Construction Update!

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the Downtown Library’s progress this week! The iconic LED snake sign has returned, and cleanup is officially underway. Every day brings us closer to opening our Main Street doors on November 20!

Watch this space for more updates as we get ready to welcome you back. 

HPL's Book Recommendations

Celebrating Indigenous People's Day

Shutter

Ramona Emerson

Longlisted National Book Award

". . . A whodunit upstaged at every point by the unforgettably febrile intensity of the heroine's first-person narrative."

—Kirkus Reviews

"A haunting thriller, written with exquisite suspense . . . This is a story that won't let you go long after you finish, and you won't want it to end even as you can't stop reading to find out how it does."

—Tommy Orange, author of There There

Find it HERE in our catalog

Night of the Living Rez

Morgan Talty

National Bestseller & Literary Award Winner

"Talty's smart and gritty debut, a linked collection, poignantly overlays a boy's coming-of-age on the Penobscot reservation with a young man's present-day struggles to overcome opioid addiction and economic precarity, implying that they might be the same person in different phases of life."

—Publishers Weekly

"A beautifully crafted, raw and intimate book."

—Brandon Hobson, author of The Removed

Find it HERE in our catalog

Let's Go Beyond Words

Beyond Words 2024 will feature Safiya Sinclair, author of How to Say Babylon, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography, a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, longlisted for the Women’s Prize in Non-Fiction and for the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature.

How to Say Babylon is the stunning story of the author’s struggle to break free of her rigid Rastafarian upbringing, ruled by her father’s strict patriarchal views and repressive control of her childhood, to find her own voice as a woman and poet.

Beyond Words, Hartford Public Library's (HPL) annual signature fundraising event, celebrates how the Library goes beyond words, every day, with diverse and transformative programs and services.

Raves and reviews for How to Say Babylon:

“Impossible to put down. . . Each lyrical line sings and soars, freeing the reader as it did the writer.” —People

“The book grabs the reader because of the beauty of its words, but it sticks because of the thorniness and complexity of its ideas.” —The Washington Post

“[A] breathless, scorching memoir of a girlhood spent becoming the perfect Rasta daughter and an adolescence spent becoming one of Jamaica’s most promising young poets.” —The New York Times

What a Night!

Pictured above on the left is Natalie Curtis, HPL staff member and illustrator. On the right is Marie Jarry, HPL staff member and author.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended HPL's book launch of Caroline Hewins: First Lady of the Library. We had a great time spending the evening with you as we celebrated the book and the amazing HPL staff that brought it to fruition, announced the naming of and recognized members of the Caroline M. Hewins Legacy Society*, enjoyed a Q&A with the author, and illustrator lead by HPL President & CEO Bridget E. Quinn, had a book signing, and enjoyed a delicious spread courtesy of Fire by Forge.

*The Legacy Society consists of individuals who leave Hartford Public Library in their will. For more information on the Legacy Society please contact Gilda Roncari, groncari@hplct.org

Thank you for participating in our polls!

Last Week's Poll: Will we see you at the opening?

Results:

Yes - 70.3%

No - 29.7%

Freedom To Read Out Loud

Come read with us!

Everyone is welcome to join us as we read banned books! Come listen in and enjoy the stories or read a passage for yourself. If you're not interested in reading, you can come to listen in. Refreshments will be provided.

Saturday, October 19 | 3 - 4 p.m.

Albany Library

1250 Albany Avenue

AI Odyssey

HPL's YOUmedia hosted a two-day event last week, AI Odyssey, in partnership with the University of Connecticut (UConn). AI Odyssey helps to help bridge the gap of the digital divide and encourage Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning in the Hartford Community. The partnership began in January 2024 and culminated with the AI Odyssey event at HPL’s Albany Library.

Aimed at middle and high school students, the AI Odyssey's learning objectives included:

• Leveling the playing field and knowledge of access to AI.
• Bridging the gap of the digital divide.
• Demonstrating the tools of AI and identifying the differences of each platform or application.
• Overcoming intimidation, increasing confidence and engagement.
• Promoting a fun learning experience with advanced technology.
• Understanding personalization of data.
• Overcoming resistance of standard educators and institutions to using AI as a learning mechanism.

Register To Vote in Your Library Today!

Election Day is November 5th

Friday, October 18

Voter Registration deadline, online or postmarked

Fecha límite para el registro de votantes, en línea o con matasellos

Tuesday, November 5

Election Day - Same day registration in City Hall

Día de las elecciones - Registro el mismo día en el Ayuntamiento

A Place Like No Other

HPL offers engaging, educational, and fun programming for all ages.

Check out our full programming calendar HERE 

Check out our Family Programming calendar!

Check out our Adult Programming calendar!

Check out our Youth & Teen Programming calendar!

“There is that terrible memory, surely, but so too are there sweet ones, the tiny memories with the tiny details that are milder in climax, no doubt, but equally powerful...”



―Morgan Talty, Night of the Living Rez

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