๐ Perpetual Brew
๐ Overview
Perpetual Brew is a community project organized by The Tea Stand, an initiative which serves free tea around Brooklyn.
Every single day of April, we'll be serving free tea for all in Maria Hernandez Park in Bushwick. You are invited to come for a free cup of tea (or many).
Check the calendar below to see when we'll be in the park (3-6 hours each day):
Times are set a week in advance and are always subject to change!
Follow our Instagram for daily updates on Perpetual Brew.
๐ Brew Log
This entire project โ but especially this section โ is inspired by Perpetual Stew.
April 2: Pushed thru the cold weather and a gnarly headache (maybe from the soccer ball?). A visitor introduced me to the term "herping"... my favorite hobby as a child.
April 3: OH YES! I FEEL REBORN! SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDERS MAKES ME HAPPY! (Yes, the sun came out today, if but for the briefest of hellos). Also, turtle races!
April 4: The first weekend rush! The first interview with a journalist! Nearly a dozen people have made multiple visits since day one, isn't that so sweet?
April 5: "This is so sweet!" is the very first thing I hear today, spoken by a passerby. I take it as a response to my question from yesterday. An hour later I get soaked in the rain while visitors with umbrellas sip in peace.
April 6: Gloomy Sundays are as good as it gets at The Tea Stand. Learned a lot today: Walkie Talkie, Ajwain tea, Ambient Church.
April 7: Street empanadas and hot tea from teacups (made by Devika) got me through the cold, wet day (plus the 15 articles of clothing I was wearing). I love it here so, so much.
April 8: The wind had a lot to say today! A tree branch fell on my head in the gentlest of ways. Thanks to today's visitors for literally holding things down. And the sun came out for the first time in five days!
April 9: Sunshine and intimate conversation. So good :)
April 10: Free tea at dawn! It was my first time serving tea in the park so early. Lots of bird activity: starlings were furiously collecting sticks for there nest, pigeons were mating in peace, and I think I heard a woodpecker (???). Plus I served some local elders sooooo best day ever.
๐ช April 11: Spirits were high, but the day started out a little dreary: it was pouring rain, cops were circling, creepers were creeping. But sure enough, the clouds went away and out came friends (new and old), chatty neighborhood dogs, and joyous conversation! [Written by Sabina]
๐ช April 12: A couple of years ago I went on a camping trip around the Pacific Northwest. Itโs pretty wet there, so I lived in a suit of waterproof clothes. My friend and I drank a lot of warm beverages together. Something about that felt great, and Iโve been missing that feeling ever since. Today I suited up the same way to serve tea at Maria Hernandez in the rainy weather. I got to share warm beverages with all kinds of people. It turns out I donโt have to miss that feeling anymore. [Written by Nick]
๐ช April 13: Favor found us today! After a rainy Saturday, The Tea Stand was graced with a warmer day and only occasional gentle gusts of wind. I was so thankful for how many friends actually surprised me by stopping by. The confidence in talking about the tea options definitely was my favorite part. So there will be some poetry about each tea flavor brewing on my mind all week! [Written by Jayshawn]
April 14: ยกQuรฉ chimba! Practiced my Spanish with new friends Felipe and Daniel, who taught me my new favorite word, "chimba," which translates to "cool". Then I saw a friend from college who I haven't seen in almost ten years. Then I served a cop a cup of tea while trying to hide my panic (two days ago, several armed NYPD officers approached The Tea Stand, intimidated me, and told me my table didn't meet regulations -- it was "too small".) Gonna call Sandy Nurse with some thoughts about the NYPD presence in the park tonight!
๐ช April 15: the day began with sun and warmth and tentative tea drinkers stopping by. waves of park goers trickled in, passing by the tea stand like gentle breezes. bob stopped by, then jw, and soon juno, and while they chattered, more folks came by to grab some tea before they headed to work, or as they walked home. the park is an intersection, of timelines, of jobs, of class, of culture. more friends came; liam on his birthday, kena making birthday cards, sam on his lunch break. new friends, too; ziggy and julie and max the big dog in the little red wagon. it was a joy. soon the winds came, and ruth told her stories, and rain pitter pattered, and the birds sang. and then the sun, again, and the golden light of dusk, and miles to wrap it all up. just one last cup of tea for felipe and daniel. what a day! [Written by John]
๐ช April 16: Thereโs a pole in front of the stand that dogs love to pee at. I watched dog after dog smelling the previous dogโs pee and peeing over it. I wonder what goes through a dogโs mind when they take a wiff. Anyways I was very close to peeing on that pole, I held it in for too long and was becoming desperate ๐ญ. Homies at the corner bodega saved me. Can dogs tell the difference between human pee and dog pee? [Written by Jean Paul]
April 17: My close friend and roommate Ben runs a community cooking program called The Student Kitchen -- today he brought high school students to The Tea Stand for a quick brewing lesson and oolong sample. I LOVE teaching kids about tea! Afterwards, I met Victoria, who's trying to practice her English. She spoke to me in English and I spoke back in Spanish; we were perfect language-practice buddies. Then Bob came, and Noel, and Niko, and Michael, and Bender, and Micah, and Piotr, and Noah, and Cole, and like 30 other people. The best part: the sun hung out with us the whole time.
April 18: When's the last time you climbed a tree?
April 19: Twilight tea time! First time being in the park post-sunset. It felt like a summer evening. Hojicha hit the spot.
April 20: Today's learnings included: Urasenke Chanoyu Center, Salvation Mountain, and Stoop Coffee.
๐ช April 21: Science lesson learned today: did you know the weather feels much warmer when you are having fun? Got to serve tea on a chilly day in the spring (perfect for the cinnamon clove blend), and met so many friends! Also, ๐ซถ to the tea friend who brought a Moomin mug!
April 22: Carlos told me that palms are human's solar panels, so I opened my hands to the sky and took it all in. Also, I sweat for the first time today. Now just need to check off "tears" (see: April 1 entry).
April 23: "I'm a philosopher, but I'm young, so I got haters"
April 24: TIL you can eat the leaves of a red bud tree! Thanks Sophie.
๐ช April 25: โI donโt like my second wifeโs son. Heโs trying to get me to teach him guitar over the phone.โ
๐ช Artist Takeovers & Collaborative Zine
Most days of the month, Miles (the founder of The Tea Stand) will be the one sitting in the park and serving tea.
We're also inviting several local artists to "takeover" on select days:
- April 11 โ Sabina Sethi Unni โ performer, organizer, urban planner
- April 12 โ Nick Deveau โ photographer, curator, scavenger
- April 13 โ Jayshawn Lee โ poet, scholar
- April 15 โ John Grund โ illustrator, ceramicist, organizer, gardener
- April 16 โ Jean Paul Torre โ organizer, dancer, mammalogist?
- April 21 โ Val Yang โ illustrator, multidisciplinary artist
- April 25 โ Zack Young โ writer, director, performer
Each artist will create a work of art inspired by their takeover experience in a medium of their own choosing.
We'll feature all of their artwork in a special, collaborative issue of our zine, bลcha. This issue will be dedicated to Perpetual Brew and will be available in both English and Spanish.
๐ฎ Intentions & Acknowledgements
Perpetual Brew is an extension of The Tea Stand's regular programming, which is grounded in our values of stillness, trust, and sustainability. We seek to create spaces which allow folks to connect with themselves, their neighbors, and the natural world. For more about the why of The Tea Stand, read our manifesto here.
By committing to a full month of daily service with Perpetual Brew, we seek to develop a deeper relationship with the people of Bushwick and Maria Hernandez Park. We want to meet all of our neighbors!
We're inviting local artists to takeover in order to bring in new identities and perspectives to The Tea Stand. We hope that this will enable interactions and conversations to take place which otherwise couldn't due to Miles' identity and experience.
Perpetual Brew is a celebration of public spaces, community art, and all those who visit Maria Hernandez Park.
It is also an experiment โ we don't know how this will end up going!
We are forever indebted to all who are helping make Perpetual Brew happen โ the artists named above, Sippers and Steepers for sustaining The Tea Stand, Bethania Viana of Mil Mundos for translating the zine, Perpetual Stew for the inspiration, and friends Adin and Naqiya.
Please reach out with any ideas, questions, or concerns :)
Thanks for reading!
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