alt.lib

Story Box Storytime w/ Michael E. & O.
2019-10-27 14:30 - 15:30 (America/Vancouver) | Alternative Library, 519 E Maple St, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
It’s storytime at the Alternative Library!
Sundays in October: 2:30-3:30 PM
Stories, curiosities, and magic tricks emerge from the story box, and sometimes the audience becomes the storyteller. Bring a child, bring a friend, or come as you are. All are encouraged to attend and participate.
Michael E. started librarian life as a children’s librarian. O. was just a week old at her first storytime. Together they are a playful team.
RSVP and more info HERE ~

Poetrynight
2019-10-28 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-11-04 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-11-11 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-11-18 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-11-25 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-12-02 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-12-09 19:00 - 21:00
The second longest running Bellingham poetry group – Poetrynight.
All people are invited to join the group any Monday night at 7pm. You don’t have to be a writer to participate as readers of all ages are always invited to sign up to read between 7-7:30. Not all works must be originals.
Poetrynight got its start in Stuart’s Coffeehouse in 1995, when a group of poets gathered around a table to share their current work. It has grown over the years as it moved to different locations.
Poetrynight is a program under the Whatcom poetry series, and besides the weekly open mic/feature, can provide creative writing workshops for schools.

Volunteers' Meetin'
2019-10-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Alternative Library, 519 E Maple St, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
Every Wednesday is our weekly volunteer meeting, where we discuss the goings on and future of the AltLib!

Analog Brass / Bobby Petite / Guest
2019-10-31 19:30 - 23:00
Join us this Halloween for a funky fun time! Dress code: costume casual
Doors at 7:30pm; Music at 8:00pm
$6-10 sliding scale supports artists and the AltLib
AltLib is always ALL AGES~
Analog Brass: Explosive pop-funk that puts the concept of acoustic music on its head and runs it into a new state of being. Analog Brass actively pushes the limitations of what’s possible on horns and gives the audience an experience that goes beyond just sound.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWIBHfojz6xboF6FIICSz4w
Bobby Petite: Mixing jazz/rock and psychedelic/soul, Bobby Petite is a no-frills band that creates art for music lovers.
https://bobbypetite.bandcamp.com/
Guest: Derived from the solo work of Sidney Amos, Guest is a three-piece band fusing blues, singer-songwriter, and pop elements to create music that has a lil something for everyone
https://soundcloud.com/sidneyamoss/mustard-seeds-1
RSVP and more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/484784258795126/

GrossFest
2019-11-02 20:00 - 23:55
2 stages: Upstairs Alternative Library & Downstairs Karate Church
$10
All profits from this show will go directly to the Mt.Baker Planned Parenthood Clinic.
Costumes Encouraged
BANDS:
Cop Talk
Spoon Benders (PDX)
The Offectors (PDX)
Wild Powwers (SEA)
Careen
TYL
Supermissive
Glitchlette
Jerry Core
DJ Jacksn Croy

Volunteers' Meetin'
2019-11-06 19:00 - 20:00, 2019-11-13 19:00 - 20:00, 2019-11-20 19:00 - 20:00, 2019-11-27 19:00 - 20:00, 2019-12-04 19:00 - 20:00

Our Cult
2019-11-09 20:00 - 23:55
Doors at 7:30pm; Program at 8:00pm
$6-12 sliding scale supports artists and the AltLib
AltLib is always ALL AGES~
Our Cult is an interactive art experience built around the idea that everything is a cult leader, and responsible for cultivating a piece of our existence. You, mountains, trees and universe, we’re all the cult leaders of our reality. The question this event asks of every guest and artist is: As the cult leader of our reality, what are we doing to heal ourself?
We live in a wild time, and an even crazier place, this event is all about accepting the darkness within ourself, acknowledging the struggles we face, and using the darkness to create a positive existence.
DJ Sets:
Leaf
Cables
Korra the Kid
Live Shibari:
Knotty Devil
Live Performance Art:
Aida Cardona
Cadian Molumby
Brendan Rouge
Connor Chaney
Zac Pease
Bellingham Flow Artists Collective
Visual Art and Installations:
Marc Pease
Keara Deer
Zac Pease
Piper Crabtree
Jackie Cogan
RSVP and more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/521619238592600/

Latinx Poetry
2019-11-15 18:00 - 19:00
Join writers Casandra López and Malcolm Friend at Bellingham Alternative Library for an evening of Latinx poetry. Books will be available for sale after the reading.
About the authors:
Casandra López is a California Indian (Cahuilla/Tongva/Luiseño) and Chicana writer who has received support from CantoMundo, Bread Loaf, and Tin House. She’s the author of the poetry collection, Brother Bullet and has been selected for residencies with the School of Advanced Research, Storyknife, Hedgebrook and Headlands Center for the Arts. Her memoir-in-progress, A Few Notes on Grief was granted a 2019 James W. Ray Venture Project Award. She’s a founding editor of As/ Us and teaches at Northwest Indian College.
Malcolm Friend is a poet originally from the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. He received his BA from Vanderbilt University, and his MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of the chapbook mxd kd mixtape (Glass Poetry, 2017) and the full length collection Our Bruises Kept Singing Purple (Inlandia Books, 2018), selected by Cynthia Arrieu-King as winner of the 2017 Hillary Gravendyk Prize. Together with JR Mahung he is a member of Black Plantains, an Afrocaribbean poetry collective.
RSVP and more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/2461096980804076/

Meg Yates / ini / Earth Practice
2019-11-15 19:30 - 22:30
The Alternative Library invites all to gather together in an evening of song to welcome in the fall and winter seasons. Three overlapping acts will not only perform, but also guide the audience through voicing together with the intention of generating a sense of community and warmth.
Doors at 7:30PM, music begins at 8PM
$6-$10 sliding scale supports the artists & the Alt Lib
Your musical guides for this evening will be:
MEG YATES
http://www.meghanyatesandthereveriemachine.com
“Meghan’s style has the soul and strike of 70s era Joni Mitchell mixed with the unfettered, brilliant timbre of Björk and a guttural delivery all her own. Watching and listening to Meghan sing is like hearing one’s own soul reflected through a blessed vessel. It comes from a fire-filled, compassionate place of purity. It is honest, elemental music.”
— Frank Giokas (What’s Up Magazine)
INI
https://www.instagram.com/thisisini
Love songs for the new age. INI is the solo music of Jessi Rado. Guitar Bedroom Rock + R&B + Incantation, INI plays sweet songs of life, love, heartbreak/opening, and death. She is joined by her musical partner, YAMBABY.
EARTH PRACTICE
https://www.facebook.com/earthpracticemusic
EarthPractice is the song-family/singing-collective of yin, yam & jessi from bellingham, wa. Drawing inspiration from aspects of everyday life, the members of Earth Practice offer powerful medicine through simple means; creating warm, easy-to-catch songs that activate the heart and feel good inside. Their unique blend of musical influences have drawn comparisons to everything from 90s r&b to doo-wop to devotional chanting – often using only sounds and rhythms made by their hands, feet and voices
RSVP and more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/757478938010276/
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Alternative Library is ALWAYS ALL AGES
NOTAFLOF
♥

11:11 Writer's Communion
2019-11-17 11:10 - 13:00 | Alternative Library, 519 E Maple St, Bellingham, WA, 98225, United States
com·mun·ion
kəˈmyo͞onyən
noun
1. the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.

IWW Meeting
2019-11-17 17:30 - 20:30
Industrial Workers of the World unite!
Whatcom-Skagit IWW host a monthly communion of comrades

McKain Lakey / I Love You Avalanche / The Best Intentions
2019-11-22 19:30 - 23:30
Come on out for a superb line-up of musical acts, hosted by the incredible Alex Minshall!
Doors at 7:30pm; Music at 8pm
$6-12 sliding scale supports the artists and the AltLib
AltLib is ALWAYS ALL AGES~
THE BEST INTENTIONS
The Best Intentions are Ani Banani and Pete Irving playing a repertoire that encompasses jazz standards, old blues, contemporary diamonds in the rough, and a surprising amount of classic-sounding original music.
I LOVE YOU AVALANCHE
Since 2003, Anna Arvan has been writing and performing lyrically driven pop music as I Love You Avalanche. In addition to myriad four track recordings and random scraps, Fiction, the first full-band I Love You Avalanche record made in the studio, was released in 2013. Since then, Anna Arvan and Nora Hughes have been playing as a two piece focusing on vocal harmonies. They have recently added drums and bass, and are recording in September 2019.
https://www.iloveyouavalanche.com/
MCKAIN LAKEY
Songwriter, performer, teacher, luthier, and sound engineer – McKain Lakey knows every inch of the musician life. With voice, banjo, fiddle, and her handcrafted guitar, Lakey draws her creative inspiration from the American folk tradition, touring nationally with her patented mix of old-time tunes and new-roots originals. These originals exist wherever the imagination of John Hartford flows into the grit of Hazel Dickens—in the beating heart of contemporary Americana, forever old and new, described by What’s Up Magazine as “a time capsule unearthed, fine-tuned and re-imagined.” Lakey is also an accomplished music educator and audio engineer, exploring the power of sound from every angle and letting that experience shine through her compositions. Following the success of her debut EP “West,” Lakey is currently writing a full-length studio album, expected in 2020.
https://www.mckainlakey.com/
RSVP and more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/2146304642342024/

Moraine / Smooth Kiwi
2019-11-23 19:30 - 22:30
As we head into the waning days before the solstice and the end of our time in this church, let’s savor the acoustics of the building with an evening of instrumental magic and smooth grooves.
MORAINE
Moraine has built a reputation as one of the most electrifying and original instrumental rock bands anywhere, winning over listeners around the globe with its unique amalgam of art rock, forward-thinking jazz, Asian-inspired music, and more. Balancing inventive composition with exploratory improvisation, Moraine has delighted audiences ranging from progressive rock partisans to jazz aficionados to metalheads.
https://moraineband.com/moraine-epk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMSpR6Xem-0&list=PLW-6Fw0K7tpZ49P7tJrEDWX-wH_zKrda3
SMOOTH KIWI
Smooth Kiwi formed in Bellingham, WA when a group of friends got together for a jam session. Like a fresh kiwi, their music is vibrant, sweet, and satisfying. Together Carly, Connor, Bobby, and Joseph blend groove-centric jams with sensual vocals, funky bass-lines, tasteful drumming and exploration of atmospheric guitar tones, to establish a wide variety of sound from song to song.
Website: https://smoothkiwi.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmoothKiwi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smooth.kiwi/
RSVP and more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/458148808131498/

AltLib - New Home Fundraiser Launch
2019-11-30 19:30 - 23:00
We cordially invite you to join us for an evening in honor and support of the Alternative Library: to celebrate its past incarnation and to help create and dream its potential future! The AltLib’s New Home Fundraiser is a silent auction celebrating community connection, featuring:
— Art from locals and friends
— Merchandise from downtown businesses + nonprofits
— Hometown beer & wine
— Performances from Lori Goldston and the Bellingham Repertory Dance
Doors at 7:30pm; Performances at 8:00pm
$10-20 sliding scale suggested donation
Performances from:
Lori Goldston: Classically trained and rigorously de-trained, possessor of a restless, semi-feral spirit, Lori Goldston is a cellist, composer, improvisor, producer, writer and teacher from Seattle. Her voice as a cellist, amplified or acoustic, is full, textured, committed and original. A relentless inquirer, she wanders recklessly across borders that separate genre, discipline, time and geography, performing in clubs, cafes, galleries, arenas, concert halls, sheds, ceremonies, barbecues, and stadiums.
http://lorigoldston.com/
Bellingham Repertory Dance: With highly accomplished performers and top choreographers, BRD is a nonprofit collective committed to bringing vibrant contemporary dance to our Bellingham community. The founding mission of BRD was to create continuing opportunities for the community’s most accomplished dancers to perform sophisticated professional dance works by established and emerging choreographers. Additionally, BRD provides educational opportunities by offering weekly dance technique classes, quarterly master classes with guest artists, annual youth outreach programs, the 7-Day Dance Festival, and rehearsals open for public viewing.
https://www.bhamrep.org/
Donations from:
TBD — more info coming soon!
Why are we fundraising?
After receiving sudden and unexpected notice from our landlord that we must vacate the historic church — our home for the last 3 years — by the December 20th, we are in urgent need of finding a new home!
To ensure the Alternative Library is housed and able to continue fostering diverse perspectives and connections, we now ask for support from our community — from you!
We’re looking to raise $25,000 to help with our move. By participating in our fundraiser, you’ll be helping us with:
1. The immediate demand of relocating (short-term rental)
2. Expanding our operation to develop a community print/publication studio
3. The long-term search for a permanent home (including making a down)
With enough community support, we’ll be able buy a home of our own, enabling us to spend our time and energy building a stable community space that cultivates creativity, connection and collaboration.
As a small volunteer-run non-profit that works tirelessly to provide the most for our community, we need the support of our entire community to take us to the next level! While we’ve occupied various spaces, emerging in diverse incarnations, our volunteers, members, and artists continually bring life and soul to our community, and we’d be nothing without y’all!
If you’d like to support the AltLib but are unable to attend our New Home Fundraiser, check out our GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/alternative-library-new-home-fundraiser
RSVP and more info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/996580474011730/

New Home Work Party
2019-12-01 11:00 - 17:00
Want to help the AltLib and aren’t quite sure how? Come join AltLib volunteers for a work party to help prep our interim home!
When: Sunday, Dec. 1, 11:00am
Where: 1309 Billy Frank Jr Street (the old pottery studio)
What to wear: Sturdy clothes for moving! Denim, gloves and boots recommended.
Bring your own sack lunch!
Why: December’s upon us, and we’ve gotta be out of the Karate Church by the 20th! We’re in the process of negotiating and signing a short-term lease with the owners of the old pottery studio on Billy Frank Jr. Street. The owners want to tear the building down, but the permitting process will take a minimum of 9 months, and we plan to continue our search for a more permanent home from there. They’re giving us access to the building throughout December so we can clear the space and have the Library up and running by the start of the lease in January.
What to expect: The pottery studio is still full of remnants — tables, clay, and all sorts of odds and ends. We’ll spend the day clearing out old debris and cleaning the space so it’s ready for repairs and a fresh layer of paint! We’ll provide cleaning supplies, rags, tools, and direction, and we hope you’ll bring the energy and good vibes!

Book Sale: Supporter's Preview
2019-12-06 14:00 - 19:00
Can’t get enough of the weird, wild, wacky books we’ve got at the AltLib? Is your secret inner hoarder wanting to take some of our collection home? Come join us for our HUGE BOOK SALE, with all proceeds going to the AltLib~~~
Fri, Dec 6: Book Sale: Supporter’s Preview — 2-7pm
Come out to get the first pick of books! Because we’ve got a limited number of steals, Friday is your chance to swoop the scores while they’re still about.
Let’s be real: more than 9000 books is too many to move. Since we received notice to vacate the church, our volunteers have been diligently buzzing about, curating sections of the library. We’re slimming the collection down, honing in on books that embody the spirit of the Alternative Library: local, independent, and marginalized voices and perspectives. So fret not — our best material remains, and now it’ll be easier to find.
And all the books we’re removing? They’re for sale!! Some pure gold, some straight bogus, you’ll have to come check out the sale to find what suits your particular biblio-itch.
AND! Every kid that comes out gets a free kid’s book…

Suicide Prevention & Awareness Benefit Dance Party
2019-12-06 19:30 - 23:00
Come and dance your heart away with a few amazing local DJs while supporting an important cause! Music and connection are things we all need, and having a safe, sober space to come together is incredibly valuable.
Doors open at 7:30pm; Music at 8:00pm.
$6-12 sliding scale
AltLib is Always All Ages~
You can choose to donate directly to the benefit, which supports Bellingham Suicide Prevention & Awareness services. This event is all about the celebration of life and acceptance & appreciation of one another and ourselves!
Contributing to this benefit, there will be a licensed massage therapist set up and taking donations to give 5-10 minute upper body massage. Touch is something we need as humans, and since we are often very isolated, the simple act of personal massage can be incredibly beneficial to both mental and physical health.
In honor of the benefit, there will also be a raffle drawing for a 60-minute Empowerment and Wellness Coaching Session with Victoria Mantzoros of Inspiration Unleashed Coaching. Oftentimes, the help we need can be as simple as setting a plan and following reminders for ourselves, or just having a cheerleader by your side to help you keep to your commitments. Her sessions are impactful, compassionate, and full of wisdom.
To keep us dancing all night, we have the following featured artists:
DJ Tru-ah [Joshua Hale]
Multigenre Dance / Dub & Bass
Music: https://soundcloud.com/harmonicflowyoga/tracks
With a potent sense of grace and fluidity, DJ Tru-ah travels through a nuanced landscape of posture, strength, and balance. Rolling in the vast ocean between stimulation and relaxation, it evokes an undulating vibe of undeniable pleasure with fresh tribal beats and vibrant global sounds. The sound waves inhabit a world where the spiritual connects to the sensual, an inspiring realm of music and bliss.
MetaPhysical [Ben Towers]
PsyDub / PsyBass
Music: https://soundcloud.com/djbentowers/tracks
Metaphysical is an American DJ and producer from Snohomish whose outlook on electronic music has changed profoundly over the last couple of years. His intention has changed in the way of making music that focuses on the frequencies and harnessing the raw power that music is medicine. His otherworldly musical flow will have you feeling like you’re in a spiritual experience, meditation through movement can be expressed beautifully to his sounds.
winzlo [Phillip Nguyen]
Chill Dance / Electronic
Music: https://soundcloud.com/winslomusic/tracks
Winzlo is an American DJ and producer from Bellingham whose subdued charm shines through in his vibrant mixes that embody the upbeat rhythms of house and grimey bass drops of trap that come together in harmony through his endless flow. Alongside his passion for performances, Winzo deeply enjoys music production as well and plans to unveil more original music all in due time. With things looking up for the young and upcoming producer, he’s ready to bring his season onto the night wherever he roams.
RSVP and more info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/884689001913337/

BOOK SALE
2019-12-07 14:00 - 17:00
Can’t get enough of the weird, wild, wacky books we’ve got at the AltLib? Is your secret inner hoarder wanting to take some of our collection home? Come join us for our HUGE BOOK SALE, with all proceeds going to the AltLib~~~
Sat, Dec 7: Book Sale 2-7pm
Let’s be real: more than 9000 books is too many to move. Since we received notice to vacate the church, our volunteers have been diligently buzzing about, curating sections of the library. We’re slimming the collection down, honing in on books that embody the spirit of the Alternative Library: local, independent, and marginalized voices and perspectives. So fret not — our best material remains, and now it’ll be easier to find.
And all the books we’re removing? They’re for sale!! Some pure gold, some straight bogus, you’ll have to come check out the sale to find what suits your particular biblio-itch.
AND! Every kid that comes out gets a free kid’s book…

New Home Fundraiser Party!
2019-12-07 15:00 - 23:30
Join us for a last blowout local art festival to support the Alternative Library in our search for a new home!
$10-20 admission supports the AltLib ~
Performances start at 3:00pm
Featuring a full day of performances from some of our favorite local acts including: Motus, Shimmertraps, The Rhetorician, Bobby Petite, Bird & Shooter and more!
Full schedule and more details forthcoming ~~~
RSVP and more info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/473721409940101/
AltLib is always ALL AGES!
NOTAFLOF

BOOK SALE
2019-12-08 14:00 - 19:00
Can’t get enough of the weird, wild, wacky books we’ve got at the AltLib? Is your secret inner hoarder wanting to take some of our collection home? Come join us for our HUGE BOOK SALE, with all proceeds going to the AltLib~~~
Sun, Dec 8: Book Sale 2-7pm
LAST DAY, LAST CHANCE
Let’s be real: more than 9000 books is too many to move. Since we received notice to vacate the church, our volunteers have been diligently buzzing about, curating sections of the library. We’re slimming the collection down, honing in on books that embody the spirit of the Alternative Library: local, independent, and marginalized voices and perspectives. So fret not — our best material remains, and now it’ll be easier to find.
And all the books we’re removing? They’re for sale!! Some pure gold, some straight bogus, you’ll have to come check out the sale to find what suits your particular biblio-itch.
AND! Every kid that comes out gets a free kid’s book…
