Iffy Books | 404 S. 20th St., PHL

🎤 Audio Editing with Reaper
2025-07-16 11:15 - 12:30, 2025-07-23 11:15 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Bring a laptop and learn the basics of audio editing! We’ll start by making a recording of a poem as a group, passing the mic after each line. Then you’ll learn to remove pauses and mic handling noises using Reaper, a free-to-use digital audio workstation (DAW) that works on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
No registration needed for this one. See you there!

🔊 DIY Audio Meter Soldering Class
2025-07-16 13:00 - 16:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for another beginner-friendly soldering project at Iffy Books! You’ll assemble a DIY audio meter kit, which you can use to visualize an audio signal’s amplitude.
To complete this project you’ll need to buy a kit for $7.95. We’re suggesting a $5–$20 donation for the class, no one turned away for lack of funds. We’ll provide soldering irons and solder.

Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

👁️ Intelligence History Reading Group: 'Agents of Subversion' by John P. Delury
2025-07-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
For the first installment of the Intelligence History Reading Group, we’re reading Agents of Subversion: The Fate of the CIA’s Covert War in China by John P. Delury (2022). We’ll discuss parts 1 & 2 on Weds, June 18th and parts 3 & 4 on Weds, July 16th. We’ll meet in person at Iffy Books (404 S. 20th St., PHL) from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Thanks to Jack Poulson for starting the group!

—————–
Agents of Subversion reconstructs the remarkable story of a botched mission into Manchuria, showing how it fit into a wider CIA campaign against Communist China and highlighting the intensity―and futility―of clandestine operations to overthrow Mao.
In the winter of 1952, at the height of the Korean War, the CIA flew a covert mission into China to pick up an agent. Trained on a remote Pacific island, the agent belonged to an obscure anti-communist group known as the Third Force based out of Hong Kong. The exfiltration would fail disastrously, and one of the Americans on the mission, a recent Yale graduate named John T. Downey, ended up a prisoner of Mao Zedong’s government for the next twenty years.
Unraveling the truth behind decades of Cold War intrigue, John Delury documents the damage that this hidden foreign policy did to American political life. The US government kept the public in the dark about decades of covert activity directed against China, while Downey languished in a Beijing prison and his mother lobbied desperately for his release.
Mining little-known Chinese sources, Delury sheds new light on Mao’s campaigns to eliminate counterrevolutionaries and how the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party used captive spies in diplomacy with the West. Agents of Subversion is an innovative work of transnational history, and it demonstrates both how the Chinese Communist regime used the fear of special agents to tighten its grip on society and why intellectuals in Cold War America presciently worried that subversion abroad could lead to repression at home.

🎧 Get the audiobook on Libro.fm

🎵 Guitar Cable Soldering Class
2025-07-17 10:00 - 11:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for a relatively quick and easy soldering workshop, suitable for total beginners! You’ll strip some wires and solder 1/4-inch plugs to the ends, creating your own guitar cable.
You can get a kit with 6 inches of cable for $4.25, or 4 feet for $13.50. We’re suggesting a $5–$15 donation for the class, notaflof.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🎲 Pico Game Timer & Dice Workshop
2025-07-17 11:15 - 12:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Learn to make a programmable game timer and dice with a Pi Pico microcontroller! First you’ll solder six LEDs, two switches, and a vibration motor to the board’s GPIO pins. Then you’ll install and customize the CircuitPython code that makes it work. No experience needed!
You’ll need to buy a kit for $9 to complete this project. Here’s what’s included:
• RP2040/Pi Pico Board
• 6 LED lights
• vibration motor
• 2 push button switches
• 4 screws
• 4 spacers
• wood base
Register:

❤️ LED Heart Soldering Class
2025-07-17 13:00 - 16:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Come out and get some soldering practice! This time we’re making a heart-shaped board with 22 LEDs, using an oscillator circuit to dim and brighten them at the speed you choose.
This project is ideal for folks who have soldered at least once before. Beginners are welcome to join us, but it may take you more than one session to finish. Working with a friend is encouraged!
The kit you’ll need to complete this project costs $5.50. We’re suggesting a $10–$25 donation for the class, no one turned away for lack of funds.
➡️ Link to instructions
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

💻 M̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶F̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶W̶e̶b̶s̶i̶t̶e̶ (postponed, sorry!)
2025-07-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Tonight’s workshop is canceled because the instructor isn’t feeling well. We’re sorry for the inconvenience! We’ll reschedule and announce a new date soon.
̶M̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶p̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶’̶s̶ ̶1̶9̶9̶9̶!̶ ̶J̶o̶i̶n̶ ̶u̶s̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶I̶f̶f̶y̶ ̶B̶o̶o̶k̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶s̶h̶o̶p̶ ̶c̶a̶l̶l̶e̶d̶ ̶M̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶F̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶W̶e̶b̶s̶i̶t̶e̶,̶ ̶l̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶R̶a̶g̶m̶a̶n̶ ̶a̶.̶k̶.̶a̶.̶ ̶R̶i̶c̶h̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶G̶r̶e̶e̶n̶.̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶’̶l̶l̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶r̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶s̶i̶c̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶H̶T̶M̶L̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶c̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶s̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶e̶ ̶h̶o̶s̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶v̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶N̶e̶o̶c̶i̶t̶i̶e̶s̶.̶ ̶N̶o̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶r̶i̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶n̶e̶c̶e̶s̶s̶a̶r̶y̶!̶
̶
̶Y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶b̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶a̶p̶t̶o̶p̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶l̶a̶b̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶u̶t̶e̶r̶s̶.̶ ̶W̶e̶’̶r̶e̶ ̶s̶u̶g̶g̶e̶s̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶$̶1̶0̶–̶$̶2̶5̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶s̶h̶o̶p̶,̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶u̶r̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶l̶a̶c̶k̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶f̶u̶n̶d̶s̶.̶

🛜 E̶S̶P̶3̶2̶ ̶C̶a̶p̶t̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶P̶o̶r̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶W̶o̶r̶k̶s̶h̶o̶p̶
2025-07-18 11:15 - 12:30, 2025-08-01 11:15 - 12:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
We’re back to the drawing board on this project. Sorry about that. We’ll run it again sometime soon!

🏠 H̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶W̶e̶b̶s̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶H̶o̶m̶e̶ (canceled, sorry!)
2025-07-18 13:00 - 16:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
We had to cancel this workshop because a family obligation came up. Sorry for the inconvenience. We’ll offer it again soon!
̶J̶o̶i̶n̶ ̶u̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶s̶h̶o̶p̶ ̶H̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶W̶e̶b̶s̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶H̶o̶m̶e̶!̶ ̶Y̶o̶u̶’̶l̶l̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶r̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶r̶u̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶w̶e̶b̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶n̶g̶i̶n̶x̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶g̶l̶e̶-̶b̶o̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶u̶t̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶l̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶h̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶w̶e̶b̶s̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶e̶r̶n̶e̶t̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶n̶e̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶.̶
We’ll have home server kits available for $51.99. Here’s what’s included:
• Orange Pi Zero 3 single-board computer
• Micro HDMI adapter cable
• 20W power supply w/ USB-C port
• 60W USB-C to USB-C power cable (6″)
• 2 rubber bands
• zip tie (4″)
Here’s what you’ll need at home:
• Monitor or TV w/ HDMI input
• micro SD card (16GB or larger)
• Ethernet cable • HDMI cable
• USB keyboard with USB-A plug

📡 Meshtastic 101
2025-07-19 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-08-02 10:30 - 12:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for an introduction to Meshtastic, an application that lets you send private text messages over the air using pocket-sized LoRa radio transceivers. We’ll show you how to flash the latest Meshtastic firmware to the device, customize the settings, and start chatting with your friends.
Here’s a link to our zine on LoRa + Meshtastic.
Register:
(coming soon!)

✏️ The Writing Room
2025-07-22 17:00 - 19:30, 2025-07-29 17:00 - 19:30, 2025-08-05 17:00 - 19:30, 2025-08-12 17:00 - 19:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Come co-work with other writers in three 40-minute units of silent writing. Writers and projects of any type welcome. 10-minute breaks and accountability check-ins between units. BYO coffee, water, computer chargers, notepads, etc.

☀️ Solar Music Synth Workshop
2025-07-23 10:00 - 11:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us and build a tiny solar-powered square wave generator on a breadboard. No soldering required! The workshop is free to attend, but you’ll need to purchase a kit for $12.50 to complete the project.
Here’s a link to the how-to zine we’ll use.
And here’s a diagram of the oscillator circuit we’ll build:

Register:

🎶 Pico MP3 Sampler Workshop
2025-07-23 13:00 - 16:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Create your own digital audio sampler using a Pi Pico clone board! This project requires some soldering. It’s recommended for folks who have soldered once or twice before, but beginners are welcome too. For the programming portion, you can bring a laptop or use one of our lab computers.
You’ll need to buy a kit for $16.95 to complete this project. We’re suggesting a $10–25 donation for the workshop.
➡️ Instructions & example code
Here’s what’s included in the kit:
• RP2040/Pi Pico board
• wood block w/ pilot holes
• 3.5mm stereo jack w/ screw terminals
• 2×4 push button keypad
• 2 push button switches
• 10 screws
• tiny screwdriver
• 20 header pins
• 4.7 uF capacitor
• 9 port to port jumper wires
• 2 port to stripped jumper wires
• 1″ stripped wire
• 3″ tie wire
• 8 plastic spacer rings
• micro USB cable w/ data
Register
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

💾☀️ Permacomputing + Solarpunk Meetup
2025-07-23 18:30 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
The Permacomputing + Solarpunk meetup is every other third Wednesday at Iffy Books! You can join us in person (404 S. 20th St., PHL) or remotely via Jitsi Meet.
➡️ Virtual meetup link
From Permacomputing.net: Permacomputing is a more sustainable approach to computer and network technology inspired by permaculture. Permacomputing is both a concept and a community of practice oriented around issues of resilience and regenerativity in digital technology. In a time where computing epitomizes industrial waste, permacomputing encourages a more sustainable approach, maximizing hardware lifespans, minimizing energy use and focussing on the use of already available computational resources. We do this because humans are part of nature and technology is an extension of humans, and we acknowledge that technology has been used to harm nature. We want to find out how we can practice good relations with the Earth by learning from ecological systems to leverage and re-center existing technologies and practices. We are also interested in investigating what a permacomputing way of life could be, and what sort of transformative computational culture and aesthetics it could bring forward. If you want to know more, please start reading about what is permacomputing in essence, and then dive into its principles.
Permacomputing Aesthetics: Potential and Limits of Design Constraints in Computational Culture by Mansoux, Howell, Barok, and Heikkilä (2023)

🚫 USB Data Blocker Soldering Class
2025-07-24 10:00 - 11:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Charging your phone in a public place can be stressful. What if someone is collecting your metadata for marketing purposes? What if they’re copying your files or installing malware? A USB data blocker can help! It’s a little adapter with the data terminals left disconnected, so you can charge your phone anywhere without fear.
This is a relatively quick soldering project, perfect for total beginners. We’ll have soldering irons and supplies to share.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

⚙️ DIY Macro Keyboard Workshop
2025-07-24 11:15 - 12:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
For this workshop you’ll use a Pi Pico board and CircuitPython to create a programmable mechanical keyboard with two keys. No soldering experience necessary!
To complete this project you’ll need to buy a kit for $14. Here’s what’s included:
• RP2040/Pi Pico board
• 2 mechanical keyboard switches
• 2 key caps
• oak base with pilot holes
• 4 stripped wires (2″)
• 1 mm heat shrink tubing (3″)
• 4 M2 screws
• 4 M2 spacer rings
• sandpaper square
➡️ Instructions & links
Register
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

📻 FM Transmitter Soldering Class
2025-07-24 13:00 - 16:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Come out and get some soldering practice! This time we’re assembling a short-range FM transmitter kit with a built-in mic and a 1/8″ audio input jack.
This project is recommended for folks who have soldered at least once or twice before. If you’re brand new to soldering, we recommend taking a beginner class first.
Register:

• Transmission Distance: 5-50m
• Transmission Frequency: 88-108MHz
• Audio Input: -15dB (max)
• Operating Voltage: DC 2.7V-3.3V
• Operating Current: 5-15mA

🎂 Iffy Books 4th Birthday Party!
2025-07-25 18:00 - 22:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
This Friday we’re hosting a 4th birthday party at Iffy Books! Stop by on 7/25 from 6–10 p.m. for drinks, snacks, and general fun. We’ll have cake at 8. Hope to see you there!
On Sunday the 27th we’ll be at the Big Summer Book Sale at Icebox Project Space from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thanks to Ulises Books and FORTUNE for putting it together!
And the Philly Bookstore Crawl is coming up on Saturday, August 23rd. Stay tuned for updates!

🌞📚 Big Summer Book Sale at Icebox Project Space
2025-07-27 11:00 - 17:00 | Icebox Project Space at Crane Arts, 1400 N American St., Philadelphia, PA, 19122, United States
See y’all at Icebox Project Space (1400 N American St.) for the Big Summer Book Sale 2025! We’ll be there all day, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thanks to Ulises Books and FORTUNE for putting it all together!

🪐 Speculative Futures Reading Group
2025-07-30 19:00 - 20:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
The Speculative Futures Reading Group meets on the last Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m.!

💻 Philly 2600 Meetup
2025-08-01 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
> The Philly 2600 meeting is a monthly gathering of local hackers, phreaks, nerds, geeks, activists, tinkerers, developers, infosec professionals, and other interesting people.

🏠 IndieWeb Homebrew Website Club
2025-08-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Homebrew Website Club is a growing world-wide network of meetups for everyone who wants to take back their web experience from social media silos, and own their online identities & content, or just want support with blogging!

📚 Capital Reading Group
2025-08-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for a discussion on Marx’s Capital by. We’ll post the sections we’re covering before each meeting.
We’re reading Paul Reitter’s recent translation (Princeton University Press, 2024).

🚂 Model Internet Club
2025-08-09 10:30 - 12:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
The Model Internet Club is back! Join us every third Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for an informal meetup focused on building small-scale computer networks.
No registration needed for this event! If we run out of space we can expand into our back yard area.
