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

🪐 Speculative Futures Reading Group: 'Children of Time' by May Adrian Tchaikovsky
2026-05-27 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | 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.!

📓 DIY Digital Notebook Workshop
2026-05-28 18:00 - 20:00
In this workshop you’ll build a digital notebook, a pocket-sized device for taking notes with a USB keyboard. We’re using affordable, widely available components: a Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 microcontroller, a 1-inch OLED display, and a microSD card reader, arranged on a solderless breadboard. The ESP32-S3 connects to the display via the I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) protocol, and to the microSD card reader uses the SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) protocol.
No soldering required! Cutting and stripping jumper wires requires a degree of manual dexterity.
Please bring a laptop if you have one! If not it’s OK.
Instructions
Register:
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name/pseudonym:Email address:EmailConfirm EmailBuy a kit:Digital Notebook Kit - $46.23(price includes tax)Instructor donation:$0 / donate later$5$10$15$20$25$30(suggested $5–$15)Credit card info: *CardName on CardComments or questions?Submit

💻 Cyberdeck Meetup
2026-05-30 10:30 - 12:30, 2026-06-27 10:30 - 12:30
A cyberdeck is a DIY laptop based on a single-board computer (SBC) such as Raspberry Pi, with a tiny LCD screen and keyboard enclosed in a folding case.
Bring an SBC to this meetup and start building your own! We’ll have LCD screens and keybaords for sale, as well as wooden boxes in various sizes. If you’ve already built a cyberdeck, you can show it off and help others get started!

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🔊 DJ Basixxx with MIXXX
2026-05-31 10:30 - 12:30
An introduction to MIXXX, a free and open source DJ program for macOS, Linux, and Windows. It supports a wide range of DJ controller devices and audio file formats.
You’ll need to bring your own laptop and headphones for this workshop. We also recommend bringing a separate USB keyboard if you have one, ideally with a row of function keys (F1, F2, F3, etc.). We’ll be putting stickers on the keys to turn it into a DJ controller. If you have an external audio interface, you’re welcome to bring that too!
Register:
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name/pseudonym:Email address:EmailConfirm EmailBuy a sticker sheet (optional)DJ controller keyboard stickers - $2.70(price includes tax)Instructor donation:$0 / donate later$5$10$15$20$25(suggested $5–$20)Credit card info: *CardName on CardComments or questions?Submit

☕️ Coffee Talk
2026-06-01 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-15 18:00 - 20:00
A social hangout every first and third Monday for trans and non-binary people, their significant others, and allies. We have snacks and coffee.

✏️ The Writing Room
2026-06-02 17:00 - 19:30, 2026-06-09 17:00 - 19:30, 2026-06-16 17:00 - 19:30, 2026-06-23 17:00 - 19:30
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.

⚡️ Beginner Soldering: Flashing LED Circuit
2026-06-03 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-06-17 12:00 - 13:30
In this workshop you’ll learn the basics of soldering by building a tiny oscillator circuit with two transistors and two LED lights. No previous experience needed!
Register:
coming soon!

💻 Philly 2600 Meetup
2026-06-05 18:00 - 20:00
> The Philly 2600 meeting is a monthly gathering of local hackers, phreaks, nerds, geeks, activists, tinkerers, developers, infosec professionals, and other interesting people.

📡 Meshtastic 101
2026-06-06 10:30 - 12:00
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!

🔊 DJ Basixxx with MIXXX
2026-06-07 16:00 - 18:00
An introduction to MIXXX, a free and open source DJ program for macOS, Linux, and Windows. It supports a wide range of DJ controller devices and audio file formats.
You’ll need to bring your own laptop and headphones for this workshop. We also recommend bringing a separate USB keyboard if you have one, ideally with a row of function keys (F1, F2, F3, etc.). We’ll be putting stickers on the keys to turn it into a DJ controller. If you have an external audio interface, you’re welcome to bring that too!
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🏠 IndieWeb Homebrew Website Club
2026-06-07 18:00 - 20:00
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!

🚧 Make Your First Website
2026-06-08 18:00 - 20:00
Make a home page like it’s 1999! Join us at Iffy Books for a new workshop called Make Your First Website, led by Ragman a.k.a. Richard Green. You’ll learn the basics of HTML and create a static site on the free hosting service Neocities. No experience necessary!
Please bring a laptop if you have one. We’re suggesting a $10–$25 donation for this workshop, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Register:
Coming soon!

⚙️ Neo-Luddite Reading Group: 'Abolish Silicon Valley' by Wendy Liu
2026-06-11 18:30 - 20:30
➡️ Virtual Meetup Link
Discord: Email neoluddite@victorgom.es for an invite!
Full schedule: victorgom.es/neoluddite
If you’re joining for the first time, I’d suggest you read this before anything else for brief context: What the Luddites Really Fought Against by Richard Conniff.The only expectation is that you read the chapter(s) of the book that’s listed for that meeting. You’re still welcome to participate if you haven’t done the readings as long as you are mindful. For each chapter, I’ve also noted some optional readings for context, so I’d suggest checking those out rather than reading ahead in the book. And remember, if you ever find yourself struggling with any of the readings or concepts, reach out! Either directly to me over email or to the entire group over discord.

🚂 Model Internet Club
2026-06-13 10:30 - 12:30
The Model Internet Club is back! Join us every second 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.

🧵 Anarchist Sewing Club
2026-06-14 15:00 - 17:00
Interested in learning to sew, mend or make clothes? Already know how and wanna hang out with people while sewing? Come and join us! Sewing supplies and a sewing machine will be available for anyone needing them.

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🏴 Anarchy Summer Reading Group
2026-06-14 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-28 18:00 - 20:00
We’re meeting every two weeks to discuss classics of anarchist literature, starting with Anarchism and Other Essays by Emma Goldman and The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin.
Stay tuned for more details!

🐌 Slow Living Support Group
2026-06-17 18:00 - 20:00
For people who value connection, sustainability, and creativity — without AI.
Bring:
• writing projects
• craft projects
• books & book recommendations
• CDs
Do not bring:
• screens
Provided:
• zine-making supplies
• snacks

🤔 FAFIO Beginner Tech Meetup
2026-06-18 18:30 - 20:30
FAFIO is a meetup for folks who want to learn new tech skills, but aren’t sure where to start. Let’s fuck around and figure it out. FAFIO means there is no instructor. Instead we learn by talking and sharing knowledge, reading info in zines and online, and hands-on trial and error.

☀️ Build a Solar-Powered Meshtastic Node
2026-06-20 13:00
This event will include an introduction to Meshtastic, followed by a beginner-friendly workshop where the attendees will build and take home a Meshtastic node of their own. Attendees will learn about Meshtastic, building a simple electronics project, and how to solder.
Meshtastic nodes allow users to send text messages to each other using the LoRa protocol. There is a large existing Meshtastic network in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. More information about Meshtastic can be found at meshtastic.org.
Instructions for the solar node you will be building can be found here:
https://phillymesh.net/2025/06/21/harbor-breeze-node/
An Android or iOS phone with Bluetooth is necessary to connect to the node and a laptop with a USB-C cable is recommended for the workshop.
About the instructor:
PhillyMesh is an independent group of Meshtastic and HAM enthusiasts that run many nodes in the Philadelphia area. We collaborate to build, deploy, and educate folks about Meshtastic nodes. If you’re interested in joining, check us out at phillymesh.net.
Register:
coming soon!

🎬 Make a Hand-Coded SVG Animation!
2026-06-22 18:00 - 20:00
Learn to make an animated SVG file using a plaintext editor and web browser. No fancy tools needed!
Geany text editor
Sublime Text
Happy Birthday example file
Register
coming soon!

🪐 Speculative Futures Reading Group: "The Ones Who Walk From Omelas" by Ursula Le Guin
2026-06-24 19:00 - 20:30
The Speculative Futures Reading Group meets on the last Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m.
This month we’re reading the short story “The Ones Who Walk From Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin. Since there’s no book to purchase, consider donating some money to the store.

Seen/Unseen Listening Session
2026-06-27 17:00 - 19:00
Look around. What do you see? Look again.
What stories are hidden in plain sight?
Join us as we surface the power at work around us and within us, all the time. As we learn to read its myths loud in our landscapes and in our language, we see our society and ourselves being made. Inside power’s own construction process, can we begin to see its undoing?
Walk with Philadelphian Gigi Guida on a noticing tour of Philadelphia’s iconic City Hall, where we look again and look within.

📚 'Here Where We Live is Our Country' Reading Group
2026-06-29 19:00 - 20:30
Stay tuned for details!
