Summer Reading: Bug Walk (Boudreau)
Join us for a walk at Fresh Pond as we explore the wonderful world of bugs! We will learn about some common local insects, arachnids, and other invertebrates, and get to know some plants that host lots of local bug species.
This program is open to all ages, from adults to children and their caregivers. Registration is required. For more information, contact Michael McGlathery at mmcglathery@cambridgema.gov or call the Boudreau Branch at 617-349-4017.
CANCELED: CPL Nature Club - Alewife Afternoon Nature Walk (O'Neill)
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO THE WEATHER
Come explore the nature in our urban backyard! We will take a leisurely walk as we observe and learn together about the animals and plants at Alewife Reservation. You are welcome to bring binoculars, magnifying glasses or any other observational tool. The paths and boardwalks are well maintained but can be muddy in places.
The walk will meet at the stone benches by the wetland boardwalk. To view the location in Google Maps and get directions, click here.
Limited free parking is available in the Alewife Reservation lot on Acorn Drive.
In case of inclement weather, this event will be canceled.
Registration is helpful but not required.
For more information call the O’Neill Branch at 617-349-4023.
Summer Reading: Dance Workshop with Jean Appolon Expressions (Central Square)
Experience the vibrant rhythms of Haitian Folklore in a class led by JAE company dancer Velouse Joseph. Class is accessible to all levels and welcomes kids of all ages and their caregivers. Class includes a guided warm-up followed by traditional Haitian dances. You'll move to the sounds of prerecorded Haitian rhythms as you connect to culture, community, and the joy of movement.
No registration required.
Funding for Summer Reading has been generously provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.
Watercolor Adventures for Kids (Valente)
Children ages 5 and up are invited to join us to play with watercolor and experiment with texture. Each child will have the chance to make several abstract paintings to test out this art form! Children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required.
Tween Comic Book Club (Main)
Let’s talk about your favorite comics! Bring in a graphic novel and share your thoughts on why it’s great – or even why it’s terrible. Each month will feature a different reading challenge – you get to pick any comic that you think matches the theme! Celebrate comics with snacks, books, and maybe even the chance to make one yourself!
This month’s theme, we're celebrating women artists! Bring in your favorite graphic novel or manga from a female creator and share it.
Snacks are provided. This program is for ages 9-12.
For questions about Tween Book Group, please email Ellen: ekaluza@cambridgema.gov
Washington Remembered, Washington Forgotten: Washington and Slavery (Main/Virtual)
To mark the 250th anniversaries of the American Revolution and the founding of the United States, a coalition of local non-profits and government agencies will present Washington in American Memory, a seven-part speaker series.
Explore how Americans have remembered and forgotten Washington’s involvement with slavery over the past 250 years. Three historians who work at the intersection of scholarship and public history will shed new light on our founding contradictions:
Kelli Racine Barnes, ACE Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow and historian of 18th- and 19th-century U.S. history
John Garrison Marks, author of Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (forthcoming April 7, 2026) and Vice President of Research and Engagement at the American Association for State and Local History
Kyera Singleton, Executive Director of the Royall House & Slave Quarters and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Tufts University Center for the Humanities
This event will conclude with a book signing by John Garrison Marks. Copies of Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory will be available to purchase.
CPL Nature Club: Elder Walks (Main)
Join guide Stefanie Haug while exploring our neighborhood nature and celebrating Elderhood. As a group we'll connect with nature and the neighborhood mindfully with a gentle walk and draw on contemplative practices.
What to bring: layered clothing, comfortable shoes and water.
Where to meet: outside the Main Library entrance.
CPL Nature Club: Elder Walks (Main)
Join guide Stefanie Haug while exploring our neighborhood nature and celebrating Elderhood. As a group we'll connect with nature and the neighborhood mindfully with a gentle walk and draw on contemplative practices.
What to bring: layered clothing, comfortable shoes and water.
Where to meet: outside the Main Library entrance.
Brewery Book Club (Lamplighter)
You’re invited to our September Brewery Book Club, where Lamplighter and the Cambridge Public Library team up to highlight contemporary works from marginalized voices while having a beer. We meet at Lamplighter Brewing Co., 284 Broadway, in the back taproom.
This month we’ll read The Reformatory by Tananarive Due.
Copies of the book are available at the Main Library Q&A Desk. The e-book and digital audiobook can be borrowed through the Libby app.
We’ll gather in the Lamplighter back taproom to discuss the book, what we learned from it, what we found ourselves touched by, and all other thoughts.
Register here.
Brewery Book Club (Lamplighter)
You’re invited to our July Brewery Book Club, where Lamplighter and the Cambridge Public Library team up to highlight contemporary works from marginalized voices while having a beer. We meet at Lamplighter Brewing Co., 284 Broadway, in the back taproom.
This month we’ll read Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor.
Copies of the book are available at the Main Library Q&A Desk. The e-book and digital audiobook can be borrowed through the Libby app.
We’ll gather in the Lamplighter back taproom to discuss the book, what we learned from it, what we found ourselves touched by, and all other thoughts.
No registration required. More information from Lamplighter here.