Upcoming Highlights

Thursday, February 5:

Enjoy a Black history–themed movie and craft workshop every Thursday in February. Movies include Wicked, The Fire Inside, Rejoice & Shout, and Bob Marley: One Love. Register HERE.

Ropkins Library | 1750 Main Street | 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Friday, February 6:

Who says the Super Bowl can't start early? Join us for a pre-Super Bowl celebration the whole family can enjoy, featuring themed games and snacks.

Park Street Library @ the Lyric | 603 Park Street | 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

Monday, February 9:

A fun-filled storytime with music, movement, and engaging activities encompassed in Black History. 

Downtown Library, Children's Department | 500 Main Street | 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 12:

Are you a first-time homebuyer? Do you want to improve your credit? Join us at HPL’s Albany Library to speak with a Chelsea Groton Bank lender.

Albany Library | 1250 Albany Avenue | 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Friday, February 13:

A 90-minute creative workshop exploring the life and legacy of Alma Thomas, African American artist and teacher, featuring a hands-on painting session recreating her masterpiece, The Eclipse.  Register HERE.

Dwight Library | 7 New Park Avenue | 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

For more fun, engaging programming and events, click the buttons below!

Baby Grand Jazz



Led by Grammy-nominated violinist and composer Meg Okura, winner of the ISJAC Fundamental Freedoms Commission and the SJO George Duke Commission. Meg is a Japanese American composer and jazz violinist. The Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble is known for its vivid blend of jazz, classical, and global traditions.

Can’t make it in person? Watch the live stream on HPL's YouTube, HPL’s Facebook, or on HPATV.

Sunday, February 8 | 3:00 p.m.

Doors open at 2:00 p.m.

Downtown Library

Center for Contemporary Culture (CCC)

500 Main Street

Thank you to our 2026 presenting sponsor, The Kaman Foundation, for their generous support, and to our longtime partners, The Hartford Jazz Society and WWUH 91.3 FM, for helping us bring incredible music to the community every week.

Book Recommendations

The Black Box: Writing the Race

Henry Lois Gates Jr.

2025 Winner of Christian Gauss Award

"This is a literary history of Black America, but it is also an argument that African American history is inextricable from the history of African American literature."

—The New York Times 

Find it HERE in our catalog

Poemhood: Our Black Revival

Amber McBride, Erica Martin, and Talyor Byas

"An eclectic mix of Black experiences fills this unmatched anthology that features both modern poets, such as Nikki Giovanni and Ibi Zoboi, and 'the brilliant Black poets who are now ancestors'. A fresh canon for poetry studies."

—ALA Booklist

Find it HERE in our catalog

"Black culture is vast. It stretches longer than the Nile and is four times as deep."



—Amber McBride, Erica Martin, and Talyor Byas, Poemhood: Our Black Revival

Celebrating Black Joy

HPL's Lift Every Voice and Drum: Celebrating Black Joy will feature African drumming, a gospel performance by Bloomfield High School, and more. Refreshments will be provided. 

Registration is required.

Thursday, February 19 | 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Downtown Library

Center for Contemporary Culture (CCC)

500 Main Street

Next Week!

Join us for an evening with Suzanne Hopgood, longtime Hartford resident and former HPL Board member. Suzanne will be in conversation with Chion Wolf, Host of Audacious on WNPR, celebrating her new book, Get Your Own Coffee: Underestimated, Overlooked and Now the Boss. Books will be available for purchase.

Tuesday, February 10 | 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Snow date: Thursday, February 12

Downtown Library

Café

500 Main Street

For more information, contact Jessica Dolan, HPL's Assistant Director of Development, at jdolan@hplct.org or (860) 695-6325.

Open Mic Night

Showcase your talents at HPL’s Open Mic Night hosted by Hydro8SIXTY and featuring DJ Sealth. Welcoming all artists, whether you’re a poet, rapper, or stand-up comedian, all are welcome. This program is for all ages. 

Registration is required.

Thursday, February 26 | 5:30 -7:00 p.m.

Downtown Library

Center for Contemporary Culture (CCC)

500 Main Street

Get Creative!

HPL's The American Place has teamed up with Hartford Film Company to offer you a chance to win a cash prize. All you have to do is create a video and post it on social media about smart money habits.

Submission deadline: Saturday, February 28. For rules, regulations, and prize money amount, click HERE.

Valentine's Day Special

Show your partner some love with tickets to a show. Our friends at Theater Works Hartford and Hartford Symphony Orchestra (HSO) are offering FREE tickets to upcoming shows just in time for Valentine's Day.

Limited tickets available:

Theater Works' The Counter that runs Thursday, February 12 - Sunday, March 15.

HSO's Romeo and Juliet: A Theatrical Concert runs Friday, February 13 - Sunday, February 15.

Resources & Services

Warming Centers: 

All HPL locations are welcoming warming centers during the winter months. Stop by to read, relax, and enjoy everything the Library has to offer. Click HERE for hours and locations.

Fight Hunger: 

Facing food insecurity? Here's help:

• Text "211Food" to 898211
• Enter your zip code when prompted
• Identify an open food pantry near you
• For more information, click HERE.

Free Medical Rides: 

HPL + Bus or Car Rides = FREE rides to medical appointments for Hartford residents 18+. Contact us or have your provider contact us to schedule transportation to your next verified medical appointment. Please call: (860) 840-1264.

Your support makes a difference.