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This program has been canceled due to the snow emergency closing of the library. Join us for an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class! This class will be taught at a beginner level. No testing is needed. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call Maria Balestrieri at 617-349-4013. This class will be held at the Valente Branch Library, located at 826 Cambridge St.

January selection: Sandwich by Catherine Newman. Join us in person or online to discuss a selection of fiction and nonfiction titles for adults. Please register below if you would like to attend via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants one hour before the event. Print copies are available to pick up during library hours. For more information, contact Jo Percell (they/them) at jpercell@cambridgema.gov

February selection: The Weeds by Katy Simpson Smith. Join us in person or online to discuss a selection of fiction and nonfiction titles for adults. Please register below if you would like to attend via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants one hour before the event. Print copies are available to pick up during library hours. For more information, contact Jo Percell (they/them) at jpercell@cambridgema.gov

Have you ever wanted to design your own custom nail set? Well come to the Library and dive into the world of nail art. Local licensed nail tech, Munah of Fine Geh Glam, will guide you in this fun and creative art class. You will learn about proper nail care and treatments and leave with a one-of-a-kind nail set of your own. All supplies will be provided by the Library.

February selection: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray. Join us in person or online to discuss a selection of fiction and nonfiction titles for adults. Please register below if you would like to attend via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants one hour before the event. Print copies are available to pick up during library hours. For more information, contact Jo Percell (they/them) at jpercell@cambridgema.gov

Youth ages 10-16 are welcome to join three sessions of the table-top game Dungeons and Dragons (DnD), as we build our cooperative role-play and storytelling skills. The first session will include time to build characters and review rules of gameplay. Following sessions will follow a storyline through to the final session. Registration is required, as the program is capped at 6 players. Please plan to attend all sessions! Registering for Session 1 includes the following weekly sessions. No prior DnD experience is required, and experienced players are also welcome to join. The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.

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.

Join friends and neighbors for a potluck! This month, we're celebrating soups and other warm, savory foods that are extra nice in the winter. Bring a dish to share, or just come to talk about your experience with a chosen cookbook. All experience levels welcome! No need to bring a dish to join. Visit Valente for a selection of cookbooks that are ready to check out. This book group is for children of all ages and their caregivers and families. For more information contact Maggie at mfrench@cambridgema.gov or call 617-349-4015.

Join the Cambridge Community Development Department for a bicycle workshop on learning the rules of the road at the Valente Branch Library. Registration is required. This workshop covers the following topics: Rules of the road Bike-specific laws and legislation Car-specific laws and legislation General safety tips Routing ideas for new riders Real traffic scenarios and common crash situations

Harvard Book Store, the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Kenneth Roth—former executive director of Human Rights Watch—for a discussion of his new book Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments. Registration is required.