We are passing along information about two events happening at Dock Street Brewery.

Local artists are welcome to participate in the West Philly T-Shirt Design Contest that is currently underway at the pub. The competition is running until March 17 and the winners will be announced on March 20. Any West Philly artist, illustrator or designer can enter and there are no entry fees. The design can be based around the pub, a specific beer or Dock Street beers in general. For more information, check out this page.

The Books Through Bars fundraiser will be held at the pub on Wednesday, Feb. 22, beginning at 8:30 p.m. This fundraiser will help get dictionaries for incarcerated people. The most fundamental tool for self-education and empowerment, the dictionary is the single most requested book by prisoners across the country.

$10 donation will get you a beer, a slice of pizza and a dictionary for BTB. Live music from Sour Mash and Cask & Co is starting at 9 p.m.

Named after the New York-based avant-garde film society started in 1947 and inspired by Maya Deren’s Greenwich Village exhibition of experimental films, Cinema 16 is a new series of film experiences based at the International House that “seeks to confirm the relevance of the historic avantgarde by pairing it with contemporary sound.” For its opening night event this Friday, Feb. 17 artist and curator Molly Surno has commissioned musicians as varied as the internationally recognized pop rock band Yeah Yeah Yeah’s to the locally Brooklyn favorite krautrock group FORMA to create original music that will accompany a series of historic short, experimental films to create a mixed media performance that “remove film from the conventional big screen theater.”

This edition of Cinema 16 at IHP will explore themes of perversity, flesh, and the female form. The films are:

Asparagus
dir. Suzan Pitt, US, 1979, 16mm, 18 mins, color

Kusama’s Self Obliteration
dir. Jud Yalkut, US, 1967, 16mm, 24 mins, color

Lusting Hours (excerpt)
dir. John and Lem Amero, US, 1967, 10 mins, b/w

8:00 p.m. International House Philadelphia (3701 Chestnut Street). $9 general admission, $7 students & seniors.  For more information or if you want to buy tickets online, go here.

Pre-registration is now open for the Sweet Charity Spin Day workshop, a special 3-hour workshop on dropspindling which will be held at The A-Space on Saturday, March 24, from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.

In this workshop, you can learn how to spin your own yarn, which can be a fun and economical hobby. The workshop is presented by Jessica Suiter, Fiber Specialist at Hearthwise Spindles. Jessica will discuss basic spinning terminology and techniques, giving instruction to the group as a whole and individual instruction as needed. Fiber and spindles will be provided to each attendee for practice, and spindles, fiber and other materials will be available for purchase afterward. Locally-sourced Alpaca fiber from Abenaki Acres Alpaca Farm will be used for spinning, but synthetic fiber will also be available for strict vegans or those with allergies.

Cost of attendance includes a spindle to use during the workshop, fiber to practice with, and refreshments.

– Pay $28 if you pre-register by 2/19
– Pay $32 if you pre-register from 2/20 to 3/23
– $35 at the door

Registration fees can be paid by cash, check, money order or credit card during Sunday meetups, or checks & money orders can be mailed to Jazmin directly. Please email jazmin.idakaar [at] gmail.com with any questions or for the mailing address.

NOTE: All cancellations must be made 72 hours before workshop starts for a full refund. Cancellations less than 72 hours before the workshop will result in a partial refund, and cancellations the day of will result in no refund.

Spindles, Alpaca fiber, natural dyes and books will be available for purchase after the instruction portion of the workshop. Spindles used during the workshop will be available for purchase at a special discounted rate for attendees. All spindles and wood-based products from Hearthwise Spindles are from non-endangered tree species.

Space is limited to 11 spinners, so pre-registration is recommended. And here’s the event’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/events/244294465649148/

The Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement, a non-profit organization helping Philadelphia youth discover the power of their voices through spoken word and literary expression, is bringing its 2nd Annual Dream Big Arts Festival‘s main program to West Philadelphia this Saturday and Sunday. The event actually kicks off a day earlier (Fri, Feb. 17) at the Franklin Institute. The West Philly part will take place at the new West Philadelphia High School building (49th & Chestnut) and will include poetry workshops, oratorical and spelling bee competitions, Youth Night Poetry Slam/Open Mic, and an MC Battle.

Black Thought from the legendary hip-hop band, The Roots, will be one of the judges at the Poetry Slam. This year the festival celebrates literacy, activism, and peace. It will culminate on Monday, Feb. 20, with a community service project.

For more information on the schedule, to register or to purchase tickets ($7-$15 youth; $12-$25 adult), visit the festival’s homepage. The Friday Kickoff event at the Franklin Institute (222 N. 20th Street), with Mayor Michael Nutter in attendance, will be held from 4 – 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The first 2012 Friends of 40th Street general meeting will be held tonight at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut Street), from 6 to 7 p.m. Community members and business owners are encouraged to attend, learn about planning efforts in the area and share their neighborhood or organizational updates and announcements.

At tonight’s meeting, updates on the following planning efforts will be presented:

•    The Lighting Plan for 46th and Market.
•    The Peoples Emergency Center Neighborhood Planning Process.
•    The HUD Choice Neighborhood Planning Process happening in Mantua.
•    The Revelation Outreach Community Center’s plan to convert land at 39th and Haverford into the Walter Lundy Community Center.

Three more meetings are scheduled for this year:

Monday May 21
Monday August 20
Monday November 19

The Friends of 40th Street is a coalition comprised of residents, organizations, businesses, and anchor institutions working together on community-based issues. For more information on the Friends of 40th Street and what they do, visit this page.

If you’re looking for something to do with your little ones tomorrow, stop by the Lucien E. Blackwell Library (52nd & Sansom) for the “Little Dog Lost” storytime with local author and illustrator Monica Carnesi. The event will begin at 2 p.m. at the Children’s Department.

Little Dog Lost is a picture book about the true story of Baltic, a dog who was lost on an ice floe in the Baltic Sea. As a special treat, Dandie and Gus, the library’s very own Certified Therapy Dogs (who are local West Philly residents), will be attending this storytime. Dandie & Gus visit the library once a month, and this month Gus (pictured) is also celebrating his birthday!

Books will be available for purchase and signing. For more information about the author and “Little Dog Lost,” go here.