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Join us for a 90-minute workshop where you’ll learn the simple, meditative basics of Chigiri-e (“chee-gee-ree-eh”), a traditional Japanese art form where the name literally means "torn picture." Rather than using scissors for sharp, clean cuts, we carefully tear the paper to create soft, feathered edges that look almost like a watercolor painting. Whether you’re a long-time crafter or haven't picked up an art project in years, come enjoy some quiet, analog crafting time making a handmade picture, led by instructor Chihiro Sato. You will bring home not just a unique piece, but also the know-how to continue enjoying Chigiri-e at home. Space is limited. Registration is required.

Join José Mateo Ballet Nutcracker cast members in the Lecture Hall for a fun story time reading of The Nutcracker coupled with live ballet dancing. Learn some ballet moves and meet the dancers as well! All ages.

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.

Join Ora Grodsky, the author of Justice, Love, and Organizational Healing: A Guide to Transformational Consulting in a discussion about her new book. Ora Grodsky is a mission-driven organizational development consultant with over 25 years of experience. She is a holistic practitioner who combines training in acupuncture, non-profit management expertise, extensive study of organizational development, and commitment to compassion and justice. Ora will be in conversation about the book and organizational healing with dear colleagues and friends—consultants and facilitators also dedicated to justice and liberation: Joyce Shabazz Melinda Barbosa Daniel Michaud Weinstock Jeremy Philips

Come to the playground in your pajamas to listen to stories, read with your children and enjoy a snack before bed! This program is recommended for children of all ages and their caregivers. This summer Pajama Story Time will happen outside in the playground area at the Fresh Pond Apartments. In case of bad weather, the story time will happen inside the Community Room of 362 Rindge Ave. Pajama Story Time is presented by the Cambridge Public Library and the Center for Families.

Join the Cambridge Black History Project and the Cambridge Public Library in welcoming Warren Eugene Milteer Jr. for a reading and discussion of his new book, Out of This Strife Will Come Freedom: Free People of Color and the Fight for Equal Rights in the Civil War Era. The recipient of the Southern Historical Association’s Charles S. Sydnor Award for the best book in Southern history in 2022, Milteer will be joined in conversation by Susan Tomlinson, an associate professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Registration is required.

Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, the Harvard Library, and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Dr. Anjana Khatwa—award-winning earth scientist, TV presenter, and advocate for diversity in the geosciences and nature—for a discussion of her book The Whispers of Rock: The Stories That Stone Tells About Our World and Our Lives, a 2025 New Scientist Best Book of the Year. Registration is required.

Join Professors Daniela Melo and Timothy Walker, the co-editors of a new scholarly edition of legendary Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett’s writing on the Portuguese “Carnation” Revolution, in a discussion of this new edition-- published in English for the first-time (Verso Books, UK). Melo and Walker will discuss how Burchett’s reporting sought to demonstrate the power and strength of popular mobilizations during the Revolution, shifting the focus away from political elites toward mobilized citizens. Burchett's analysis on the roles of political elites, economic elites, and mobilization provides rich insights, revealing the types of networks and interactions between these actors, and the roles that narrative, storytelling, and emotions played in the making of the Portuguese Revolution. This event is cosponsored by the Consul General of Portugal in Boston and the Cambridge Public Library. Registration is required.

What happens when mental illness meets homelessness and there’s nowhere to turn? What does healthcare look like when you’re sleeping outside, alone, and invisible? Join NAMI Cambridge/Middlesex and the Cambridge Public Library for an unflinching look at healthcare on the margins as Dr. Jim O’Connell, founding physician and President of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) shares stories, insights, and hard truths from a lifetime spent caring for patients—not in pristine clinics but in shelters, on sidewalks, and under bridges. Moderated by Dr. Rich Parker, this one-night event will explore the barriers so many in our community face when mental illness goes untreated, housing is out of reach, and support feels out of sight. Cosponsored by Cambridge Public Library. Registration is required.

Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Thomas Levenson—professor of science writing at MIT and author of several books, including So Very Small and Einstein in Berlin—for a discussion of his new book, A Pox on Fools: The True Believers, Grifters, and Cynics Who Convinced Us to Reject Vaccines. Registration is required.