African American Literature Book Club

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
Saturdays February 23, March 2, 9, 16, 30, April 6, 13, 20, 27, May 4

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. 

You can sign up for a session at the UConn Hartford Library desk on the main floor of Downtown HPL. Walk-ins are also accepted.

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.

Toastmasters

Do you need help speaking in public?

Toastmasters International can teach you to give a speech that is organized, has vocal variety and is inspirational.  By regularly giving speeches, gaining feedback, leading teams and guiding others to achieve their goals in a supportive atmosphere, leaders emerge from the Toastmasters program. Every Toastmasters journey begins with a single speech. During their journey, they learn to tell their stories. They listen and answer. They plan and lead. They give feedback—and accept it. Through our community of learners, they find their path to leadership.

No registration necessary

ArtWalk at Hartford Public Library offers one of the largest and most stunning exhibition spaces in greater Hartford and the opportunity for Hartford residents and others to view art in a magnificent setting in our city.

40 Years of the CPA Prison Arts Program
Community Partners in Action

March 15 - April 28, 2019

Opening Reception:
Friday, March 15, 5:30 p.m.

40 Years of the CPA Prison Arts Program is comprised of drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs, documents and artifacts from the CPA’s Permanent Collection that vividly illustrate the work and history of this important project.

For the past four decades, the Prison Arts Program has advocated for art and artists in prison, organized in-prison workshops and an annual show open to anyone incarcerated in Connecticut, maintained a travelling permanent collection, published and distributed a journal of art and writing, and collaborated with other organizations, agencies and individuals. The program works to positively and constructively change the prison environment while encouraging empathy, self discipline, work ethic, self esteem, technical and communication skill development, thoughtfulness, critical thinking and calm. 

Special thanks to Bank of America for its support of the 2018-2019 ArtWalk season.

Photo Gallery: Around The World

On Display through June
X-Room, 1st floor, Downtown Library

Visit Hartford photographer Viviane Grady's exhibit "Around the World," featuring 27 framed photos from around the world including photos from Morocco, Tibet and Rome. On display this Spring. Viviane Grady is a Montreal native, who has been living in Hartford  for the last nineteen years since her return from South East Asia, where she spent eight years.

States of Incarceration:
A National Dialogue of Local Histories

March 11 - April 18, 2019
Atrium

Opening Reception:
Thursday, March 28, 5:30 p.m.

In partnership with the University of Connecticut, the Hartford Public Library will be hosting a national exhibition produced by the Humanities Action Lab at The New School, called “States of Incarceration.” The interactive exhibition explores the national dialogue on the history and experience of the prison system through a compilation of local stories. The Connecticut component focuses on research conducted by UConn students on the history of the colony of Connecticut’s first prison, Old Newgate Prison and Copper Mine, which was originally a mine starting in 1705 and turned into a prison in 1773. In 1790, Old Newgate became the nation’s first state prison. Inmates were required to mine and confined underground the rest of the time, subjecting them to life-threatening conditions.

Hartford Women in Business /
Business & Professional Women's Club of Hartford
Exhibitions

Through April 2019

In honor of Women's History Month, an exhibition will be on display featuring materials from our Women’s Professional & Business Club collection and portraits and stories of 5 contemporary Hartford women in business.

Azua Echevarria, 2018
photo by Allison Kyff