One book. One Community.

NEA Big Read- A Talk with Yaa Gyasi @ Classical Magnet School

Homegoing follows the parallel paths of these sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem.

"Magical. . . . Hypnotic. . . . Yaa Gyasi [is] a stirringly gifted writer.” —The New York Times Book Review

Saturday, September 23, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Classical Magnet School, 85 Woodland St.

Register HERE

An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the power of a shared reading experience.

HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:

Check out what we're reading

Back to School - Back to Reality

How Children Succeed

Paul Tough

 New York Times Bestseller

This well researched and thought provoking book enlightens us on the powerful role schools and care givers can play on building the qualities that matter to create strong, successful children.

"His book is an inspiration. It has made me less of a determinist, and more of an optimist." - The Washington Monthly

"Paul Tough has written the instruction manual. Every parent should read this book – and every policymaker, too." The Washington Post

The Book Whisperer

Donalyn Miller

With all the distractions of todays world it may take a little more effort to get your child to learn to love to read. This book gives us simple tools to get your child on a path to a life long love of reading.

"An easy read that provides an alternative viewpoint, one that parents may be secretly looking for" New York Journal of Books

"This book is, frankly, a godsend for all teachers who want their students to become strong readers who enjoy reading" - Teaching with Magic Blog

Hartford's L.I.T. in Partnership with HPL Hosts

5th Annual Hartford Book Festival!

A three day festival for book lovers of all ages!

The mission of the Hartford Book Festival is to build community using literary art, serving all people of the Greater Hartford Area.

Day One: Writer’s Workshops Only

Friday, September 22, 11:00 am - 2:30 pm

Virtual live workshops - registration required

Day Two: The 5th Annual Hartford Book Festival

Classical Magnet School, 85 Woodland St.

Saturday, September 23, 10:00 am – 5:00pm

Vendors, workshops, puppet show, rock climbing, open mic, book stores & more 

Workshops require registration

Day Three: An Evening of Poetical Musings 

The Free Center, 460 New Britain Ave.

Sunday, September 24, 3:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Open mic, poetic activities, homage to great poets, dramatic readings, Love Jones poetry, & special guest poets of New England.

Attendees will have exclusive access to pre-order or purchase limited copies of the Hartford’s L.I.T. 's "Writing Literary Badassery; Writing Prompts & Journal"

More info and registration HERE

Christopher Brown, Production Manager of HPL studios, recently wrote and produced Thoughts Are Things, an award winning short film.

“Thoughts Are Things is a story about the importance of the reading, libraries, and small acts of kindness. Neither of which are popular subjects, so it's an honor to see the film be embraced in the way it has been. The little boy in the film that pulled himself up through reading, and the use of library represents me”

- Christopher Brown

Learn more about the film and Christopher HERE

You can watch the short film HERE

Thoughts Are Things won Platinum Remi Award for Dramatic Original short film production and won Best Short Film at the Charlotte Black Film Festival.

ServSafe Certificate Training

Through The American Place we offer three different ServSafe courses: Food Handler, Food Manager, and Alcohol. 

Food Handler classes start September 11th

September 11, 18, & 25, 3:00 - 5:00 pm

Dwight Branch, 7 New Park Avenue

Learn more or register HERE

HPL's The American Place (TAP) provides industry recognized certificate training, GED preparation services, English as a second language, and a nationally recognized U.S. Citizenship program, supporting immigrants in achieving citizenship and becoming vested citizens.

Learn More about TAP HERE

Sunday, Fun Day.

Park Street Library @ the Lyric will be open on Sundays, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm beginning September 10th.

Come by and say hi to Graciela Rivera our branch manager and the entire team!

Vote! ¡Vota!

Your voice matters.

September 12th is primary election day for Hartford Mayor.

You are required to be registered to the specified political party in order to vote in the primary election. While it is too late to switch a party affiliation in order to vote in the primary, unregistered voters can get themselves registered and still vote on that day HERE

All HPL Library Branches are closed Monday, September 4th for Labor Day

“We believe the one who has power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must ask yourself, whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there you get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.”― Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing