Winter Writing Class
Sunday, January 29, 2023
10 am — noon
This class series is ON, thanks to our friends at Happy Gut Sanctuary.
Led by Samantha Steiner, Fulbright Scholar and winner of Best Microfiction 2021.
About This Class
Our friends at Happy Gut Sanctuary have saved the day by rescuing one of the workshop sessions we had planned for January:
Writing Home: An Intro-Level Writing Workshop.
In this class on setting, we’ll write about many kinds of homes, from houses to nations to the body itself.
About the Teacher
Samantha Steiner is the winner of Best Microfiction 2021, and recipient of fellowships form the Fulbright Foundation, the Saltonstall Foundation, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. We are absolutely thrilled to work with Samantha and overjoyed by the support we’ve received from our friends at Happy Gut Sanctuary!
Location
Happy Gut Sanctuary is located at 1115 E Main Street, Door 6A.
Refund Policy
Contact the organizer to request a refund.
Eventbrite’s fee is nonrefundable.
Winter Writing Classes
Five Mondays, beginning January 9, 2023
5:30 pm — 7:30 pm
This class series has been CANCELED, due to the fire in our building.
Have you been looking for creative writing classes to get your pen flowing again? Battling a bit of writer’s block? Or looking to try your hand at storytelling for the first time?
About These Classes
This January, Akimbo will host award-winning author Samantha Steiner, who will teach a sample course made up of five classes. Writers of all ages and experience levels are welcome! You can join one at $40 per class or sign up for all at $175 total.
The classes are:
- January 9: Writing Home
In this class on setting, we’ll write about many kinds of homes, from houses to nations to the body itself. - January 16: Heroes and Villains
In this class on conflict, we’ll write about protagonists, antagonists, and the striking similarities between the two. - January 23: Coming of Age
In this class on character development, we’ll write about how people arrive at a new understanding of themselves. - January 30: The Tough Stuff
In this class on grief and trauma, we’ll write about the topics we find difficult to name. - February 6: Intro to Comics
In this class on multimedia work, we’ll tell stories through both writing and drawing.
About the Teacher
Samantha Steiner is the winner of Best Microfiction 2021, and recipient of fellowships form the Fulbright Foundation, the Saltonstall Foundation, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
Parking
The neighborhood has plenty of on-street, metered parking and several surface lots with reasonable rates. Parking is free at all meters after 6 PM on weekdays.
Refund Policy
Contact the organizer to request a refund.
Eventbrite’s fee is nonrefundable.
Almost Winter Solstice Big Poetry Reading
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Doors open 6 pm
Join us for an Almost Winter Solstice Big Poetry Reading featuring Peter Mason, J. Bailey Hutchinson, and Andrea Fogel.
Thank you @bossavocado (Albert Abonado) for setting this up!
About the Readers
Peter Mason is a Bi+ poet, editor, and literary event and development specialist from Rochester, NY currently living in the Twin Cities area. He is the Assistant Director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota, Poetry Editor of Up North Lit, and Assistant Poetry Editor of Copihue Poetry. Peter was a finalist for the 2022 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship, a recipient of the inaugural C.D. Wright/Academy of American Poets Prize, and an Artists 360 Grant from the Mid America Arts Alliance. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Poetry Magazine, AGNI, Ninth Letter, Booth, Vinyl Poetry & Prose, The Journal, and elsewhere.
J. Bailey Hutchinson is the author of Gut: Poems, selected by Patricia Smith as the winner of the 2022 Miller Williams Poetry Prize. Her work has been featured by Ninth Letter, Beloit, Muzzle Magazine, BOAAT, and more. She works as an associate editor for Milkweed Editions.
She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Andrea Fogel (she/her/hers) is a disabled/neurodivergent transsexual author who writes to capture the obscure emotions of the gutter in which she lives in order to elevate the low-brow into the high-brow. Publication of her poetry is forthcoming in the zine Gender Anarchists. Her social media accounts can be found here:
https://linktr.ee/andrea.fogel
Poetry & Pranayama
Saturday, December 17, 2022
10:30 am – 11:30 am
Akimbo Bookshop welcomes a steady breath and a tender heart. Settle into the somatic experience of literary art.
Join Ambar (@rgbreatheyoga) in utilizing the somatics of poetry in a pranayama practice. Students will explore breath work, voice work, and meditation to enhance mind-body connection. Open to all.
About the Event
Sliding Scale: $35 to $15 per session
- Free registration on Eventbrite (free yoga mat reservation available)
- $5 Deposit to @RGBreathe by PayPal or Venmo to reserve space
- Pay remainder on arrival $30 to $10 (cash preferred)
What is Pranayama?
Prana is sanskirt term meaning “life force” or “life energy”. Pranayama is the practice of freeing the prana flow within the body.
“As long as there is breath in the body, there is life. When breath departs, so too, does life. Therefore regulate the breath.”
Hatha Yoga Pradipika (Ch. 2:S. 3)
If there is breath, there is life. If there is voice, there is breath. The practice of Pranayama aerates the body with energy and you are invited to explore breath work and voice work as mechanisms of moving the energy within.
What to Wear
Comfortable clothing for movement.
What to Bring
- Water bottle
- *Yoga mat or blanket
- *Yoga bolster or meditation cushion
*Don’t own a yoga mat or yoga props? Click here for some yoga prop alternatives. Limited mats are available to borrow, please reserve via Eventbrite.
About the Leader
Ambar (they/she) is a resident artist at Muck Duck Studio specializing in Vocal Yoga & Image Science.
Metro Justice Winter Book Fair
Saturday, December 10, 2022
2 pm – 9 pm
Genesee Co-op Federal Credit Union building
389 Gregory Street
Weider Ballroom (3rd floor — stairs only)
Don’t miss the Metro Justice Winter Book Fair! Do some holiday shopping, while supporting their work for social justice in the Rochester area! Metro Justice has been fighting for social, racial, and economic justice in the Rochester area since 1965. Their Winter Book Fair is a festive holiday fundraiser to support their ongoing work!
Participating bookstores include:
- Burning Books, an independent radical bookstore from Buffalo.
- Rochester’s own Hipocampo Children’s Books, featuring a bilingual Kids Storytelling Corner with local theatre educator Henry Padron!
- Akimbo Bookshop
- Old Souls Cafe Publishing
Have some Spot Coffee while you browse, and in the evening enjoy live Brazilian choro music from local band Rosa Boêmia (featuring Metro Justice’s very own Darien Lamen)!
Admission
$5. Free for kids 12 and under.
Admisión: $5. Gratis para niños de 12 años o menos.
Tickets are available online or at the door.
The Red Flag Project
Friday, December 9, 2022
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Red Flag Project is a craft activity designed to promote open conversation about domestic violence and unhealthy interpersonal relationships. Join Akimbo Bookshop in crafting fabric appliqué red flags as a cathartic way to destigmatize what was once a taboo topic.
Skillshare: How to Make an Electric Heated Blanket
Saturday, December 3, 2022
5:30–8 pm
Join us as we host a “How to Make an Electric Heated Blanket” skillshare, led by the Rochester Mutual Aid Network.
Donations are welcome — they’ll help RMAN purchase supplies for building the heating elements and controllers.
Art Opening: ANO
Friday, December 2, 2022
5:30–8:00 pm
Acrylic paintings inspired by Downtown Rochester & its unseen beauty. With the use of color, depth, and hard edges these paintings show a side of Rochester to the everyday eye.
This show will run throughout December.
About the Artist
Emiliano Diaz, tag name ANO (b. Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1991) moved to the United States when he was 3 years old with his mother. Growing up in Canandaigua without much of an art scene was difficult. Diaz moved to Portland, Maine, at age 21 and quickly came to the realization that he no longer wanted to pursue a career in graphic design after a couple years in community college. He began to gravitate toward combining graffiti and perspective into his own acrylic paintings with a unique style and precision.
Diaz has lived in Downtown Rochester for 6 years, and is thoroughly inspired by all of the architecture and style that this city has to offer. Some of Diaz’s artistic influences include David Hockney, Faust, Amsterdam graffiti art collective The London Police, and Maryland/Delaware artist John Aquilino. Color, linework, and hard-edge precision are the aspects of painting that motivate Diaz to find that new level of creativity.
When he’s not painting, Diaz is an active part of the local skateboarding scene. From skating to school as a first grader, to still riding at age 31, skateboarding has been a huge influence in his life. It has taught him that anything is possible with the right patience, coordination, and mindset. While serving as a creative outlet, skating has also shown him the value of dedication and perseverance. In the same way he pushes himself to master his next new trick, he is constantly striving to master his craft as an artist.
Follow him on Instagram: @anoxxix
Open Mic Night: Rochester Mutual Aid Network
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
5–7 pm
Along with a tune, something to say, or just open ears, please bring a blanket to donate. (Twin-size fleece blankets are ideal, but other blankets are welcome.) Donated blankets will be used by the Rochester Mutual Aid Network to build D.I.Y. heated blankets… at Akimbo Bookshop on December 3rd!!! WOW! These blankets will be distributed to our unhoused neighbors by RMAN as well.
Then…
Join us the following Saturday, December 3rd, when we’ll host a “How to Make an Electric Heated Blanket” skillshare, led by RMAN.
Want to donate money to support this project? That would be welcome, too — RMAN will need to purchase supplies for building the heating elements and controllers.
Literary Trivia Night
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
7–9 pm
Want to test your knowledge on all things bookish? Wanna win some cool prizes?
On Tuesday, November 15, come out to do literary trivia, hosted by author Ravi Mangla at Akimbo Bookshop!
Ravi is the author of two novels: Understudies and The Observant and has published several essays with myriad publications as well.
Sidewalk Sale
Thursday, November 10, 2022
1–4 pm
This Thursday we’ll be having a huge sidewalk sale of used books. It’s only 1 – 4 PM so make sure you bring a bag and get first dibs. We’ve got a lot of philosophy, theory, and Russian literature in this haul.
Don’t miss it!
Silent Reading Night
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
6–8 pm
Grab a book. Bring a friend. Be cozy.
About the Event
Remember pajama day in grade school? When you could go out in public in your comfiest clothes, and show off your super stylish flannel?
Well, we’re bringing that vibe back with Silent Reading Night at Akimbo Bookshop. Bury your nose in your favorite book while enjoying the company of other humans in our cozy bookshop.
Rochester indie musicians Siena and Ambar will fill the room with gorgeous ambient music to support reading. Delicious refreshments are included in the price of a ticket. At the end of the night, there’ll be time to close your books and socialize with your reading companions.
Seats are first come, first served. You may reserve a table or window seat through Eventbrite, or BYOS – bring your own seat (yoga mat, blankets, pillows, etc).
Gift yourself with time to read!
There’s limited capacity, so grab your tickets soon.
Parking
The neighborhood has plenty of on-street, metered parking and several surface lots with reasonable rates. Parking is free at all meters after 6 PM on weekdays.
About the Artists
Siena (she/her) is an Educator, Community Organizer, & local musician.
Ambar (they/she) is a resident artist at Muck Duck Studio specializing in Vocal Yoga & Image Science.
Spell Jar Workshop
Thursday, October 13, 2022
6–7 pm
Workshop presented by A Little Off Balance.
About the Event
Spell Jars are a beautiful way to pull power from within yourself and the world around you, and a great way to create a ritual around your intention-setting process. In this class you will learn the meanings behind commonly used, and easy to find, herbs that we will use to create our spell jars. You’ll choose your herbs based on the intention you are looking to set and then create your own customized spell jar.
Visiting Author: Dashiel Carerra
Saturday, October 8, 2022
4 pm
Don’t miss Dashiel Carerra’s reading from his novel The Deer and a conversation with the editor, Chad Post.
About the Novel
The Deer is a rhythmic, surrealist psychological thriller about a physicist who hits — what appears — to be a deer. As he returns from the scene of the accident to his childhood home, long-forgotten memories flood his consciousness, and he must come to terms with the fact that his past, and reality as he knows it, are not what they appear. Part experimental film, part jazz record, but always lyrical, luminous, and austere, The Deer is a poignant meditation on familial love, loss, and the mystery at the heart of existence.
About the Author
Dashiel Carrera is a writer, musician, and media artist from Newton, Massachusetts. He received his BA from Brown University in Literary Arts and is currently a PhD student in Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Toronto. The Deer is his first novel.
Visiting Author: Uzma Aslam Khan
Saturday, September 24, 2022
4 pm
Please join us in welcoming our first visiting author, Uzma Aslam Khan as she reads from her latest book The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali published by Deep Vellum. Khan will be signing books as well.
About the Author
Uzma Aslam Khan is the author of five novels translated worldwide to critical acclaim. These include Trespassing, recipient of a Commonwealth Prize nomination in 2003; The Geometry of God, a Kirkus Reviews’ Best Book of 2009; Thinner Than Skin, nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize and DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, and winner of the French Embassy Prize for Best Fiction at the Karachi Literature Festival 2014.
Khan’s new novel, The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali, first published in 2019 by Context/Westland India, is now available in the US and UK from Deep Vellum Publishing. The novel was shortlisted for the Tata Literature Live! Best Book of the Year Award for Fiction 2019 and won the 9th UBL Literary Awards English Language Fiction category 2020 as well as the Karachi Literature Festival-Getz Pharma Fiction Prize 2021. It was one of The New York Times’ “Books for Summer 2022.”
Opening Reception: New Art by Flour Pail Kids
Thursday, September 15, 2022
6–8 pm
Join us as we welcome an art show titled “Guys are Dolls,” presented by Flour Pail Kids. We’ll have a Q&A session with the artists, lift a Genny Beer together, and our special guest J.R. Taylor will share his personalized typewriter poems.
Visiting Author: Justin Murphy
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
6–7 pm
Veteran journalist Justin Murphy makes the compelling argument that the educational disparities in Rochester, New York, are the result of historical and present-day racial segregation. Education reform alone will never be the full solution; to resolve racial inequity, cities such as Rochester must first dismantle segregation.
Drawing on never-before-seen archival documents as well as scores of new interviews, Murphy shows how discriminatory public policy and personal prejudice combined to create the racially segregated education system that exists in the Rochester area today. Alongside this dismal history, Murphy recounts the courageous fight for integration and equality, from the advocacy of Frederick Douglass in the 1850s to a countywide student coalition inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in the 2010s.
Mutual Aid Open Mic: Back-to-School Theme
Thursday, August 25, 2022
5–7 pm
Our mutual aid open mic is back! This time, Rochester Rolling Library and Akimbo are working with B.O.O.K.B.A.G.S. Express, for a back-to-school theme, helping Rochester’s youth and families get ready for the upcoming school year!
So yes, come share your poems, songs, rants, ideas, short stories, essays — whatever you have — and remember to bring school supplies to donate, particularly backpacks, if you can.
Learn more at bookbagsexpress.org.
Drop-In Art Session with June Gervais
Thursday, August 4, 2022
4–6 pm
Join us for a drop-in art session with author June Gervais! June will be reading from her book Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair and signing copies as well.
Bring your own art supplies… but we will have some, too!