Events Calendar

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

Join Kim for a chair yoga and gentle movement class focusing on range of motion, breathing, and balance. Movements will be performed either sitting in a chair or standing.

Chair yoga is accessible to anyone of any age or ability. The practice begins with quiet stillness, focusing on breathing to increase respiratory function. Gentle movement while seated can increase range of motion and flexibility in all joints of the body and reduce arthritis pain. Standing postures are intended to strengthen muscles and bone, improve balance and decrease fear by gaining body awareness. In addition to the physical benefits, chair yoga can also calm the mind, reduce stress, and enhance compassion for ourselves and others, therefore enhancing quality of life! 

Space is limited for this program; registration is required. To register please use the link below or call Lakeview Library at 608-246-4547. Registration opens two weeks prior to program date.

Presented in partnership with NewBridge.

About the presenter

Kim Sprecher is a registered yoga teacher with over seven years of experience in helping older adults improve their quality of life. 

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.
 

Join us to READ and Play together. When children engage with books, songs, and play, they develop communication skills, patience, empathy, and pre-reading skills which helps to build a lifelong love of reading. 

This program is geared toward children under age 5. All older and younger siblings as well as childcare groups are welcome to join.

Library programs are always free.

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

The River Food Pantry's Munch Truck will be stopping outside Goodman South on Mondays from 3:15PM - 3:35PM.

About River Food Pantry & Munch Truck

Launched in 2016, Munch 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 or (608) 661-1223.

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

Chess meets the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month from 4-5:45 p.m. Come and learn chess basics in the library with a 30 minute introduction of the game and then play a friendly game of chess with an opponent. Lessons start promptly at 4 p.m., followed by an open game at 4:30 p.m. Chess club is open to all ages and skill levels. No Chess 1/1, 1/15, 9/2.

Masks are not required but recommended.

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 memoir writing coach Sarah White for this FREE read-and-share event. Sign up on arrival to read on a first-come, first-served basis, and receive group feedback from like-minded people. Readings should be about 5-7 minutes long, true, and yours to tell.  Listeners welcome as well as readers.

When: First Monday of every month (except holidays) from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. 

Where: Join us in person at the Pinney Library Community Room, 516 Cottage Grove Rd.

Free. No advance registration required. Food and beverages are welcome!

Contact Sarah White if you have questions: sarah.white@firstpersonprod.com or 608-347-7329.

The 2024 First Monday, First Person series is funded by a generous gift from Miriam Simmons to the Madison Public Library Foundation.

Are you struggling to carve out time to write that novel, screenplay, or other work of fiction you've always been meaning to write? Are you battling writer's block? Are you looking for people to read what you've written and provide feedback? Try Pen Pals, an all-experience-levels-welcome group for fiction writers and fiction writer hopefuls!

Once a week, bring in a laptop or notebook and surround yourself with other writers striving toward similar goals. The first hour will be dedicated to organizing feedback-swaps, discussing our projects, and collectively brainstorming solutions to story problems. The remaining hour is just for writing! Pen Pals is captained by local fanfiction author Linea Kemsley, who will provide baked goods and warm beverages every week to help promote that perfect cozy writing atmosphere.