Celebrate Kwanzaa with Hartford Public Library!

Kwanzaa Storytelling w/ Master Storyteller Andre Keitt

Wednesday, December 28th

2 p.m.

Downtown Library, Atrium

500 Main St.

A celebration of community, family and culture.

Kwanzaa Celebration

Thursday, December 29th

1-6 p.m.

Downtown Library

• Kwanzaa presentation by Sankofa Cultural Arts (atrium)
• Poetry readings
• African jewelry workshop
• Tribal mask decorating
• Face painting
• Henna tattoos (children's room)
• Master Drummer Inara Ramin and Piragramac Cultural Arts (children's room)
• Soul food dinner (youth program room)

Nothing like a good book on a winter's night

H is for Hawk

Helen MacDonald

New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of the Year

A a riveting and beautiful story of adopting and raising one of nature's most vicious predators after the death of her father.

"Complete, and riveting, perhaps the finest nonfiction I read in the past year." —Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker

"Her book is so good that, at times, it hurt me to read it. [An] instant classic." —Dwight Garner, New York Times

Weightless

Evette Dionne

National Book Award Nominee

Race, size, gender and most importantly self-love are the essay subjects of this timely and vital book. It should be required reading for all of us.

"Dionne is a spectacular writer, and this book is a necessary addition to shelves.” — Buzzfeed

“Vibrant, intimate and intelligent. ... A provocatively necessary collection.” — Kirkus Review

First Night Hartford @ HPL

Ring in the new year at the Downtown Library during First Night Hartford!

Saturday, December 31st

Downtown Library

500 Main St.



2-6 pm: Mask decorating, New Year's wand craft, giant 2023 Happy New Year coloring poster

2-7 pm: School choice information available

6-6:50 pm: Magic show with Ed Popielarczyk

8-11:30pm: biblioDISCOteque, a disco-themed New Year’s Eve party DJ-ed by Sonia Sol and Ym with a cash bar

Find the entire First Night Hartford lineup of activities HERE.

Baby Grand Jazz is back

Baby Grand Jazz Series returns in person and virtually with a spectacular lineup of the best jazz musicians in the region.

AA Team

Sunday, January 8th, 3 pm

First come, first seated beginning at 2 pm

Downtown Library

Center for Contemporary Culture

500 Main St.

Puerto Rican-born master Latin percussionist Anthony Carrillo has joined with New York-based pianist and midwestern import Amy Quint-Millan in creating the Latin jazz ensemble AA Team. Check out their sound HERE.

More info and full lineup HERE.

Create crafts and memories together

DIY Holiday Ornaments

Wednesday, December 21st, 2-4 pm

Dwight Library

7 New Park Ave.

Create your own ornament.

Christmas Ornament Making

Wednesday, December 21st, 2:30-3:30 pm

Downtown Library

500 Main St.

Creative an innovative ornament with our YOUmedia team.

Snowflake Iced Cookies

Thursday, December 22nd, 4-5 pm

Dwight Library

7 New Park Ave.

Decorate some snowflake gingerbread cookies.

With your HPL card you have access to thousands of online craft classes through Creativebug. Check it out today!

Build your own Holiday village

Families are invited to create a building or winter scene decorated for a holiday of their choice, with supplies provided in the kit, then bring it back to the library so we can add it to our display.

The take-home kits will be available at one per family until December 31st.

For more information contact the Children's Department at 860-695-6330.

Don't miss our new ArtWalk exhibition

"It’s cool to see how the time of day and amount of light play a part in how the viewer experiences the art." — Barbara Hocker 

Ebb & Flow

Barbara Hocker

ArtWalk Gallery, Downtown Library

500 Main St.

On display through January 22nd

Learn more about this exhibition and Barbara HERE.

Register for Barbara's Zen yoga & qi gong workshop HERE.

We're closed December 24th, 25th and 26th

All Hartford Public Library locations will be closed on Saturday, Dec. 24th in observance of Christmas Eve, and Sunday, Dec. 25th and Monday, Dec. 26th in observance of Christmas. Have a lovely holiday!

“We carry the lives we've imagined as we carry the lives we have, and sometimes a reckoning comes of all the lives we have lost.”

― Helen Macdonald, H is for Hawk