Events Calendar

Growing Voices Music Class is an interactive class for caregivers and their children, birth-5, to play, learn, and bond with music. In our classes we sing, play instruments, dance, and have fun together!

*Note: this event takes place at the Lussier Community Education Center -- 55 S. Gammon Rd*

Do your cooped-up kids need a warm, free place to run and be loud? Come experience Anji Play! In this weekly award-winning program, kids lead the play while adults step back and observe with deep curiosity.  This educational approach rooted in True Play was created in Anji County in China. Madison Public Library is a pioneer in developing a library-based Anji Play model. Open to all ages. No registration required. 

Read and play with your favorite baby or toddler! 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.

Storytime for the Very Young is intended for children ages 0 to 3 years old.

READ and PLAY with your favorite baby, ages birth to 17 months! Reading, singing, talking, and playing with your baby from the beginning is important because the roots of language are developing in a baby’s brain even before they can talk! Library programs are always free. Siblings and childcare groups are welcome.

Come on in and share tips or get advice! Please bring your own supplies. All skill levels welcome.

The Madison Writing Assistance (MWA) program offers free, one-to-one writing support for community members at library branches throughout the city. Our friendly, experienced writing coaches are happy to help with writing projects across a wide range of genres, including resumes, cover letters, application essays, grant proposals, fiction writing, memoirs, and more.

Schedule an appointment online with the link below, by phone, or in person.

MWA services are made possible through generous donations from the Evjue Foundation and UW Anonymous Fund, along with administrative and program support from the UW-Madison English Department, the UW-Madison Writing Center, and our Library and neighborhood center partners.

In partnership with the City of Madison and Madison Public Library, the African Center for Community Development provides in-person assistance* to help offset housing costs by assisting residents with applications for services, jobs, and other financial benefits.

We provide help for people navigating application processes and filling out forms required for housing, immigration, food, health, and other community support services. For questions about the program, please call 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 are not able to fill out applications on your behalf, or assess program eligibility. 

The Madison Writing Assistance (MWA) program offers free, one-to-one writing support for community members at library branches throughout the city. Our friendly, experienced writing coaches are happy to help with writing projects across a wide range of genres, including resumes, cover letters, application essays, grant proposals, fiction writing, memoirs, and more.

Schedule an appointment online with the link below, by phone, or in person.

MWA services are made possible through generous donations from the Evjue Foundation and UW Anonymous Fund, along with administrative and program support from the UW-Madison English Department, the UW-Madison Writing Center, and our Library and neighborhood center partners.

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 Madison Writing Assistance (MWA) program offers free, one-to-one writing support for community members at library branches throughout the city. Our friendly, experienced writing coaches are happy to help with writing projects across a wide range of genres, including resumes, cover letters, application essays, grant proposals, fiction writing, memoirs, and more.

Schedule an appointment online with the link below, by phone, or in person.

MWA services are made possible through generous donations from the Evjue Foundation and UW Anonymous Fund, along with administrative and program support from the UW-Madison English Department, the UW-Madison Writing Center, and our Library and neighborhood center partners.

The River Food Pantry's Munch Truck will be stopping outside Hawthorne on Tuesdays from 3:55PM - 4:25PM.

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.

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

Elementary school students and senior citizens are invited to create side-by-side in this afternoon art class taught by artist Christina T. For the months of February and March, we'll explore all of the possibilities of making with papers of all kinds. Will you fold it carefully or tear it with abandon? Will you use glue or find other ways to attach pieces together? Will you create something 2D or 3D? Try out new techniques each week and be inspired by each other! No registration required.

For school-aged kids who know the basic moves of chess and want to practice their skills. Sessions begin with a 30 minute strategy or tactics lesson, followed by open game time. Come on in to play against other opponents your age!

Sequoya Library chess clubs are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month (except for election days).

See all Sequoya chess dates

Join The Kids Chef, Lily Kilfoy, for a series of cooking classes for school-age kids, tweens, and their families. Participants will learn about different foods, where they come from, how to follow recipes, and how to use a variety of tools.  Registration is not required, but participation will be limited to the first 25 attendees. 

Food generously provided by Willy St. Co-op North.

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

So, we’re gathering to make art as the world is on fire? Yes. 
Explore firsthand what it feels like to collaborate with an artist who has committed his decades-long art practice to centering our climate crisis and fostering community action and creation as a way to protect our future.

Join artist-in-residence, TetraPAKMAN and a community of like-minded individuals who believe art-making is not just a creative process, but an act of care and protection in these unstable times. Through tactile, hands-on engagement, you will get to add to meaningful projects that reflect a long-term vision for collective well-being. Participants will be invited to paint carbon emissions statistics on bedsheets and build onto layers of 4ft tall sculptures made of familiar household items. 

While we believe this work is most impactful in spaces with people of all ages, these workshops in particular will be designed for adults as well as youth ages (8+) who attend with an adult. Feel free to register for one session — or all three!

Come on in for a friendly game of chess with your neighbors. All ages welcome!

Sequoya Library chess clubs are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month (except for election days).

See all Sequoya chess dates

Cross stitch and needle arts have undergone a really cool revitalization and transformation over the past few years. With amazing patterns ranging from traditional-style samplers to Pokemon to fungi to robots and beyond, there's something for everyone in this slow art form. 

Come see how the craft might interest and benefit you - it's enjoyable, meditative, and fun. And at the end of a project you have something unique that you created yourself! Whether you're just beginning this journey or are an experienced stitcher, join us for inspiration, creative ideas, and community.