Iffy Books | 404 S. 20th St., PHL
hacking, free culture, gardening, zines
Capital Reading Group
Join us on the first and third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. for a reading group on Capital by Karl Marx. Here's what we're reading for December 19th: • Chapter 1, Section 4 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3, Section 1 We're reading Paul Reitter's recent translation (Princeton University Press, 2024).
Punk Rock Flea Market: Night Market on 12/20
On Friday, December 20th we'll be at the Punk Rock Flea Market at the 23rd Street Armory (22 S. 23rd St.) from 4 to 10 p.m. See y'all there!
T̶O̶O̶O̶L̶ ̶L̶o̶c̶k̶ ̶P̶i̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶M̶e̶e̶t̶u̶p̶ (Join us next month!)
This month's lock picking meetup is canceled. Sorry about that! The next one is on January 17th. Original description: 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 […]
Meshtastic 101
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. […]
Closed Dec 25!
We'll be closed all day on Wednesday, December 25th. Sorry for the inconvenience! We'll be back on the 26th. If you need a last-minute gift, we have online gift cards. Photo source
Beginner Soldering: Make a DIY Guitar Cable
On Monday, December 30th at 11 a.m. we're running 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 […]
Closed Jan 1!
We’ll be closed all day on Wednesday, January 1st, 2025. Sorry for the inconvenience! We’ll be back on the 2nd. Image source
Capital Reading Group
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, […]
Philly 2600 Meetup
> The Philly 2600 meeting is a monthly gathering of local hackers, phreaks, nerds, geeks, activists, tinkerers, developers, infosec professionals, and other interesting people.
̶B̶e̶g̶i̶n̶n̶e̶r̶ ̶S̶o̶l̶d̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶:̶ ̶M̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶D̶I̶Y̶ ̶G̶u̶i̶t̶a̶r̶ ̶C̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ (canceled due to weather!)
On ̶M̶o̶n̶d̶a̶y̶,̶ ̶J̶a̶n̶u̶a̶r̶y̶ ̶6̶t̶h̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶n̶o̶o̶n̶ we're running 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 […]
The Writing Room
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: Make a DIY Guitar Cable
On Wednesday, January 8th at 1:00 p.m. we're running 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 also […]
Neo-Luddite Reading Group: ‘The Age of Surveillance Capitalism’ by Shoshana Zuboff
Our next book for the Neo-Luddite Reading Group is The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff (2019). 
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 […]
Beginner Soldering: Make a DIY Guitar Cable
On Thursday, January 9th at noon we're running 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 […]
Winter QT Zine Jam!
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 […]
The Writing Room
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.
Volunteer Zine Folding Session
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 […]
Capital Reading Group
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 post the sections we're covering before each meeting. We'll be reading Paul Reitter's recent translation (Princeton University Press, 2024).
Solder & Code: Make a 3-Button Keyboard with a Pi Pico
In this workshop you'll build and program a customizable 3-button USB keyboard using a Pi Pico microcontroller. You can program each button to type a chunk of text (e.g., your email signature), enter a keyboard shortcut, or launch an application. It's easier than it sounds! Here's what we'll do: • Solder three push button switches […]
TOOOL Lock Picking Meetup
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 […]
Solder & Code: Make a 3-Button Keyboard with a Pi Pico
In this workshop you'll build and program a customizable 3-button USB keyboard using a Pi Pico microcontroller. You can program each button to type a chunk of text (e.g., your email signature), enter a keyboard shortcut, or launch an application. It's easier than it sounds! Here's what we'll do: • Solder three push button switches […]
Beginner Soldering: Make a DIY Guitar Cable
On Monday, January 20th at 10 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. we're running 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 […]
Beginner Soldering: Make a DIY Guitar Cable
On Monday, January 20th at 10 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. we're running 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 […]
Solder & Code: Make a 3-Button Keyboard with a Pi Pico
In this workshop you'll build and program a customizable 3-button USB keyboard using a Pi Pico microcontroller. You can program each button to type a chunk of text (e.g., your email signature), enter a keyboard shortcut, or launch an application. It's easier than it sounds! Here's what we'll do: • Solder three push button switches […]
Permacomputing Meetup
The Iffy Books Permacomputing Meetup returns on Monday, January 20th from 6:30–8:30 p.m. EST. You can join us in person at Iffy Books (404 S. 20th St., PHL) or via Jitsi Meet. 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 […]
Solder & Code: Make a 3-Button Keyboard with a Pi Pico
In this workshop you'll build and program a customizable 3-button USB keyboard using a Pi Pico microcontroller. You can program each button to type a chunk of text (e.g., your email signature), enter a keyboard shortcut, or launch an application. It's easier than it sounds! Here's what we'll do: • Solder three push button switches […]
The Writing Room
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.
Draw with code! An intro to turtle graphics using Python
Stay tuned for details & registration! 
Draw with code! An intro to turtle graphics using Python Screen reading PDF Print-imposed PDF 
Project files on GitHub Register for Jan 27th: Register for Jan 30th:
The Writing Room
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.
Volunteer Zine Folding Session
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 […]
Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
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 […]
Speculative Futures Reading Group: ‘The Stone Sky’ by N. K. Jemisin
Join us Wednesday, January 29th at 7 p.m. to discuss The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin, book three in the Broken Earth trilogy. The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or something worse will depend on two women. Essun has inherited the power of Alabaster Tenring. With it, she […]
Solder & Code: Make a 3-Button Keyboard with a Pi Pico
In this workshop you'll build and program a customizable 3-button USB keyboard using a Pi Pico microcontroller. You can program each button to type a chunk of text (e.g., your email signature), enter a keyboard shortcut, or launch an application. It's easier than it sounds! Here's what we'll do: • Solder three push button switches […]
