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

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.
 

Sweet Dreams

Directed by Lije Sarki.  Performances by  Johnny Knoxville, Bobby Lee, Kate Upton, Jay Mohr, Brian Van Holt. Paramount Pictures, 2024.  Rated R.  99 minutes.  Comedy / Drama

Johnny Knoxville, Mo Amer, Theo Von and Kate Upton unite in this wild and off-the-wall journey of second chances from the producer of The Peanut Butter Falcon. Forced into rehab at SWEET DREAMS recovery center, Morris (Knoxville) struggles to confront the wreckage of his life. But when their house goes up for auction, he reluctantly agrees to coach their misfit softball team of recovering addicts to win a cash prize and prove that everyone, despite their past, can hit a home run.

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

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.

Kids are invited to join us for a fun STEM program focusing on robotics and coding. This week we will be coding with Scratch!

Kids of all ages are welcome to join, but kids ages 7 and under will require the assistance of an adult. No registration required.

The Teacher Studio is a learning community made up of educators interested in hands-on, making, tinkering, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math)-based learning experiences. Each month, participants will make something together and share ideas for supporting maker-based learning experiences with their learners. The Teacher Studio is made up of school-based and out-of-school-based educators from a variety of content areas, grade levels, and experience levels with making.

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.

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

Young people, ages 6-17 years old, are invited to cook with Chef Lily at Hawthorne Library! Participants will prepare and enjoy a wide variety of recipes, while learning about meal planning, following recipes, and using kitchen gadgets and tools.

Goodman South Madison is excited to continue our Dungeons & Dragons programming for youth. This is a drop in Dungeons and Dragons program for kids of all ages (kids ages 7 and under will need the assistance of an adult). Pre-developed character sheets, dice, and players manuals will be provided. Stop in for a short adventure and to learn how to play!

About D&D: Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game that allows each player to create their own character to play. These characters embark upon imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting. A Dungeon Master (DM) serves as the game's referee and storyteller, while maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur.

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

Join us for a mystery book group discussion of "The Bangalore Detectives Club" by Harini Nagendra. Books are available at the library. New members always welcome!

"When clever, headstrong Kaveri moves to Bangalore to marry handsome young doctor Ramu, she's resigned herself to a quiet life.

But that all changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she escapes to the garden for some peace and quiet—and instead spots an uninvited guest in the shadows. Half an hour later, the party turns into a murder scene.

When a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime, Kaveri becomes determined to save her and launches a private investigation to find the killer, tracing his steps from an illustrious brothel to an Englishman's mansion. She soon finds that sleuthing in a sari isn't as hard as it seems when you have a talent for mathematics, a head for logic, and a doctor for a husband . . .

And she's going to need them all as the case leads her deeper into a hotbed of danger, sedition, and intrigue in Bangalore's darkest alleyways." -- Amazon.com

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. 

Join us every third Thursday, 6-8:45pm to play board games! Starting in January, we'll meet the 1st and 3rd Thursdays!

There will be a mix of longer-play games (Settlers of Catan, Betrayal at House on the Hill, etc) and some shorter games (Code Names, Exploding Kittens, Yahtzee, and more!)

Snacks will be provided, no registration needed!

Join Juliet King of Hijinx Mixed Media to make your own one-of-a-kind collage masterpiece. In this workshop, participants will explore various printed materials provided. Hand-drawn illustrations can be added to the piece for a personal touch. In this exercise of gratitude, participants are encouraged to reflect on what they are most thankful for as they scavenge for imagery and text, cut out shapes, create illustrations, write poetry, and paste pieces onto their paper. Experienced artist Juliet King will guide and instruct with helpful tips on composition and technique. 

Some things to consider when collage-making:

• Composition: balance, movement, focal points, contrast, scale, patterns
• Preserving limited resources of upcycled print materials
• Complexity of shapes to be cut and pasted
• Hand-drawn embellishments to unify the piece

Materials will be provided for this workshop, and participants can bring their own print materials and publications such as books, magazines, or advertisements (remember that these publications will be cut up).

Finished collages can be art for decoration, daily affirmations and gratitude reminders, a gift to a loved one, or just an exercise focused on the process of art-making. Since elements are foraged from pre-made print material, the process of collage-making is flexible depending on what can be found and how those pieces fit together within the composition.

This 2-hour workshop is ideal for beginner to advanced crafters who are comfortable with limited instruction and is open to ages 16+. Registration is required. Both November workshops are the same content; please select just one to register for. Registration opens 2 weeks in advance (Nov. 7, 2024).

About the instructor:

Juliet (she/they) founded Hijinx Mixed Media as a way to spread joy and laughter through art. Using humor, my art aims to accessibly explore difficult topics like humanity's impact on the planet, loneliness and community, or reminders of death (memento mori). Navigating the world as a mixed race queer artist, I hope to encourage community, solidarity, and resistance. Learn more about Juliet's art at hijinxmixedmedia.com / IG & TikTok @hijinx.mixed

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.