Iffy Books | 404 S. 20th St., PHL
hacking, free culture, gardening, zines
Draw with code! An intro to turtle graphics using Python
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
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
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
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
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
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 […]
Draw with code! An intro to turtle graphics using Python
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:
Solder & Code: Make a 3-Button Keyboard with a Pi Pico
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 […]
Cassette Mixtape Session
Cassette Mixtape Session
Bring a playlist on your phone/computer and we’ll help you record it to an audio cassette tape. We have plenty of tapes to share! Register for January 31st:
Meshtastic 101
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. […]
NFC Sculpture Workshop
NFC Sculpture Workshop
In this workshop we'll make little clay sculptures with NFC tags embedded inside, which you can use to trigger shortcuts on your phone. Fun! Here's a link to a blog post about this project. Register:
Beginner Soldering: DIY Audio Meter | Sunday, February 2nd, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Beginner Soldering: DIY Audio Meter | Sunday, February 2nd, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
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. […]
Beginner Soldering: Make a DIY Guitar Cable
Beginner Soldering: Make a DIY Guitar Cable
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, […]
Beginner Soldering: DIY Audio Meter
Beginner Soldering: DIY Audio Meter
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. […]
Beginner Soldering: Make a DIY Guitar Cable
Beginner Soldering: Make a DIY Guitar Cable
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, […]
Beginner Soldering: DIY Audio Meter
Beginner Soldering: DIY Audio Meter
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. […]
The Writing Room
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.
DC215: Hands Off – Make the Machines Do It!
DC215: Hands Off – Make the Machines Do It!
Welcome to the DC215 Meetup! Join us for an exciting gathering of tech enthusiasts, hackers, and cybersecurity professionals at Iffy Books. This in-person event is the perfect opportunity to network, share knowledge, and engage with like-minded individuals in the industry. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, everyone is welcome to come together […]
Beginner Soldering: DIY Audio Meter
Beginner Soldering: DIY Audio Meter
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. […]
Capital Reading Group
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, […]
Meshtastic Mods: Batteries & Canned Messages
Meshtastic Mods: Batteries & Canned Messages
If you're already using Meshtastic and you're curious about adding hardware to your LoRa radio, this workshop is for you! We'll show you how to attach a lithium-ion battery and/or the hardware you'll need to used the "canned messages" feature. There will be soldering. Stay tuned for details & registration!
Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
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 […]
Philly 2600 Meetup
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.
M̶e̶s̶h̶t̶a̶s̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶M̶o̶d̶s̶:̶ ̶B̶a̶t̶t̶e̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶&̶ ̶C̶a̶n̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶M̶e̶s̶s̶a̶g̶e̶s̶ (postponed!)
M̶e̶s̶h̶t̶a̶s̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶M̶o̶d̶s̶:̶ ̶B̶a̶t̶t̶e̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶&̶ ̶C̶a̶n̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶M̶e̶s̶s̶a̶g̶e̶s̶ (postponed!)
We're postponing this workshop while we work out some issues with the rotary encoders we're using. We're sorry for the inconvenience! Stay tuned for a new date sometime in the next few weeks. ̶>̶ ̶I̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶'̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶r̶e̶a̶d̶y̶ ̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶M̶e̶s̶h̶t̶a̶s̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶'̶r̶e̶ ̶c̶u̶r̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶a̶d̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶a̶r̶d̶w̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶L̶o̶R̶a̶ ̶r̶a̶d̶i̶o̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶s̶h̶o̶p̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶!̶ ̶W̶e̶'̶l̶l̶ […]
Cassette Mixtape Session
Cassette Mixtape Session
Bring a playlist on your phone/computer and we’ll help you record it to an audio cassette tape! We have plenty of cassettes to share. We're suggesting a $5–$15 donation for this project. Thanks! Register:
Cassette Mixtape Session
Cassette Mixtape Session
Bring a playlist on your phone/computer and we’ll help you record it to an audio cassette tape! We have plenty of cassettes to share. We're suggesting a $5–$15 donation for this project. Thanks! Register:
Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
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 […]
Cassette Mixtape Session
Cassette Mixtape Session
Bring a playlist on your phone/computer and we’ll help you record it to an audio cassette tape! We have plenty of cassettes to share. We're suggesting a $5–$15 donation for this project. Thanks! Register:
Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
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 […]
The Writing Room
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.
Cassette Mixtape Session
Cassette Mixtape Session
Bring a playlist on your phone/computer and we’ll help you record it to an audio cassette tape! We have plenty of cassettes to share. We're suggesting a $5–$15 donation for this project. Thanks! Register:
Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
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 […]
Neo-Luddite Reading Group: ‘The Age of Surveillance Capitalism’ by Shoshana Zuboff
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 […]
Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
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 […]
̶M̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶L̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶M̶a̶r̶k̶e̶t̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶L̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶P̶a̶r̶k̶ Canceled
̶M̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶L̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶M̶a̶r̶k̶e̶t̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶L̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶P̶a̶r̶k̶ Canceled
Canceled due to the parade 
Now and Then Marketplace on Instagram
Model Internet Club
Model Internet Club
The Model Internet Club is back! Join us every third Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for an informal meetup focused on building small-scale computer networks. Space is limited in the shop, so you'll need to register for this event. Register: coming soon!
Design a Flyer with Scribus
Design a Flyer with Scribus
Scribus is a free computer program you can use to design flyers, zines, books, and anything else you're planning to print! Unlike Microsoft Word, you can arrange text and images however you want on the page. And unlike subscription-based design programs, your creative work won't be monitored and archived by the surveillance state. Register:
The Writing Room
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.
Design a Flyer with Scribus
Design a Flyer with Scribus
Scribus is a free computer program you can use to design flyers, zines, books, and anything else you want to print! Unlike Microsoft Word, you can arrange text and images however you like. And unlike online design programs, your creative work won’t be vacuumed up by the surveillance state. 
Register:
Intro to Computer Music: Build an Algorithmic Sequencer in Max
Intro to Computer Music: Build an Algorithmic Sequencer in Max
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 […]
Capital Reading Group
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).
Capital Reading Group
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. For February 20th we're reading chapters 3 and 4. We'll be reading Paul Reitter's recent translation (Princeton University Press, 2024).
Design a Flyer with Scribus
Design a Flyer with Scribus
Scribus is a free computer program you can use to design flyers, zines, books, and anything else you want to print! Unlike Microsoft Word, you can arrange text and images however you like. And unlike online design programs, your creative work won’t be vacuumed up by the surveillance state. Register:
TOOOL Lock Picking Meetup
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 […]
Design a Flyer with Scribus
Design a Flyer with Scribus
Scribus is a free computer program you can use to design flyers, zines, books, and anything else you want to print! Unlike Microsoft Word, you can arrange text and images however you like. And unlike online design programs, your creative work won’t be vacuumed up by the surveillance state. Register:
Solder & Code: Make a 3-Button Keyboard with a Pi Pico
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
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
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 […]
Speculative Futures Reading Group: ‘The Birds of Maine’ by Michael DeForge
Speculative Futures Reading Group: ‘The Birds of Maine’ by Michael DeForge
On Wednesday, February 26th at 7 p.m. we'll discuss the graphic novel The Birds of Maine by Michael DeForge. Hope to see you there! > Long after the demise of humankind, birds roam freely around the Moon complete with fruitful trees, sophisticated fungal networks, and an enviable socialist order. The universal worm feeds all, there […]
Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
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 […]
Cassette Mixtape Session
Cassette Mixtape Session
Bring a playlist on your phone/computer and we’ll help you record it to an audio cassette tape. We have plenty of tapes to share! Register:
̶M̶e̶s̶h̶t̶a̶s̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶1̶0̶1̶ (tomorrow at PCW instead!)
̶M̶e̶s̶h̶t̶a̶s̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶1̶0̶1̶ (tomorrow at PCW instead!)
We're calling off this workshop because we're doing one with Philly Community Wireless the following day, Saturday, March 1st. We're very sorry for the inconvenience. 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 […]
Meshtastic Workshop with Iffy Books & PCW
Meshtastic Workshop with Iffy Books & PCW
Join us Saturday, March 1st at 2141 N. Howard St. to learn about Meshtastic and LoRa for building encrypted networks with Steve McLaughlin from @iffybooks! Meshtastic uses small radios to send signals, and these radios connect to each other to form a “mesh” network of devices without using the internet or phone lines. We’ll start […]