LQ readers will be familiar with the Rhizome Cafe, owned by lesbian couple Lisa Moore and Vinetta Lenavat, who were profiled a year ago coinciding with their remarkable cafe’s one year anniversary.  Since the cafe has lots of community events and activities, I’m including their monthly calendar newsletter in it’s entirety, below.  ~LQ Editor

July at Rhizome  Café * Arts Venue * Community Space 317 East Broadway, Vancouver 

Dear friends of Rhizome-

Happy summer to you all!  Here are a couple of announcements, as well as the listings for upcoming events in July (and a few August ones too.)

Family Sundays Take a Break til September

Since January, we’ve held a series of wonderful kids’ activities on Sunday afternoons.  Thanks to all who have performed, DJ’ed, facilitated, and attended these events!  We’ve decided to take a break for the summer, so as not to compete with good outdoor activities.  We’ll be back with more Family Sunday events in September.

Rhizome Café Turns Two

As of last week, Rhizome Café is now officially two years old!  Mark your calendars for the evening of August 16th, and join us to celebrate these two years of community and activism, arts and culture, good food and friendship.  The details are listed below. 

Help Design a Rhizome Café T-shirt 

It’s time to create a Rhizome t-shirt, and we’re scheming up a truly unique and rhizomatic design process.  You (yes, all of you) can contribute to the creation of the final t-shirt design.  Here’s how it will work:  By July 21, email or drop off a black and while sketch of an image you think should go on a Rhizome t-shirt.  Images need not be professional or polished looking.  Anyone can submit one.  We will pass your drawings on to some artists who have recently shown their work at Rhizome.  They will compile elements of everyone’s images, add their own two cents, and produce t-shirt designs that represent the visual ideas of many people.  The t-shirts will be unveiled (and available for sale) at Rhizome’s second anniversary party on August 16.  You may or may not recognize elements of your work in the final designs, but you can rest assured that your drawing will have influenced these t-shirts-created rhizomatically!  Again, the deadline for submissions is July 21. 

Tell Us about Your Garden

We’re researching ways of expanding our Pay-as-you-feel food system by including some produce grown right here in the neighbourhood.  We’re still in the research stages of this process, but for now we’re just wondering:  Do you grow vegetables within walking/biking distance of Rhizome?  What do you grow?  Do you ever have more than you can use?  Let us know, and we’ll tell you more of what we’re thinking. 

Summer Holiday: June 28 through July 4

Rhizome Café will be closed from June 28 through July 4 so we can take a break.  See you when we return!

We hope you’ll join us for the various events listed below.  Also, remember that we’re open for delicious lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, snacks and drinks.  Our complete hours are listed at the end of this message.  And let us know if you’d like to use our Community Meeting Room for your group’s activities.  You can check our website for more information on what we do and how we do it: www.rhizomecafe.ca.

Here’s what’s happening in the coming month:

Art on our Walls

Illustrated Journey Youth Project:

Comics by immigrant and refugee youth

Events

Reminder:  Rhizome Café Summer Holiday

We’ll be closed from Saturday, June 28 through Friday, July 4.

Vancouver Film Premiere:  Meditate and Destroy

Saturday, July 5, doors at 6:30, event at 7:30

DIY Dharma and 108 Rampage Film Tour present: Meditate and Destroy, film screening and Q and A with Director Sarah Fisher.  Meditate and Destroy provides an intimate and dynamic portrait of an unconventional Buddhist teacher and counselor. This powerful 80 minute documentary shows how author Noah Levine (Dharma Punx, Against the Stream) uses his personal experience and punk-rock sensibilities to connect with young people within juvenile halls and urban centers around the country. Tattoos, motorcycles, and an engaging punk rock soundtrack are featured in this hard-hitting look at how Buddhism has a place in the world of punks.

$7-15 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds

Disjunct! Performance Series Presents:  Under Current

Thursday, July 10, 6:30

Join us for an evening of readings and performances by Queensland, Australia poets Julie Beveridge and Graham Nunn, with Jacqueline Turner, Matt Rader, Nikki Reimer, and the pppoetry band.

By donation, $5-$7 suggested

Board Games are So Gay

Friday, July 11, 7:00

We’re back with another round of queer-friendly board games for all ages and abilities.  Bring your favourite games or use ours.  DJ Julie will keep the tunes coming!

Free

Homes for All Fundraiser:  “Stand for Housing”

Thursday, July 17, 7:00

R.A.O.K.-Youth Helping the Community is raising funds to purchase banner-making supplies for their weekly Stands for Housing.  The group-a self-governed and self-empowered committee of youth, ages 13 to 24-plans to go nationwide, raising awareness on homelessness and trying to reinstate the national social housing program.  The evening will include a variety of youth-driven performances.

Suggested $5-$10 donation, but no one turned away for lack of funds.

Glenna Garramone’s CD Release Show

Thursday, July 24, 8:00

Join Victoria’s avant-folk songstress, Glenna Garramone, as she celebrates the release of her new CD, Seasky-Starsong.  See www.glenna-g.com.

$5

Café Rebelde

Friday, July 25, 7:00

Join us for this monthly informational and social event in support of Latin American social movements.  This month’s topic is “Building the Political Platform of the FMLN (El Salvador.)”

Free

Bi the Way, It’s Our Cabaret

Saturday, July 26, 8:00

Vancouver’s bisexual community celebrates Pride with an evening of great company and delightful coffeehouse-style performances.  A variety show featuring music, poetry, drag and much more, with special guests The Heartfelt Apologies.  Open to all bisexuals, friends and allies.  Brought to you by The Centre’s bisexual social group.

Admission by donation, sliding scale at the door.

In Concert:  Lehera Trio

Thursday, July 31, 7:30

Lehera is a trio from Bangalore, India and Canada.  The group brings together their roots in North and South Indian classical music and Western musical forms to create a genre that is both energetic and contemplative.  Vocals in English and classical Indian styles intertwine with Hindustani slide guitar, violin, bamboo flutes and vocal harmonics.

$5-$10 sliding scale

Books 2 Prisoners Fundraiser

Friday, August 1, 7:00

As part of this year’s Prison Justice Day organizing, this event will benefit Books 2 Prisoners, a Vancouver collective that sends books free of charge to prisoners across Canada.  Performances by LOUD, readings by Emma Kivisild and Lora McElhinney, and screening of the film “What I Want My Words to Do to You: Voices from a Maximum Security Prison.”

$7-$15 sliding scale (postage to send a book to one prisoner or a box to a group)

Save the Date!

Rhizome Café’s Second Anniversary Extravaganza

Saturday, August 16, 7:00pm

There will be food and music, fun and games, participatory art projects and more!

Thanks!  See you soon!

Rhizome

Café * Arts Venue * Community Space

Where we are:

317 East Broadway

Vancouver, BC, Coast Salish Territory

For more information:

604-872-3166

www.rhizomecafe.ca

rhizome@rhizomecafe.ca

When we’re open:

Tuesdays: 4 to 10pm

Wednesdays: 11am to 10pm

Thursdays:  11am to 10pm

Fridays:  11am to midnight

Saturdays:  10am to midnight (brunch from 10 to 3)

Sundays: 10am to 3pm (brunch from 10 to 3)

We’re closed on Mondays.

A note on our name:

In the botanical sense, a rhizome is a root system that some plants (like lilies and orchids and ginger and bamboo) use to spread themselves about.  While the roots of most plants point generally downward, the rhizome is a horizontal root system that runs parallel to the surface of the ground.  The plant sends shoots up from nodes in the rhizome, creating what look like many separate plants.  These seemingly unrelated individuals are actually all connected, through a system that’s not immediately visible to the eye.