Kings of B’more
PRIDE Month Book Celebration
Celebrate with author R. Eric Thomas the release of his new book, Kings of B’more, which tells the story of two Black queer best friends who face their last day together with an epic journey through Baltimore in this magnetic YA debut. Funded by Hartford Foundation’s The Equality Fund for LGBTQ+.

Kings of B’more book release with R. Eric Thomas
Thursday, June 9
6-7:30 pm
Downtown Library
500 Main St.
Register HERE.

R. Eric Thomas is the bestselling author of Here for It, or How to Save Your Soul in America, a Read with Jenna book club pick featured on Today and a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He is also a television writer, a playwright, and the long-running host of The Moth in Philadelphia and D.C.

Learn more R. Eric Thomas HERE and get a taste of Eric's storytelling skills HERE.
We've got The Beat!
(and it's now LIVE)
We’re partnering with The Bushnell to bring you a highly curated collection of Hartford music with our new streaming platform The Beat.
 
Chosen by a team of movers and shakers in Hartford’s music scene, we’re putting together a selection of albums across all genres. And if you’re a local artist you can get paid to let us share your music on The Beat. We are accepting submissions now through July 5.

Join other talented artists including: Jonathan Barber, The Lost Tribe, Ghazi Omair, Black Phonze and Lee Mixashawn Rozie.
Create Art
(It's good for your soul)
Mindful Painting Classes


Posh Paint provides mindfulness and creative painting sessions for youth and adults while empowering them to think creatively.

Wednesday, June 8
4-5 pm
Dwight Library
7 New Park Ave.
Creative Bug
Free online art classes

Discover some new talents, practice your art with professional instructors, be a part of an online community and have some fun.

Get access to new classes every single day.

Find your classes HERE.
Community Fair
(Free. Italian. Ice.)
We are pleased to connect you with many of our community partners at a fun fair where you can learn more about the many resources in our community as well as hear some great, music, grab some free Italian ice, enjoy some fun activities and did we mention the free Italian ice?

Thursday, June 9
3-5 pm
Dwight Library
7 New Park Ave.
June Book Clubs
(Read a good book. Discuss it with some good people.)
Hartford Reads in Color
Sadeqa Johnson
2021 NPR Best Book

"Johnson achieves a powerful, unflinching account of determination in the face of oppression." — Publishers Weekly

Sunday, June 26 
2-3 pm
Zoom meetup
Register HERE
African American Literature (AAL)
Lorraine Hansberry

"Never before, in the entire history of the American theater, has so much of the truth of Black people's lives been seen on the stage." — James Baldwin

Tuesday, June 28
7-8:30 pm
Zoom meetup
Register via email HERE
Kiss My Aztec at Hartford Stage
Tickets for Kiss My Aztec!
June 1-26

Get your FREE tickets HERE. (And check out the many museum passes we have to offer our cardholders.)

Learn more about the show HERE.
Dance. Dance. Dance.
Translation in Motion
Poetry & dance together

Join choreographer Peter Kyle for workshops that explore movement and language. (No experience required — only curiosity).

Wednesday, June 8
4:30-6 pm
Park Street Library @ The Lyric
603 Park St.
For info contact: Graciela Rivera
Hartford City Steppers Dance Class
Keep on steppin' with us

Come by yourself, as a couple or in a group. Free and no registration required. Taught by experienced instructor Jannett Jennings.

Saturdays — all summer long!
Downtown Branch, café 
500 Main St.
More info HERE
We're all in this together
Join our team!
Make a difference while building your career

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

Learn about the many positions open in lots of different departments HERE.
 FREE eye exams & FREE eyeglasses
for children ages 5 to 18

Tuesday, June 21
10 am - 4 pm
Albany Library
1250 Albany Ave.

Wednesday, June 22
10 am - 4 pm
Park Street Library @ The Lyric
603 Park St.

Appointments required. Call 860-695-6300 to schedule and find more info HERE.
“The books that I found in the library, ones that I deeply understood and ones that seemed so outside of my experience they might as well have been written in Klingon, all carried the same hopes: to be seen, to be heard, to exist.”― R Eric Thomas