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.
Join us in the Reading Garden for a egg hunt in November! | Children
Mason Square Branch
Saturday, November 13 | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm | Children ages 3-10
Join us in the Reading Garden for a egg hunt in November!
Cider and donuts will be served to the hunters and those cheering them on.
We invite you along with your child for a fun filled hour of gross motor fun to develop physical abilities. | Children
Mason Square Branch
Wednesdays | 10:30-11:30 AM | Ages 1-5 – Starts October 6!
Calling all parents with young children! We invite you along with your child for a fun filled hour of gross motor fun to develop physical abilities.
This is a great opportunity to meet other parents and give your child the opportunity to socialize with other children their age.
No registration required – just come in!
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.
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
Free seed library with organic non-GMO seeds for the Springfield community. Request some today from our Mason Square Branch!
The Mason Square Branch Seed Library features a great variety of FREE 100% organic, non-GMO seeds for vegetables, greens, herbs, and flowers, made possible through a grant from Vermont-based seed company, High Mowing Organic Seeds. With multiple varieties, there’s something for everyone!
Because there is a limited supply of seeds, we ask that patrons request no more than 5 seed envelopes per library visit. Please call the Mason Square Branch Library to reserve your FREE seeds for pickup!
The library works with the Northeast Organic Farming Association and the Mason Square Community Garden Group to provide Springfield residents with hands-on gardening workshops led by experienced gardeners. Interested in learning more about gardening? Be sure to check out our virtual gardening workshops, a series on basic gardening practices designed to help novice and experienced gardeners alike.
We also have a variety of gardening books, covering urban gardening, vegetable gardens, container gardens, flower gardens, and more – ask library staff to help you find the perfect book!
Beans & Peas:
1. Antigua bush bean
2. Gold Rush bush bean
3. Kentucky Wonder pole bean
4. Laxton’s progress shell pea
5. Midori Giant soybean
6. Provider bush bean
Broccoli & Cauliflower:
7. Belstar Broccoli
8. DeCicco Broccoli
9. Goodman Cauliflower
Carrots, Radishes & Beets:
10. Napoli Carrot
11. Red Cored Cantenay Carrot
12. Cherry Belle Radish
13. Cylindria Beet
14. Detroit Dark Red Beet
Cucumbers:
15. Green Finger Cucumbers
16. Marketmmore 76 Cucumbers
17. Suyo Long Cucumbers
Flowers:
18. Double Click Cosmos
19. Evening Colors Sunflower
20. Giant Coral Zinnia
21. Lemon Queen Sunflower
22. Mammoth Sunflower
23. Pacific Beauty Calendula
24. Planéte Rouge du Jura Poppy
25. Polka Dot mix Bachelor Buttons
26. Resina Calendula
27. Sensation Blend Cosmos
28. Velvet Queen Sunflower
29. Yellow Zinnia
Herbs:
30. Catnip
31. Genovese Basil
32. Giant Parsley
33. Lemon Balm
34. Lemon Basil
35. Rosie Basil
36. Sacred Basil
37. Summer Savory
38. Sweet Thai Basil
Lettuces, Greens & Celery:
39. Astro Arugula
40. Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
41. Capture F1 Cabbage
42. Emiko Cabbage
43. Georgia Collards
44. Gourmet blend Lettuce
45. Green Wave Mustard Greens
46. Green Towers Romaine Lettuce
47. Lolla Rossa Lettuce
48. Parris Island Romaine Lettuce
49. Red Giant Mustard Greens
50. Red Salad Bowl
51. Tango Celery
52. Vates Kale
Peppers:
53. Corno di Toro (sweet)
54. Early Jalepeño (hot)
55. Hungarian Hot Pepper (hot)
56. King of the North Sweet pepper (sweet)
57. Shishito Pepper (mild)
Pumpkins & Squashes:
58. Baby Pam Pie Pumpkin
59. Cinderella Pumpkin
60. Jack-be-Little Pumpkin
61. New England Pie Pumpkin
62. Triple Threat Pumpkin
63. Delicata Winter Squash
64. Ronde de Nice Zucchini
65. Success PM Straight Neck Summer Squash
66. Waltham Butternut Winter Squash
Tomatoes:
67. Bing Cherry Tomato
68. Cherokee Purple Tomato
69. Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomato
70. Peacevine Cherry Tomato
71. Red Pear Cherry Tomato
72. San Marzano Paste Tomato
73. Supernova Grape Tomato
74. Super Sweet Hybrid 100 Tomato
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
Get your Happily Ever After fix from the new Romance Book Club! | Adults
ONLINE via Zoom
Saturdays once a month | 3:00-4:00 PM | Adults
August 28
September 25
October 23
November 20
December 18
CLICK FOR ZOOM LINK for meeting each month.
Join us for the Romance Book Club! We try and read as many romance genres as we can, sharing our thoughts and expanding our romance reading experience. As long as it has a happily ever after, it’s fair game.
Typically each month we choose the book for the following month.
We will be reading The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer.
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach.
But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg.
Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah—and Jacob—in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze.
Catalog link for print
Hoopla Digital (e-audiobook)
CWMARS Overdrive link (e-book) (also available from other MA library networks, ask a librarian for help!)
See previous group book choices below the group guidelines – scroll down.
Our Romance collection librarian will tell you all about exciting additions to the collection, and we’ll get your input on what you’d like to see more of and what we should read.
One Saturday a month, 3-4 pm, online via Zoom. Register if you’d like to be added to our email list, but no registration is required – just join us at the Zoom link, above. For adults 18+.
Please email Elizabeth McKinstry at emckinstry@springfieldlibrary.org or Anna Mickelsen at amickelsen@springfieldlibrary.org if you have any questions, or call either one of us at 413-263-6828.
The book group will meet monthly via zoom to discuss books in the romance genre. Our definition of romance includes both HEA (Happily Ever After) and HFN (Happy For Now) endings. We will discuss what we read on our own, talk about forthcoming titles, and also pick books to read as a group, either voting on titles prepared by group leaders or taking turns selecting titles.
This book group will strive to be a safe and inclusive space. Racist and homophobic remarks will not be tolerated, and the group may set other content lines to be drawn in discussion or in reading material (e.g., mentions of self-harm, gore, sexual assault) in order to make the experience as fun for all participants as possible. As this is a romance book group, it should be assumed that books read and discussed will often include sex, sometimes explicit in nature.
Book group leaders will:
Book group participants will:
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.
