Library Happenings

February Highlights 

Sewing for Beginners

North
Feb 3 & 10

11am

All Ages Art Café: Make Art with Newly Discovered Shapes!

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, February 3

3pm

Chinese Brush Painting

West
Monday, February 5
(on an auspicious day!)

1pm

Cooking Demo + History lesson with Chef Ball, aka "Mr. Gumbo"

North
Tuesday, February 6

6pm

Art Talk: Contemporary photographers Vik Muniz, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Zanele Muholi

West
Wednesday, February 7

1pm

Nigerian Afrobeats & Afrohouse Dance Party for Kids

West
Saturday, February 10

1:30pm

Author Event + Saxophone Concert

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, February 10

3pm

Lewis Watts, co-author of Harlem of the West: the San Francisco Jazz Era, is an American photographer, archivist curator, art historian, author, lecturer, and educator who has collections at the SF MOMA.

Leon Williams is a Berkeley resident who toured the world performing with Gil Scott-Heron for 20 years and has performed with such luminaries as Kenny Burrell, David Hardiman, John Handy, Akira Tana, Larry Hancock and Arlington Houston.

Darwin Day Conversation: Prehistoric Extinction Events & Natural Catastrophes that have Shaped Life on Earth

West
Monday, February 12

4pm

Reading + Q&A with Poet Maureen Hurley

Claremont
Saturday, February 17

2pm

Cannabis 101: History & Current Uses

North
Wednesday, February 21

6:30pm

Lunar New Year Celebration

Central
Saturday, February 17
2-5pm

The celebration includes Bilingual Mandarin Storytime, Chinese dance, Lion Dancers, Concerts, Crafts and a vendor fair with authors and artists!

African Drumming, Songs, Dancing & Stories for All Ages

North
Saturday, February 24
11am

Storytelling for Black History Month for Ages 5-8

West
Saturday, February 24
1:30pm

Lecture: All Your Favorite Music is (Probably) Black

Central
Saturday, February 24
2pm

Soul Soup: Call & Response Songs, Spirituals, Drumming and More with Amber Hines

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Saturday, February 24
4pm

Author Visit: "Let's Chat All About Community"

Virtual Program
Tuesday, February 27
9:30am

Middle grade author of Not An Easy Win, Chrystal D. Giles, will talk about her writing journey, her inspiration for writing about social justice, and youth activism followed by a Q&A.

Writing Workshop for Adults & Teens with Jamey Williams, "the Nicest Poet in the Country"

West 
Wednesday, February 28

5pm

Author Visit + Children's Craft with Nana Ekua Brew Hammond

Central
Wednesday, February 28

3:30pm

Discover the surprising ways the color blue was made in places as far away as Egypt and closer to home, in South Carolina. The author of the NAACP Image Award nominated picture book Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky will lead a dyemaking exercise.

Jazz Concert: Michael Marcus Quartet (clarinet, piano, bass, drums) and Special Guest Saxophonist Noel Jewkes

Tarea Hall Pittman South
Thursday, February 29

6pm

This concert is sponsored by the Jazz Foundation of America. 

There are many more programs happening at all five of our libraries and online:

The Friends are having a big sale!

The Friends of the Berkeley Public Library generously provides funding for many library programs and they are having a big MUSIC sale all month long at their Channing book store. All items are $1.50 or less!

Some highlights:

• Organ, art song, choral, piano scores

• Music history and performance practice books for both general readers and specialists

• Children's instructional books

Kindness Campaign

Last month we kicked off our year-long Kindness in the Library campaign with programs and collections centering kindness.

This month, we are partnering with the Alameda Food Bank to collect food donations in our libraries. The Food Bank receives lots of donation during November and December but very much needs donations at this time of year, too!

The next time you swing by a branch, if you can, please bring some new, packaged food donations too. 

Inaugural Youth Poet Laureates have been selected!

The first ever Berkeley youth poet laureate program has commenced! Learn about the process, read the submissions and learn about Berkeley's inaugural poet and vice poet laureates:

Collections Update:
Learn American Sign Language for free with the Mango app + your Library Card

Working together to make a great public library extraordinary...

Thank you Foundation & Friends!

All Libraries are closed on Monday, February 19th for President's Day. Stream movies, read e-Books & magazines, listen to e-Audiobooks and music 24/7 at berkeleypubliclibrary.org.

For more event info,
book recommendations and other fun things...

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