Panel Speaker: Rachael Spiewak!

Dear Atlanta,

As promised, here’s an update on our next panel speaker! Rachael Spiewak is the cofounder of Sopo Bicycle Co-op. Among her many roles, Spiewak is a community organizer par excellence. Sopo Bikes is a co-op that provides the physical tools as well as how-to knowledge for building and maintaining your own bicycle. Check out this article in PINE magazine for more info about Sopo!

More about our guest:

Rachael Spiewak sees little difference between community organizing and party planning. This might have something to do with the seven years she spent on the community bike shop scene … or her preteen habit of “Bat Mitzvah hopping.” In 2004 — after completing a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from Emory and beginning a master’s degree in Social Work from Georgia State — Rachael and friends founded Sopo Bicycle Co-op, Atlanta’s first co-op style nonprofit bicycle repair shop. By the end of 2007, Sopo had been transformed from a bar napkin idea into a functional, organized shop open to the public five days a week. That’s when Rachael found herself stepping into the role of a paid nonprofit manager. Rachael is also a contributing columnist to Boneshaker: A Bicycle Almanac, and she moonlights as Lil Ray, a dance party DJ.

The shop is especially targeted toward utility riders, i.e. people who ride bikes as their main form of transportation — either due to the soaring costs of gasoline, or simply by personal choice. What does that have to do with art? If you ask Rachael, the essence of community organizing is empowering creative people, and inspiring them to use their disparate talents in ways that help and inspire others to do the same. In the past Sopo has coordinated fundraisers involving visual art, music, animation, and even an enormously successful bike frame show in 2008.

The way she sees it:

It’s nice when people get together to share a good time while constructing something creative. Sounds kinda like a party.

Remember to check back here EVERY Monday for new announcements about our guest speakers!!