Honoring Hartford's Changemaker
William Henry Jacklyn!
Join us Saturday September 25th at 2pm to celebrate the making of the mural created in honor of William Henry Jacklyn, Hartford's first black Firefighter.

William served at Engine Company 7 from 1898 until 1908, when he quit because the department would not allow him to sleep in the same quarters as his white peers.

William continued to volunteer and helped battle the 1914 blaze at Hartford's Union Station. It wasn't until 1948 that Black firefighters were welcomed to be part of the Hartford Fire Department.

The Hartford Changemakers mural project was led by artists @aiir.is & @cheluart along with an intergenerational group of community members.

The mural project was hosted by longtime advocate of Hartford history, North End resident, HPL board member and former fire Capt. Steve Harris.

The Phoenix Society of Hartford is an organization founded in 1966 to maintain the history and generational support of Black firefighters in the City of Hartford and beyond.

You can learn more about our Changemakers program HERE
HPL Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month!
September 15th - October 15th
We honor and celebrate the history, culture and contributions of our Hispanic and Latino community.

This week we are featuring artist, musician, photographer and friend of the library, Carlos Hernandez Chavez.

Carlos was already an accomplished artist when he came to Hartford from Mexico City in 1967 and quickly became ingrained in the city's arts scene.

Decades later, he helped welcome his fellow countryman Carlos Santana to Hartford, where he was presented with a key to the city.

In 2014, works by Carlos were featured on the ArtWalk at the Library. Over the past year, he has chronicled the the construction of the Park Street Library @ the Lyric in photographs

Learn more about his remarkable life story HERE
Books that will stay with you long after you read them
by Latinx authors.
Julia Alvarez
New York Times Bestseller  
Acclaimed writer Julia Alvarez’s beloved first novel gives voice to four sisters as they grow up in two cultures. The García sisters and their family must flee their home in the Dominican Republic. They arrive in New York City in 1960 to a life far removed from their existence in the Caribbean...

"Poignant . . . Powerful . . . Beautifully captures the threshold experience of the new immigrant, where the past is not yet a memory." —The New York Times Book Review
Esmeralda Santiago
One of "The Best Memoirs of a Generation" Oprah's Book Club

In this first volume of her much-praised, bestselling trilogy, Santiago brilliantly recreates the idyllic landscape and tumultuous family life of her earliest years and her tremendous journey from the barrio to Brooklyn, from translating for her mother at the welfare office to high honors at Harvard.


"Not only for readers who share [Santiago's] experiences but for North Americans who seek to understand what it means to be the other."--The Boston Globe
...And don't forget our
Big Read!
Together we'll celebrate Sandra Cisneros’s novel The House on Mango Street from October 10 through November 1.

Our Big Read program includes: book discussions, art workshops, teen programming, and more.

Our keynote event will be with the author, Sandra Cisneros, who will join the community for a virtual author event on November 9, 2021. 


Reserve your copy HERE
Interested in these titles or others?

Check out our entire library catalog (books, films, music, etc..) HERE

Read anything good lately? Let us know.
We'd love to feature it (and you) in a future Enews!
Hartford’s LIT Presents: 3rd Annual Hartford Book Festival 202One Love One Life
September 17 - September 19

Event showcases local authors and includes workshops, literary discussions and readings.

Friday, September 17 10 a.m. - 3 pm Saturday, September 18 10am - 4 pm
500 Main St.

Sunday, September 19 3-9pm
460 New Britain Ave.

Register HERE
Save The Date!

A NEW LIBRARY IS COMING TO
FROG HOLLOW!
​The Park Street Library @ the Lyric is built on the site of the historic Lyric Theater and will continue the tradition of providing a vital community anchor at the corner of Park and Broad streets.

Grand Opening!
Saturday Oct. 2
603 Park St
1:30-5pm

Get a peak inside our newest branch HERE
The Two Connecticuts:
Conversations about Race and Place
This series of panel discussions will examine how segregation affects people of color yet also disadvantages the state as a whole.

The first session, "A House Divided," will be held virtually on Thursday, September 22.

Panelists will include Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving President Jay Williams. Dana Peterson, executive vice president and chief economist of Conference Board, will give a special presentation. WNPR host Lucy Nalpathanchil will moderate the discussion.

Register HERE
Amistad Family Day
Join us and other community partners for a
day of fun and learning!
Mortensen Riverfront Plaza
Sunday, September 19
1-5pm
FREE of Charge

Dockside Education

Tours Aboard The Tall Ship Amistad

Live Performances

and we're giving away free Books!

More Info HERE
And it's still September.. which means:

It's Library Card Month!

Come on down to your neighborhood branch and sign up today!
It's easy! And free!

Learn more HERE
“For me, the person I was becoming when we left was erased, and another one was created.”
― Esmeralda Santiago, When I Was Puerto Rican