Moon May
Created by Zulynette Morales, learn more about the gift of the moon and celebrate your own power and creativity through a series of workshops hosted by powerful and creative women.

Saturday, May 7th, 6 pm
Harvesting the Lunar Energy with Stefanie
Free Center
460 New Britain Ave.
 
Saturday, May 21st, 6 pm
The Power of My Story workshop with Zulynette
Carriage House Theater
360 Farmington Ave.
 
Saturday, May 28th, 6 pm
Creativity & Femme Mental Health
  • Drag makeup workshop by Journee Lafond, MSW
  • Healing potion workshop with Ehhsteph, Stehani & Zulynette, MSW
Center for Contemporary Culture
Hartford Public Library, Downtown
500 Main St.
 
Events and materials are free. Registration required. Masks are mandatory. Register for all events HERE.

Funding provided by the Connecticut Office of the Arts
Celebrate the cultures and stories of the Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander community 
Ruth Ozeki
Finalist for the Booker Prize

Filled with humor and our relationship between past and present, fact and fiction, this is a beautiful story about our shared humanity and the search for home.

“Magnificent. ... These are characters we care for deep. A masterpiece, pure and simple.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Elizabeth Miki Brina
One of NPR's Best Books of the Year

Told from three perspectives, this is a breathtakingly honest and powerful story of mixed race, mixed heritage and the isolations of the immigrant journey. This story will stay with you for a very long time.

“A hauntingly beautiful memoir about family and identity.” — NPR
To Be Takei

Best known for playing Sulu on the original Star Trek TV series and the six movies that followed, George Takei is an iconic cultural figure. This is an hilarious and moving documentary about his remarkable life. OH MY.

You can watch the movie HERE (and many more for free with your library card at Kanopy).

"Amusing and poignant." — Hollywood Reporter

Watch the trailer HERE.

P.S. Did you know we also have a new documentary film streaming service available to you?
Check out Qwest TV HERE.
TAP teens become citizens!
“What makes someone American isn’t just blood or birth, but allegiance to our founding principles and faith in the idea that anyone — from anywhere — can write the next chapter of our story.”
— President Barack Obama

Congratulations to siblings Lambert Hasani and Tantine Shipola, and to Regina Malendo, for becoming U.S. citizens! Tantine and Lambert are students at Capital Community College and Regina is a freshman at the University of Hartford. All three were assisted in the college admissions and financial aid process by staff from HPL's English Learner Success program at The American Place (TAP).

Learn more about TAP HERE.
Supporting our young readers
Dial-A-Story Spring/Summer Challenge

Call our Dial-A-Story and listen to children’s songs/rhymes and stories in English, Spanish or Urdu. Submit titles of at least two stories, songs or rhymes that you listened to and send them HERE to be entered into a raffle!

Dial-A-Story: 860-695-6288
May 1 - June 30
New stories every Tuesday at 5 pm
More info HERE.

P.S. Congratulations Viyankhaa, pictured above, who won the prize for our last contest round.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Prepare a child for Kindergarten. while developing their vocabulary and instilling in them a lifelong love of reading. Plus, you get to spend some quality time snuggled together with a book!

One book per day = 365 books in a year. Within three years, 1095 books will have been read. You can also read the same book more than once and count it each time!

Register HERE.
Connecticut Women’s Art Show
The fifth annual Connecticut Women’s Art Show was held at the home of Margaret and Robert Patricelli and featured painter Sandy Welch and jewelry maker Jessica Dickens. A portion of the proceeds from art sales at the event benefited Hartford Public Library. Many thanks to the Patricellis for their generosity and the artists for sharing their work.

Photo: Sandy Welch, HPL board member Karen Taylor and HPL's Gilda Roncari at the art show.
Resources for our community
Join our team!

Help us build collections, provide much-needed services for our neighbors and strengthen and celebrate our diverse community.

We have many positions open in lots of different departments.

Check out our job openings HERE.
Free COVID-19 vaccines, test kits and N95 masks available

We're playing our part in keeping you and our community safe.

Check out our upcoming clinics and info on mask and tests distribution HERE.
Happy Star Wars Day!
"With freedom, books, flowers, and the Moon, who could not be happy?" — Oscar Wilde