Article by Susan Mernit.
Last updated at Sun, 7 Aug at 7:38am.

So what's the deal with Burning Man, the desert festival  and community so many Oaklanders go to in August? The Oakland Public Library has asked local experts to shed some light on this subject, which has Bay Area roots and draws so heavily on our local creativity and radical idealism.

Article by Patsy K. Eagan.
Last updated at Wed, 15 Sep at 4:49am.

One week after Burning Man, a steady stream of dirty cars still flow into Oakland.

Article by Patsy K. Eagan.
Last updated at Mon, 6 Sep at 6:46am.

Dan Das Mann called me from his 40-foot school bus, on his way to the Black Rock desert, the location of the annual pilgrimage known as Burning Man - the art event of radical self-expression that this local artist approaches in earnest.

This participatory community waiting for him on what is known as "the playa," can grow to nearly 50,000 citizens. It's also what Das Man, co-founder of Big Art Studios of Oakland, calls his art school. For 2010's "Metropolis" theme, he and his partner Karen Cusolito have fantasy in mind.

Article by Patsy K. Eagan.
Last updated at Fri, 3 Sep at 11:54am.

A remote control hot tub still sits in the NIMBY's yard. A giant cereal bowl with pillows in magically delicious shapes lay in waiting for Burning Man. Tomorrow afternoon, a semi-truck will haul them from industrial Oakland to the desert plain of Black Rock City.

Article by Harmon Leon.
Last updated at Sat, 20 Mar at 6:31pm.

In case you don't know: the steampunk movement is about glorifying all things entwined with Victorian/Edwardian science fiction. Playing on the ideals of such writers as H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, steampunk enthusiasts like to marvel in wonderment of what it would be like if 19th century technology were created with the insight of 2010. Steampunks also tend to geek out over Ren-Faire-esque role-playing of old-timey characters, while they gather amongst their own and spout shaky Victorian accents.

Blog entry by Susan Mernit.
Last updated at Mon, 18 Jan at 8:44am.

There's an article in SF Gate today that suggests that NIMBY, the local DIY fabrication arts organization that moved from West Oakla

Article by Emilie Raguso.
Last updated at Tue, 17 Nov at 7:50am.

Steam junkies of all ages celebrated in West Oakland on Saturday at the “coming out” party for Kinetic Steam Works, a local collective devoted to steam-powered art.