Shorebird Park. $10 (spots limited<\/a>)<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcd6 Kala Art Institute launches its newest exhibition, Bookness, which explores how the book has evolved as an artistic medium throughout history. At the opening reception from noon-4 p.m., visitors can screen print and take home an image of Mary V. Marsh\u2019s artwork with the quote: \u201cRead the message, hold the knowledge, create the story, send the message on \u2014 long may we wave.\u201d Bookness runs from Nov. 22 to Feb. 11, 2026. 2990 San Pablo Ave. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udd2c Take a closer look at the native ingredients of an East Bay Ohlone salad, including popped amaranth and edible flowers, under a microscope. Ingredients are selected by members of the \u2018ottoy initiative, and folks from the SF Microscopical Society will be available to guide. Saturday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Lawrence Hall of Science. FREE with admission<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffe Inspired by the quilts in the acclaimed exhibition Routed West, members of Dimensions Dance Theater use rhythm, movement and verse to piece together their family stories of journeying to California during the last wave of the Great Migration. The Routed West show closes at the end of the month. Saturday, Nov. 22, 5:30 p.m. BAMPFA. $18 (free with admission to museum)<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udf3d Thangs Taken: Rethinking Thanksgiving challenges the colonial roots of Thanksgiving by centering Native art, storytelling, and resistance that advocates for land rematriation and Indigenous sovereignty. (Read more about last year\u2019s gathering.<\/a>) All proceeds go to the Indigenous event organizers, and the event is open to all ages. Sunday, Nov. 23, 6 p.m. La Pe\u00f1a Cultural Center. $17-$60<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb9 The Back Room\u2019s proprietor Sam Rudin, aka Hurricane Sam, is a prodigious blues\/jazz pianist who\u2019s forged a tight musical bond with East Bay drum maestro Jeremy Steinkoler, and for his monthly Sam\u2019s Corner gig he\u2019s added veteran bassist Sam Bevin and special guest Mads Tolling, the Grammy Award-winning violinist. Sunday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m. The Back Room. $25<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc35 Fresh off the critically hailed world premiere of his new opera \u201cThe Monkey King,\u201d composer Huang Ruo discusses how he fuses traditional Chinese music and Western avant-garde and experimental music as well as natural and processed sound with Cal musicology professor Mary Ann Smart, author of \u201cWaiting for Verdi: Opera and Political Opinion in Nineteenth-Century Italy, 1815\u20131848.\u201d Monday, Nov. 24, 5 p.m. David Brower Center. FREE (with registration)<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa5 With school out for Thanksgiving break, the library offers a welcoming array of activities for kids and families, like a screening of \u201cThe Lego Movie,\u201d complete with free popcorn. Stay and build with Legos afterward as part of Lego Club (4:30-6 p.m.). Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2 p.m. Central Library. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc80 Drummer Anna Elva, a longtime presence on the Dead-related music scene, leads the 2nd Annual Grateful Waltz, which draws on music from the Band\u2019s and the Dead\u2019s catalogs with an expansive cast of players, including Joe Craven, Hattie Craven, Melody Walker, Jacob Groopman, and many others. Wednesday, Nov. 26, 8 p.m. Ashkenaz. $20-$25<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83e\uddd8 Whether you\u2019re excited for or dreading the holidays, ground yourself with a Thanksgiving Day yoga session. Iyengar yoga techniques will be taught, and all levels are welcome. Thursday, Nov. 27, 9 a.m. Join online or in-person at Adeline Yoga. $15-$50 sliding scale donation<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb6 The perfect cure of a case of the holiday blues is on tap at the Back Room, where East Bay harmonica ace Mark Hummel presents a tribute to Chicago blues harp legend James Cotton (a frequent participant in Hummel\u2019s Blue Harp Blowout festivals before his death in 2017 at the age of 81). Friday, Nov. 28, 8 p.m. The Back Room. $30-$35<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udf84 The Nutcracker Nightmare Fantasy features a modern and sensual take of the classic Nutcracker as a pole, aerial and burlesque show. In this rendition, Clara stumbles into a world where \u201cblack licorice shimmers, toy soldiers smolder, and Hershey\u2019s aren\u2019t the only things giving kisses.\u201d Shows run from Nov. 29 to Dec. 14. Flux Vertical Theatre. $34-$93<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83e\udd83 An East Bay tradition continues at Ashkenaz with Berkeley bluegrass icon Laurie Lewis\u2019s annual Thanksgiving Concert of Gratitude, a country dance where she\u2019ll be joined by longtime friends and musical collaborators like guitarist Nina Gerber. Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m. Ashkenaz. $30-$35<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udcda Maximilian Kasy, professor of economics at the University of Oxford, gives a talk on his book \u201cThe Means of Prediction: How AI Really Works (and Who Benefits)\u201d as part of a symposium series presented by the UC Berkeley Computational Research for Equity in the Legal System Training Program (CRELS), which trains doctoral students in the social sciences, computer science and statistics. Tuesday, Dec. 2, 4 p.m. 820 Social Sciences Building. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\uddf3\ufe0f A panel of political scholars and practitioners, including former California senator Nancy Skinner, will unpack and offer solutions to California\u2019s policy and governance failures \u2014 including the outsized influence of interest groups in Sacramento and the lack of attention to state and local elections. Wednesday, Dec. 3. 820 Social Sciences Building at UC Berkeley. FREE (registration required<\/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, and right now we’re matching your donations 1:1! <\/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