GISH PICKS: curated culture for kids & adults: September 27

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READY FOR A GREAT WEEKEND?!

Welcome to GISH PICKS: CURATED CULTURE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS! I’m Sarah Gish, an info-preneur and culture sleuth who finds the unusual and cool in Houston each and every week. Join me as I shine a light on special gems and unique Houston fun. I love this city and want to show you the people and the places and the events that make it great (see more about my wishes for that here). And I want to make it easy so I sort through the cornucopia of events offered each weekend and PICK only three for FAMILIES and three for ADULTS to recommend to you. That way you’ll be all set when Friday hits! If you’re new here, please read below for more about this blog and then check out my PICKS for this weekend, further below.

Have a great weekend and please love one another, please share this, and please – go IGNITE YOUR LIFE!

THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEK

I hope everyone reading this is recovering from last week’s storm. I had no idea when we sent out GISH PICKS last Wednesday that the next day would wreak such havoc on our city. I’ve heard stories of houses filled with 4 feet of water in an hour, the bayous overflowing, PTSD, flooding television stations, and more. We are always Houston Strong, but sometimes it’s too much, as you can see in this article by the Houston Chronicle. If you are need of storm information, please check out my informative Facebook post about dealing with the aftermath. And if you or people you know are in need of counseling, please check out the comprehensive website for the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative. There are many resources for coping with storm PTSD, webinar information, a practitioner database, and more. The Houston collaborative is under the direction of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine and is run by leading Houston-based behavioral health and social service organizations - the Institute for Spirituality and Health (ISH), the Menninger Clinic, Houston Galveston Institute, the Jung Center, The Center for Mind Body Health, Compassionate Houston, and Healing Circles Houston.

This week’s VIDEO PICK is shining a light on New Hope Housing, a wonderful social services program that provides affordable housing to the homeless and nearly homeless in 8 locations around the greater Houston area. It was inspired by concerned parishioners at Christ Church Cathedral and is now an award-winning, debt-free organization. By the way, be sure to check my VIDEO PICK *every* week! It will always feature something Houston-based and I promise you’ll learn something new.

This Sunday, 9/29 is the final day of “Banned Books Week,” an event organized by the American Library Association in which they release a list of the top banned and challenged books in schools and libraries. This year’s list includes 11 titles, three quarters of which tell stories of LGBTQ characters. In the face of this on-going trend, the National Coalition Against Censorship/NCAC offers a resource page to defend LGBT stories. Diversity in literature is crucial so that everyone - especially children - can see themselves represented. Hearing our stories in a public arena builds our self-esteem.

Have a great weekend and GO.FIND.FUN. wherever you can!

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

We are the most diverse city in the country, not only because of the over 150 languages spoken here every day, but also because of the diversity of events offered and places to hang our (cowboy) hats. Because of that, I decided back in 2004 to start sharing my adventures in Houston and my knowledge of it with others via GISH PICKS. And, since 2016, I have been bringing it to life with my PICKS-ON-WHEELS Facebook Live segments in which I travel around our city in my Phoenix Rising Art Car. Stay tuned here for more details! My adventures will sometimes be posted as my weekly VIDEO PICK in this blog.

A note about the social media for GISH PICKS: please LIKE our Facebook page for FAMILY PICKS and our Facebook page for ADULT PICKS. Click “See first” in the dropdown menu on the LIKE button so you won’t miss a post! And please follow me on Instagram and Twitter. You’ll get all my CULTURE PICKS and more that way. And there’s one last way to stay in touch with me: I organize many events, such as labyrinth walks and workshops, so if you’d like to be informed of those before everyone else, please subscribe to my Gish Creative list here.

SPREAD THE WORD AND ADVERTISE IN GISH PICKS!

Please be sure to tell your friends about GISH PICKS – the more people who know about these unique cultural events, the more unique cultural events the organizations will offer us. Please also tell the orgs that I sent you. My business grows by word of mouth so I thank you for your continued support.

And, last but not least: this blog is free to you, my dear reader, but it’s not free for me to produce. I pay my designer and I spend many hours researching, compiling, and writing GISH PICKS each week. If you have an event you’d like me to PICK, please email me and let’s see how I can help. With me on your team, you’ll reach thousands of Houstonians in a quick-and-easy way!

Have a great weekend and please love one another, please share this, and please – go IGNITE YOUR LIFE!

Picks for Kids the Weekend of September 27 - 29, 2019

Picks for Adults the Weekend of September 27 - 29, 2019

INPRINT

The 2019/2020 “Cool Brains! Inprint Readings for Young People” free family program presented by Inprint kicks off this Sunday, September 29 at 3pm with 2019 Newbery Medal winning author Meg Medina, reading from her middle grade novel Merci Suarez Changes Gears; all the details are here. The first 100 families will get a free copy of the book and there will be free poems courtesy bilingual Inprint Poetry Buskers as well as interactive wordplay led by Jasminne Mendez of Tintero Projects. After the reading, Medina will do a q-and-a followed by a book sale and signing.

SHAKTI AT THE BHAKTI

Join me at the inaugural annual Peace Fest Houston this Saturday, September 28 from 11am-6pm at the Bhakti Urban Farm. The event is a unique celebration of unity and Houston’s diverse roots and is a day full of yoga, cool vendors, music, Ayurvedic treats, and more. The vision for Peace Fest was created by Shakti at the Bhakti, a collective of six women visionaries, and the festival’s intention is to honor the divine feminine principles of kindness, community, compassion, and to bring people together in the name of peace. Tickets are $35/advance (here) and $45/door.

UKULELE KIDS CLUB AND HOUKULELE

Houkulele (Houston’s Ukulele Club) and the Ukulele Kids Club are partnering to raise money to donate 100 ukuleles to 100 hospitalized children as part of the UKC’s initiative to gift hospitalized children with ukuleles, and you can help them bring the magical healing power of music! “100 Ukuleles for 100 Kids -- Houston” is a free benefit concert this Saturday, September 28, from 1:30 to 3:30pm at the historic Anderson Fair listening room. All proceeds from this event will go toward funding an ukulele for a hospitalized child (which they get to keep as their own), an instruction book, and access to the Ukulele Kids' Club learner's app.

HOUSTON BALLET

The Houston Ballet’s season opener, “Locally Grown. World Renowned” is wrapping up its run this Sunday, September 29 and you can purchase tickets here. There are four pieces in the program, which starts with “Passion” James Kudelka, hailed by The New York Times as “ballet’s most original choreographer.” Edwaard Liang’s “Murmuration” was inspired by flight patterns of starling birds, and there are 2 World Premieres - one by Oliver Halkowich and one by Zhang Disha. This locally grown program features some of the world’s most sought-after choreographers, proudly members of the Houston Ballet.

DOWNTOWN AQUARIUM

The Downtown Aquarium is offering some great deals to families: 99 cent kid meals through Monday, September 30 (grab the coupon here) and one more “Super Saturday” this Saturday, 9/28 in which you can get two passes for the price of one. The Aquarium has several unique exhibits celebrating the ocean as well as a restaurant that is open daily.

PURPLE BOX PLAYERS

Purple Box Theater is a community theatre in Friendswood that presents a full schedule of public productions and oversees a kids theatre academy. This Sunday, September 29 is the last performance of “Dixie Swim Club,” the story of five Southern women whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team. The women convene for a long weekend in North Carolina every August to reconnect, and this is a view into four of those weekends over 33 years. It’s a hilarious and touching comedy about friendships that last forever and you can purchase tickets here.

UNDERSTAND YOUR PURPOSE WITH A LIFE PATH SESSION

I offer intuitive "Life Path Sessions" most Mondays at Body Mind & Soul ‪from 11am-5pm and I would love to help Y-O-U. If you are wondering what to do with your life, whether it’s in the personal realm or the professional arena (or both), I will serve as your Life Path Guide. One session is all you need to get ignited! I use my intuitive skills and my many years of reading people to help you FOCUS – on you, your dreams and desires, and how to manifest them. And if you don’t know what your passions are, I will guide you in discovering them. I also help people who are struggling with ANY kind of issue they may encounter along life’s path: grief, relationship problems, work troubles, etc. My goal is to help people listen to their heart and to connect with sources of inspiration or guidance or support. Sessions are $100/hour and $50/thirty minutes and take place at the store – 7951 Katy Freeway. Call them at ‪713.993.0550 to book an appointment. I also do Life Path Sessions by telephone – we can connect from anywhere, anytime! Call me at 713.492.1173 for more information about that service. Please note that the fee for sessions by phone is the same.

Sessions are $100/hour and $50/thirty minutes and take place at the store – 7951 Katy Freeway. Call them at ‪713.993.0550 to book an appointment. I also do Life Path Sessions by telephone – we can connect from anywhere, anytime! Call me at 713.492.1173 for more information about that service. Please note that the fee for sessions by phone is the same.

“GRIEF RITUALS AROUND THE GLOBE” EVENT IN HONOR OF MY MOTHER, DR. CLAUDIA GISH

I’m proud to let you know about a special event I initiated in honor of my mother, who died in February. “Living Memories: Grief Rituals Around the Globe” is taking place at the Jung Center of Houston and was inspired by my experience grieving my mother’s death using rituals from Mexico and the Jewish faith, which comforted me greatly. Death is universal, but the rituals surrounding it vary tremendously across cultures. We’ll spend the evening of Wednesday, October 30 from 6-8pm exploring those rituals through an experiential workshop led by Alejandro Chaoul, PhD and Diana Muñiz. Dr. Chaoul is a longtime student of Tibetan Buddhism and teaches people mind/body/spirit techniques aimed at reducing stress and facilitating healing. Ms. Muñiz is an artist and art teacher who has developed exhibits and curated altars for the annual “Day of the Dead Festival” at MECA.

You can register here. Please bring an object or photo that represents a meaningful death in your life. I am honored that the Jung Center created a space for this event since my mother practiced psychology there for many years.

GISH PICKS: CURATED CULTURE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS is a free weekly email in which I cull through the HUNDREDS of events offered in our city each week and PICK just three for adults and three for kids to recommend. It’s #GishPicks #CuratedCulture to help you plan your weekend! I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families.

Do you have something you would like to promote on GISH PICKS? You can promote cultural events, products or services to Houstonians all over the city and the surrounding area who are curious individuals, involved citizens and great shoppers. We love doing this community service and want to keep it free for our readers but in order to justify the hours spent researching, writing and designing this newsletter, we need advertising support. If you'd like to learn more, please click below.

The purpose of GISH PICKS is to help Houstonians become aware of all the interesting and unique things they can do in Houston and the surrounding area. Exploring your city is a great way to #IgniteYourOwnLife and we are so happy to help you do that. Please do give me feedback and ideas, as you are out there in the trenches also looking for interesting things and I want to hear what you find.

If you are having trouble getting to a website listed here, try hitting the "Ctrl" button and left-clicking on the web address, which should make it "live".

For more about my personal, family, and business enrichment company, Gish Creative, and the services we offer, please click here. You are on this list because I thought this e-newsletter would be helpful to you or because you signed up for it. Please feel free to tell your friends to subscribe by clicking here. My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston kids and adults through my various endeavors, including:

GISH PICKS: CURATED CULTURE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS, which is online and emailed out to thousands of Houstonians who love to explore our city;

THE SUMMER BOOK® ONLINE, a searchable database of over 200 Houston day camps and classes for kids and teens;

IGNITE YOUR LIFE!, my art project and community campaign whose goal is to inspire people around the world to light a fire to their own passions and to create connections among people;

INTUITIVE GUIDANCE SESSIONS, which are one-on-one consultations with me at Body Mind & Soul on Mondays. Sessions are one hour or thirty minutes and I can help you with personal and/or work questions;

Quarterly “WHAT’S YOUR PURPOSE?” workshops at Body Mind & Soul, check the store’s online calendar for dates and more information; and

OTHER SERVICES including SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS, MARKETING, PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, GUIDANCE SESSIONS FOR FINDING YOUR PURPOSE, and ART PROGRAMS. Talks and workshops cover topics such as summertime fun, passion-finding (for adults, children and families), marketing, historic preservation, art classes, activism, and more. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.

Sarah Gish
(Photo: Two Birds Photography)


Sarah Gish GISH CREATIVE 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone: 713.492.1173 artist.mama.connector.igniter. © 2019 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World