All Yours Just Ask
Join us for a find Day of the Dead craft – decorate a skull with paint, glitter, and other art supplies. | Children
Brightwood Branch
November 2 | 5-6:30 pm | Ages 6-14 – REGISTER HERE
Mason Square Branch
November 2 | 3:30-5 pm | Ages 6-14 – REGISTER HERE
Forest Park Branch
November 2 | 3:30-5 pm | Ages 6-14 – REGISTER HERE
Stop by the library to celebrate Day of the Dead! Decorate your skull with paint, glitter, and other art supplies either at the library or at home.
15 slots are available, so pre-register to be sure you get one.
As part of International Games Week, come Switch it Up at the library and Smash others in Super Smash Bros! | Teens
Indian Orchard Branch
Tuesday, November 9 | 3-4 pm | Teens
Brightwood Branch
Friday, November 12 | 3-4 pm | Teens
Come Switch it Up at the library and Smash others in Super Smash Brothers!
Part of International Games Week, play with others and enjoy a light snack. For teens 13-18.
Vengan y participen todos los miércoles del programa bilingue en Inglés y Español: Disfruten de cancioncitas, rimas, cuentos, y actividades manuales. | Children
Brightwood Branch
Wednesdays | 1:30-2:30 PM | Ages 1-5 – Starts October 6!
Come and join us every Wednesday for a bilingual story time in the English and Spanish languages: songs, rhymes, stories, and crafts. Make new friends and enjoy snacks. Ages 1-5.
Vengan y participen todos los miércoles del programa bilingue en Inglés y Español: Disfruten de cancioncitas, rimas, cuentos, y actividades manuales. Compartir con amiguitos y refrescos. Edades 1-5.
Join a master class with Springfield’s Poet Laureate, Magdalena Gómez, for an introduction to writing and performing poetry! | Teens and Adults
Mason Square Branch – For young women 14 to 19 years old
Saturdays, October 30 and November 6 | 1-3 pm
Brightwood Branch – For women 20 years old and up
Tuesday, November 16 and Thursday, November 18 | 6-8 pm
Mason Square Branch – Rehearsal for ALL participants
Saturday, November 20 | 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Mason Square Branch – Performance for ALL participants for the public
Saturday, December 4 | 1-2:30 pm
Join this master class with Springfield’s Poet Laureate, Magdalena Gómez, for an introduction to writing and performing poetry in ways that invite/excite/inspire!
Space is very limited in each of the cohorts with pre-registration required. Fill out the application form here.
PLEASE NOTE: A commitment to attend both sessions as well as participate in one four-hour rehearsal with participants from all three cohorts at the Mason Square Library on Saturday, November 20, and the big group performance on Saturday, December 4 are required.
Out/Spoken Words is for participants at ALL levels in their poetry writing and performance. Master Classes are usually for professionals in a particular field. This is a Master Class for anyone who truly loves poetry and/or spoken word and wants to share that passion with others.
Participants will be provided with tools and encouragement to conjure poems and voice for performance of their original writing. All we ask is your willingness to fully participate, and to bring a poem that matters to you to your first session, whether you wrote it or not. You will be expected to always arrive 15 minutes before start time; complete simple assignments; and commit to your sessions, the rehearsal and performance.
Space is limited – so be certain you want this! Only sign up if you will commit to the entire process, out of your kind consideration for others.
Please wear loose, comfortable clothing and soft soled shoes or sneakers; this class will be physically interactive. Cost is $5 for each participant for materials.
Magdalena Gómez was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. She studied English and Theater at Lehman College, and Spanish Literature at the University of Sevilla, Spain. She is the author of Shameless Woman (Red Sugarcane Press, 2014) and the co-editor of Bullying: Replies, Rebuttals, Confessions and Catharsis (Skyhorse Publishing, 2012). Her new book of lyrical narrative will be released by Heliotrope Books, NYC, in April 2022.
The recipient of the New England Public Radio Arts and Humanities Award, Gómez served as a member of the COVID-19 Cultural Impact Commission for the State of Massachusetts.
The Poet Laureate of Springfield, Massachusetts from 2019 to 2022, she received an Academy of American Poets Fellowship in 2021, with funds from The Mellon Foundation. Her website is http://www.latinapoet.com/
Springfield College professor and freelance visual artist Simone Alter-Muri presents on gun violence and how art therapy can aid healing. | Adults
ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Tuesday, October 26 | 6:30-7:45 pm | Adults
Please click to register in advance of the program.
Springfield College professor and freelance visual artist Simone Alter-Muri presents on gun violence and how art therapy can aid healing.
2020 was the deadliest gun violence year in decades (Washington Post, June 14, 2021). Hear how art therapy can promote healing in both individuals and in the community, and meet other local community member concerned about gun violence.
A question and answer will follow the presentation. For adults 18+.
This program is sponsored by the Springfield City Library, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and the Springfield Cultural Council. It is underwritten by the Springfield Cultural Council, a local agency that receives funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Robert Meeropol examines the controversial trial and execution of his parents, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. | Adults
ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Monday, October 25 | 6:30-7:30 pm | Adults
Join us for an informative program via Zoom examining the controversial 1953 trial and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
Our featured guest will be Attorney Robert Meeropol, the younger son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Robert and his brother Michael are demanding an official exoneration of his mother Ethel for espionage. They claim their mother was not a spy and her trial was a perversion of justice.
Attorney Meeropol strongly suggests that those interested in this program read Anne Sebba’s book Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy.
To join this Zoom program, please use this link.
Crafts and activities for kids in October at the library! | Children
September 1 – October 30
Paper bag puppets are a simple but super fun way to get creative. Take your puppet making to the next level with our deluxe kits! We’ll provide several bags plus a variety of clothes and accessories. You provide tape or glue and your amazing imagination. Be sure to put on puppet shows for family and friends!
At the following library locations: East Springfield Branch, Sixteen Acres Branch
September 15 – October 15
Stop by the Brightwood Branch Library to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Grab one of our activity bags to complete either at the library or at home. Supplies are limited and on a first come, first serve basis!
At the following library location: Brightwood Branch
October 1-16
Decorate a small Styrofoam pumpkin with the supplies we give you or better yet, add things from home! Send a photo to tlabroad@springfieldlibrary.org to be entered in a raffle to win a small prize.
At the following library location: East Springfield Branch
October 1-23
Stop by Mason Square for a bit of Autumn fun. We’ll have a different craft weekly to celebrate fall.
At the following library location: Mason Square Branch
October 1-31
Does your child like to create and would enjoy trying out Legos for the first time? Or are they a Lego expert who would like some new pieces? Stop by for a sampler bag of Lego bricks and get building!
At the following library location: Sixteen Acres Branch
October 4-9
With crayons, fresh leaves and paper make a colorful art masterpiece.
At the following library location: East Forest Park Branch
October 18-23
Booooo! Come create your own ghastly ghost. Frightfully fun family craft.
At the following library locations: East Forest Park Branch, East Springfield Branch
October 25-30
Rattle on down to the library and create a silly skeleton!
At the following library locations: Brightwood Branch, East Forest Park Branch, East Springfield Branch, Forest Park Branch, Indian Orchard Branch, Mason Square Branch
Meet other LGBTQIA+ or allied teens from Springfield and beyond. | Teens
ONLINE ON ZOOM
Monthly, second Thursdays from 7-9pm on Zoom | Ages 13-19
Register at https://bit.ly/3rrmKd2
Meet other LGBTQIA+ or allied teens from Springfield and beyond! We’ll be gathering on Zoom once a month for a safe space to hang out in our PJs and watch videos, play games, listen to music or just talk!
Co-hosted by: House of Colors, GLSEN MA, Out Now, Holyoke Public Library, and Springfield City Library
Drop in online for help with family history, for beginners and experts alike.
ONLINE VIA ZOOM
One Saturday monthly | 2-3 PM | Ages 18+
April 10
May 8
June 5
July 17
August 14
September 11
October 9
November 6
December 4
Drop in for help with genealogy questions. We can show you how to access the library’s and other genealogy resources, get started with your family history, or tackle a stumbling block on your existing project. No registration required – just drop in!
If you can’t make it to the online Zoom drop-in time, call to make a phone appointment with the same librarian! 413-263-6828 x395, ask for Gary, or email gpysznik@springfieldlibrary.org.
Participants will need access to the internet with a computer, tablet, or smartphone to participate on Zoom.
Play along with other ukulele enthusiasts online, in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. | Teens and Adults
ONLINE VIA ZOOM
First Monday of every month | 7-8 PM | Ages 16+
Come and strum with other ukulele enthusiasts in a fun and relaxed atmosphere guided by the Valley’s Ambassador of the Ukulele, Julie Stepanek.
Use your own ukelele, or borrow one from the Central Library (a limited number are available to borrow on a first-come first-serve basis).
Click here to join the Strum-Along on Zoom!
Participants will need access to the internet with a computer, tablet, or smartphone to participate in the strum-along on Zoom.
This event is supported by the Rose Smith Music Fund.
