OLDSPEAK

Oldspeak is a finalist for the Best of Boise Awards for Best New Business 2025. 🤯💥 Thank you to everyone who nominated us! We’re grateful to everyone who has ventured in for books, beer, and curious conversations this last year. If you’ve had a nice time at Oldspeak, we’d love your vote. 🗳️ Link in bio, or find the At The Top section then the New Business category. We’re grateful to you for making our book bar dream a reality, and thanks for being here! - Chelsea, Shelley, and Adam

This week at Oldspeak: Trivia, transportation, and triple the book discussions! 🗣️ 📖 Join us Monday (5/18) for our biweekly trivia, Tuesday for the next installation in our Curious Minds lecture series, and Wednesday for Otherworldly book club. This coming Friday we meet at the bar for our weekly Write Club. 🖊️ Whether you’re a writing working on a novel draft, a small business owner creating content or organizing your finances, or a remote worker logging in, write club is for you! Come co-work with us. We’d love to see the bookstore full of humans collaborating and connecting. Sunday (5/24) at 1pm we have Boise People’s Reading Group discussing Emergent Strategy by adrienne marie brown. Published by AK Press in 2017, it was adrienne maree brown’s first solo book, and it has become a movement bestseller since its release. “It is a guidebook for getting in right relationship with change, using our own nature and that of creatures beyond human as our teachers.” @boisepeoplesreadinggroup At 3pm on Sunday we wrap up our delightful discussion on the gothic science fiction novel Frankenstein with Stanford Lecturer Dr. Greg Watkins. It’s been a real treat and we’re hoping to persuade him to do this again with another favorite novel. Link in bio to claim your seat. Discussion is free but RSVPing helps our staff!

Queer Events Boise is hosting Sapphic Trivia at Oldspeak on June 14th at 6pm-8pm. This is 1 of 8 events in June that Queer Events Boise will be hosting for Pride Month- look forward to more event announcements this week! This event is for LGBTQIA+ folks and allies who are 21+. It is free and unticketed

💡 From the initial sketch to reality. When we designed the bookstore/bar/taproom we knew books would not fill up the whole space. We wanted people at the center of it all—conversations and curiosity. Books would be the outline, surrounding and enveloping us and encouraging dialogue and discussion. And that’s exactly what’s happened. It’s been a wild ride folks. Thank you for bringing the magic! ✨ 📚 And/also- isn’t Shelley’s sketch just lovely? We sure think so. @bridgetownbells

It’s Friday! 🤯 Come hang out at your favorite third space. Yes we’re a book bar. And yes! We have a ton of nonalcoholic libations including our NA beers from Go Brewing. @gobrewing We’re open 10-10. 🍻 Only one NA beer was injured in the making of this video. Thank you @thenakedneighbor for your expert modeling and acting work on the set.

I am so incredibly excited to join @thisroomislit at @oldspeakbar THIS SUNDAY for a pop-up writing session from 10am-12pm. Come hang out, grab a drink, and make some much needed progress on that WIP as I work on BOOK TWO of my debut series, Severed Oaths 👀 #boise #fantasy #writers #boiseevents

FICTION WORKSHOP 🖊️ 💥 Sunday, May 31st 2:30-5pm Meet the instructor, Diana Forgione @sportsgoblin @death_rattle_literary Diana Forgione is a non-binary poet, writer, editor and workshop facilitator. They are the Co-Founder of Death Rattle Literary, Head Editor for OROBORO, as well as judge and workshop Instructor for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. They utilize their work to examine the underlying nature of one’s conflicting humanity; attempting to discern aromanticism, trauma, and gender. Their work can be found in, Homology Lit, Reality Beach and Cobra Milk among other places. About the workshop A round table editing workshop - Make friends, read their writing live, and get constructive feedback and discussion of your work.⁣ ⁣𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴: ⁣Each student will get a chance to share aloud their piece in a round-table discussion: the writer will read their piece aloud, and then the next student will read the piece aloud again- during the readings other students are welcome to write thoughts, impressions, and insight into the work on a printed copy of the piece! Round table discussion with the class to follow each piece moderated by the instructor Diana Forgione. Open to writers of all experience levels, the aim of these workshops will be to develop and build a mutually constructive vocabulary around poetry, enjoy, uplift, and discover each other’s work as friends and fellows in the community.⁣ Limited to 6 students so be sure to claim your spot! This is an intimate workshop held in our upstairs room. Sign ups close May 23rd to prep with students prior. Please note @oldspeakbar is a 21+ venue. Beer, wine, cider cocktails, and N.A. options available for purchase.

UP NEXT: Curious Minds: Transportation Tuesday, May 19 | 6PM (doors at 5:30) FREE 😊 From data to daily commutes—join Boise experts to explore how smarter transportation can help Keep Boise Cool. Join us for an evening of conversation with two Boise-based transportation and planning professionals. Together, they’ll explore how our community moves and how transportation choices shape our climate future: how systems are planned, how data informs carbon reduction strategies, and how we can build more sustainable ways to get around.​This program will feature short talks followed by discussion, with plenty of time for questions. ​ Speakers​: Stephen Hunt will explore how transit planning can help communities realize their full potential through improved mobility and thoughtful development. Drawing on more than 20 years in the transit industry and his current role as Chief Development Officer at Valley Regional Transit (VRT), he’ll discuss how transit accessibility, long-range planning, and partnerships with local jurisdictions can support sustainable growth and strengthen transportation networks across the Treasure Valley. Hunter Mulhall will discuss how data, modeling, and regional collaboration shape transportation planning in the Treasure Valley. Drawing on experience in GIS, analytics, and public-sector consulting, he’ll explore how COMPASS’s Carbon Reduction Strategy supports more sustainable, low-carbon transportation systems and helps communities plan for future growth and mobility needs. Please note @oldspeakbar is 21+ Our beer and a variety of other beverages available for purchase (including NA)

The world is on fire, but mimosas are back. We kick off this weekend on National Mimosa Day because Lord knows we need it. When life gives you 🍊 make mimosas. Now available on Saturdays 10-1 and Sundays all day. (Reminder Sunday is now all day happy hour too. You’re welcome).

Need a remote work spot in Boise? ☕📚 I spent the morning working with @meditateintoit from @oldspeakbar and immediately understood why people love this place. I thought you could only come here in the afternoons for beer and books but they are also open during the day!! Woo!! It’s cozy, quiet, and feels different from your typical coffee shop! They’re open in the mornings Wed-Sunday and are serving French press coffee, tea, and then beer when the time hits. It’s such a good spot to post up with your laptop, read a book, or just hang out. Definitely adding this to my list of favorite Boise-area work spots. #boiseidaho #boisecoffeeshops #gardencityidaho #boiselocal #BoiseGuide

Do all the book things. 📚 This week at Oldspeak and around town! 🗣️ 📖 the delightfully soulful silent book club at @commongroundcoffeeandmarket is back (come read in companionable silence with us!). Then we have weekly write club on Friday, and poetry book club followed by Frankenstein part 2 on Sunday. If you missed part one of Frankie, that’s fine and dandy. Join anyway. And you can still snag a copy of Mary Shelley’s classic work from the book bar before then! @oldspeakbar

☝️ YEAR! Last month we celebrated one year of Oldspeak! 📚 💥 🍻 From an incredible tap takeover with our friends at @meriwethercider , to music by @tropico.fm , to a full lineup of local vendors, and a wrap-up with a literary mixer with @thebackyardists , panel with @hauntgirlnix_ @rosibookreads & @tomasbaiza — it was not just a reflection of the work we’re doing but a commitment to the type of things Oldspeak is all about. Cultivating curiosity and conversation through literature and libations. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us. We feel all the love. 🫀🫀 And a special shoutout to our crew who kept us going this past year as we worked through the challenges behind the scenes and figured out what the hell we’re doing! Oldspeak is better because of its people. Also- if you need a photographer rec, our friend @sley.photo captured the moment and more. 📸 THANK YOU FRIENDS