Story Walk

OCHO MESES EN LA VIDA...
Eight Months in the Life of Puerto Rico, Post Maria

This photography exhibit is about Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria up to the present. It includes a variety of photographs taken by different photographers on the island.

(PHOTO BY MARIÁNGEL CATALINA)

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME:
Greater Hartford's West Indian Diaspora
Exhibition Opening

Thursday, June 7, 5:30pm
Hartford History Center, 3rd Floor, Downtown Library

Show runs: June 7–29, 2018

Enjoy refreshments, a live presentation by Island Reflections Dance Theatre Company. and a brief talk by exhibition curator, Dr. Fiona Vernal to learn more about Greater Hartford's West Indian history in terms of people, places, and Hartford within the greater context of the diaspora.

This exhibition is curated and written by Dr. Fiona Vernal, Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies, University of Connecticut. Exhibition graphic design by Stephanie Orts.

This exhibition is presented by the West Indian Social Club of Hartford, Inc., UConn Humanities Institute -UCHI, and the Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library.

Chicago Style Steppin Dance Class 

Monday June 11^th, 6-7PM
Atrium, Downtown Library

Open to beginners and all levels!  Come by for a Chicago Style Steppin Dance Class by the Hartford City Steppers. Taught by experienced instructors Princeton Hayes and Jannett Jennings.  This is a partnered dance class, but all are welcome to come as invdividuals, a couple, or a group.

Faces & Places Collage Workshop with Master Artist Andres Chaparro

Register now for Hartford Public Library’s new collage workshop “Faces & Places,” led by community artist Andres Chaparro. Workshops will take place at the Albany Branch on Tuesdays from June 12 – July 17, 2018, 10:00 a.m. – noon. The workshop series will celebrate Hartford history and Hartford artists past and present, using reproductions of materials from the library’s Hartford History Center collection. All workshop supplies and materials will be provided. 

Andres Chaparro is a mixed media painter and collagist whose bold and expressive art captures the essence of jazz music. 

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED - Space is limited! Classes are progressive - please plan on attending all 6 workshops. Contact Sarah to register: spelletier@hplct.org; 860-695-6377. 

Workshops are part of the HPL series "Lifelong Learning for Older Adults: Classes in the Arts at Hartford Public Library." Classes are designed for adults ages 55+. Funding made possible through the generous support of the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee.

ArtWalk Artist Talk: Linguistics Beheld, Adam Viens
with Gil Scullion

Tuesday, June 12, 5:30pm
ArtWalk Gallery, 3rd Floor, Downtown Library

Show runs: May 18–June 29, 2018

Learn more about Adam Viens' ArtWalk show, “Linguistics Beheld,” as he discusses it with Gil Scullion. 

Special thanks to the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation for its support of our 2017-2018 ArtWalk season.

Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America 

Thursday June 14^th, 5-7PM
Center for Contemporary Culture, Downtown Library

Join us for a screening and panel discussion of Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America, a documentary that explores how access to technology can provide opportunities for learning and help level the playing field for underserved communities. The one-hour film focuses on digital inequalities in public school classrooms, by examining the challenges of providing connectivity, technology, and computer learning in public schools (Grades 6-12), as well as the transformative potential of fully equipping all students for the digital world. 

Welcome by Michelle Seagull, Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection. Featuring panelists Jay Williams from Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, a Hartford Public School student, and Elin Katz, from the Office of Consumer Counsel. Moderated by Hartford Public Library CEO, Bridget Quinn-Carey.  Light refreshments will be served

Sponsored by the Hartford Public Library, the Department of Consumer Protection, and the Office of Consumer Counsel.

The Author's Table with Siobhan Cefarelli

Visit the Author's Table to meet Siobhan Cefarelli. Her first book, My Path to Emotional Freedom, has been called “a practical guide for anyone at a crossroad in their life."

She will have books available to sign and sell.

African American Literature Book Club

June 5th - Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
July - No meeting because of 4th of July
August 7th - The  Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

The AAL Book Club is for anyone interested in reading and discussing African American literature, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as sharing information and learning about the African American experience.  It is an opportunity for us to get to know each other while we engage in lively and stimulating discussion of topics of interest to us all.

Please RSVP to Carolyn Korber at cjkorber@gmail.com.

UConn Writing Center

Room 23, Ground Floor
Noon to 4 pm
Every Saturday

The Hartford UConn Writing Center is available to writers of any skill level working on any kind of project.  Visitors will receive an hour of one-on-one discussion about their project, their goals, and how their current material fits those plans. We are consultants who want to offer our experience as writers and readers to any who would like guidance, support, technical assistance, or anything else to do with growing as a writer. 

(No sessions on Saturday, February 17.)

Our Advisors:

Brianna McNish is a third-year Honors student at the University of Connecticut studying English with concentrations in Creative Writing and Teaching English. She is currently the fiction editor at Long River Review.
Jacob Horn is an Assistant Professor of English in Residence at the University of Connecticut. He has taught classes on academic writing and worked as a coordinator for creative writing groups and writers.

Poets on Poetry Series

The Connecticut Poetry Society's monthly poetry book discussion is free and open to the public.
For further information, visit www.ctpoetry.net.
To nominate a poet for discussion or volunteer to moderate, contact:
Christine Beck
christinebeck90@gmail.com
860-655-3263

Upcoming dates for 2018:

May 26, 2018: Gerard Manley Hopkins.  Poet Rennie McQuilken will moderate.

June 30, 2018: Billy Collins. Poet Maria Sassi will moderate.

Breaking Barriers

February 27 - through May 2018
HARTFORD HISTORY CENTER

Enjoy a selection of images and quotes of African American leaders and changemakers who've made a difference across America. Content was curated by the Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library from Aetna's recent publication Breaking Barriers: Celebrating 35 years of the Aetna African American History Calendar. Books are also on display at each Hartford Public Library branch.

Historical Hartford Views

DOWNTOWN 3RD FLOOR
on display through May 2018

“Historical Hartford Views” are acrylic landscapes painted by Hartford artist TR Colletta in 1980. Paintings were purchased by Howard Fromson and hung in his Rockville, CT company Anocoil. Presstek LLC purchased Anocoil in 2016 and donated the paintings to Hartford Public Library in the fall of 2017 under the guidance of Howard and Sandy Fromson.

Painting: State Street, Hartford 1920. 

The Poster As Art

DOWNTOWN 3RD FLOOR
on display through May 2018

Posters and broadsides, held in the Hartford History Center’s permanent collection, date from mid-18th century to present day and are a vibrant expression of Hartford’s community life.  The diverse range of selected events on exhibit took place in Hartford, 1969 – 2017.