The entire community is invited to read and join in activities and discussions centering around The Namesake by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. The novel explores themes of immigration, different cultures, and the significance of people's names. It's a communitywide read only if you take part so share your story and let us know what you think! Look for a program at your neighborhood library. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Borrow the novel in book, audiobook, e-book or e-audiobook formats at your library. Find a list of events at jaxreads.org or pick up a booklet at any library. (Photo by Elena Seibert)

                                                                                                               

Join us for a presentation and interview with award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair. Nair's best known films include The Namesake, Queen of Katwe, Mississippi Masala, Monsoon Wedding and Salaam Bombay!, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Check out movies directed by Nair at your library, and then join us for a great afternoon with Mira Nair. This program is free and open to the public.

This one-of-a kind exhibit features the works of 14 black female artists and includes photography, videography, sculpture, textile art, 2-D art and more. Come to the opening to meet the artists, see the Nan Nkama Pan-African Drum and Dance Ensemble and enjoy poetry performances. February events that complement the exhibit include African dance classes, textile adventures and a woodcutting demonstration. Find out more about the Kesha exhibit, artists, and activities in the Jax Makerspace Gallery.

Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, Feb. 7 & 16, 6 p.m., Multiple Locations

Preview of the documentary airing on PBS American Masters. Celebrate the life and works of Maya Angelou. Learn how to write poetry with Hope at Hand.
 

Pride Book Club featuring Charlie E. Cobb, Jr., Feb. 11, 3 p.m., Main Library
Hear the author of This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement Possible. Cobb was the first black staff writer for National Geographic Magazine and a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists. He is an icon of the Civil Rights Movement as one of the organizers of Freedom Summer in Mississippi. Cobb will talk about his book and life experiences.

Get details and discover more Black History Month events at your library.

Are you reading your way to a healthy habit?

It's not too late to join Read 66 to earn cool prizes—and develop a healthy reading habit! If you're already reading, let us know how you're progressing by using #Read66 on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Get all the information you need about Read 66 and start tracking your reading today. Enjoy a party at the end of the Reading Challenge and join us for Jax Book Fest.

 

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Pamper yourself as eight published authors lead workshops on everything from publishing, writing a series, to researching topics, and a Q&A. It's free and fun, with prizes and refreshments. Learn more.

 

Jax Book Fest Is Coming Soon!
Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Main Library

Mark your calendar now for Jacksonville Public Library's inaugural Jax Book Fest. Enjoy local and national author and illustrator presentations, writers' workshops, children's activities such as face painting, balloons, the Jacksonville Zoo and more. You'll have a chance to buy books and meet authors.
Find out more.

 

Design your own 3-D object from anywhere using 3-D modeling software that you choose, email your design to the library, and we'll print it for you for a small fee. Get details and procedures for sending in your 3-D printing request. And learn more about  3-D classes and new Certificate of Completion tracks.

 

 

 

 

Come out for The Phil Morrison Trio featuring Joe Watts. The Phill Morrison Trio is more than just a standard jazz trio. Morrison's original songs and compositions written for Black History Month honor Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Dizzy Gillespie, Alain Locke and Nat King Cole. Bring your lunch and enjoy the music and the warm vibes.

 

Music at Main: Intermezzo Concert
Sunday, Feb. 12, 3 p.m., Main Library, Hicks Auditorium
 

This is piano like you've never heard before! Pianists Mimi Noda and Kyungju Lee will double your listening pleasure with Sonata for Piano 4-Hands and other classical selections. Read more. 

Highlands Regional Library will reopen on Monday, Feb. 6.
Murray Hill Branch Library will be closed Feb. 10 – 22 for upgrades. The book drop will also be closed. The library will reopen on Feb. 23. In the meantime, please use the nearby Willowbranch Branch Library.