Collaboration Between Creative Minds

We are back for another edition of the GitHub User Group. This month we dive into using Copilot and AI to enhance the design workflow, and look at how we can leverage AI in our GitHub Actions. **Product Design with Source Control: Using GitHub, AI, and Preview Builds as Your Source of Truth \~ [Walt Lim](https://www.linkedin.com/in/waltzaround/)** In this talk, Walt shares how he uses GitHub and AI to rethink the design process, moving beyond traditional prototypes to code as the source of truth. By using pull requests and ephemeral preview builds, he creates fast, realistic, and testable environments where ideas can be reviewed, iterated, and validated in context. Combined with AI-assisted workflows, this approach helps his team move quicker, reduce ambiguity, and make better decisions with less overhead **From One PR to Another: Agentic Workflows on GitHub \~ [Sinan Nar](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinannar/)** A live demo of using AI-driven workflows to trigger actions across repositories—automatically creating a PR in a second repo when changes are merged. bio: Sinan is an Apps and AI Consultant at ARINCO, a Microsoft and GitHub partner consultancy. He co-organises the Aotearoa Azure User Group and the Auckland .NET User Group. An experienced and certified software engineer, he specialises in the Microsoft ecosystem, with a focus on Azure and GitHub. **Agenda** 5:30 - Start of pizza and networking 6:00 - Talk 1 6:30 - Break 6:40 - Talk 2 7:15 - Finish Please make sure to register for the event as we need to provide contact details to Microsoft for security purposes. Registration will close 48 hours prior to the event to provide enough time to send out the access passes for in-person attendees, but you can [join online](https://aka.ms/aotearoanzgithub/stream) on the day. If you have a topic you'd like to present (or hear about) please reach out, or create an idea in our [GitHub Ideas discussion board](https://github.com/orgs/NZ-GitHub-UG/discussions/categories/ideas).

First DMV Coffee Collective meetup ☕️ Trying a new café in DC with a small group—just coffee, conversation, and good vibes. If you’re down for something low-key and social, come through 😊

**What to Expect:** Join us for a relaxed, supportive gathering where we'll create together, share our process, and connect mindfully. No art experience necessary, all levels and all creative expressions welcome! **What to Bring:** Please bring your own art materials and supplies, whatever you enjoy working with! **Ideas for materials:** sketchbooks, journals, pastels, crayons, markers, colored pencils, collage materials, yarn, lego, diamond art, iPad or tablet for digital drawing, or anything else that calls to you. Bring paper or surfaces to work on as well. There's no right or wrong, just bring what feels good! 🙂 **What we'll do:** **6:00 pm:** Arrive, get settled, grab a drink/snack, and find a spot **6:10 pm:** Set out your supplies, take a breath, and ease in **6:15–7:30 pm:** Create, chat, unwind, and follow the good vibes **7:30 pm:** Gentle wrap-up with *Come/leave whenever, this is relaxed and flexible gathering!* **Location:** **Wegmans cafe** (one level above the store), 11620 Monument Dr, Fairfax, VA 22030. Look for the table with art supplies! This is a social, low-key meetup, not a formal class, and there will be no instruction.

**Looking for a group you can write with *whilst sipping your fave coffee*?** ☕✍️ Then come join **Shut Up & Write!** on **Saturday, May 23rd from 1:30pm to 4:00pm** at **Ridgetop Coffee & Tea**! Whether you're cranking out a novel, journaling, looking for new friends, or just trying to get that stubborn paragraph right—we’ve got a cozy seat and a supportive group waiting for you! **No critiques, no peer review, no pressure—just a chill space to get words on the page.** 📝 **What to expect:** 1:30–2:00pm – Grab your coffee or tea, find your seat, and meet your fellow writers. 2:00pm–3:30pm – Silent, focused writing time 3:30–4:00pm – Debrief, celebrate any writing wins, commiserate on any obstacles, and head out feeling accomplished. **RSVP Info:** The room seats only 8 people comfortably! RSVP as soon as possible to secure your spot!! If you are unable to attend, please cancel your reservation **ASAP** so those on the wait list are able to RSVP and attend!!! **Meeting Room:** Enter the coffee shop, walk straight towards the play area and on your left you will see a meeting room just past the bathrooms. The room has a TV, white board, and walls are painted green. **What to Bring:** Whatever helps you focus, and be productive. There is a wall outlet at each end of the room, so you're able to bring your laptop to write. You're welcome to bring headphones if you enjoy listening to music while working. **Parking & Accessibility:** there is a large parking lot out front and it is free! There are no stair cases when entering the coffee shop or when inside. This coffee shop is incredibly spacious with many seating options. If you have any questions, please message me through MeetUp. I'm happy to help. **Dietary Information:** many GF, Vegan, and SF options. Just ask your barista when ordering for specifics! Can’t wait to see you there! 🎉 Disclaimer: Shut Up & Write! is not affiliated with the Loudoun County Libraries, City of Sterling or any other external entity or business.

[**NOTE:** An RSVP to this Meetup event is not sufficient for registration. To register and pay for the event, please follow [this link](https://imcw.org/event/?eventId=1682).] **ABOUT:** The rhythms of Spring invite us, to tune into the deeper currents of life, to sense our deeper spiritual roots, and to experience unity. We tend to identify ourselves with our separateness: our personalities, our achievements or failures, our beliefs, our worldly selves. Yet there is something more fundamental about ourselves that we can explore, both in our minds and in our bodies, in our beings. As we cultivate a letting go of clinging to a worldly identity, we can begin to explore who we are at a deeper level. This shift in identity has the capacity to bring a great deal of freedom, peace, and joy. Through dharma talks, group meetings with the teacher, meditation instruction, personal meditation, and gentle movement practices, you will be guided toward a sense of who we are more fundamental than our experience of our personalities, our ego, or our worldly selves. **TEACHER:** **Stan Eisenstein** has been guiding self-inquiry and other meditation practices since 2012. He is a teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, with founder Tara Brach. Stan is a an instructor for various courses: Mindfulness-Basted Stress Reduction; Inviting Chronic Pain and Illness to Tea; Self-Inquiry. He is also a mentor for the international Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, taught by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, and run by Sounds True. You can explore [Stan's bio](https://www.staneisenstein.com/biography) and[ recordings of Stan's teachings](https://www.staneisenstein.com/talks-meditations) at his website: [staneisenstein.com](https://www.staneisenstein.com/) **LOCATION:** Seven Oaks Retreat Center in Madison, VA or Online via Zoom Video Conferencing. **RETREAT FEES:** Single room (sold out): $8500.00 Shared room: $670.00 Camping: $580.00 Online: $270.00 ​ Please note that retreat fees only cover direct expenses for this event, such as room, meals, and administrative costs. In keeping with the Buddhist tradition, the teachers and retreat managers receive no payment. Donations offered by students at the end of the retreat are appreciated and support the teachers and retreat managers in continuing to make the teachings available to all. **[REGISTRATION](https://imcw.org/event/?eventId=1682) :** The registration deadline for in-person participation is May 11 and online participation is May 23. **QUESTIONS :** Contact manager at imcwretreatmanager@gmail.com **TESTIMONIALS** I have found this Deepening Into the Mystery retreat a refuge into myself and the wider world around me. I discovered and rediscovered Truths with a capital T. Truths that cannot be sensed, as my scientific training so desperately wants to do - to observe. But truths that can only be experience in the quiet stillness of consciousness. When thoughts and emotions have melted away, and the only thing left is the territory itself. There we find the mystery which words cannot explain or even describe. **\- Kris** This retreat gave me the special opportunity to sit with and touch the embodiment of no-self. The practices presented worked in a systematic and congruous way that, both rationally and subconsciously, helped us to touch deep into our being and be with the emptiness and awareness that is our true nature. **\~Ari** A moving an insightful retreat--even over Zoom I felt connected to Stan and to the larger group. It helped me to feel "unstuck" in my life and feel into where my life choices could be in better alignment with what I really want/need. **\~Beth**

Shut Up & Write meets at Cascades Library in Room D. We hope to see you there! *Shut Up & Write is not affiliated with the Loudoun County Public Library.*

A small-time drug trafficker likes to spend his spare time watching an emergency-medical show on TV. An emergency-medical technician likes to spend hers watching a crime show. The two have never met, but eventually it becomes apparent that there’s a paranormal connection between them. Figuring out this connection and then determining what to do about it takes most of the movie. The action only gets stranger and more ominous as the story approaches a conclusion that may have you questioning reality. ■ Title — *The Frame* ■ Director — Jamin Winans ■ Cast — David Carranza, Tiffany Mualem, Cal Bartlett ■ Unrated, suitable for teens and adults ■ ©2014 \| 2h 7m \| Crime\, Drama\, Fantasy\, Romance\, Thriller ■ Distributed by Double Edge Films

**Saturday • May 16 • 2–5 PM • Ashburn, VA** Many people say they want to write a book someday — **this session helps you start.** Your life experiences already contain stories, lessons, and insights that could become books. The real challenge is **how to organize those experiences and actually turn them into writing.** In this interactive session, I’ll share the approach I’m using to build a **multi-book journey based on lived experience.** So far I have: 📚 **3 books published on Amazon** 📖 **1 more books releasing this year** (end of the year) 📝 **16 additional books planned** — and likely many more. This session is not about writing **just one book**. We’ll explore how your experiences can evolve into **multiple books over time**, and how to **use AI the right way to speed up your writing while keeping your voice authentic.** *** ### What We’ll Explore • Turning life experience into book ideas • How one journey can become multiple books • Simple ways to structure stories and lessons • Using **AI to organize ideas and speed up writing** • Practical strategies to actually finish a book **Everyone will leave with the outline of their first book idea.** **You don’t need writing experience — just curiosity about how your life experiences might turn into ideas worth sharing.** *** ### Event Details 💵 **$25 RSVP — includes coffee + snacks** 📍 **Ashburn, VA** (exact address shared after RSVP) 🕑 **2:00 PM – 5:00 PM** 👥 **Max 10 people** for a small, interactive conversation. Most attendees are professionals, entrepreneurs, and people navigating reinvention or new chapters in life. *** # Background — Writing & Reinvention Journey Writing has been one of the most powerful tools in my own reinvention journey. What began as reflections during a difficult life transition gradually evolved into published books and a growing body of work focused on reinvention, personal growth, and life transitions. My goal is not just to write books — but to help others realize that their experiences may also hold stories worth sharing. *** # 🔗 Midlife Reinvention Ecosystem 🌐 Website [https://midlifereinvention.co](https://midlifereinvention.co) ▶ YouTube (400K+ views) [https://www.youtube.com/@midlife_mindfulness](https://www.youtube.com/@midlife_mindfulness) 💼 LinkedIn (4K+ followers) [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anju-debnath-0061524/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anju-debnath-0061524/) 🤝 Meetup Community (300+ Members) [https://www.meetup.com/ashburn-transition-meetup-group/](https://www.meetup.com/ashburn-transition-meetup-group/) 📚 Amazon Author Page [https://www.amazon.com/stores/Anju-Debnath/author/B0FFNBVZLQ](https://www.amazon.com/stores/Anju-Debnath/author/B0FFNBVZLQ)