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Join the Cambridge Public Library in celebrating Native American Heritage Month by welcoming Morgan Talty, author of the award-winning story collection, Night of the Living Rez, as well as the novel, Fire Exit, published just last summer. Fire Exit—which Booklist called "tender and heartbreaking" in a starred review—is a novel about family secrets and how they inform the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and where we live. After reading from his work, Talty will sit in conversation with Nina MacLaughlin, author or Winter Solstice, followed by a short audience Q&A and book signing. Registration is required.

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur or small business owner looking to start a business in the City of Cambridge. This workshop is a comprehensive, four-week program tailored specifically for early-stage entrepreneurs and established business owners seeking to enhance their business operations. The curriculum addresses key aspects of business operations. This series of workshops will establish a solid foundation in essential principles of entrepreneurship and business ownership. Workshop 2: Marketing & Customer Acquisition (Date: Tuesday June 3rd, 2025) Fundamentals of marketing for small businesses Creating effective customer acquisition strategies Introduction to social media marketing and e-commerce Please register here.

Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Peter Guralnick—Grammy Award-winner for his liner notes for Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club, and prize-winning author of the two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love—for a discussion of his new book The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership that Rocked the World. He will be joined in conversation by Peter Wolf—Boston-based rock ’n’ roll legend and former front man of the legendary J. Geils Band. Registration is required.

You’re invited to our March Brewery Book Club, where Lamplighter and the Cambridge Public Library team up to highlight contemporary works from marginalized voices while having a beer. We meet at Lamplighter Brewing Co., 284 Broadway, in the back taproom. This month we’ll read Middle Spoon by Alejandro Varela. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library Q&A Desk. The e-book and digital audiobook can be borrowed through the Libby app. We’ll gather in the Lamplighter back taproom to discuss the book, what we learned from it, what we found ourselves touched by, and all other thoughts. Registration encouraged but not required. Register here.

Join the Cambridge Public Library in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by welcoming Alejandro Varela, the author of three books of fiction, including The Town of Babylon, which was nominated for a National Book Award, and Middle Spoon, published just this September. Middle Spoon, which Publisher's Weekly called a "refreshingly candid tale of modern love," follows a married middle-aged gay man as he struggles to move on from a break-up with his boyfriend. After reading from his work, Varela will sit in conversation with Ursula Villarreal-Moura, the author of Like Happiness. An audience Q&A and book signing will follow. Registration is required.

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur or small business owner looking to start a business in the City of Cambridge. This workshop is a comprehensive, four-week program tailored specifically for early-stage entrepreneurs and established business owners seeking to enhance their business operations. The curriculum addresses key aspects of business operations. This series of workshops will establish a solid foundation in essential principles of entrepreneurship and business ownership. Workshop 4: Financial Management Basics (Date: Tuesday June 17th, 2025) Introduction to financial recordkeeping Understanding cost of goods sold (COGS) and pricing strategies Basic cash flow management and budgeting Capital and funding resources Please register here.

Join the Cambridge Public Library for the 51st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture with Dr. Brandon M. Terry. Dr. Terry is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University and Co-director of the Institute on Policing, Incarceration, and Public Safety at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. He is the author of Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope: A Tragic Vision of the Civil Rights Movement and is coeditor, with Tommie Shelby, of To Shape a New World: Essays on the Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and editor of Fifty Years Since MLK. Registration is required.

Join the Cambridge Public Library in welcoming Philip Taubman, former Washington Bureau Chief of The New York Times and Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Taubman for a discussion of their latest book, McNamara at War, a captivating and authoritative psychological portrait of Robert S. McNamara. Informed by newly discovered diaries, letters, and interviews with those closest to him, the authors uncover an emotionally tortured man—a man who mastered everything in life, until the Vietnam War mastered him. The discussion will be moderated by Fredrik Logevall, the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School and the author of JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century.

Harvard and Central Squares in Cambridge have their own unique personalities. Our Harvard Square/Central Square Unit has spent a long time getting to know them. Sgt. Sean Lowe and Officer Joe Grassi primarily staff the Harvard Square Unit while Officers Frank Gutoski and Billy Simmons work in the Central Square Unit. These officers, who are embedded in the squares, work closely with businesses, residents, and associations to identify and resolve potential issues. “It’s vital to have familiar faces in the business districts in the neighborhoods,” said Sgt. Lowe. “Having a level of trust so that they can get whatever they need and whatever we can provide and help them through the process,” explained Officer Grassi.

You’re invited to our September Brewery Book Club, where Lamplighter and the Cambridge Public Library team up to highlight contemporary works from marginalized voices while having a beer. We meet at Lamplighter Brewing Co., 284 Broadway, in the back taproom. This month we’ll read I Leave It Up to You by Jinwoo Chong. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library Q&A Desk. The e-book and digital audiobook can be borrowed through the Libby app. We’ll gather in the Lamplighter back taproom to discuss the book, what we learned from it, what we found ourselves touched by, and all other thoughts. Registration is encouraged but not required. Register here.