Iffy Books | 404 S. 20th St., PHL
hacking, free culture, gardening, zines
Forget this Good Thing is a first-of-its-kind literary and philosophical experience. Both a book and an app, it was named a finalist for the Big Other Book Prize for Nonfiction. Born out of a writer’s gift to friends during COVID, this playful yet erudite project is a magic eight ball for today’s technological age. It […]
On Saturday, October 12th at 6:30 p.m. we're screening the film Metropolis (1927), directed by Fritz Lang and written by Thea von Harbou and Lang. This free event is presented by the Neo-Luddite Reading Group. In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind […]
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.
This workshop approaches one of the most fundamental components of electronic music-making -- the sequencer -- as a potential creative collaborator. Leveraging a handful of simple algorithms, participants will develop their own interactive digital music software application capable of coaxing complex rhythms and melodies from your favorite software-based synthesizers and MIDI-enabled hardware. To accomplish this […]
Join us on the first and third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. for a reading group on Capital by Karl Marx. We'll be reading Paul Reitter's recent translation (Princeton University Press, 2024). October 17: • The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, Chapters 1–5 • Principles of Political Economy by John Stuart Mill, […]
The third Friday of every month from 6–8 p.m. we host a meetup run by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Open Organization of Lockpickers. > Come join us for our monthly open pick night at Iffy Books! Whether you’re a novice who just stumbled upon LockpickingLawyer, a seasoned safecracker, or somewhere in between, come join […]
We’re reading Neither Vertical nor Horizontal: A Theory of Political Organization by Rodrigo Nunes. How do we organize in a world after both Occupy and the Sanders campaign? A decade ago, a wave of mass mobilisations described as “horizontal” and “leaderless” swept the planet, holding the promise of real democracy and justice for the 99%. […]
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.
We print a *lot* of zines at Iffy Books, which we distribute for free or by donation. That means we’re constantly folding and stapling, which takes patience. And we’re currently having a hard time keeping all 150+ titles in stock. So we’re running a volunteer zine folding session every other Wednesday afternoon! If you’ve been […]
Our Meshtastic 101 class will begin at 3 p.m. on October 23rd, followed by a general meetup for local Meshtastic users from 4–6 p.m. 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 […]
On the second and fourth Thursday of every month we run a soldering workshop for beginners! You’ll need to buy a circuit board with components for $6 to complete the project. We suggest making a $5–$15 donation for the class, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Here’s what’s included in […]
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.
Bring a playlist on your phone/computer and we’ll help you record it to an audio cassette tape. We have plenty of tapes! Stop by any time 1-5 p.m. No registration needed! This event is free/by donation.
Join us Wednesday, October 30th at 7 p.m. to discuss the novel To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers. (We moved Who Fears Death to November 27th because copies were temporarily on backorder.)
> The Philly 2600 meeting is a monthly gathering of local hackers, phreaks, nerds, geeks, activists, tinkerers, developers, infosec professionals, and other interesting people.
We’re opening late on Sunday, November 3rd. We’ll be here 4–7 p.m. Sorry for the inconvenience!
This group is open to anyone committed to collective learning and liberation whether they are a member of Philly Socialists or not. We aim to tackle challenging theoretical texts together. Rather than finding ‘the correct reading’ of a text, the goal of group is to collectively find tools from texts for creating a better world. […]
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.
We print a *lot* of zines at Iffy Books, which we distribute for free or by donation. That means we’re constantly folding and stapling, which takes patience. And we’re currently having a hard time keeping all 150+ titles in stock. So we’re running a volunteer zine folding session every other Wednesday afternoon! If you’ve been […]
Once a niche interest of avant-garde electronic musicians, the practice of modular synthesis has flourished in the hands of a vibrant international community of artists, hobbyists, and weirdos. Electronic Music Machines is a workshop specifically geared towards the modular-curious and anyone with a desire to make electronic music and craves an intuitive, exploratory approach. We […]
Join us on the first and third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. for a reading group on Capital by Karl Marx. We'll be reading Paul Reitter's recent translation (Princeton University Press, 2024). October 17: • The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, Chapters 1–5 • Principles of Political Economy by John Stuart Mill, […]
On Friday, November 8th, the anniversary of Aaron Swartz’s birth, we’ll host a free screening of The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz. We'll start the film at 7 p.m. The Internet’s Own Boy depicts the life of American computer programmer, writer, political organizer and Internet activist Aaron Swartz. It features interviews with […]
PHILLY ZINE FEST IS BACK! Saturday November 9th, 2024 at Temple University's Mitten Hall from 10-5! Save the date! Organized by Philly Soapbox. Flyer by the legendary Alex Smith!
A Zine Jam for Queer and Trans identifying folx led by Pixel. Not sure what zines are? Wishing to become a zinester? You've come to the right place! This beginner-friendly zine jam will include a workshop component where we will peruse and learn about what zines are, how to make them, and how our QT […]
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.
The Neo-Luddite Reading Group meets the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. Starting October 9th we'll discuss The Eye of the Master: A Social History of Artificial Intelligence by Matteo Pasquinelli. ➡️ Virtual Meetup Link Discord: Email neoluddite@victorgom.es for an invite! Full schedule: victorgom.es/neoluddite We're currently reading The Eye of the Master: A […]
On the second and fourth Thursday of every month we run a soldering workshop for beginners! Anyone can attend for free, but you’ll need to buy a circuit board with components for $6 to complete the project. Here’s what’s included in the kit: 1 x Weevil-shaped PCB 2 x LEDs 1 x 47k Ohm resistor […]
The third Friday of every month from 6–8 p.m. we host a meetup run by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Open Organization of Lockpickers. > Come join us for our monthly open pick night at Iffy Books! Whether you’re a novice who just stumbled upon LockpickingLawyer, a seasoned safecracker, or somewhere in between, come join […]
Friday night reading! Poets Alan Felsenthal, Dobby Gibson and Kendra Sullivan are coming to IFFY to read from their new books. Joined by Bridget Talone. Hosted by Josef Kaplan. ✨There will be books, there will be bevs✨ No cover, come through! Doors at 8 Reading at 8:30
Biking is an empowering and sustainable way to get around the city (and beyond!), get some exercise and just have fun. With simple tools and a little know-how, it’s easy to keep your bike running smoothly. This workshop is designed for total beginners who want to learn the essentials of bike maintenance and repair. In […]
Beyond the Slogan presents: Hal Draper's 'Anatomy of the Micro Sect': Reading Group Meetup & Discussion Open to all! Iffy Books Sun Nov 17th 4 PM - 5:30 PM > This group is open to anyone committed to collective learning and liberation whether they are a member of Philly Socialists or not. We aim to […]
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.
We print a *lot* of zines at Iffy Books, which we distribute for free or by donation. That means we’re constantly folding and stapling, which takes patience. And we’re currently having a hard time keeping all 150+ titles in stock. So we’re running a volunteer zine folding session every other Wednesday afternoon! If you’ve been […]
