A Grassroots Networking Party

When we profiled Dickson Elias, the owner of the Big Sip Cafe in Oakland, listener Rashid Patch wrote in to tell us about his visit there.

Well he recently wrote back to us to tell us about an event that Dickson has been hosting at the Big Sip called "Information Explostion". These are part open mic, part networking party, and have drawn over 70 people in recent weeks.

This is how he described it:

It's somewhat hard to describe succinctly. Part music and vocals, with elements of jazz, reggae, Afro-Pop, Brazillian - some really talented performers; a little bit of spoken-word; part motivational seminar / "networking event". People from the community, entrepreneurs of various sorts, get up and describe themselves and their business, talking about how they could collaborate and help each other, giving each other applause and support - all ad hoc, spontaneous. It's like a grass-roots revival meeting for entrepreneurs with home businesses. It's not like there's some one waiting to try to sign you up afterwards for a multi-level marketing deal..

There's not a word for it. It's not a motivational seminar, but it's like that. It's not an open mic, but it's like that. It's not a poetry slam, or a cafe concert, or a salon.. it's got parts of all of them. There might be some kind of new genre developing here. Here's what some people are doing about the economy: starting a home-brew, grass-roots, self-help-motivational-event community, and having a lot of fun at it. This is a story!

If you have a story to share with us, just write it in! at news@kalw.org.