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Join the Cambridge Public Library in celebrating National Poetry Month with a reading and talk by the acclaimed poet and author Tracy K. Smith. A former Poet Laureate of the United States, as well as the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, Smith is one of the nation's foremost experts on poetry and its unique power to—as she writes in Fear Less: Poetry in Perilous Times—“help you to love every other thing in the world around you.” Registration is required.

Come to the Library to create something special! Use your own supplies or try out our equipment! You can use our 1-inch button maker, 2.5 inch button maker, 3-D Doodle pens, or Janome sewing machines. The Library will provide basic supplies. This drop-in program is for people who feel comfortable using these machines on their own. The Library will not provide instruction. Anyone wishing to use the sewing machines must have completed a Sewing 101 training through the Library. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

This issue of Cambridge Life celebrates the transformation happening across our City and neighborhoods. Infrastructure projects—large and small—are reshaping how we move, learn, live, and work. They represent years of thoughtful planning, robust community engagement, and a collective commitment to equity and resilience.

The City of Cambridge Community Development Department (CDD) is again offering its popular Food Business Basics course, a free a training program for Cambridge residents who have a passion for food and a dream of owning a business but don’t know where to start.

In 2023, the City of Cambridge designated a new position within the Emergency Communications Department; a 911 Call Center Clinician. This is a new, unique public safety position as it places a mental health professional directly inside the Emergency Communications Center (ECC) alongside dispatchers.

A business use sidewalk obstruction permit is required if you are a business in the City of Cambridge and want to use an “A” framed sign, sandwich board, display merchandise, temporary banner or use tables and chairs on a sidewalk in the public way.

Applications can be submitted online or by phone. Messages may be left in English or in separate voicemail boxes in Amharic, Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Spanish and a City staff person will return calls to applicants to assist in completing the application by phone.

The Municipal Election will be held on November 4, 2025. Find information regarding voter registration, voting by mail, voting early in-person, voting on Election Day, and specimen ballots for the election. Additionally, learn more about the three ballots: City Council, School Committee, and the ballot question.

The City of Cambridge is notifying residents, businesses, and visitors of street closures and traffic impacts from October 18 to October 19 due to the Head of the Charles Regatta, the Attic Vintage Block Party, and the Community Art Center Block Party.

Come to the Library for games and a different activity each week! Kids of all ages can hang out and do crafts or STEAM activities. No registration required. This week we will be creating collages!