Programs – Adult – Springfield City Library

Queer Book Club

A monthly club for reading queer books of various genres | Adults

Monsoon Roastery and Espresso Bar
Saturdays, once a month | 12:30-1:30 PM | Adults

Discover Queer Book Club! A monthly club for reading queer books of various genres. Read one (or all!) of the 4 book options and meet us at Monsoon’s cafe for coffee or lunch to discuss.

August 8th: Detective Mysteries

Monthly Themes

June 15: Contemporary Romance
July 13: Historical fiction, 1900-1950
August 8: Detective Mysteries
September 21: Science Fiction – Space Operas
October 19: Horror subgenre
November 16: Memoir

Book Choices

Questions?

Get in touch with Blaise Kyrios at bkyrios@springfieldlibrary.org

Springfield Local Author Book Fair

Come to the Local Author Fair to meet recently published authors and enjoy their works in this showcase of local talent and achievement.

Meet Your Neighbors, Meet Their Books!

Join us for a celebration of Springfield’s vibrant literary scene at the Local Author Book Fair! This exciting event brings together a diverse range of local authors, all eager to connect with readers and share their passion for storytelling.

Why Attend?

Support Local Authors: Discover the wealth of talent right in your own community. Buy a book directly from the author and help them continue their creative journey.

Find Your Next Great Read: Explore a variety of genres, from captivating fiction to informative non-fiction. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re a mystery buff, a history enthusiast, or a lover of poetry.

Connect with Fellow Bookworms: Chat with authors about their work, get your books personalized with a signature, and mingle with other book lovers who share your passion for reading.

Mark Your Calendars!

The next Local Author Book Fair will be held on Saturday, April 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Rotunda and Rice Hall on the second floor at the Central Library.

Admission is free, so come meet your neighbors and discover the hidden gems of Springfield’s literary world!

List of Authors – April 2024

Below is a list of authors attending the Local Author Fair – your neighbors, sharing their art! Also, titles of their most recent book – although several will have multiple books to share.

Stephen Billias – A Book of Fields
Bela Breslau and Stephen Billias – Pilgrim Maya
Justin Cascio – In Our Blood: The Mafia Families of Corleone
Tian Connaughton – Cardigans For Every Body: because every body is worthy
D. Dina Friedman – Immigrants
Adrián Gras-Velázquez – Lo que hago en mi habitación
Robert Loesch – Out on a Limb and Other Stories
Stephanie Marrero-Wilson – Healing in Him: 31 Day Journaling Devotional
Jane F. Morrissey, SSJ – Finding Jane in the Box – a Memoir
Jennifer Allis Provost – Oleander
Ruth Sanderson – A Storm of Horses: The Story of Artist Rosa Bonheur
Dulce Santana – Flowers in the City
H. Triplett – Perforated Fiber Forbidden Memories
Dennis Walter – The Misguided Mentor

Are You A Local Author?

Get on our list to be invited next time! We hold Author Fairs about twice a year, in the Spring and the Fall.

Silent Book Club

Wish you had more time to read? Looking for some book lovers to hang out with? Join us for Silent Book Club! | Central Library | Adults and Teens 16+

Central Library
Second Monday of the Month
6:00 – 7:30 pm | Adults and Teens 16+

Wish you had more time to read? Looking for some book lovers to hang out with? Join us for Silent Book Club! One night a month, we get cozy at the library for an hour of solo reading and time at the end to chat. Come to meet new people and leave with new book recommendations! For Adults and Teens 16+.

Registration optional, but if you register, you’ll get reminders.

Register on our online calendar.

Tabletop RPG Club

If you love collaborative storytelling and role-playing, join the Tabletop RPG Club! | Central | Teens & Adults

Central Library – Community Room
Saturdays: See Club Schedule Below | 1:00 – 3:30 PM | Ages 16+

If you love collaborative storytelling and role-playing, join the Tabletop RPG Club! We’ll be playing Dungeons & Dragons, Blades in the Dark, Powered by the Apocalypse games, and more. A little something for everyone – drop in once or stick around and learn how to run a game.

Beginners and experienced players welcome. For adults and teens 16 and older.

Registration is optional, but encouraged. Register via our online calendar!

Club schedule: Fall 2023

Date	Activity
January 13	Primary D&D campaign (co-DMed by KS and IK)
January 20	Beginner D&D! Join us to learn the basics
January 27	Primary D&D campaign (co-DMed by KS and IK)
February 3	Primary D&D campaign (co-DMed by KS and IK)
February 10	Primary D&D campaign (co-DMed by KS and IK)
February 17	Beginner D&D! Join us to learn the basics
February 24	Primary D&D campaign (co-DMed by KS and IK)
March 2	Primary D&D campaign (co-DMed by KS and IK)

The winter session will begin on December 2 and run until March 2.

What is a tabletop RPG?

A tabletop RPG is a game where the players sit around a table and use a shared set of rules to help make it easy and fun to tell a story. It’s about performance, tactics and strategy, solving mysteries, and adventure. Games can be as short as one club meeting or can tell an ongoing story across several months–decisions like that are up to the players.

In our club, we organize into groups of 3-6 players. Library staff and experienced facilitators help guide their table toward the kind of story everyone wants to tell. The goal is to enjoy creating a diverse world, where players take the leading roles in a series of action and adventure dramas.

What do I need to bring?

Nothing! We provide everything you need. If you end up really loving the hobby, you might find yourself wanting your own tools–dice, notebooks, pencils, and rule books–but you can always play for free.

Sixteen Acres Community Quilt

Images from the Sixteen Acres branch Community Quilt, created September 2023.

This September, patrons at the Sixteen Acres branch contributed to a community quilting project! Here’s what we posted:

Help us build a Community Quilt to be displayed in the Sixteen Acres Branch Library. Each quilt square you decorate will be added to the quilt and displayed on the wall. Draw pictures, write poems or a paragraph, now is your chance to leave your mark. You can sign your name, or decorate one anonymously.

Need help figuring out what to do on your square? Try pondering these questions – What makes Sixteen Acres special? Why do you love the library? Have any wisdom to pass on?

And here are some photos of the beautiful quilt squares the library received!

Quilt square with numbers 1-8 in bright colors. It says. "Be Kind, kindness counts"

Quilt square depicting two buildings outside on a sunny day.

Sew Fun! Drop-In

Drop in and learn the basics of sewing while working on various projects throughout the series. | East Forest Park | All Ages

East Forest Park Branch
Thursdays | 2:00-5:00 PM | All Ages

Are you interested in learning how to sew, or maybe just want to brush up your skills? Drop-in for our bi-weekly studio session. From sewing a button or hemming pants, to following a pattern to construct a garment using a sewing machine, our sewing volunteer can help you get started!

Sessions are open to participants of all ages and skill levels.

Seed Library at Mason Square

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 visit the Mason Square Branch Library to choose your seeds!

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!

2024 Seeds Available

Beans & Peas:
Antigua Bush bean
Bush Tendergreen Bean
Lima Henderson Bean
Mardi Gras Blend Bean
Maxibel Haricot Vert Bush Bean
Royal Burgundy Bush Bean
Rattlesnake Pole Bean
Quincy Pinto Bean
Snap Sugar Daddy Pea

Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Sprouts:
Belstar Broccoli
De Cicco Broccoli
Hon Tsai Tai Flowering Broccoli
Waltham 29X1 Broccoli
Dagan Brussels Sprout
Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts
Snowball Y Improved Cauliflower

Root vegetables:
Detroit Dark Red Beet
Early Wonder Tall Top Beet
Scarlett Nantes Carrot
Yellowstone Carrot
Purple Vienna Kohlrabi
Tokyo Long White Bunching Onion
Cherry Belle Radish
Daikon Radish
French Breakfast Radish
White Icicle Radish
Purple Top White Globe Turnip

Flowers:
Pacific Beauty Calendula
Echinacea Purpurea
Dwarf Jewel Blend Nasturium
Planete Rouge du Jura Poppy
Evening Colors Sunflower
Hella Sonnenblume Sunflower
Hopi Black Dye Sunflower
Medium Red Sunflower
Velvet Queen Sunflower
Orange Zinnia
Red Scarlett Zinnia
Yellow Zinnia

Herbs:
Lemon Balm
Genovese Basil
Rutgers Obsession DMR Basil
Santo Cilantro
Bouquet Dill
Sweet Marjoram
Grüne Perle Parsley
Sorrel

Lettuces & Leafy Greens:
Astro Arugula
Esmee Arugula
Caraflex Cabbage
Emiko Cabbage
Farao Cabbage
Golden Acre Cabbage
UT 52-70 Celery
Fordhook Giant Chard
Rainbow Blend Chard
Sunset Chard
Frisse Endive
Mizuna Asian Greens
Tat Soi Asian Green
Ruby Streaks Mustard Green
Wasabina Mustard Greens
Vates Blue Scotch Curled Kale
Buttercrunch Lettuce
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
Freckles Lettuce
Green Star Lettuce
Lolla Rosa Lettuce
Magenta Lettuce
Nevada Lettuce
Red Oakleaf lettuce
Red Salad Bowl Lettuce
Outredgeous Romaine Lettuce
Green Towers Romaine Lettuce
Parris Island Romaine Lettuce
Salad Bowl Lettuce
Tango Lettuce
Garnet Giant Mustard
Hotshot Spicy Blend Mustard
Red Giant Mustard
Shanghai Green Pac Choy
Yukina Savoy
Bloomsdale Spinach
Renegade Spinach

Cucumbers, Melons, & Squash:
Cantaloupe Hales Best Jumbo
Cucumber Marketmore 76
Suyo Long Cucumber
Howden Pumpkin
Pumpkin Sugar Pie
Benning’s Green Tint Summer Squash
Winter Squash Waltham Butternut
Watermelon Sugar Baby
Zucchini Dark Green

Peppers:
Bell Pepper Sweet California Wonder
Shishito Pepper (mild)

Eggplant:
Eggplant Black Beauty
Listada di Gandia Eggplant

Tomatoes:
Brandywine Tomato
Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomato
Large Cherry Tomato
Peacevine Cherry Tomato
Moskvich Tomato
Mountain Princess Tomato
Pruden’s Purple
Roma VF Tomato
San Marzano Paste Tomato
Toma Verde Tomatillo

Miscellaneous:
Corn Early Bantam
Okra Clemson Spineless

Makerspace Collaboratory Drop-In

There will be a variety of projects and experiments to get you and your family started exploring and creating! | East Forest Park | All Ages

East Forest Park Branch – Makerspace
Mondays & Tuesdays | 2:00 – 4:30 PM | All Ages

From traditional crafts to digital tinkering, the East Forest Park Makerspace is your place to create, invent, and learn. Each week we will have a drop-in project or two based on a theme.

Want to learn more? Contact the East Forest Park Branch Library at (413) 263-6836.

Knot Just Knitters

Grab some needles and yarn, then come join us! Newcomers always welcome. | Adults

Whether you knit, crochet, cross-stitch, or crewel, these groups are the place for you. New members are welcome, and although we don’t provide formal lessons, current members are often willing to teach their skills.

Some yarn and needles are provided, but donations of such items are always welcome!

Central Library, Wellman Hall
Tuesdays, 2-3 pm

East Springfield Branch
Fridays, 10-11:30 am

East Forest Park Branch
Tuesdays, 1:30-3 pm

Mason Square Branch
Fridays, 1-2:30 pm

Sixteen Acres Branch
Wednesdays, 1-2:30 pm

Chess Club

Play for learning or for friendly competitive play. Just come for fun! | East Forest Park | Teens & Adults

East Forest Park Branch
Fridays, June 2 – September 15 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Teens & Adults

Open to adult and teen chess players of all abilities, from complete beginners to the more advanced. Play for learning or for friendly competitive play. Just come for fun! You don’t need to bring any game equipment – all materials including boards and pieces will be provided. Ages 13 to Adult.