Queer Intro
Welcome to the Gay in the Bay Blog! I am Josie, a queer writer and videographer that loves to document what I see around me. This started out as a writing blog but has grown to include events that more people should know about.
This post is for the week of January 29 - February 4.
Do you have a live event that needs filming? I’m a videographer! Please check out the Sweeney Media on your way to the About > Contact page. I look forward to working with you.
Writing My Fiction
Since getting back from Las Vegas, writing has been slow. Even worse, I’ve had to dramatically cut down on the amount of coffee. Which is a real tragedy, since I’m one of those writers that drinks gallons of coffee while writing. Talk about extra…
All this to say: writing is slow this week. While I’ve been applying to jobs and recovering from jet lag, my story has been growing in my head. And I’m realizing that I’ve spoken about writing without saying what these projects actually are. I will rectify that in due time.
As if I needed more projects, there’s a new one announced below.
Goings On
I visited Chinatown SF yesterday. There’s a new Light Rail line that opened up in January 2023. The north end of the line brings you to Chinatown, and I was excited to explore more.
There is a tunnel that reaches underneath Stockton in Chinatown that can be seen all the way from Market St. I ended up on top of this tunnel, and explored the area taking photos. The best are featured here.
Live Performance
Live performance means many things to many people. This week’s post focuses on burlesque. Empowerment comes to my mind, but it may be different to you. Let’s explore that with these events. Special note: I am still new to the Bay Area; if you know of a show, let me know! I’m always up for attending a new show.
OmNomNom Burlesque has me feeling fomo, because I keep missing their shows. I hope to rectify this soon. Until then, their next show is February 25th at Amado’s in the SF Mission District. INSTAGRAM.
Beta Test Burlesque is new to the scene. If you have a performance that you’re working on, test it out here! Right now the best way to find this show is to look up #betatestburlesque. The next show is April 15th, with more details to follow.
History
KQED is spending 2023 covering the history of the Bay Area. You can find the initial article HERE. I found out about it through the Broke Ass Stuart website, whomst gives an oft-times humorous view on events in the Bay Area.
I’m very excited to learn more about this region-specific genre. I grew up in Memphis, the home of Blues and Rock’n’Roll, but moved to the Bay Area about a year ago. This has me wanting to write about historical Oakland figures of yore. For instance, the hiphop artist Too Short (stylized to Too $short) became notorious in his own rite in the 1980’s, and even has a film in post-production called Freaky Tales. You can follow the production of that collection of four stories HERE.
For now, I will figure out the structure of how I want to tell these stories. I am not the first to tell them, and I want to have fun while staying true to everyone’s voices. One particular story I want to look into is the migration of Blues to the Bay Area…
Color Coded Calendar
Each week I keep track of events so you don’t have to! This is amazing since I’m neurodivergent. But below are events that I really think you’ll enjoy…
Each week The New Parkway Theater in Oakland has a variety of events. The two that I love the most are Drinks & Dragons (Wednesdays) and Trivia (Thursdays) respectively. Check out The New Parkway website for further information on these and other events. You cannot go wrong no matter what day you show up.
Monthly Stuff
Sticking with The New Parkway, there is an event called Queer Classics; a monthly event that celebrates older movies that are either explicitly LGBT or produced/directed by folx in the Community. February is the Oscars Edition, with a February 19th showing of The Merry Widow (1934). Check out the Facebook Group here for updates. Samir the Curator has become a welcome guest to my podcast Queer Film Theory, which you can listen to here on the site or on Spotify.
At Milk SF there are two events that are near and dear to my heart.
Queer Bedtime Stories convenes every third Thursday of the month at 8pm. This is a safe event at a safe space where one can read LGBT poetry, memoir, literature, or even original works! If you don’t like standing in front of crowds, that’s perfect; you may simply enjoy the works read aloud. Each month is many things, but amazing tends to be the through line. INSTAGRAM.
Poetry Slime waxes poetic every third Saturday at 2pm. To quote their Instagram: “Like a slam, but also not at all like a slam in any way.” This event brings a delightfully queer chaos as each person reads either an original work, a work by another author, or an unhinged celebrity Instagram post. Wondering which celebrity I’m talking about? Show up and find out. INSTAGRAM.
Las Vegas Pictures
I mentioned Las Vegas last week and didn’t provide any proof. “Pics or it didn’t happen” is a phrase thrown around a lot, and I needed time to recover from traveling. So, without further ado…
Pop Culture
Each week I include media that I’ve enjoyed. If you’re a creator of any kind, please email me to be included in this list. I love discovering new artists; from singer-songwriters to upcoming directors.
An amazing article on M3GAN (2023), by Jake Warren.
Scream 1-5; I was never interested in these movies as they came out. Besides, I was too young to see (or appreciate) the first one in 1997. But I heard about #6 and became interested. I’ve now watched all five movies and can’t wait for the 6th installment!
Books and comic books; I want to read more and yesterday on the way to Chinatown I read a couple of comic books. I’m catching up on issues, volumes, and novels that have been upset and waiting on me to read them. I’m trying to make my relationship with this To Read pile better.