Apr
6
9:00 AM09:00

Radical Nourishment: Intro to Blacksmithing

Tender Table & The Southern Maine Workers' Center are hosting two Intro to Blacksmithing workshops led by Kiran Chapman of Soma Metalwork on April 6 & 7. Register below!

Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower invites us to be bold in our visions of equitable living in a wounded world. And we’re thrilled to invite you to help us expand that vision here at home through Radical Nourishment: Food, Soul & Community for the Future, a series of gatherings designed by and for BIPOC organizers to deepen our connections with each other, our relationship with the land around us, and the power we need to survive and transform the conditions we are rooted in.

We'll learn the basics of blacksmithing from Kiran Chapman (he/they), a metalworker and bladesmith who runs their own small business and teaches classes out of their workshop in North Yarmouth. This half-day class is offered on both Saturday and Sunday and will focus on two small metalworking projects that relate to our relationship with land and food: farmhouse-style wall hooks and hanging seed dishes.

You don’t need any prior knowledge of blacksmithing or Parable of the Sower to join us. Accessible accommodations and rides to the location are available. Lunch and childcare will be provided. 

Space is limited. These events are for BIPOC only.

REGISTER HERE

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Apr
7
1:00 PM13:00

Radical Nourishment: Intro to Blacksmithing

Tender Table & The Southern Maine Workers' Center are hosting two Intro to Blacksmithing workshops led by Kiran Chapman of Soma Metalwork on April 6 & 7. Register below!

Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower invites us to be bold in our visions of equitable living in a wounded world. And we’re thrilled to invite you to help us expand that vision here at home through Radical Nourishment: Food, Soul & Community for the Future, a series of gatherings designed by and for BIPOC organizers to deepen our connections with each other, our relationship with the land around us, and the power we need to survive and transform the conditions we are rooted in.

We'll learn the basics of blacksmithing from Kiran Chapman (he/they), a metalworker and bladesmith who runs their own small business and teaches classes out of their workshop in North Yarmouth. This half-day class is offered on both Saturday and Sunday and will focus on two small metalworking projects that relate to our relationship with land and food: farmhouse-style wall hooks and hanging seed dishes.

You don’t need any prior knowledge of blacksmithing or Parable of the Sower to join us. Accessible accommodations and rides to the location are available. Lunch and childcare will be provided. 

Space is limited. These events are for BIPOC only.

REGISTER HERE

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Jun
15
12:00 PM12:00

What Do You Stay Alive For? Poetry Reading & Resource Fair

'What Do You Stay Alive For?" is a showcase and resource hub advocating for suicide awareness. There are many external systemic forms of oppression that affect humanity's internal psyche. Since COVID and other local and national events, people have had a harder time pushing themselves to stay alive. By collaborating and having a roundtable discussion with artists writing about mental health and collaborating with organizations who are serving underserved community members in mental health access, Tender Table and the poet laureate program are creating a space to remind people the joy to stay alive.

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Mar
6
6:00 PM18:00

BIPOC Night @ Washington Baths

It’s cold outside! Treat yourself to a rejuvenating evening with the sauna, pool, and snacks at Washington Baths with fellow BIPOC community members.

Entry is $35. If cost is a barrier, click here to reserve a free pass. Limited quantity available. Priority to our friends who are Black, Wabanaki, Palestinian, working class, disabled.

No reservations. All genders welcome. Bathing suits required in common areas. Towel rental is $3, and sandals are available to borrow with admission. We recommend you bring your own towel and sandals if possible. Please do not bring outside food or drink (reusable water bottle is okay & encouraged). Snacks and beverages available at the cafe. This event is reserved for folks who are BIPOC. Check-in no later than 8pm.

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Oct
22
10:30 AM10:30

Aquatic Harvest: Fishing Workshop with Tony Antoine

It’s been a whole summer season since the Radical Nourishment series kicked off with the Good Soil Garden in June, and we’re excited to share news about our fall workshop!

Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower invites us to be bold in our visions of equitable living in a wounded world. And we’re thrilled to invite you to help us expand that vision here at home through Radical Nourishment: Food, Soul & Community for the Future, a series of gatherings designed by and for BIPOC organizers to deepen our connections with each other, our relationship with the land around us, and the power we need to survive and transform the conditions we are rooted in.

You are invited to Aquatic Harvest, a fishing workshop at Camp Gustin in Sabattus, ME, on Sunday 10/22 from 10:30am-4pm. We’ll learn all the steps of fishing from Tony Antoine, a soon-to-be certified Maine master naturalist and a lifelong fisher and crabber who uses fishing to connect to the outdoors and his family lineage. We’ll also talk about the ancestral origins of fishing knowledge, our relationships to ancestors through land and water, the challenges of connecting– and how it all relates to the Parables and our struggles for a just world today. Register here!

You don’t need any prior knowledge of fishing or Parable of the Sower to join us. Accessible accommodations and rides to the location are available. Fishing supplies, lunch, and childcare will be provided. 

This event is for BIPOC only.

This project is a collaboration between Tender Table & the Southern Maine Workers’ Center, and part of Parable Path, a framework for community organizing and artistic engagement based on Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower. This initiative is led by multi-hyphenate musician Toshi Reagon, Bowdoin College’s Joseph McKeen 2022-23 Visiting Fellow, and is supported by Maine Humanities Council, Indigo Arts Alliance and Bowdoin College.

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Sep
30
5:00 PM17:00

BIPOC Night Market

Poster by Raquel Miller

Tender Table and Công Tử Bột invite all to a celebration of Black and Brown joy and community featuring local food and drinks by Alabama BBQ, Banh Appetit, Little Easy Snoballs, LIDOS OUN, Liu Bian Tan, Mei Mei Dumplings (Boston), Onggi, Siblings Bakery, ZaoZe Cafe & Market; art for sale by Fireball Bookbindery, Jenny Ibsen, Pristine Pearls, Soma Metalwork; music by Kafari. This event is free and open to the public of all ages and abilities. Food, drinks, and art will be available for purchase.

This event is sponsored by Friends of Congress Square Park, MECA, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, Portland Art Museum, SPACE, Onion Foundation.

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Jun
25
11:00 AM11:00

Radical Nourishment Workshop #1: Good Soil

“Civilization is to groups what intelligence is to individuals. It is a means of combining the intelligence of many to achieve ongoing group adaptation.” —Parable of the Sower

If you knew your community’s way of life faced impending destruction, what could you do about it? Would you have the courage to leave behind a structure you knew was doomed? And what would you seek to build in its place? In Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler answers these questions with Earthseed, a faith and philosophy that protagonist Lauren Olamina creates from her observations of a world in peril and her dreams of survival. 

Octavia’s Parables invite us to be bold in our visions of equitable living in a wounded world. And we’re thrilled to invite you to help us expand that vision here at home through Radical Nourishment: Food, Soul & Community for the Future, a series of gatherings designed by and for BIPOC organizers to deepen our connections with each other, our relationship with the land around us, and the power we need to survive and transform the conditions we are rooted in.

This project is a collaboration between Tender Table & the Southern Maine Workers’ Center, and part of Parable Path, a framework for community organizing and artistic engagement based on Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower. This initiative is led by multi-hyphenate musician Toshi Reagon, Bowdoin College’s Joseph McKeen 2022-23 Visiting Fellow, and is supported by Maine Humanities Council, Indigo Arts Alliance and Bowdoin College.

Join us for our first workshop: "Good Soil" on Sunday, June 25th, 11am-2pm at Celebration Tree Farm in Durham, ME

Good Soil is the first of our workshop series focusing on interdependence and togetherness along with sustainable and tangible community growth and learning. At this workshop we will prep the soil and land on a plot at Celebration Tree Farm in Durham, Maine for planting and growing, bask in each other’s warm company, and reflect together about the conditions that support us to flourish.

Accessible accommodations are available and rides will be provided to the location, along with tools, food, and childcare.

This event is for BIPOC only.

REGISTER HERE

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Mar
1
5:00 PM17:00

Soup Night (Virtual)

It’s been a minute, and we’ve missed you! Tender Table invites you to enjoy some warm treats with us in these cold, dark times. Come get warm and cozy at our second virtual Soup Night!

We’ll be delivering homemade soups in the Portland area. Deliveries will go out on February 27th, and our virtual Soup Night will be on Wednesday, March 1 from 5-7pm on Zoom. Registration is required to receive a care package including homemade soup & other cozy treats! We have a limited supply of 30 care packages available. Deadline to register for a care package is Wednesday, February 1. Register at tinyurl.com/tt-soup-2023. This event is only for people who identify as BIPOC.

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Oct
5
5:00 PM17:00

Page & Sound (in collaboration with Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance)

Hear author Phuc Tran read from his award-winning memoir Sigh, Gone while listening to the music that inspired his writing. Watch and listen to the dynamic Tanuja Desai Hidier, award-winning songwriter and author, perform a reading and share audio/visual pieces. And relish in the power that is Signature Soul, the spoken word, eclectic hip-hop duo, also known as Marco Soulo and Signature MiMi.

Sandwiches by Vy Banh Mi and beverages will be available for sale thanks to co-sponsors The Public Works and Kit NA. Food will also be available for purchase.

This event is free.

Books will be sold by Kelly’s Books to Go.

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Sep
3
12:00 PM12:00

Tender Table Food & Art Fair

Tender Table invites all to a celebration of Black and Brown joy and community featuring local food and drinks by Công Tử Bột, Yardie Ting, Dream Sweets, Kelsey Mari Morgan, Moonday Coffee, Little Easy Snoballs; art for sale by Jenny Ibsen, Future Juju, A Clearing, Loquat, Fireball Bookbindery; music performances by Kafari and Alejandro Graciano; tarot readings by LaLa Drew; a braiding circle facilitated by Veronica A. Perez; and a family-friendly art corner hosted by Love Lab Studio. 

This event is free and open to the public of all ages and abilities. Food, drinks, and art will be available for purchase.

Tender Table’s Food and Art Fair is sponsored by Friends of Congress Square Park, the Portland Food Co-Op, Maine Initiatives, Maine Writers and Publishers, Portland Museum of Art, Maine College of Art and Design, FUBU Fund, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and SPACE.

We still need volunteers to help out at our event! SIGN UP HERE

Artwork by Jenny Ibsen

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Jul
30
12:00 PM12:00

What Do You Stay Alive For: Poetry Reading & Picnic feat. Maya Williams

**BIPOC only**

Maya Williams (ey/they/she) is a Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who is Portland, Maine's seventh Poet Laureate. They have published in venues such as Homology Lit, glitterMOB, Indianapolis Review, The Portland Press Herald, and more. Ey was one of three artists of color selected by the Indigo Arts Alliance to represent the state of Maine for The Kennedy Center's Arts Across America series in 2020. You can follow her work at mayawilliamspoet.com

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Mar
17
5:00 PM17:00

Braiding Circle (Virtual)

Braiding circles are intimate community gatherings focused on braiding a three strains braid while conversing about identity, experience, and belonging. It started as a way to create more braids for the larger sculptures and turned into a place for honest and open conversation to be held.

The braiding circles came about through the need to create a space for open community conversation and to work toward the goal of communal healing through storytelling and braiding. This deepens understanding and empathy and enables folks to see humanity through emotions more clearly in the work.

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Mar
4
5:00 PM17:00

Lunder Institute First Friday

For March's First Friday, join Lunder Institute Residential Fellow Veronica Perez and their co-organizer Stacey Tran for an evening of art, music and poetry focusing on Black and Brown voices from Maine. Stemming from Perez’s developing sculptural work composed of hair and storytelling, this event invites audiences to consider their own intimate experiences of identity and belonging.

  • Music & Poetry by Signature Soul: Signature MiMi & Marco Soulo

  • Art by Veronica Perez and Jenny Ibsen

Stick around after the program for Open Studios with the Lunder Institute Residential Fellows and Colby Artist in Residence. Meet the artists working at Greene Block + Studios and tour their studio spaces. For more information about the Lunder Institute Residential Fellows, visit: https://www.colby.edu/lunderinstitute/lunder-institute-residential-fellows-spring-2022/

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Feb
13
5:00 PM17:00

Soup Night (Virtual)

Tender Table invites you to enjoy some warm treats with us in these cold, dark times. Come get warm and cozy with us at our virtual Soup Night on Zoom. We’ll be delivering homemade soups in the Portland area and Waterville in Maine. Deliveries will go out on February 11-12 and our virtual Soup Night will be on Sunday, February 13 at 5-7pm.

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Aug
28
3:00 PM15:00

Tender Table Food & Poetry Fair

Tender Table invites all to a celebration of Black and Brown joy and community featuring local food and poetry by Mainers of color!

This event is free and open to the public of all ages. Food and merchandise will be available for purchase.

Tender Table Food & Poetry Fair is sponsored by Friends of Congress Square Park, the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, Portland Food Co-Op, and SPACE, in partnership with the Lunder Institute for American Art.

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Jun
13
to Jun 15

Meals for the Nostalgic Appetite (Virtual)

We have two exciting events coming up, starting with tonight, Sunday, June 13 and Tuesday, June 15 both at 6-8 PM EST in collaboration with Saudade Cooking who brought you the wonderful cookbook: Saudade: Meals for the Nostalgic Appetite! Get your copy today for a sliding scale donation - 100% proceeds go to Soul Fire Farm.

Each IG live event will feature 1-2 cookbook contributors who will guide us through how to make some of their favorite recipes and share why these recipes are so special. Events will take place on the @saudadecooking IG live.

Check out @tendertablemaine for more info about the recipes and ingredients lists so you can grab your supplies and cook along!

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Mar
27
6:00 PM18:00

Ramen Party (Virtual)

Instant ramen has a special spot in my heart. When I was a kid, my dad would whip up a bag of chicken flavor Maruchan instant ramen and crack an egg into it, which is one of my favorite comfort foods to this day. My go-to instant ramen these days is Shin Raymun with an egg cracked into it, or if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add a soft boiled egg and blanched hearty greens like gai lan.

Since we can’t exactly cook for each other and eat together in person, I'd love to send you a pack of instant ramen to make at home and add your favorite toppings to it while we eat together and hang out virtually. I’m curious to see how y’all fancify your instant ramen!

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Jan
31
6:00 PM18:00

Artist Talk & Collage Night with Jenny Ibsen (Virtual)

At this meetup, artist and writer Jenny Ibsen will be sharing her work with us and guide us through a collage/drawing activity. Jenny is a printmaker, writer and storyteller based in Portland, Maine. She graduated from Bowdoin College in 2018, where she began printmaking, and has since lived in Maine, working in the restaurant industry, writing for free, local newspapers, and making art when she can.

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Aug
6
4:00 PM16:00

A Clearing & Tender Table: Food, Storytelling, Art

A CLEARING: A Maine Arts Community and Tender Table present an evening immersed in food, storytelling, and art. Join us for delicious food and stories by Asha Tamarisa and Cassandra Loftlin, and artwork by Chelsea Ellis, Kelsey Halliday Johnson, EA Kane, Maia Snow, Stephen Straton, Jessica Townes George, and Lavennz Ooi.

This collaboration—supported by the Kindling Fund, a grant administered by SPACE on behalf of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program—is a part of A CLEARING’s overarching project A POSSIBLE PRACTICE. A POSSIBLE PRACTICE is an evolving cycle that asks artists to create in conversation with a theme, take part in site-specific art installations throughout Maine, and contribute to a genre-bending artists’ book. This season’s theme—the poem “Etymology of Butch” by Kristin Chang—explores ideas of consumption, lineage, and fluidity of being and form.

This first-time collaboration with Tender Table, an organization with similar interests in amplifying WOC, expands on this approach by inviting you to experience intimate storytelling and home cooked food that is rooted in memory, identity, and community. Hosted in Cong Tu Bot, this evening savors the delicious contrast that rises when art enters a non-traditional art space and non-restaurant encounters stir a restaurant space live.

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Feb
13
7:00 PM19:00

Sara Elise, Sussy Santana, Valerie Tutson

This event is in partnership with the Brown University LGBTQ Center and co-sponsored by Brown University Literary Arts, Swearer Center, Brown University CareerLAB, and Brown University Multicultural Alumni Committee.

The LGBTQ Center’s Legacy Series theme for the 2018-2019 school year is “Building Our Trans and Queer Futures: A project of (re)imagining.” Our theme asks we consider structural injury while also imagining and building towards a new world where, as Adrienne-Maree Brown writes, “everyone experiences abundance, access, pleasure, human rights, dignity, freedom, transformative justice, peace.” Speakers will be asked to think about what a just and liberated future has to offer. How do we take the details of our cultural legacies and push them forward towards something new/yet old?

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Jul
21
7:20 PM19:20

A Joint for Us: Stories about Weed, Food, Family, and Identity

This event is a collaboration between Tender Table and Tiara Darnell of High, Good People (@highgoodpeople) a "potcast" (podcast) about cannabis in the new age of legalization from the perspective of people of color.
A Joint for Us will feature stories about weed, food, family, and identity, in addition to a selection of cannabis-infused small bites and mocktails prepared by cannabis chefs, Megon Dee-Cave (@ChefMegonDeeCave), and Liv Vasquez (@livviesmalls). Our featured storytellers are Cookie Zvovushe, Melody Wright, and Meryl Montgomery, Hoopla Martinez.

This event is FREE (to remain in compliance with the OLCC), with seats being extended to adults 21+ who RSVP by Sunday, July 15th and have made at least a $35 donation, which will benefit the Family Preservation Project (FPP). FPP promotes individual and system level change to reduce the collateral consequences of parental incarceration on children, families, and the community. One hundred percent of the proceeds from this event will go to Family Preservation Project.

Advanced registration is required, and attendees must show a valid government-issued I.D. the day of the event. No exceptions.

Courtesy of our sponsors, we are pleased to offer a limited amount of spaces with the FPP donation for registration covered in advance for those who lack funds or need partial assistance to participate in the event. Send inquiries about sponsored registration and/or questions about the event to: highgoodpeople@gmail.com. See you there!

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