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Join us for a discussion with 5 Black men working restoratively in different contexts: at home with family, through meditation and yoga, on the sports field, in business, and in the courts providing health and mental wellness. How and why have these men chosen to create a Restorative climate inside institutions that have a history of violence against Black men and what tools are they using to keep the fire for this practice alive outside of the Talking Circle? Panelists include Sam Williams, a yogi, professor and healer; Damon Banks, a Social Worker and Chief Probation Officer; Omo Moses, the CEO of Math Talk and the author of The White Peril; Herman Banks, an educator and consultant; and Vinson Givans, a mitigation manager and football coach. The conversation will be moderated by Indi Wit The Tea, a journalist and media personality. This event is cosponsored by Cambridge Public Library.

Join us for a lively discussion of a great book in person at the Main Library! Snacks will be provided. For ages 7-10 and a parent or caregiver. This month's book is Julieta and the Diamond Enigma by Luisana Duarte Armendáriz. When a diamond goes missing from the Louvre, it is up to nine-year-old Julieta to identify the thief, exonerate her father, and return home to Boston before her baby brother is born. Includes glossary of French and Spanish words and notes about the Regent Diamond, Athena, and works of art mentioned in the book. Both caregiver and child should read the book before the discussion to participate. Registration is required — only one registration is needed per family. To check-out a copy of the book, stop by the Children’s Room after you've registered. If we run out of books at the desk, you can place a hold on the book by clicking on the book title in the paragraph above. For questions about parent/child book group, please email Meagan: malbright@cambridgema.gov

Internationally renowned photographer Barry Schneier captures Boston's unique and impacting folk music scene in his new book The Song is Still Being Written, released in September 2024. The book is a collection of photos and narratives capturing stories of singer-songwriters, past, present, and future who have made the Boston/Cambridge area their home for artistic development and specifically from those who have graced one of the most heralded performance spaces in folk history, Harvard Square's Passim (originally Club 47). The program includes a performance by Kemp Harris, one of the artists profiled in the book. Schneier will be in conversation with James Sullivan, arts and culture correspondent for the Boston Globe. Barry Schneier is an internationally recognized photographer who has been immersed in the music scene since the mid-1970s. His work has been exhibited in multiple shows and is in the permanent collection of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music, the Folk Americana-Roots Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Join us for a relaxed Saturday morning concert with Radius Ensemble! The concert, geared toward preschool children but appropriate for all ages, features a delightful abridged version of Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf (at the end of which the wolf, instead of meeting his demise, is taken to the zoo), plus also other silly songs about animals, as well as a show-and-tell of the instruments of the woodwind family. For the final piece of this 45-minute program, children are invited to play along on hand percussion instruments such as tambourines and claves, and each child receives a free colorful shaker to take home. Recommended for children ages 3 to 5 years with caregiver. This program can accommodate 130 people. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis on the day of the program. The entire party must be present to receive a ticket. This program starts promptly, and any unclaimed seats will be offered to someone waiting. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Please call 617-349-4038 for more information.

Celebrate AAPI voices through a poetry open mic & feature! Poets of Asian American/Pacific Islander heritage are invited to share their work and/or recite a cover poem. All adults are welcome to attend. Interested poets can sign up for a 3-5 minute timeslot in the open mic by filling out this form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/dszDWm1h2R Following the open mic, we will be featuring Cambridge-based poet Aparna Paul. Aparna Paul (she/her) is a writer, chemical engineer, banana bread enthusiast, & amateur crossword constructor based in Cambridge, MA. Her poetry & prose has been recognized by Reckoning, DMQ Review, & Gaining Ground, among others. She edited the anthology Reflections of The Land (Literary Cleveland, 2022) and is a co-editor of GOOD SOUP, now on hiatus (@goodsoup.mag on insta!). She performs regularly, hosts occasionally, and slams sometimes at the Boston Poetry Slam at the Cantab Lounge. HOME FREE (Game Over Books, 2025) is her debut full-length poetry collection. Books will be available for purchase. Coffee will be provided.

Join us for a relaxed Saturday morning concert with Radius Ensemble! The concert, geared toward preschool children but appropriate for all ages, includes string quartets from around the globe, as well as a show-and-tell of the instruments of the string family. From Mozart to Scott Joplin, repertoire spans centuries and traverses continents, exposing children to a variety of musical traditions. Kids are welcome to snuggle, dance, sing, walk around and just be kids. For the final piece of this 45 minute program, we invite children to play along on hand percussion instruments (provided by the Ensemble) such as tambourines and claves, and each child receives a free colorful shaker to take home. Recommended for children ages 3 to 5 years with caregiver. This program can accommodate 130 people. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis on the day of the program. The entire party must be present to receive a ticket. This program starts promptly, and any unclaimed seats will be offered to someone waiting. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Please call 617-349-4038 for more information.

Children and families are invited to meet Jasmine Warga, award-winning and best-selling author of many popular middle-grade novels, including Massachusetts Children's Book Award winner A Rover’s Story and Newbery Honor winner Other Words for Home. Warga will talk about her work, answer questions from the audience and sign books. Porter Square Books will have books available for sale. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Registration is not required. About the Lecture The annual lecture is an initiative sponsored by the Cambridge Public Library, the Curious George Fund, and the Cambridge Public Library Foundation. The series aims to bring the community together to celebrate outstanding and engaging books for young readers. About the Author Jasmine Warga is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of middle grade novels; her books have won numerous awards, including a Newbery Honor, been named to many state award reading lists, and listed as best books of the year by publications such as NPR, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly and others. Her newest release - “The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan” - explores the bond between a rescue dog named Finnegan and a cheetah cub named Chase. Inspired by true stories from zoos across the country, award-winning author Jasmine Warga creates a deeply moving tale about how the power of friendship can transcend anything – even species.

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.

The Cambridge Arts Council funds, promotes, and presents high-quality, community-based arts programming for the benefit of artists, residents, and visitors.

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