Wellness is not just about physical health; it’s also about having a healthy mind and relationships. Madison Public Library can help you stay informed through our free resources and help you reach your wellness goals through our workshops by the community, for the community.
Want to stay in the know about future wellness events at your library? Sign up for the Live Well @ Your Library Insider email newsletter.
Thurber Parks' Artist-in-Residence Jennifer Bastian
Join Thurber Parks' Artist-in-Residence, Jennifer Bastian on a journey of processing grief through community art during weekly drop-ins sessions on Wednesdays from 12-2PM at Thurber Park (3325 Thurber Ave.)
"There is a lot of grief in our world right now. For some it is delayed processing of loss due to the ongoing Covid pandemic and ramp-up back to “normal,” for others it is due to income inequality or racial inequity in a segregated city, others are impacted by the reality of multiple concurrent genocides around the world. I believe we need space to slow down and process our grief. Art can help us access the emotions our daily lives do not leave room for." explains Jennifer
Programs will take place through Fall 2026 and will include sewing circles, grief-themed sewing workshops, opportunities to collaborate on larger community projects and more.
No Open Studio: 12/25/24, 01/01/25 and 01/08/2025
Announcing the new LGBTQ+ Wellness Guide
Each year Madison Public Library celebrates Pride month in June with events, books, resources and more. However, we also have LGBTQ+ events happening year-round. This year we're especially excited to debut an ongoing resource, a new 2024 edition of the Madison Public Library LGBTQ+ Wellness Guide!
Madison Public Library welcomes and supports the LGBTQ+ community and understands that the fight for LGBTQ+ equity in America is far from over, especially for transgender people and queer people of color. Included in this guide are mental health providers, transition and sexual health resources, support groups, hotlines, and more. We hope this guide informs and empowers you to find the community and support that you need.
We're in the process of getting the guide printed and out in all of our libraries, as well as clinics around the city. Keep an eye on our website at madpl.org/lgbtqwellness to see the list of clinics the guide will be available at as well as a link to download a digital copy.
Wellness At Home: Make Your Own Gratitude Journal
The practice of daily gratitude is perfect for the cold, winter months. While you're reflecting on the previous year or gearing up for the new one, take a little time out to make your own gratitude journal! Artist Angela Johnson created this helpful kit so that you can design your journal using watercolor techniques and common materials found around the house. Each kit also includes 30 journal prompts to guide your gratitude practice. Download the instructions by clicking the images below and get started today!
This kit is intended for older adults as part of the Live Well @ Your Library Senior Initiative.
KIT Components
Wellness Books
A few highlights of new and newer wellness books available at your library.
After losing her vet tech job due to the coronavirus pandemic, Shilletha Curtis decided to confront the roots of her childhood traumas. Growing up, Curtis suffered from a fractured family life, bullying at school, indifferent teachers, and abuse from people she trusted. Then she discovered the Appalachian Trail, which she successfully hiked in 2021. It took her eight months and four seasons to hike through 14 states, even more impressive given her lifelong struggle with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD. Pack Light follows her journey changing the narrative of Hiking While Black--because the Great Outdoors belongs to everyone.
Deepen your relationship with the natural world through thoughtful essays and 75 delightfully inventive recipes that feature seasonal ingredients, plus techniques for foraging, preserving, and cooking over an open fire. At a time when we urgently need to connect with the Earth, Rooted Kitchen offers a fresh way to appreciate nature and the treasures it provides. Chef and author Ashley Rodriguez introduces readers to the basics of foraging, why it's important, how easy it can be, and offers tips for harvesting ingredients from mushrooms to nettles to edible flowers, and more.
Many are asked to perform exhausting, draining work at no extra cost. In this groundbreaking, journalistic deep dive, Rose Hackman traces the history of the term and exposes common manifestations of the phenomenon. She describes the many ways women and girls are forced to edit the expressions of their emotions to accommodate and elevate the emotions of others. But Hackman doesn't simply diagnose a problem-she empowers us to combat patriarchy and forge pathways for radical evolution, justice, and change.
This title is also available as an e-audiobook
Artisans by Design presents intimate stories of more than 20 artisans (intertwined with the author's story), detailing how their education brought them personal fulfillment, increased social and economic status, and an understanding of sustainability.
Upcoming Author Visit! Artisans by Design Book Panel November 15, 7-8pm (doors open at 6:30) | Central Library
Join us for a panel discussion with author Judy Frater and Adil Khatri and Pachan Siju, two textile artists who attended the school in her book. Artisans by Design tells the story of creating the first design school for artisans in India. The book spans 50 years, and shares vignettes of artisans who are living out sustainability as cultural heritage. You’ll enjoy a lively, illustrated talk, followed by a trunk show featuring textiles designed and created by graduates of the design education program. Copies of Artisans by Design will be available for purchase from A Room of One’s Own bookstore. This talk is recommended for adults. No registration required. Presented as part of the Madison Public Library Care & Repair Series, and made possible by Beyond the Page, an endowment that funds free humanities programs at Dane County libraries both individually and collectively.
