Saturday Songs and Stories with guest storyteller ashley herring (O'Neill)
Music, movement and stories! Join local storyteller and community member ashley herring for 20 minutes of fun! For children of all ages and their grown-ups.
ashley herring (she series) has enjoyed being in her imagination for countless years and promised she would never stop playing. With her ancestors, she dreamed up blackyard, a local grass roots organization, which lifts up and centers the love for Black children in Cambridge and surrounding greater area. ashley is excited to share songs and stories with you today.
CPL and the Central Square Theater Present: Her Pormanteau (Main)
Written By Mfoniso Udofia and directed by Tasia A. Jones, Her Portmanteau is an explosive story of betrayal and forgiveness, centering on a Nigerian mother in the U.S. and her two daughters who lived very different lives. A reunion forces them to reconcile their past, full of clashing traditions and a family legacy that spans time, culture and generations. Produced by Central Square Theater and The Front Porch Arts Collective. Cosponsored by Cambridge Public Library and the Citizens' Committee on Civic Unity. Registration is required.
CPL Nature Club: Rethinking Urban Green Spaces: Nature Walk with Earthwise Aware (Main)
Join Earthwise Aware (EwA) for an interactive walk to observe, document, and take part in shaping urban spaces that work with nature. Together, we will explore how design choices and climate pressures shape the ecological value of our everyday green spaces, and document habitat conditions using simple citizen science tools.
Starting at the library lawn, we will examine spaces that appear green but often function poorly. Manicured lawns and sparse tree plantings may look inviting, yet they frequently support little biodiversity and can limit soil health and resilience. What makes a space truly nature-friendly? We will record what is present, what is missing, and what that tells us about ecological function.
During the walk, we will:
Observe and document plant communities and habitat quality
Identify signs of low and high ecological function
Compare conventional landscapes with more resilient plantings such as native beds or meadow patches
Contribute real data that supports local ecological understanding and decision making
This is participatory science in practice. Your observations will feed into broader efforts to track urban biodiversity and inform better land use choices.
The program will meet outside the library in Joan Lorentz Park. Registration required.
Rain date: Wednesday May 6