The S. Kitchen presents...Addictive Abundance at the Intellectuals' Table

November starts the holiday season bringing with it introspection, gatherings, and exchange. Wheter it is Dia De Los Muertos, The Water Lantern Festival, Thanksgiving, New Years, Hannukah, Solsitce, Kwanza, Christmas, Boxing Day, New Years, it is a time to reflect on what life has offered and what still is yet to be realized. It brings family (both of origin and of choice) together in celebration of love, thanks, and offering. It is always done around food, and thanks to the diversity of families it always brings interseting conversation.
It is in this spirit that The S. Kitchen presents...Addictive Abundance at the Intellectuals' Table.

To RSVP, click here.

What exactly is Addictive Abundance?

We all yearn to be a part of a community, a family, a tight nit group of friends and colleagues who share similar values and outlook on life. Being a member of that community, family, tight nit group of friends and collegues is addictive. We don't want it to disappear or end. We grasp tightly to it sometimes at the detriment of our personal well being. Addictive Abundance is just that: a community of folks coming together around cuisine, conversation, and camaraderie.

What is The Intellectuals' Table?

We all are intellectuals. Every single one of us. The Intellectuals' Table is a gathering place where ideas, information, news, commentary, personal histories, and culture collide and transform. It is a space dedicated to listening and speaking in a manner where voice is heard and each are honored for their unique intellect. It is an opportunity to learn something new, and share your knowledge. It is for everyone.

As with all The S. Kitchens they are a POTLUCK with some creative guidelines. For this special The S. Kitchen our guidelines are:

• Please bring your favorite COMFORT FOOD. What is more addictive than comfort food, and who better to share it with than The S. Kitchen.
• Please bring a BOOK to EXCHANGE. We want to know who and what inspires you. It doesn't have to be someone's thesis on the political colinization of the United States of America globally (although that could be it). I could be something as cheeky as Flowers in the Attic (I mean who doesn't love a family thriller!). Either way, please bring a book you are comforatable giving away.
• Please bring your own plate and utensil. We started this at Slowly Growing Green, and it has worked ever since. It helps us reduce our footprint while also not leaving the host with a huge amount of cleanup.
• You MUST RSVP to get the SECRET LOCATION.

Our host for the month is Al W. Al is an intellectual. He was the chair of the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University. While there, he dedicated his life to educating current and future leaders on history, social justice, and movements. Now, he travels the world living life fully, enjoying music, cuisine, and art, and celebrating the victories of the everday woman/man through conversation and camaraderie.

And we have two (one confirmed; one potential) Guesperts who will share their personal stories of social change through reading.

The first (and confirmed) is Molly Wertz with Raising a Reader. Raising a Reader gets culturally relavent and linguistically diverse books into the hands of pre-K children and their parents by partnering with child development centers to distribute weekly bags of books. Their model is simple and encourages parents and their children to read together even when there is low literacy levels. It is all about fostering a love of reading, exploration, inquiry, and storytelling at a young age.

The second (and tentative) is Deborah Day with Ashay by the Bay. Ashay by the Bay is an online African American and Multi-Cutlural Children's Books and Educational Products company. They run book fairs and a mentoring program. They are based in Vallejo and travel across the Bay Area to reach new audiences of readers.

The S. Kitchen is cuisine, conversation, and camaraderie. We look forward to seeing you at Addictive Abundance at the Intellectuals' Table on Sunday, November 21 at 4pm.