Summer Reading: Kamishibai Storytelling with Yumi Izuyama (O'Connell)
Kamishibai (paper theater) is a traditional form of Japanese street theater and storytelling where author illustrator Yumi Izuyama uses her original artwork to tell folktales from around the world, bringing them to life for families with young children. A second generation Japanese Brazilian, Izuyama will educate and entertain us using Kamishibai with both traditional Japanese and Brazilian folktales!
Funding for Summer Reading has been generously provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.
Summer Reading: Live Animal Program with The Joys of Nature (O'Connell)
What is an endangered species? Why are many animals and their habitats disappearing? Learn about endangered species in the wild here in New England, and around the world, and some things we can all do to help them. Recommended for children ages 4 and up and their caregivers.
Funding for Summer Reading has been generously provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation, Friends of the Cambridge Public Library and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Summer Reading: Live Animal Program with The Joys of Nature (O'Connell)
What is an endangered species? Why are many animals and their habitats disappearing? Learn about endangered species in the wild here in New England, and around the world, and some things we can all do to help them. Recommended for children ages 4 and up and their caregivers.
Funding for Summer Reading has been generously provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation, Friends of the Cambridge Public Library and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Stand with Sudan: Teach-in with Transition Magazine (Main/Virtual)
Join the Cambridge Public Library for a Teach-In facilitated by the team of Transition Magazine. Contributors to the current issue on Sudan—Fatin Abbas, Alex De Waal, Nisrin Elamin, and Alden Young—as well as members of the local Sudanese community will speak and discuss the present-day conflict in Sudan, its roots, what stands to be lost, and how to move toward a lasting peace.
Free copies of the Sudan issue of Transition will be on hand. Registration is required for virtual attendance.
Park Sounds: Caribbean Heritage Month Edition with PanNeubean Steel
PanNeubean Steel is a dynamic steelpan guided ensemble delivering vibrant Caribbean rhythms with modern flair. Rooted in tradition and driven by innovation, the band brings energy, precision, and crowd-moving performances to every stage—celebrating culture, community, and the unmistakable sound of steel.
PARK SOUNDS 2026 brings free outdoor musical performances featuring local artists to the front lawn of the Cambridge Public Library Main Branch. These events are all-ages. Bring a chair, food, and loved ones to celebrate the summer! Funding is provided by the CPL Foundation in memory of Janet Axelrod.
Fiber Arts Adventure with Lenni: A Machine-Sewing Workshop Series (Main)
Continue building your machine-sewing skills AND create bespoke sewn crafts! Design your own fiber arts adventure as you choose from a menu of options including: bento bag, fleece hat, fleece mittens, work belt, earbud case and fanny pack. This four-part series is led by fiber artist and designer Lenni Armstrong.
Registration is required and participants must have completed Sewing 101 in The Hive. Those registered for the first session will automatically be enrolled in the following weeks. Spots are very limited; kindly only enroll if you plan to make all four workshops.
Wednesday, February 4
Wednesday, February 11
Wednesday, February 18
Wednesday, February 25
Fiber Arts Adventure with Lenni: A Machine-Sewing Workshop Series (Main)
Continue building your machine-sewing skills AND create bespoke sewn crafts! Design your own fiber arts adventure as you choose from a menu of options including: bento bag, fleece hat, fleece mittens, work belt, earbud case and fanny pack. This four-part series is led by fiber artist and designer Lenni Armstrong.
Registration is required and participants must have completed Sewing 101 in The Hive. Those registered for the first session will automatically be enrolled in the following weeks. Spots are very limited; kindly only enroll if you plan to make all four workshops.
Wednesday, February 4
Wednesday, February 11
Wednesday, February 18
Wednesday, February 25
Fiber Arts Adventure with Lenni: A Machine-Sewing Workshop Series (Main)
Continue building your machine-sewing skills AND create bespoke sewn crafts! Design your own fiber arts adventure as you choose from a menu of options including: bento bag, fleece hat, fleece mittens, work belt, earbud case and fanny pack. This four-part series is led by fiber artist and designer Lenni Armstrong.
Registration is required and participants must have completed Sewing 101 in The Hive. Those registered for the first session will automatically be enrolled in the following weeks. Spots are very limited; kindly only enroll if you plan to make all four workshops.
Wednesday, February 4
Wednesday, February 11
Wednesday, February 18
Wednesday, February 25
Fiber Arts Adventure with Lenni: A Machine-Sewing Workshop Series (Main)
Continue building your machine-sewing skills AND create bespoke sewn crafts! Design your own fiber arts adventure as you choose from a menu of options including: bento bag, fleece hat, fleece mittens, work belt, earbud case and fanny pack. This four-part series is led by fiber artist and designer Lenni Armstrong.
Registration is required and participants must have completed Sewing 101 in The Hive. Those registered for the first session will automatically be enrolled in the following weeks. Spots are very limited; kindly only enroll if you plan to make all four workshops.
Wednesday, February 4
Wednesday, February 11
Wednesday, February 18
Wednesday, February 25
Summer Reading: Fresh Pond Wild Edibles Walk with Russ Cohen (Main)
Cambridge is home to over 80 species of edible wild plants, some of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. These include native species like Fox Grape and Shagbark Hickory; non-native weeds like Chicory and Burdock; and invasive species like Japanese Knotweed and Autumn Olive. Join expert forager Russ Cohen on a 2.5 hour ramble around Fresh Pond to learn about over two dozen species of edible wild plants. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with info on edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation methods, as well as guidelines for safe, ethical and environmentally-responsible foraging.
NOTE that this is an educational walk only: no actual foraging will take place, as that activity is prohibited with in the Fresh Pond Reservation.
We will meet at Fresh Pond, in the main parking lot by the ranger station and water department.
Russ Cohen is a naturalist and wild foods enthusiast from Weston, Mass., currently in his 52nd year of leading walks and talks about wild edibles. He has led talks for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the New England Forestry Foundation, and The Trustees of Reservations. Russ' foraging book, Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten, is now in its ninth printing. Russ has taken on the role of Johnny Appleseed for edible native species, collaborating with land trusts, cities and towns, and other groups (including one in Cambridge) to plant plants from his nursery in appropriate places on their properties.