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Winter 2016

This week's selection: Raymond Carver, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," "A Small, Good Thing," and " Cathedral." Reading Interests: We concentrate on Great Books in the following areas: a long novel over the summer, two sections of poetry and short stories, a book of the Bible, a Shakespeare play, an ancient and modern drama, a work of science, a smaller work of fiction, an even smaller work of fiction, and a rotating mix of politics, philosophy, and religion. Authors read in the past five years include Dickens, Keats and Yeats, O'Connor and Munro, Ecclesiastes, Sophocles and August Wilson, Darwin, Austen, Duras, The Federalist Papers, and Arendt. How to get the print book: Copies of the reading are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library at 449 Broadway during current service hours and a staff member can help you get a copy. How to register: Registration is required. Click the registration link below to register. This is a hybrid event. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants 1 hour before the event. For more information, contact Drew Griffin (dgriffin@cambridgema.gov)

Join Maria Lawton, Cookbook Author, TV host/Executive Producer, Speaker, Storyteller & Culinary Travel Guide for a presentation on Portuguese Cooking. Maria is the creator and host of the multi-award-winning PBS series Maria’s Portuguese Table, and the author of two beloved cookbooks: Azorean Cooking: From My Family Table to Yours and At My Portuguese Table, winner of the Bronze IPPY Award. Born in São Miguel Azores, Portugal and raised in the U.S., Maria has dedicated her career to preserving and sharing the rich culinary and cultural traditions of Portugal. With her signature warmth and heartfelt storytelling, she brings recipes to life—not just as food, but as vessels of memory, love, and heritage. She is now working on her next book “Baking with Love”, her first children’s cookbook, Maria returns to the kitchen of her childhood, recreating the sweet recipes she made side-by-side with her grandmother. Now a proud grandmother herself, Maria hopes this book inspires generations to come to create delicious memories of their own. This event is generously sponsored by The Manuel Rogers, Sr. & Mary R. Rogers Endowment Fund. Registration Required.

This week's selection: Arthur Rimbaud, "The Drunken Boat," "Vowels," "Eternity," "Memory," "To a Reason," and "Dawn." Reading Interests: We concentrate on Great Books in the following areas: a long novel over the summer, two sections of poetry and short stories, a book of the Bible, a Shakespeare play, an ancient and modern drama, a work of science, a smaller work of fiction, an even smaller work of fiction, and a rotating mix of politics, philosophy, and religion. Authors read in the past five years include Dickens, Keats and Yeats, O'Connor and Munro, Ecclesiastes, Sophocles and August Wilson, Darwin, Austen, Duras, The Federalist Papers, and Arendt. How to get the print book: Copies of the reading are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library at 449 Broadway during current service hours and a staff member can help you get a copy. How to register: Registration is required. Click the registration link below to register. This is a hybrid event. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants 1 hour before the event. For more information, contact Drew Griffin (dgriffin@cambridgema.gov)

Written By Mfoniso Udofia and directed by Tasia A. Jones, Her Portmanteau is an explosive story of betrayal and forgiveness, centering on a Nigerian mother in the U.S. and her two daughters who lived very different lives. A reunion forces them to reconcile their past, full of clashing traditions and a family legacy that spans time, culture and generations. Produced by Central Square Theater and The Front Porch Arts Collective. Cosponsored by Cambridge Public Library and the Citizens' Committee on Civic Unity. Registration is required.

The climate is changing, and we're all here on the planet together. Join us for a monthly community gathering and discussion of a variety of books about climate change. We will share thoughts, resources, and occasionally host special guests in a welcoming small-group environment. For our January meeting, we will discuss Human Nature: nine ways to feel about our changing planet by Kate Marvel. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library Q&A Desk. Registration is required. Please contact alengel@cambridgema.gov with questions.

If you read that title, and thought to yourself, "HUH?!", you are probably not alone! This phrase is written in Haitian-Creole, which when translated into English means "let's learn to speak Creole (Haitian-Creole)". If you would like to chat it up and learn some phrases with other folks, please join us at the Central Square Branch for an evening of low-effort, but enriching conversational group. This event isn't a language learning group, but a conversational hour-long session. Questions? Contact Daryl at dcabrol@cambridgema.gov

If you read that title, and thought to yourself, "HUH?!", you are probably not alone! This phrase is written in Haitian-Creole, which when translated into English means "let's learn to speak Creole (Haitian-Creole)". If you would like to chat it up and learn some phrases with other folks, please join us at the Central Square Branch for an evening of low-effort, but enriching conversational group. This event isn't a language learning group, but a conversational hour-long session. Questions? Contact Daryl at dcabrol@cambridgema.gov

The Cambridge Public Library and the African Bridge Network (ABN) are offering an AI training for people looking for jobs. This training will teach you how to use AI tools safely and effectively to help with your career. Through the workshops, participants will learn strategies to: Find better ways to look for jobs Update and customize resumes for different positions Practice and prepare for job interviews Get help dealing with common challenges in today’s job market This training is a four-part workshop series. Participants who complete all sessions may be eligible to receive a free refurbished laptop and wi-fi hotspot. Sessions will be held in-person at the Main Library (449 Broadway) on the following Saturdays: March 14, March 21, March 28 and April 4. Each session will be held from 1pm to 4pm. Space is limited. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and accepted until spots are filled or the deadline passes. Apply by March 1, 2026. If you have any questions or need help with the application, call 857-235-9382 or CPLDigitalEquity@cambridgema.gov. To learn more about this program, please go to: africanbn.org/ai-training/

Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Ben Wikler—political organizer and strategist who served as the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from July 2019 to July 2025—for a discussion of his new book, This Is The Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy. He will be joined in conversation by Danielle Allen—James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, acclaimed author of Our Declaration, and the forthcoming book Radical Duke, releasing June 2026. Registration is required.