Do you love tacos & beer as much as we do?

Join us at Books & Brews!

Join us at Books & Brews, a Hartford Public Library (HPL) FUNraiser, for an all-access pass to a DIY taco station. Choose from chicken, beef, or veggie tacos and customize it to your liking. (Vegetarian and vegan options are available.)

We'll be serving up tacos and beer, along with live music! Hartford-based After School Special, who is featured on The Beat will be performing.

It's sure to be a night to remember! All proceeds will support HPL's programs and services.

Thursday, September 19 | 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Thomas Hooker Live

1 Sequassen Street, Hartford

Tickets available!

The Beat is a one-of-a-kind collection of Hartford-based music curated by Hartford Public Library (HPL).

HPL's Book Recommendations

2024 New Release Adult Books

The Gardins of Edin

Rosey Lee

"Though debut novelist Lee loosely based her characters on the women of the Bible, every fan of relationship fiction will enjoy this family drama about four strong Black women who butt heads, follow their dreams, and, eventually, come together."

—Booklist Online

"...Readers will wish they owned a cottage on the Gardin estate or lived close enough to witness firsthand all the goings-on in Lee’s fascinating saga.”

—Robin W. Pearson, Christy Award-winning author

Find it HERE in our catalog

Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We'll Win The Climate War

Tom Steyer

Instant New York Times Bestseller

“... persuasive storytelling and contagious optimism underscore one of the most important realities of the climate crisis: If we work together, we can solve it. As a relentless climate activist and accomplished investor, Tom’s insights will help galvanize the movement that is needed to address the greatest challenge of our lifetimes.”

—Al Gore, former US Vice Preident

“Optimistic . . . A readable, encouraging argument that climate activists will want to put to work.”

—Kirkus Reviews 

Find it HERE in our catalog

Can you feel The Beat?

Mark your calendars for a FREE concert!

Top row: XY Eli Band and After School Special

Bottom row: Mobéy Lola Irizarry and Earl MacDonald

Time to Groove!

Join us for a FREE concert featuring local Hartford talent from The Beat, a collection of Hartford-based music curated by HPL and a group of Hartford community curators.

The Beat streams the sounds of Hartford’s diverse communities and delivers commercial-free, curated music from artists who represent CT’s capital city. Jam, groove, or vibe out to Hartford’s best tunes, which can be accessed 24/7 through a user-friendly digital music platform, free of charge. You can also download your favorite tracks for free if you are a HPL card holder.

Want to experience it live and in person? Join us for our annual concert featuring four local artists.

Tuesday, September 17 | 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts

The Autornio Great Hall

166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford

The concert is sponsored by Suzanne Hopgood, in memory of Frank Lord.

Get a preview of XY Eli Band

HERE

Get a preview of the After School Special 

HERE

Preview Mobéy Lola Irizarry

HERE

Preview Earl MacDonald

HERE

Summer Reading Challenge Comes To An End

Until next year that is!

Pictured above: Bridget E. Quinn, HPL President & CEO, with the Summer Reading winners of Lunch with HPL CEO.

Congrats to all of our summer readers!

What a great turnout for our summer reading challenge. Check out these summer stats:

• 2,665 youth participants
• 23,515 hours and 30 minutes of reading

Way to go!

This summer, there were some big prizes to help keep the community reading, including Yard Goats tickets, museum tickets, and lunches with HPL's President & CEO, the Mayor of Hartford, and Hartford Public School's (HPS) Superintendent.

Thank you to our partners HPS, City of Hartford, ConnectiKids, Hartford Yard Goats, Hartford Federation of Teachers, United Way, Hartford Athletic, Regional School Choice Offices, 2-4-1 Play, Hispanic Health Council, Hartford Performs, Connecticut Childrens, and Catholic Charities for making the summer reading challenge possible.

We can't wait to do it all over again next year!

BIG Movie Watch

Join Kanopy in all the fun!

If you’re looking for a feel-good movie with a dash of nostalgia and a lot of heart, Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game is a must-watch!

From September 5-16, join the Kanopy Big Movie Watch discussion board, where you can chat about the film with others across the country.

Construction Update

The Romare Bearden murals have been reinstalled!

The vibrant, abstract murals by the Harlem Renaissance artist have been a part of the Library since 2014. They were removed and packaged up in April 2023 to protect them while the construction team fixed the surrounding water damage. We were lucky these iconic pieces were not damaged and are excited to see them back up.

They are still covered while construction is ongoing, and the floors are starting to be installed this week, but most of the dust-inducing construction is over. Changes are happening, and we can't wait to open the Main Street doors to our community this fall.

Check out the wallpaper behind Untitled, Olympics (1981-82) (image on the top)! We can’t wait to see the space come together.

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!

"Maybe one day I'll get married. Maybe one day I'll have kids. But I don't have to wait for those things to celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime milestones that's already here."



―Rosey Lee, The Gardins of Edin

Thank you for participating in our polls!

Last Week's Poll: Have you stopped by (The Patio) yet?

Results:

Yes - 49.6%

No - 50.4%

We can't wait to see you!

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