Sewing 101 with Cambridge Wildlife Arts
This special edition of our Sewing 101 is offered in collaboration with Cambridge Wildlife Arts (Green Cambridge). In this 90-minute workshop, you'll learn the basics of sewing machine operation and safety. This session will cover machine setup, basic functions, threading the machine, reloading the bobbin, sewing straight stitches, and recognizing when stitch tension has gone awry. We’ll also cover some safety best practices when operating a sewing machine. As we learn together, we’ll work on a simple sewing project—hemming blank banners for the Banners Project launched by Cambridge Wildlife Arts.
Food Assistance
The health and safety of the Cambridge community is our top priority during this unprecedented time. While many of the city’s food pantries have temporarily closed, we are working to ensure that Cambridge residents have access to food during the COVID-19 outbreak.
AAPI Voices Poetry Open Mic with Aparna Paul (Valente)
Celebrate AAPI voices through a poetry open mic & feature! Poets of Asian American/Pacific Islander heritage are invited to share their work and/or recite a cover poem. All adults are welcome to attend.
Interested poets can sign up for a 3-5 minute timeslot in the open mic by filling out this form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/dszDWm1h2R
Following the open mic, we will be featuring Cambridge-based poet Aparna Paul.
Aparna Paul (she/her) is a writer, chemical engineer, banana bread enthusiast, & amateur crossword constructor based in Cambridge, MA. Her poetry & prose has been recognized by Reckoning, DMQ Review, & Gaining Ground, among others. She edited the anthology Reflections of The Land (Literary Cleveland, 2022) and is a co-editor of GOOD SOUP, now on hiatus (@goodsoup.mag on insta!). She performs regularly, hosts occasionally, and slams sometimes at the Boston Poetry Slam at the Cantab Lounge. HOME FREE (Game Over Books, 2025) is her debut full-length poetry collection. Books will be available for purchase.
Coffee will be provided.
Affordable Housing Trust Vacancy
The Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust (the Trust) works to expand and protect affordable housing opportunities in Cambridge. The Trust administers and oversees most City funds allocated to create and preserve affordable rental and homeownership housing, and to support housing programs that address the city’s affordable housing needs.
The Margret and H. A. Rey Curious George Lecture: Jasmine Warga (Main)
Children and families are invited to meet Jasmine Warga, award-winning and best-selling author of many popular middle-grade novels, including Massachusetts Children's Book Award winner A Rover’s Story and Newbery Honor winner Other Words for Home. Warga will talk about her work, answer questions from the audience and sign books. Porter Square Books will have books available for sale. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Registration is not required.
About the Lecture
The annual lecture is an initiative sponsored by the Cambridge Public Library, the Curious George Fund, and the Cambridge Public Library Foundation. The series aims to bring the community together to celebrate outstanding and engaging books for young readers.
About the Author
Jasmine Warga is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of middle grade novels; her books have won numerous awards, including a Newbery Honor, been named to many state award reading lists, and listed as best books of the year by publications such as NPR, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly and others. Her newest release - “The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan” - explores the bond between a rescue dog named Finnegan and a cheetah cub named Chase. Inspired by true stories from zoos across the country, award-winning author Jasmine Warga creates a deeply moving tale about how the power of friendship can transcend anything – even species.
Linocut Printmaking (Central Square)
In this class students will be introduced to the printmaking process of linocut. The class will cover techniques in carving linoleum, composition, ink mixing, and printing. At their own pace students will learn how to create a design and carve it in linoleum using carving tools. Students will learn how to ink and print their linoleum blocks by hand. In a relaxed and welcoming environment students will create many beautiful prints of their own as well as collaborate with their classmates. This class is suitable for beginners and can be adjusted for all levels of experience.
This class is taught by Brooke Lambert, a professional printmaker and painter. She holds a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and shows her work widely in New England, New York, and beyond. Brooke works in Studio 291 at Western Avenue Studios & Lofts in Lowell, MA. She is currently represented by The Society of American Graphic Artists in New York, NY, Galaray House in Boston, MA and Bay View Artisan Gallery in Meredith, NH. Brooke is sponsored by Akua Inks and Speedball Art Products. She has fourteen years of teaching experience and currently teaches adult art workshops and holds artist demos at several locations in New England.
Acrylic Painting Workshop (Valente)
Learn how to create beautiful and colorful acrylic paintings! In this class you will be introduced to painting with acrylic, including techniques in color mixing, observational painting, and composition. At your own pace you will learn how to paint still lifes using acrylic paint in a relaxed and welcoming environment. This class will cover wet on wet and wet and dry brush techniques, sgraffito/combing, overlays/glazing, gel mediums,
pattern making, and masking. You will come away from this class with beautiful paintings of your own and a greater understanding and appreciation for the medium of acrylic painting. Registration Required.
This class is suitable for beginners and can be adjusted for all levels of experience.
This class is taught by Brooke Lambert.
Brooke is a professional printmaker and painter. She holds a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and shows her work widely in New England, New York, and beyond. Brooke works in Studio 291 at Western Avenue Studios & Lofts in Lowell, MA. She is currently represented by The Society of American Graphic Artists and Equity Gallery in New York, NY and Galaray House, contemporary art gallery in Lexington, MA. She has thirteen years of teaching experience and currently teaches adult art workshops and holds artist demos at several locations in New England.
CPL Presents: Yiyun Li (Main/Virtual)
Join the Cambridge Public Library in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month by welcoming Yiyun Li, the author of the memoir Things in Nature Merely Grow, the winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Memoir, as well as several award-winning novels, including The Book of Goose.
In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Things in Nature Merely Grow was a finalist for both the National Book Award for Nonfiction and the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award as well as the recipient of the presitigious Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
After a reading from her work, Yiyun will appear in conversation with Grace Talusan, author of The Body Papers, winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for Nonfiction and the Restless Books Award for New Immigrant Writing.
This hybrid event is cosponsored by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation. Registration is required.