Sketchbooks

### No pressure. No judgment. Just books, curiosity, and good company. **What to Expect** This is a relaxed, judgment-free book club created for people who love books, are getting back into reading, or simply enjoy being around curious minds. There is **no assigned book** and **no expectation to finish anything**. Read at your own pace — whether it’s one page, one chapter, or a book you’re still thinking about months later. Come share what you’re currently reading, something you’ve read before, or even a book you hope to start someday. The focus is not on how much you’ve read, but on the conversations, perspectives, and connections that unfold. We’ll begin with casual mingling, ease into a light icebreaker, and then let the discussion flow naturally. Expect thoughtful conversations, diverse viewpoints, and a welcoming mix of readers — fast, slow, and somewhere in between — all while enjoying coffee, tea, or your favorite beverage. **What to Bring** • Yourself • A book you’re reading, have read, or want to read • Curiosity and an open mind **Location** Art & Dine @ The Springs Souk (Near Emirates Hills, Springs, Meadows, Lakes, Hattans) **Policy** • Attendees are required to avail any item from the menu • Please be respectful and listen when someone else is speaking **Parking** Free mall Parking **Contact** Rinku — WhatsApp +971 50 558 2680 This is a warm space to slow down, meet new people, exchange ideas, and feel inspired — without pressure, deadlines, or judgment.

A cozy, no-pressure book club. **What to Expect:** Welcome to a cozy, relaxed book club built around conversation, curiosity, and community. There is no assigned book and no pressure to finish anything. Come share what you’re currently reading, a past favorite, or a book you’d love to read in the future. We’ll start with casual mingling, move into a light icebreaker, and then open the space for organic book talk and discussion. Expect thoughtful conversations, different perspectives, and a welcoming mix of like-minded and not-so-like-minded readers. **What to bring:** • Yourself • A book you’re reading (or one you love or want to read) • Curiosity and an open mind **Location:** Art & Dine @ The Springs Souk (Near Emirates Hills, Springs, Meadows, Lakes, Hattans) **Policy:** • Attendees are required to avail any item from the menu • Please be respectful and listen when someone else is speaking **Parking:** Free mall parking available **Contact:** Rinku — WhatsApp +971 50 558 2680 This is a warm, judgment-free space to meet new people, exchange ideas, and enjoy stories together.

Feeling emotionally overwhelmed, mentally exhausted, or simply in need of a safe and supportive space for yourself? Join our **Women’s Art Therapy Group in Dubai**, a guided wellness experience designed to help women relax, express emotions creatively, reduce stress, and reconnect with themselves in a calm and welcoming environment. The sessions are designed to support emotional wellbeing, self-expression, healing, and personal growth through creative therapeutic activities. No artistic experience is needed — the focus is on emotional wellbeing and self-expression rather than artistic skill. 🎨 Activities Include: • Painting and drawing • Emotional expression through art • Guided discussions and reflection • Creative activities that support mindfulness and emotional balance This group may be especially helpful for women experiencing: • Stress or emotional overwhelm • Anxiety or overthinking • Burnout or mental fatigue • Difficulty expressing emotions • A desire for calm, creativity, connection, and emotional support 🌸 Women-only group 📍 Location: Al Safa Art & Design Library, Dubai 💰 Price: 200 AED per person 🔗 Payment link will be shared after confirmation 📅 Every Tuesday ⏰ Morning Session: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ⏰ Evening Session: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM To maintain a more personal, supportive, and meaningful experience, each session is limited to a maximum of 6 participants. The sessions are designed to be interactive, emotionally safe, and individualized to support each participant’s comfort and self-expression. No previous art experience is required — just bring yourself and an open mind.

**Basketball 5on5 pick-up game in Dubai.** Every tuesday and thursday. Level is amateur and intermediate. Mixed level. Sign up to participate in whats app +971568723607. Only whats app registering. Adults only. Stats and referee included. Parking, water: available. Баскетбол 5на5 Дубай. Запись через ватс ап +971568723607. Взрослые. Паркинг доступен. Make new friends, socialize, networking, competition, friendship.

\*This is a **paid** event. RSVP on Meetup is not enough — to confirm your place, please complete your registration through our website. **\*** In a working world that demands adaptability, clear communication and steady nerves, improv offers something practical: a way to train the mind to be more responsive, grounded and open. These drop-in sessions draw from Keith Johnstone’s *Impro for Storytellers* and translate core improvisation principles into everyday skills. Open to all experience levels. Join one session or attend all three for a fuller progression. ##### **BEING PRESENT:** Presence isn’t a performance trick — it’s a mental discipline. This session focuses on awareness, listening and genuine connection. You’ll explore exercises that build focus and help you stay steady under pressure, whether you’re working with clients, collaborating in a team or navigating daily life. Register here: https://courtyardplayhouse.com/event/improv-drop-ins-for-personal-development-being-present-jun-2026/

Welcome to the **Downtown Dubai Book Discussion Circle (every 2 weeks Tuesday)**. 📚✨ This session is about the book: "**Secrets of the Millionaire Mind**" by T. Harv Eker Please only RSVP, if you’re actually planning to **1\. read the whole book before the event** and **2\. join the event on Tuesday**, so our discussions can stay rich, focused, and meaningful for everyone. ✨ ➡️ The flow of the session: -> Welcome by the hosts 🤗 -> Brief Intro of all members 👋 -> Discussion start (sometimes including some fun (surprise) interactive exercises) 😉✍️ -> Wrap up & Group Picture 📸 📖 -> Please organize your own book copy at a local book shop, library or audiobooks online (e.g. Audible, Spotify ...) 🎧 -> From experience, we’ve seen that 15 people is the sweet spot for a great conversation: we have a core group of regular attendees (~10 people) - and we open up every session for 5 new members, so we are excited to meet you. Few Additional Notes to make this a great event: **Cost**: The event itself is free to attend. You’re simply responsible for covering your own food and drinks at the cafe. 😊 **RSVP**: When signing up for the Dubai Downtown Book Club, please confirm your attendance and kindly update your RSVP if your plans change (so others from the waiting list can join). This small step makes a big difference in organizing a great session for all.

Looking to meet new people, laugh over fun games, have meaningful conversations, and spend a cozy Tuesday evening with amazing social vibes? 👀🖤 Join us for a relaxed social gathering at the cozy Alchemy Café filled with interactive games, icebreakers, laughter, conversations, and genuine connections ✨ Whether you’re coming alone or with friends, you’ll feel welcomed from the moment you arrive 🫶 **✨ Event Details ✨** 📅 Tuesday, 9th June 🕗 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM 📍 Alchemy Café, Al Wasl Road 🎟 60 AED (includes one beverage) **Expect:** ✨ fun interactive games ✨ meeting amazing new people ✨ laughter & conversations ✨ cozy social atmosphere ✨ unforgettable memories 👀 Come play, laugh, and connect with us 🖤 **💳 Pay here to confirm your spot:** https://pay.ziina.com/abhijnalekha01/lFZYFQtcA?source=app **👀 Check out our website:** [https://www.thevirelia.net/](https://www.thevirelia.net/) 📲 **Join our WhatsApp group for further details or for upcoming events** using the link: [https://chat.whatsapp.com/Fr1ub2KaGNbB5GDWg8KFqz?mode=gi_t](https://chat.whatsapp.com/Fr1ub2KaGNbB5GDWg8KFqz?mode=gi_t) ***Meet. Connect. Belong.***

Join us for our next **Freehands art** meetup! - Free 🖌️☕ 📍 **Location:** Le Pain Quotidien, Dubai Marina Mall ⏰ **Time:** 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM Unwind, sketch, and let your creativity flow in a cozy, inspiring atmosphere. Whether you're a seasoned artist or just love to doodle, this is the perfect space to express yourself, meet like-minded creatives, and enjoy great conversations over coffee. Bring your sketchbook, enjoy a warm drink, and let your imagination take over! No experience needed—just your passion for creativity! **📩 RSVP Now!** Let us know you're coming, WhatsApp: +971554413995, so we can save you a seat. Can't wait to see you there! 🎨✨ Check our previous gatherings photos: https://www.meetup.com/freehand/photos/35584362/ #FreehandImagination #ArtMeetup #DubaiArtists #SketchAndSip

Calling all ladies with an artistic inclination. Make some art, socialize and enjoy a coffee / drink. You can choose to sketch, paint or colour. All materials will be provided.

This beautifully layered novel moves between the present day and the 13th-century world of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, exploring love, spirituality, transformation, and the courage to question the life we are living. We’ll discuss the characters, the “rules” that stayed with us, the book’s reflections on love and faith, and how its themes connect to our own lives. Whether you loved the book, had mixed feelings, or are simply curious to hear different perspectives, you’re welcome to join the conversation.

*Canvas & Contemplation: Deep Reflections Through Paintings* **Fee:** AED 30 **Duration:** 2 hours **Format:** Two paintings, one per hour — deep group discussion follows each What happens when philosophy meets paint and canvas? Welcome to **Canvas & Contemplation: Deep Reflections Through Paintings**, a unique gathering where we explore the profound connection between visual art and the human experience. Each session, we’ll sit with two powerful artworks — not to critique them like art historians, but to let them speak to our minds and souls. You'll be surprised by the range of interpretations one painting can evoke — where one person sees despair, another may find hope; where one sees chaos, another finds divine order. This is a space for meaningful, respectful conversation that opens us up to new perspectives and helps us see more — in the art, and in ourselves. Whether you're a philosopher at heart, an artist in spirit, or simply curious about how we see and feel, this event offers a space to slow down, look deeply, and think together. **Come with an open mind, leave with new eyes.** **Whatsapp link**: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FytQQgS85I61vS6nkduLm5

**Basketball training and coaching for beginners and intermediate.** Training and coaching adults basketball. Beginners and intermediate. Whats app +971568723607. S-Basketball. Тренировки по баскетболу в Дубай. Начинающие и опытные. Запись через ватс ап +971568723607 #basketball #dubai #баскетбол #дубай

Whether you want to journal your thoughts, do a brain dump, experiment with words, or simply sit and write, just show up. Bring your notebook or laptop and join us. We’ll sit quietly and write, maybe chat a little after. It’s an invitation to consume less and create more with words, whether to process, reflect, or share with the world. Whatsapp group link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DK9JcD6RbPqIj6Et8Ce4uj?mode=gi_t

Thanks for joining the Money Minds meetup group. If you would like to be the first to know whenever a new event is announced, please join our whatsapp group using the link; [https://chat.whatsapp.com/DPbMfZndPooGHSxFCLCKHg](https://chat.whatsapp.com/DPbMfZndPooGHSxFCLCKHg) The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga argues that happiness is a choice independent of past traumas, focusing on Adlerian psychology to help individuals overcome the need for approval. It promotes self-acceptance, the "separation of tasks" to avoid meddling in others' lives, and building horizontal relationships to achieve true freedom and fulfillment.

**Our June novel is: *The Eights* by Joanna Miller** **This month’s novel is set during World War I. It’s a 20th-century historical fiction story about friendship and war, with coming-of-age elements and a slightly haunted tone. The book is 384 pages in print and 10 hours and 9 minutes on audiobook.** Oxford, 1920. For the first time in its one-thousand-year history, Oxford University officially admits female students. Burning with dreams of equality, four young women move into neighboring rooms in Corridor 8. Beatrice, Dora, Marianne, and Otto—collectively known as The Eights—come from all walks of life, each driven by their own motives, each holding tight to their secrets, and are thrown into an unlikely, unshakable friendship. Dora was never meant to go to university, but, after losing both her brother and her fiancé on the battlefield, has arrived in their place. Politically-minded Beatrice, daughter of a famous suffragette, sees Oxford as a chance to make her own way - and some friends her own age. Otto was a nurse during the war but is excited to return to her socialite lifestyle in Oxford where she hopes to find distraction from the memories that haunt her. And finally Marianne, the quiet, clever daughter of a village pastor, who has a shocking secret she must hide from everyone, even her new friends, if she is to succeed. Among the historic spires, and in the long shadow of the Great War, the four women must navigate and support one another in a turbulent world in which misogyny is rife, influenza is still a threat, and the ghosts of the Great War don’t always remain dead.

Join us for our June Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss [The Queer Principles of Kit Webb](https://catsebastian.com/the-queer-principles-of-kit-webb/) by Cat Sebastian in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.

Let’s meet and share discussion of the James Baldwin short story collection, Going to Meet The Man.

Welcome, readers! Our June read is ***Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible*** ***Voyage*** **by Alfred Lansing.** A work of nonfiction, and one of the most astonishing survival stories in history, we follow Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew after their ship is crushed by Antarctic ice. Stranded in one of the harshest environments on Earth, the men endure months of isolation, freezing temperatures, and near starvation—yet refuse to give up hope. Lansing brings their ordeal to life through vivid detail and firsthand accounts, capturing both the brutality of nature and the resilience of the human spirit. At its core, the story is a powerful testament to leadership, perseverance, and the unbreakable will to survive against impossible odds. Looking forward to discussing with everyone! We will meet at Zaftig Brewing Co in their event room in the back. We are welcome to bring in our own food, but **all** **drinks must be purchased at the bar.** Happy reading! 📖

Let's stroll the artists' booths and enjoy some of the festival's opening day! The Columbus Art Festival features a wide and vibrant range of visual art from local and national exhibitors, plus, live music, and all kinds of food and refreshments, along the waterfront downtown. (The featured painting is by Columbus Art Festival exhibitor, Joe Engel - joe-engelart.com)

Let’s meet and wander the galleries! General admission on Sundays is free.

We will once again be teaching origami to the public at the Greater Columbus Arts Festival this coming weekend (Fri June 12th-Sun June 14th). We have a 10’x20’ tent and usually teach several hundred adults and children. ***Come join us if you are local*** \- reply to this email and let us know your availability\. **We are teaching SIMPLE, beginner models, so your skill level is not an issue.** Festival hours are: Fri 11 AM-9 PM, Sat 10 AM to 9 PM, Sun 10 AM to 5 PM, then we pack up. You are not expected to be there all day - whatever hours you want to teach are fine. We (Monica and I) will be there pretty much all hours as we are required to have the tent manned. If you want to assist with set up that is Thursday the 11th Noon to 2:30 We are in booth W728, which is on Washington Ave , between Rich and Main street bridges. This is the west side of the river in downtown. See [this map](https://www.columbusartsfestival.org/visit/festival-map) . we are in the pink “Cbus Arts & Organizations” section, at the Rich street end. Parking is available in several areas there on the west side. For more info on the festival go to [www.columbusartsfestival.org/](https://www.columbusartsfestival.org/) This is one of the best arts festivals in the country - live music on four stages, hundreds of artists, great food...it really is a good time.