Join us for the Brown Club of Miami-hosted installment of the One Book | One Bear series: Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen. The discussion will be moderated by Samantha Phillips ’90, Senior Lecturer in the Writing Studies at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL

About the book

The Apple TV+ Original series from Ted Lasso Executive Producer Bill Lawrence and starring Vince Vaughn, praised as "a rollicking, darkly hilarious series that’s both compulsively watchable and plain old fun" (The Ringer) is based on the zany and sharp novel from "the funniest important writer in America" (Miami Herald).  

Andrew Yancy-late of the Miami Police and soon-to-be-late of the Monroe County sheriff's office-has a human arm in his freezer. There's a logical (Hiaasenian) explanation for that, but not for how and why it parted from its shadowy owner. Yancy thinks the boating-accident/shark-luncheon explanation is full of holes, and if he can prove murder, the sheriff might rescue him from his grisly Health Inspector gig (it's not called the roach patrol for nothing).

But first-this being Hiaasen country-Yancy must negotiate an obstacle course of wildly unpredictable events with a crew of even more wildly unpredictable characters, including his just-ex lover, a hot-blooded fugitive from Oklahoma; the twitchy widow of the frozen arm; two avariciously optimistic real-estate speculators; the Bahamian voodoo witch known as the Dragon Queen, whose suitors are blinded unto death by her peculiar charms; Yancy's new true love, a kinky coroner; and the eponymous bad monkey-who just may be one of Carl Hiaasen's greatest characters.

About The Moderator

Samantha Phillips ’90 (Comparative Literature with French and Spanish) is a Senior Lecturer in the Writing Studies at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL, where she has been teaching almost 20 years. Her courses that she has developed are: “The Representation of Teenagers in the USA” and “Relationships in the Digital Age.” She is also a writer whose book with Heather Gray ‘90, “Real Girl/Real World” (Seal Press) is based on interviews with teenaged females on the subject of beauty, body image, sexuality, and feminism. She also writes for magazines and has a short film “Meg’s First Dance” that went to film festivals including Miami Short Film Festival.

About One Bear | One Book

The One Bear | One Book program seeks to connect alums in a global book club where all alums are encouraged to read and discuss a selected title at the same time. The third season of books were nominated by the Brown Club of Greater San Francisco, the Brown Club of Washington DC, the Brown Club of Boston, the Brown Club of Greater Miami. Each Club nominated a book that captures the zeitgeist of their region, a title they would tell a fellow alum: "you gotta read this."

Tour the world-class veterinary hospital at the Oakland Zoo! This behind-the-scenes, one (1) hour tour will take you through a facility designed to accommodate all current and future animals at Oakland Zoo, from small birds to large camels and grizzly bears. This state-of-the-art facility features radiology and surgical suites, a small laboratory, a pharmacy, and wide transportation docks. A separate ticket must be purchased if you wish to visit the zoo afterwards.

Tours are given rain or shine. No refunds. Please wear comfortable, close-toed shoes. Food, drink, and photographs are not permitted inside the veterinary hospital. Please leave all valuables at home and lock personal items in the trunk of your car. All participants must be age 5 or older.

Cost: $20. Register by March 15.

Join us for this challenging urban hike through Grizzly Peak! (2.5 miles) (941 steps to climb) This hike offers shaded canyon staircases and towering views of the Bay and beyond. Host: Dan Epstein '00

One Bear | One Book, the hit virtual book club for all Brown alums, is back with a timely conversation on American national myths and the role they play in our current cultural and political wars!

We'll be joined by preeminent historian, cultural critic, and novelist Richard Slotkin PhD '67 , Professor Emeritus of English and American Studies at Wesleyan University, and author of A Great Disorder: National Myth and the Battle for America. Released against the backdrop of a momentous election year, A Great Disorder identifies the myths, and irreconcilable views of history and patriotism, that have brought American democracy to the brink of an existential crisis. It has been hailed by the New York Times Book Review as "“Sweeping...The culmination of a prolific career and a new way to make sense not only of the past, but of the contemporary culture wars."

Professor Slotkin, who has been hailed as the "Father of American Studies," will unpack his work in conversation with journalist Noel King '04, the former host of NPR’s Morning Edition and current co-host of Vox’s Today, Explained podcast. They'll also open the discussion to extensive questions from our global audience! Whether you have time to read the book in advance or want to whet your appetite on the subject, this promises to be a great discussion!

About Richard Slotkin:

Richard Slotkin is the Olin Professor of English and American Studies, Emeritus, at Wesleyan University, best known for his award-winning trilogy on the Myth of the Frontier, two volumes of which, Regeneration Through Violence and Gunfighter Nation, were National Book Award finalists. Winner of the Shaara Award for Civil War fiction, he regularly contributes to media projects on gun violence, racism, the Civil War, and the West. His latest book, A Great Disorder, was longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award.

Our tree planting event in December was cancelled due to rain. Here's a second chance! Get your hands in the dirt and help fight urban inequity by increasing the urban tree canopy in the Visitation Valley district of San Francisco.

To be included please register with Friends of the Urban Forest at the button below. You have to be registered with FUF and sign a waiver to attend. When you have signed up with FUF please let us know you're coming by emailing us at info@brownclubgsf.com

Join fellow alums upstairs at Saluhall, Ikea’s new-ish food and drink-hall at 945 Market Street! You can grab a bite from any of several vendors (there’s Indian, Algerian, Chinese, Swedish (of course), and American, with vegetarian options), and a drink from the bar, and join us for conversation. Look for the Brown swag... hosted by Ravi Chandra '89

Join us to celebrate the Year of the Snake with a fun Lunar New Year Celebration Dinner at Oakland's Peony Seafood Restaurant. https://peonyrestaurant.com/

RSVP Requires a $25 deposit which will go towards your bill.

Host: Hawlan Ng '93

Join us for our second discussion in our 1 Bear | 1 Book alumni wide book club series' third season! 

This month we will be talking to Stephen Porder, Assistant Provost for Sustainability at Brown, about his book Elemental: How Five Elements Changed Earth's Past and Will Shape our Future. The book bridges the gap between chemistry, biology and how these elements factor in sustainability and climate change fights to save the planet.  Join us in conversation whether you have had time to read his book or not! 

From the book jacket:

It is rare for life to change Earth, yet three organisms have profoundly transformed our planet over the long course of its history. Elemental reveals how microbes, plants, and people used the fundamental building blocks of life to alter the climate, and with it, the trajectory of life on Earth in the past, present, and future.

Taking readers from the deep geologic past to our current era of human dominance, Stephen Porder focuses on five of life’s essential elements—hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. He describes how single-celled cyanobacteria and plants harnessed them to wildly proliferate across the oceans and the land, only to eventually precipitate environmental catastrophes. He then brings us to the present, and shows how these elements underpin the success of human civilization, and how their mismanagement threatens similarly catastrophic unintended consequences. But, Porder argues, if we can learn from our world-changing predecessors, we can construct a more sustainable future.

Blending conversational storytelling with the latest science, Porder takes us deep into the Amazon, across fresh lava flows in Hawaii, and to the cornfields of the American Midwest to illuminate a potential path to sustainability, informed by the constraints imposed by life’s essential elements and the four-billion-year history of life on Earth.

Join us for a lovely urban hike through the the hidden staircases, timeless views, and historic homes where Berkeley and Oakland meet, all while getting your steps in! We will walk two loops: join us for one loop or both – with a stop at Star Grocery for sandwiches in between. Loop 1: Claremont the Uplands (2.5 miles and 352 steps) and Loop 2: Claremont Hotel Heights (1.6 miles and 544 steps) Rain or shine. Meet at Souvenir Coffee.

Host: Lisa Ryers ‘90

Join fellow alumni and friends as we celebrate the year-end and new beginnings at the iconic Park Tavern on Washington Square in North Beach, recently reopened by owner and proprietor James Nicholas, Class of 1995.

Gather at the Communal Table next to the bar between 4:00 and 6:00 pm this Sunday, December 15th, and enjoy selections from the bar or Chef Jonathan Waxman’s dinner menu. Consider strolling through North Beach to work up an appetite and simplify parking. For a full dining experience, we recommend reserving a table in advance—space is limited and filling quickly.

Hope to see you there!

We are closing out the year with a final community service event for 2024! Get your hands in the dirt and help fight urban inequity by increasing the urban tree canopy in the Visitation Valley district of San Francisco. To be included, please register with Friends of the Urban Forest at the button below. You have to be registered with FUF and sign a waiver to attend. When you sign up please check the "other" box and put "Brown Newsletter" as the "way you found us" so we can be grouped together. When you have signed up with FUF please let us know you're coming by emailing us.

Join us for season three of the 1 Bear 1 Book alumni wide book club!!

Loyal Brunonians know that Ruth Simmons was immensely effective as one of the Ivy League’s first woman presidents. But most of us didn’t know, until UP HOME: ONE GIRL’S JOURNEY was published last year, that she was the youngest of 12 children born to a sharecropper couple in Grapeland, Texas and the only one to graduate from college. Her achievements were, and continue to be, formidable. Against all odds, she obtained her PhD at Harvard in Romance Languages, taught at several Eastern universities, became President of Smith College and from there arrived at Brown to become one of our alma mater’s most successful presidents.

How did this high achiever accomplish so much is revealed in this beautifully told story of determination, self-discipline, and resolute optimism. Pamela Paul, writing in the New York Times, proclaims “This is a book you’ll want to pass on to all the young people in your life, no matter their background, just so they can have a little of Simmons’ wise voice in their heads. I’d urge every educator to assign UP HOME to high school students or incoming college freshmen. It’s that good.” Brown was blessed to have such a self-made person at its helm, but Ruth gives credit to her mother, and the relative freedom she enjoyed at Wellesley and other northern colleges. Significantly, after a highly successful presidency at Brown, Ruth accepted the presidency of Prairie View University an historically black college, part of the Texas state supported system. Her inspiring message resonated with critics and is likely to do so with you too.

The 1 Bear 1 Book Alumni wide book club is proud to present a discussion with Ruth about her book. Ruth will attend virtually with Matthew Guterl, University Professor of Africana and American Studies who wrote SKINFOLKS, the critically acclaimed story of how his parents chose to create a multiracial family through adoption and its effects on his siblings. To begin the evening, Matt will conduct an unrehearsed discussion of UP HOME with Ruth to be followed by questions from the audience. Register with us now as space is limited.

Cost: Free. Zoom link provided upon registration.

This month's GCB West is back in SF!

Join us in the Mission and enjoy IPAs and delicious food at one of the best neighborhood bars in San Francisco - there's a courtyard with classic TV shows projected onto a wall, bingo, and fun for all.

It's time for our monthly happy hour get together! This month we will be at North Light in Oakland's Temescal Neighborhood. This bar has a great selection of creative and classic cocktails as well as a delicious menu of small plates. Depending on the size of the group, you will find us in back on the patio or in front sitting in the parklet.

In collaboration with the Columbia Alumni Association of Northern California, Folktale Winery is excited to invite you to the Third Annual Ivy Summer Vineyard Party at the beautiful oasis of Folktale Winery in Carmel. You can join us for the day or turn it into a weekend getaway for this special event among fellow Ivy League alumni.

Get ready to show your school pride at the Ivy League Division I Outdoor Games Competition. You can either compete on a team or come to cheer for your school and see which ones will take home the top prizes. The tickets will cover culinary delights, fun activities, and your first glass of wine.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite (link below).

**Additional wine by glasses or bottles, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase.

Come join us on a food tour around Haight-Ashbury and NOPA! Food will be included with the ticket.

On the last day fleet week, we will start on Haight and end at Alamo Square Park, where we hopefully see the planes. The idea of the food tour is for all of us to be able to try different things at restaurants, so we will be ordering as a group ahead of time and splitting!

Please let us know your dietary restrictions!
Ticket cost: $15.71

Come join us for a pre-weekend wind down at the bar voted "best bar 2024" by the East Bay Express. The Hotsy Totsy is a long time neighborhood stand by.

It's the final leg of the Doublecross Trail!

From West Portal we'll head to the wooded natural amphitheater of Stern Grove, looking for Victorian era roadhouse the Trocadero Clubhouse where bullet holes still mark the exterior, hinting at the former inn’s rowdy past. The trail continues past Lake Merced and Pine Lake, two of only three natural freshwater lakes in the city (Mountain Lake in the Presidio is the other), a vital part of the Pacific Flyway providing habitat for migrating birds. We'll end at the bluffs at San Francisco’s southwest corner at Fort Funston, watching for swooping hang gliders, concrete bunkers that were once part of the city’s coastal defense system, and happy dogs at this popular walking spot.

Bring a lunch! Rain or shine. (390' elevation gain, five miles)

It’s time for fun, sun and BBQ!
Join your fellow Bay Area Brunonians for a sumptuous barbecue with burgers, hot dogs, chicken, veggie burgers, salad, beverages, and other fixin’s with Bay Area Brown Alums! The Brown Club of Greater San Francisco is hosting our 9th Annual Alumni BBQ and what better time of year to enjoy the best the Bay Area has to offer!

Location
The location will be the Elk Glen’s grassy meadow which is tucked in the shade of a huge and varied grove across from Mallard Lake in a quiet pocket of Golden Gate Park. You’ll feel like our party has the park to itself in this pretty little glen - Elk Glen's grass, tables and grills offer the perfect San Francisco lawn party spot. We'll have lawn games, activities, and those over 21 are encouraged to BYOB!

Cost
$12 before 11:59 PM on 9/8
$17 starting 9/9 (until 9/14 at noon)
$30 thereafter Late Brunonian price and at the door (if available)
Note: ADVANCE TICKET SALES END at noon on Saturday September 14th!
Please also note that tickets are non-refundable and will transfer to a future date if event is rained out.

Directions
Elk Glen is on the north side of MLK Drive, west of the intersection with 25th Avenue. It is just across the street from Mallard Lake. There is no sign marking Elk Glen picnic area. Parking should be also available on the south side of the Park between 25th and 30th Avenuie on Lincoln.

Hope to see you there!

Join us this summer at one of SF's most iconic Tiki bars! There will be tropical drinks, your favorite alumni, and the infamous indoor rainstorms! If you're not familiar this is a casual drop in event, much like meeting up on campus at the GCB.

See you for August's GCB West at the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar in the Fairmont.

What's the best place to hike in the summer with alumni friends and ocean and bay breezes? San Francisco! We are enjoying being tourists in our own town by enjoying the City by foot via the Doublecross Trail!

This time we will traverse section two of the Doublecross Trail from Duboce Park to West Portal MUNI station. The distance is five miles with an altitude gain of 850 feet.

Trek along paths unknown to most outsiders, past a long ago rock quarry of radiolarian chert containing marine plankton 100-200 million years old, and up to some of the best vista points in town at Twin Peaks, Tank Hill, and Buena Vista Park.

We will end the hike with lunch at one of the many fast casual spots in West Portal.

www.crosstowntrail.org for a printed map or map the tour with the app Outer Spacial!

Come say goodbye to the Oakland Coliseum in style as the A’s take on Shohei Ohtani and the L.A. Dodgers on Sunday August 4 at 1pm! We have 15 tickets together on the second deck, near the Treehouse Bar. If you're not at your seats enjoying the game, you can play games inside the Bar. A fun and joyous place for fans to relax and connect, the space is open to all fans and features two full-service bars, standing-room and lounge seating, a TV wall, and pre- and postgame entertainment.

Meet fellow Brown alumni and relax under the veranda at Emeritus Vineyards. This intimate experience will showcase estate-grown wines and feature a tasting of five single-vineyard wines. Guests will also learn about the history of Emeritus, dry-farming, and why Hallberg Ranch is one of the best places to grow Pinot Noir. Afterwards, you can continue to discover other vineyards in the wonderful Russian River region or pop over to Santa Rosa for lunch.

Tasting Cost: $30

We had a lot of fun last year traversing San Francisco from Candlestick Park to Lands End on the 17 mile Crosstown Trail. Now the good people who created the Crosstown Trail have created a new trail on the other city axis: the Double Cross Trail!

We will be splitting this 15 mile hike into parts...with our first segment starting at the waterfront, past Chinatown and the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, the Transamerica Pyramid, North Beach cafes and hotspots, Lillie Coit’s Tower, and the steps and views from Telegraph Hill (maybe catching sight of the wild local parrots), the California Street cable car line and Nob Hill, the Seven Sisters of Postcard Row at Alamo Square, City Hall.

We'll find a place to grab a bite a the end of this segment near the City Middle. New to the city or just looking for a refresher? There's no better way to get to know the City but on foot. Join us!

Join fellow alumni and friends for an after work happy hour gathering at the Original Pattern Brewery in the Jack London District of Oakland. Pizza from renowned Bay Area chef Jeffrey Amber is also available for purchase on-site. Inspired by Oakland’s diverse food scene and seasonal ingredients, you can expect experimental pizza styles and delicious side dishes along with a cold beer.

Join fellow alumni at culinary destination Twelvemonth, right here in Burlingame, CA.

Known best for its plant-based menu,Twelvemonth does not hold back at the bar. Beer, wine, cocktails, and zero proof drinks can be paired with bar bites virtuous enough to count as a square meal. Preview the menu here.

Wednesday, June 26, from 7:00 - 9:00pm. Take a mid-week break to join discriminating alumni at this day spa of food and drink. Bar seating is Indoor / outdoor hybrid so hope for fair weather and bring layers.

Register here and see you there!

It was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. But just as Stela and Tuomas toast their marriage, a devastating secret reemerges that threatens to drive the couple apart—and expose the guilt Tuomas bears in an unconscionable crime.

Join Brown and other Ivy League alumni for this highly-anticipated American premiere in San Francisco. There will be a preshow reception with a featured speaker from the production. Reception begins at 6:30 pm and the show will be seated at 7:15 pm.

Register and purchase seat tickets ($50 - $229) through the link below.

Come join your fellow Brunonians for a walk at Rodeo Beach! This hike is along the coast in Marin County and we can pick a 2-3 mile trail based on the group’s comfort. Rodeo beach is also known for bird watching, so be sure that you will see some birds flying around the lagoon. Hope you can join us!

Join us for a fun night of local theater on Potrero Hill: A Thousand Natural Shocks by Jacob Marx Rice. We will enjoy an after performance discussion with the theater company's co-founder, Jim Kleinmann '87. A pre-performance dinner option at a neighborhood restaurant is also available at 6pm prior to the show.

A Thousand Natural Shocks follows Kennedy, who is doing okay! Her depression is under control, she’s got a stable job, and her wife adores her. But when the couple decides to make a baby, they must navigate the chaos of IVF, the inevitability of pain, and the Tik-Tok teen crashing on their couch. Taking its title from Hamlet’s famous monologue, the play takes us on a journey through the increasingly fraught trials and tribulations of modern love and life.

Jacob Marx Rice has written plays that have been produced and developed at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, The Finborough Theatre in London, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Flea Theater, The New Ohio, Atlantic Theatre Stage 2, and others.

Pay What You Can - $10-50 Donation Requested

May means reunion and another excuse to get together for drinks with alumni friends. Whether your graduation year ends in a "4" or a "9" as an extra milestone or you are just an alum hoping for a mini-reunion in San Francisco, come on by! Great happy hour specials and food options.