Job Opportunity for Creative/Responsible Student
HOURS PER WEEK: 6 (9 once a month)
PAY RATE: $8.90 per hour
APPLICANT: High School or College Student
RESPONSIBLITIES:
1. Manage Library
- Check in new books
- Organize and clean bookshelves as needed
- Research old books, list on Amazon / process and ship orders
2. Manage Kid’s Table & Games
- Check in new children’s books
- Organize and clean children’s bookshelves as needed
- Audit games for missing pieces
3. Some photography and photo editing
4. Stock and clean gift corner as needed
5. Assemble and package gift sets
6. Maintain online presence via Instagram, Facebook and WordPress
7. Similar miscellaneous jobs as needed
Ideal candidate will have strong communication skills (writing), basic photography knowledge, be comfortable working on a computer (Microsoft Word and Office) and be well versed in social media interfaces such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and WordPress.
Candidate will be a self-starter with the ability to work independently and without constant supervision. They’ll show a sense of urgency while working and be responsible with managing Raven social media vehicles without engaging in their own personal correspondence.
Interested candidates should submit a resume and 250-word writing sample that reviews a book or author they are familiar with to jody@ravencafeph.com
The 16th Member
In 2015 I joined Team Unmentionables to compete in the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen (aka GISHWHES). For the uninitiated, it was created by TV star Misha Collins (Castiel of Supernatural) to spread kindness, weirdness and creativity, which are all ideas the Raven actively supports.
It’s common to have profound epiphanies amid the week-long hunt. It has a way of forcing you out of your shell and connecting you with people in ways you never thought possible. I always come out the other side feeling grateful to my friends and family who are willing to help me with my crazy items.
Specifically the Raven proprietor, my husband Sadaat Hossain, was incredibly supportive with this and past years’ hunts. When I wasn’t using his back as a canvas or asking him to pose for crazy photos he was caring for our children, facilitating completion of items for the hunt.
Additionally, I realized that my team actually has the advantage of a 16th member: the Raven itself. The premises of the building, it’s creative staff and patrons have helped with many items over the years.
From the bottom of my heart, to all who have helped me over the years, thank you.
Sincerely,
Jody Parmann
Feature Shelves
– K. Jones
#RavenCafeROCKS
- Creativity & Art
- Treasure Hunting
- Being Outside
- People Connecting
- Family Fun
- Kindness & Positivity
Who wouldn’t want to promote these things?
Living along the coast, there is no shortage of great rocks in our area, but if you’re short on time the Raven has some in their front foyer, free for the taking & complete with decoupaged tag.
To sweeten the deal, the Raven will be running a contest through the end of September. Here’s how it works:
- Pick up rocks from Raven foyer.
- Paint them! Leave the tag visible (we suggest putting a piece a tape over it before you begin painting).
- Photograph it when you hide it. Include picture of back (so we know it’s one of ours).
- Post on Facebook with hashtag #RavenCafeRocks (preferably the Port Huron Michigan Rocks! page). You can also post on Twitter @ravencafeph or Instagram @ravencafe_ph with #porthuronmichiganrocks as part of your caption.
- Submission deadline: September 30, 2017
Trophies and prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
“Most Nerdy” (view trophy)
“Most Colorful”
“Most Adorable”
“Most Inspiring”
“Most Scary”
Trophy Rocks will be painted by local artist Jody Parmann (the gal writing this), along with a $10 gift card to Hobby Lobby (to buy more paints and brushes) and a $10 gift card to the Raven. Science has proved that caffeine and/or sugar promotes creativity. We read it on the internet, so it must be true.
A Beast of a Bicycle Rack
The Raven Café has added a new beast to its collection, and it will furiously protect your bicycle while you’re inside.
Crafted by Detroit-born, Algonac-raised Port Huron native Warren Doss, this bike rack is a mixed-media piece that combines re-purposed metal, butter knives, a motorcycle tank, copper tubing, sheet metal mig-welded, silver-soldered and braised together. The driftwood that this monster of a bird is perched on was found at Marysville Beach. Doss burned it with a torch, sanded and stained it, and finally coated it with shellac.
Most days Doss can be found at Delta Industrial of Chesterfield, where he’s worked on and off since 1996. He was introduced to the welding industry by his older brother Dave. While having earned a great deal of welding experience at Delta Industrial, Doss feels he’s plateaued and now applies that knowledge to his fine art creations. He hopes to eventually make the transition to full-time artist, however he doesn’t feel comfortable calling himself that until he can dedicate the time and energy that the title deserves.
While on the topic of Doss’s art, he also has a large painted piece on display at the Raven. Doss describes his art as “spontaneous.” Paint is his preferred medium because it lends itself to conveying his ideas quickly. He is most creative early in the morning and late in the evening “when the rest of the world is asleep.” Doss is participating in an art show at The Loft Fine Art Gallery in Mount Clemens with a group of 5-7 artist, dubbed “The Creative Coalition.”
In 2002 Doss attended the Recording Institute of Detroit, where he received certificates in recording engineering with a producer credit. He uses these skills in his music project “White & Wong” with his friend and brother-in-law Chris Becker, whom he has been making music with since 2002. Near constant fixtures of this musical project, which Doss describes as spontaneous/experimental, are fellow miscreants Tim Kresevich and Pauly Zimmer.
Within Doss’s musical pursuits he is a circuit bending hobbyist. Circuit bending is the creative, chance-based customization of the circuits within electronic devices, such as low voltage battery-powered guitar effects, children’s toys and digital synthesizers to create new musical or visual instruments and sound generators. When producing music, Doss often starts with a circuit-bent beat and then builds on it.
Doss apparently doesn’t sleep, as his creative endeavors don’t stop with art and music. He also writes poetry, which he describes as “therapeutic self-help.” He utilizes this form of expression to remind him of who he really is, to burst the bubble of societal norms that demand conformity. Doss says he lives in them when he has to, but it’s an uncomfortable suit he shrugs off when he can.
The Raven bike rack is located at the rear of the building, and is Doss’s largest metal project to date. He is now more receptive commission-based work after the initial positive response to the bike rack. Interested persons can e-mail him at dossmetalworks@gmail.com
Wednesday Night Mystery Science Theater
If you’ve been paying attention (or haven’t been, but have ventured into the Raven on a Wednesday night) you know we show films upstairs weekly. They vary in theme and genre depending on the current season, upcoming holidays, reboots in production, anniversaries, etc.
This summer we’re doing things a little differently. To account for the longer days and the location of our screening area (directly against a window), we’re starting our movies at 7:30 p.m. instead of 7:00.
We’ll be featuring classic Mystery Science Theatre 3000 episodes. For the uninitiated it’s a comedic experience that features a dude marooned in space and forced to watch campy B movies. To maintain his sanity he builds himself some robot friends. They keep him company and provide commentary on each movie as it plays. It’s a riot!
Grab a friend (or Trumpy), a tasty beverage and come check it out. You could be doing stupider things.
June
6/14 – The Movie
6/21 – Werewolf
6/28 – Boggy Creek
July
7/5 – The Giant Spider Invasion
7/12 – SoulTaker
7/19 – Manos: Hands of Fate
7/26 – Time Chasers
August
8/2 – EEGAH!
8/9 – Final Justice
8/16 – Hobgoblin
8/23 – I Accuse My Parents
8/30 – Prince of Space
Inspired by Our Libraries
It’s National Library Week and, coincidentally, I’ve been updating our Kid’s Corner with new things inspired by our local libraries.
Weekly my children and I patronize one of our local libraries (our favorite is the St. Clair County Main Library, but occassionally you’ll find us at Marysville or G. Lynn Campbell). It’s usually for their amazing Storytimes, but even when nothing’s going on we’ll spend a few hours their perusing books, doing activities and playing with their toys.
The first shelves we visit at the library are the new and featured books, so at the Raven we rotate our children’s collections quarterly (ish) – choosing appropriate books for the proximal seasons and holidays.
Always looking for ways for my wee children to work on their fine motor skills, we love the magnetic tabletop games (found at Marysville Library), so I picked up a few of those (no pieces- parents rejoice!).
Finally, new to the kid’s corner, will be a fun lil’ wooden tea set. This one is a no-brainer for the Raven. Little people having pretend tea parties. TRES ADORBS!
When spending quality time with your little people, please consider bringing them to the Raven – it’s magical place for making magical memories.
If you haven’t visited our local libaries lately, you should! They have lots of great stuff going on. http://ebw.tv/more-than-books/
Women’s Rights Artful Campaign
(R to L): Jody Parmann, Kristen DeWitte, Samantha Damon and Marissa Page.
Wanting to put a personal spin on it, I solicited some art from a few talented staff members. The Raven seems to attract the creative sort, and we have artists, musicians and crafty folks coming out of the woodwork (see what I did there?). The only direction I gave them when commissioning the pieces was “women empowerment”, and they did not disappoint! The pieces vary in style, medium and message.
Monday, April 10th was our official kick off and let me just say, wow! The response has been overwhelming (in good ways and bad). The very first day a gentleman came in and donated $40 to the cause while speaking fondly of his daughter. Just this morning I witnessed two gentleman filling out postcards! I’m humbled by the fact that men are involved and passionate about the cause. Being a feminist means “equality for all”, and I imagine these men possibly have mothers, sisters, and/or daughters that have had a positive influence in their lives. Who wouldn’t want get behind the idea of “women’s rights”, right?
Well… there have been some naysaysers online, so I want to be very clear with this campaign’s intention: it is to give a voice to those who have concerns. The postcards are blank and can be personalized in a way that is meaningful to the author. Personally, and ESPECIALLY as a business, we understand that we all walk our own paths, and we would not be so discourteous as to insist that you follow ours. The campaign is to provide a vehicle for folks who choose to voice their opinions, be they on the left, right, in the middle, up, down, sideways, or any other orientation.
If you are not local but interested in purchasing a print or postcards, do have them available on our Cafe Press page.
Cheers,
Jody Parmann
Blind Date with a Book
There’s always a new adventure when stepping foot into the Raven Cafe. Everywhere you turn there is a book in view, yearning for you to open and enjoy with your coffee. There are mysteries and escapades right at your fingertips, ready for you to grasp and escape from reality. We are constantly looking for new ways to improve that experience and keep the adventure alive. One of our dearly beloved Raven family members, Ian “Tacoslayer” Haas, brought up this wonderful idea of having a “Blind Date with a Book.”
Therefore, I have gone through our library and picked out books from random sections to contribute to this project. They are all wrapped in the same kraft paper and have reviews from real-life bookworms that state what might pique your interest and find out what’s behind the enigmatic wrapping without giving away the actual title.
These treasures are priced at $3 and will initially be displayed on our “Featured” shelf located behind the couches. It currently has a selection of “love” inspired books. Ultimately, the Blind Date books will be located in the sections where they would be usually shelved. While this may give the genre away, the rest is up to you to uncover. Look around, read the reviews, find one that provokes something inside of you and take flight!
The wonderful thing about books is their power to take you away to somewhere profoundly new and riveting, somewhere only you and your imagination can go, so why not let it? Open your mind and go on a Blind Date with a Book!
Adventure Awaits
- CALIFORNIA CLUB Turkey breast , bacon, cream cheese, fresh avocado, tomatoes and spinach served on our rustic country loaf , grilled with butter and garlic…$8.99
For Happy Hour, each week we’ll offer a featured draught for $2 a pint, Monday through Friday from 4:00-6:00pm.
