Events Calendar

Join artist Amy Mietzel for hands-on art activities inspired by picture books! We'll start by doing a read-aloud of the book - then create art using unique materials and fun supplies. Additional books that fit the theme will also be available for caregivers and youth to read together and check-out. For ages 2-5. Siblings & groups welcome. 

September – What did you do today? – Watercolor & Crayon Resist

October – Let’s Play Monsters– Drawing 

November – The Blue Table – Sculpture 

December – Grumpy Pants – Mixed Media

READ and PLAY together with children ages 5 and under! Engaging with books, songs and playful experiences all help children develop communication skills, patience, empathy, and pre-reading skills. It also helps to build a lifelong love of reading. Library programs are always free. Siblings and childcare groups are welcome.

Find help navigating application processes and filling out forms required for housing, immigration, food, health, and other community support services.

In partnership with the City of Madison and Madison Public Library, the African Center for Community Development provides in-person assistance. Examples include: 

• Disability
• Employment
• Housing
• Passport
• Social security
• Unemployment
• WIC

For questions about the program or to schedule an appointment, please call the African Center at 608-957-5623 or 608-294-0066.

*Neither The African Center for Community Development nor Madison Public Library can provide legal assistance or advice.  We cannot fill out applications on your behalf or assess program eligibility.
 

If you've ever wondered if yoga was right for you, join Instructor Sarah Dimick of Zen Ed at on Thursdays from 11:30a.m.-12:15p.m. at Alicia Ashman library in this safe and accessible yoga for all ages and all bodies. Attend one or attend them all; no experience needed. Poses are done on the chair or while standing, so no need to get on the ground. Chair yoga is a great way to relieve stress, soothe sore muscles, and find greater ease of movement.

Dates: 9/12, 9/19, 10/10, 10/24, 11/07, 11/21, 12/05, 12/19 

Space is limited and registration is required. Registration for ALL chair yoga sessions will open on August 29 at 10:00AM.

About the presenter

Sarah Dimick is a licensed school psychologist and certified children's, adult, and senior yoga instructor, with extensive experience leading various levels of movement classes. She is also co-owner of Zen Ed, a women-owned wellness and education business.

Read the book and join the discussion of "Black Cake" by Charmaine Wilkerson. New members always welcome!

"We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?

In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves.

Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?" -- Amazon.com

Days of Heaven

Directed by Terrance Malick.  Performances by Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda Manz, Robert J. Wilke.  Paramount PIctures, 1978.  94 minutes.  Rated PG.  Drama / Romance.

In the mid-1910s, a Chicago steelworker (Richard Gere) accidentally kills his supervisor, and flees with his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) and his little sister (Linda Manz) to the Texas panhandle, where they find work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer (Sam Shepard). A love triangle, a swarm of locusts, a hellish fire—Malick captures it all with dreamlike authenticity, creating a timeless American idyll that is also a gritty evocation of turn-of-the-century labor.

Visit the Dream Bus to browse books and other library materials, place or pick up holds, and sign up for a library card.

Learn more at dreambus.org

Register online by September 30th for this FREE Dane County Aging & Disability Resource Center series.

This is a 6-week course for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's Disease or related dementias.  Please plan to attend all 6 sessions.

This course will cover:

• Strategies to manage activities of daily living
• Skills to assess your loved one and how to adjust your approach to care
• Understanding of the different types of dementia and how decline in cognition affects behavior
• Ability to manage emotions and feelings of caregiving
• Decision-making skills and confidence-building to achieve caregiving goals

The River Food Pantry's Munch Truck will be stopping outside Hawthorne on Thursdays from 3:55PM - 4:15PM.

About River Food Pantry & Munch Truck

Launched in 2016, Munch(link is external) is our mobile meals program that delivers free healthy meals to children and adults in over a dozen low-income neighborhoods throughout Madison. Each meal contains a sandwich or main menu item, a fruit or vegetable, a grain, a treat, and a drink. Everyone is welcome to take home a free meal. No registration or ID is required.

Neighborhoods served by Munch have large populations of children eligible for free school lunch. To bridge the gap that exists when school lunch is not available, Munch operates up to 6 days per week, Monday–Saturday, any time school cafeterias are closed (including breaks and periods of remote learning).

For any questions or comments, please contact the Munch staff at munch@riverfoodpantry.org(link sends e-mail) or (608) 661-1223.

Play Minecraft in both creative and survival worlds! Ability to fully use both a computer keyboard and a computer mouse required. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

It Takes A Village After-School Enrichment sessions are created in an effort to promote community, and a safe place for youth patrons between 12 and 18 years old. We will supply various gaming activities board games and electronic games also VR gaming

Visit the Dream Bus to browse books and other library materials, place or pick up holds, and sign up for a library card.

Learn more at dreambus.org

Visit the Dream Bus to browse books and other library materials, place or pick up holds, and sign up for a library card.

Learn more at dreambus.org

Navigate this new world as Season2 comes to a close and second threat looms over the horizon will our heroes be brave enough to stop what comes? Will they be wise enough to solve the mystery? How many fart jokes can I squeak in?? Find out in A Ballad of Interesting Events. This campaign is geared towards middle and high school age youth and takes place on Thurday evenings at Meadowridge Library. 

Gathers most Thursday evenings! Middle and high school students can meet other aspiring authors, bounce ideas off one another, share their stories, and feel the creativity flow! Writing club is led by local author Carole Madrzak.

Put your own artwork on your favorite clothes! Bring your own denim jeans, shirt or jacket, or heavy cotton canvas tote bag or fanny pack (*please note we will not have clothing for you to embellish, you need to bring your own). Stenciling on fabric is a simple way to embellish an article of clothing or accessory! We will use special textile paints that are both washable and permanent. No prior experience with art or drawing skills are needed. Be prepared to get messy as paint and/or ink will be used during this workshop.

Both textile stenciling workshops are the same content and are in high demand; please select one session date.  This 2-hour workshop is ideal for older teens 16+ and adults.  Space is limited and registration is required, opens on Sept. 26, 2024. If full, call Pinney Library information desk at 608-224-7100 to be placed on a short waiting list in case of cancellations.

bernie & zuzu is named for Bernie Witzack (she/her, a human) who is the creative force behind bernie & zuzu, and the extraordinary zuzu (a cat) who takes care of the business side of things. At bernie & zuzu, we create handmade, hand-painted, and screen-printed goods in small batches. We specialize in unique, one-of-a-kind art, home goods, accessories and prints with an emphasis on bright, bold color and playful shapes. bernie & zuzu is run out of a studio in the Madison Enterprise Center and we screen print at Polka Press, Madison’s local printmaking collective. We hope our artwork and goods inspire tiny moments of beauty, wonder and joy. 

Bernie studied Studio Art at Beloit College and has been making and exhibiting her art ever since. She earned an MFA in Fine Art & Design from the University of Michigan in 2013, focusing on improvisational drawing and painting. She then went on to study graphic design at Madison College, falling in love with screen printing along the way. She was working full time as a graphic designer and pursuing her art on the side when the pandemic hit in spring 2020. She left the design field in spring 2021 to focus on her art full time, launching bernie & zuzu in fall of 2021.

You can find bernie & zuzu’s goods at the Dane County Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings from April-October, at Little Luxuries, Hatch Art House, and Communication Madison. They also vend at local art markets such as The Eastside Winter Market, Femmestival, The Crafty Fair and the Madison Maker Markets. bernie & zuzu have an online shop at www.bernieandzuzu.com

Join Chef Paul to explore the unlimited choices of plant-based meals.

Limited space; registration is required. Registration opens two weeks prior to the program date. Click the sign-up button below or contact Lakeview Library at (608) 246-4547 to register.

Presented in partnership with Willy Street Co-Op.

About the Presenter

Paul grew up in Taiwan surrounded by fresh hanging foods in the market, but he didn’t have an appreciation for Taiwanese or Chinese ingredients until attending culinary school in Chicago where he developed a love for cooking. After serving in many kitchens over the years, he wanted to share the skills he learned with others which led him to teach. He says about teaching, "Cooking and sharing what I have learned is my passion. Teaching a cooking class gives me a chance to share my knowledge about the differences and uniquenesses of foods that people overlook. I want to show people how to be respectful, creative, and economical about food. To feel delighted when they learn an easy cooking technique using just a couple of simple fresh ingredients. The food is the real star, we are just the facilitators."