I have taken two classes, both with Ruby: organic gardening and bare root fruit tree orchards. On…read moreboth instances I walked away with a better understanding of the overall concepts and a few good pages of notes. Very comfortable and conversational learning environment. Very helpful, and great to have such a locally sourced program for learning these types of things.

I cannot recommend the Institute of Urban Homesteading's Cheese Making Intensive enough…read more This day and a half "intensive" is a combination of the cheese making 1, 2 and 3 classes, taught by IUH founder Ruby. It's fast-paced and she throws a lot of information at you, but the whole process is warm, interactive and accessible. I immediately felt like I could leave Ruby's home and make these cheeses (and other dairy products!) we had learned in my own. I especially love that she's found what seems like the perfect middle ground between science lesson and home-cook/homesteader understanding. She brings her personal experience in with just enough of the science and technical understanding to make home cheese making incredible accessible and attainable. I also love that IUH also has a sliding scale for fees because it demonstrates the value they put on what they teach in making these classes more widely accessible. I already have the summer farm tours on my calendar, and I can't wait to take my next class.

If you want to get into sewing or doing your own alterations but have no idea where to begin, you…read moreshould absolutely take a class with Diana! I took the Intro to the Machine course. Diana has a variety of machines and demonstrates on each of them, pointing out differences and similarities. She taught a few different stitches, and general basics to get started on a sewing machine. You don't come away with a finished product with this class, but I am much more confident in looking at machines and knowing which features I want. I signed up for the class through her website and feel that I absolutely got my money's worth. I appreciated the cozy and relaxed space. I took her class after work, so it was nice to be in a stress-free atmosphere with a super social cat hanging out. Looking forward to taking more classes!

Diana came over and provided one on one serger lesson for me. She was really patient and showed me…read morethe very basics of getting going with my serger - how to thread, some interesting tools and tricks specific to my machine - things I need to know to even begin to play around with this complicated AF machine. Full confession: this is a second review, the first one was immediately after taking a class and I was extremely disappointed - I felt like the class wasn't organized or efficient with time and I left not knowing anything more than when I started. But Diana reached out to me directly and came to my house and provided 1.5hr personal lesson, which I tremendously appreciated. After talking with her, it sounds like that class was really challenging for many reasons and I respect that there are situations out of your control, like the class dynamic and when people show up with weird machines you're not familiar with. I greatly appreciated her reaching out to me - I'm so used to getting burnt by things like that, that it didn't even occur to me to reach out about the negative experience! At the end of the day, all I wanted was to be able to load the d*mn machine and to serge a corner. That being said, I realized that moving forward, spending the extra $$ for a one on one might be a better choice for me in the future - with a baby, a full-time job and often very specific needs/questions re: sewing/serging, this hour+ together was way more helpful and manageable than a class. Ultimately, I found Diana to be very approachable, easy to work with, and very patient.

I keep returning to Cecilia Franklin's wonderful shop on Piedmont Avenue for her excellent…read moreselection of superior thread (Guterman and Mettler in many varieties), bobbins, seam rippers, chalk sewing markers, bobbin holders, and other sewing tools. (Not to mention Ms. Franklin's excellent sewing machine repairs and great advice.) In September 2018, I bought a used Pfaff 1222 E sewing machine that needed repairs. Now that one stripped gear has been replaced and the drive is aligned it is a wonderful machine once again, thanks to Sew Images. I am a loyal fan and grateful customer.

I found out about and registered for the class super last minute by calling Cecilia the day before…read morethe start date and she was able to fit me in. Cecilia is pleasant and the class I am in consists of 8 women, all 30-40 age range. The class that I am taking is called Beginning Sewing I : From the Start. This is a 5 classes series that consists of a weekly 3 hour class from 6pm - 9pm. The class in 5 parts costs $175 (not including materials, which you would have to purchase yourself) consists of: Class 1: Sewing and general concepts Class 2: How to read pattern, marking and cutting patterns, and custom fitting. Class 3: Sewing machine, sewing seams, finishing seams. Class 4: Pressing techniques and pressing tools Class 5: Finish sewing project The series consists of making of a garment from patterns, and we are not expected to touch a sewing machine until the 3rd class. There is a lot of learning -- about fabrics, patterns, and cuts. Thus far what I find the most interesting thing I have learned is why clothes don't fit and how to make adjustments. It is an eye-opening experience for me to take this class. Cecilia is very organized and knowledgeable -- you will learn things in her class that won't be found in your regular beginning sewing book. As for the store, you won't find fabrics or patterns here. The small store offers a good selection of notions (Cecilia has mentioned that she's picky about the quality of what she puts in her store), some books, sewing machines, and sewing furniture (which needs to be ordered and then delivered). There are other classes available but schedules are still being worked out. Beginning Sewing seems to be the most popular regular class.

I got a few healing stones, a bracelet and a reading from Omi. This space is so welcoming,…read morebeautiful, and healing, especially for Black and Indigenous folx

From the owner: Temple of Earth Apothecary is a Black led herb shop, multi-generational freedom school and…read morecommunity healing space, selling locally grown bulk herbs, house-made herbal preparations and metaphysical, ritual goods. Individual healing consults, readings and bodywork are available at the Temple, as well as classes, workshops on herbal medicine and the healing arts through the Freedom School of Black & Indigenous Mystery and Ancestral Herbal Medicine works.

Great program for the community to engage people into the construction industry. Teaching life…read moreskills and a pre-apprenticeship program to help individuals get a foot in the door for a career.

Watching the "news" this morning filled with the coverage of the recent happenings there was given…read morea 30 second spot to the 8 year-old girl shot yesterday inside the house where she had gone for a sleepover. 30 seconds. I've been waiting all morning for the helicopters to appear overhead taking pictures of the masses turning out to protest this injustice, to demonstrate the collective exhaustion with random, or not so random, acts of violence. I'm guessing at this point they're not going to come. My bad. Little girl got her 30 seconds. What was I thinking. I believe to a degree that the orchestrated demonstrations against this or that are brought to you courtesy of The Man. See, if you show up at a couple of these a year, if you get on the bandwagon every now and then, that part of you that could be productively involved actually doing something that makes a difference is sated. The Man doesn't want you to make a difference. A little while back, after experiencing violence in the street closer than I would have preferred, after a tour of Highland and 10 large lighter I did a little (more) thinking and wrote a short piece called a stool with three legs. Each leg represented what I thought was a critical underpinning element for a healthier and less violent Oakland (ask and I'll send it to you). One of the legs, in my humble opinion, looks like alternative opportunity for kids coming up in a tough time. Doors made by people who get it for people that might not have immediate access to the doors the people most often writing here so often take for granted. Doors that are constructed of vocational training and truth telling. Doors that recognize how hard it is but don't always allow that as an excuse for not doing your best. Over my years in the West I've had the rare pleasure to meet what I truly believe are a collection of the most significantly under-sung heroes ever to walk the streets of this city. Not just the good people who founded and run CM, the entire staff and the entire student body. A collection of folks teaching and receiving the teaching in both vocational and life skills. Hundreds of kids a year graduating, not taking up the gun, not falling under the lock and key of The Man. To my contemporaries here: Next time you think of heading out to the newest culinary adventure this fine struggling City has to offer, take a second to measure what you've given in return. Next time you clench your fist in an angry retort to what the The Man has asked you to get clenchy about, take a step back and see what you've overlooked. Next time you curl up in your thousand thread count, thinking all is well and good because you raised your voice in anger over your mussels in butter, maybe sit back up and turn the light on. Illuminate what you've done yourself, even in a small way, to make it a little better. I won't tell you what I think you can do if that shining light illuminates nothing. You'll have to deal with that yourself. All I'll say is this - Cypress Mandela labors in relative obscurity making a bigger difference than all the smashed windows and little bunched fists curled over the drawn butter will ever make piled together and multiplied. Thank you, Cypress Mandela. Words cannot adequately convey our appreciation for what you do. You inspire those of us who can't stomach the butter to try, in our small way, to make a difference too.

Very informative ACLS class with great audio visuals and instruction. Sig Jacobson was an excellent…read moreteacher.

Enjoyed program! Would recommend…read more Did 5 week EMT course. Well paced, I thought this was the perfect porridge btwn the 2 wk and the 8 wk. Fav instructors include Yas Michelle Jeff, honorable mention to Tyler Matt & JT who were also great. Good amount of fake blood squirting :). Instructors seem genuinely interested in the material, fellow students and instructors were down to coordinate some outside of class reviewing before test days which was nice. Good vibes, we had fun in the class! Very hands on style- good for fairly tactile learners. Do it!

I'm taking a woodworking class here, and I'm thoroughly satisfied with the level and quality of…read moreinstruction. The tools in the wood shop are great, and the instructors really know their stuff. What's more, those guys sure know how to keep a sharp edge on their equipment. Tuition is, in my opinion, up to what one would expect to pay in today's economy, especially considering that everyone is scrambling for cash to stay afloat, even the local government and its affiliated programs. The registration process on the archaic website is a touch on the byzantine side, though. It looks a lot like the very first website I ever coded when I was 16 years old. Uhh, now that I think about it, it looks like the website I designed a few years ago. But I'm no web designer, so hah! Point being, you're gonna have to dig around a little bit to find what you're looking for, but once you've found it, the actual act of registering for a class is pretty straightforward. Now, back to the woodworking instructors: Between the Bill and Dave, they've got about 70 years experience, 20 fingers, 20 toes, and 8 eyes (they both wear glasses). So I trust them to teach me the ways. I don't know if I'll ever be able to snatch the pebble from their hands, but I'm confident that they're showing me how to keep all my phalanges and body parts so that I could snatch that pebble, even if only in theory. I plan on taking many more courses here, especially in the "Working with Wood" category of classes. Now go forth and learn something new!

This a great local resource for woodworkers. The Mt. Diablo Adult Education program offers may…read moreadult woodworking classes for beginners to advances woodworkers, along with open shop classes. The woodworking 1 class is a great introduction to all the equipment through the process of building a beautiful step stool. The day and night classes include men and women of all ages. The fees are very reasonable to get access to great equipment. The teachers are knowledgeable and very willing to help. For more info: https://mdae.mdusd.org/

I visited The Crown in Oakland for a work event in the coffee industry, and the space was so…read morebeautiful! It had an earthy feel with gorgeous greenery throughout. The plants draped along the ceiling posts were such a cool touch, and the green tile was absolutely beautiful and one of my favorite details. The artwork was a little different, but meaningful and definitely gave us something to talk about. There was so much to take in and appreciate. Such a lovely setting to connect with others in the coffee industry!

Stopped by after breakfast. Slight line out the door. The line moved quickly. Plenty of people…read moreworking. Some taking orders, others making food or coffee. Others cleaning. . Nice different menu. They have a nice variety of different coffee blends. This shop is Hugh. Plenty of open seats They have some unique artwork on the wall.

Beats me as to why I didn't write a review earlier. I've written with Teresa in her workshops for…read moreover 14 years, and I look forward to writing with the group every Wednesday. That time slot has become a sacred time for me. Teresa is funny, kind, astute, and a dedicated teacher ( and so talented) who encourages one to write deeply and honestly. One feels nourished in this space. She has written books and essays that speak volumes of her excellence in craft and the art of narration. I feel so honored and grateful to have met her and to have been able to write with her. Thank you Teresa! You're really one of a kind! https://teresaburnsgunther.com

Teresa is a naturally gifted writing teacher and coach. She makes it look possible to get yourself…read moreon the page. High recommendation. I've had several writing coaches throughout the years

What a great group. Supportive, fun, creative people who are all on the same journey to be better…read morecommunicators and public speakers. Super helpful not just with work but outside work too in terms of building relationships and making friends.

My first visit was around February of 2013. I was nervous. Nervous to be there and worried that I…read morewould have to speak. The group was warm and inviting. I did not have to speak on my first visit, other that to introduce myself. Over the following months, I got my courage up. I have completed many short speeches, and my nervousness has gone from a earth shaking roar to a manageable occasional rumble. And it is fun! Not only has my ability to speak in public improved dramatically, but I have learned to be a better listener, I have met new friends, and I have found a creative outlet for writing and storytelling, Meetings are in an art studio in Oakland's Warehouse District, know for its eclectic art studios and nightlife - Only blocks from downtown Oakland with plenty of free parking. I highly recommend that you visit Warehouse Toastmastes. You will be glad you did!