Our Events

Special Event

Celebration of Longtime Members

Tuesday, September 26, 2023 - 3:30pm | Members' Room | by invitation only

The Members' Room and Stack 6 will be in use from 3:30 PM on on September 26 for a by-invitation event.

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Reading Group

Fully Registered: Another Half Year with Henry James, taught by Jane Mallison

Wednesday, September 27, 2023 - 11:00am Wednesday, October 25, 2023 - 11:00am Wednesday, November 29, 2023 - 11:00am Wednesday, January 31, 2024 - 11:00am Wednesday, February 28, 2024 - 11:00am Wednesday, March 27, 2024 - 11:00am | Whitridge Room | for members only | $100 for the six sessions | registration required
“Never say you know the last word about any human heart.” That’s one of the great sentences of this great writer, Henry James (1843-1916). In this seminar – which welcomes both experienced readers of James and novices – we discover many more.
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Children

Young Writers' Workshop: Ruth Chan on Graphic Novels

Wednesday, September 27, 2023 - 5:00pm | Whitridge Room | Grades 3+ | For members & a guest | $15 per child
In this ongoing series, young writers are invited to join notable authors in exploring different genres. Author and illustrator Ruth Chan leads a discussion about making comics and graphic novels, working with young writers and artists to explore the possibilities of cartooning. Participants will learn the tools needed to create their own comics.
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Children

A Peace Party

Thursday, September 28, 2023 - 4:00pm | Whitridge Room | Ages 3 and Older | For Members Only

Celebrate friendships new and old with stories of peace, love, and kindness.

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Lecture

Livestream Only: Blair LM Kelley, Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class, with Brittney C. Cooper

Thursday, September 28, 2023 - 6:00pm | Livestream | open to the public | $10 per person | registration required
Award-winning historian Blair LM Kelley illuminates the adversities and joys of the Black working class in America through a stunning narrative centered on her forebears, in conversation with Eloquent Rage author Brittney C. Cooper.
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Children

Mother Goose Magic

Friday, September 29, 2023 - 10:00am | Whitridge Room | Ages 2 and Up | For Members Only

Enjoy favorite nursery rhymes, picture books, and songs.

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Reading Group

Let's Read Shakespeare for Fun

Sunday, October 1, 2023 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm Sunday, November 5, 2023 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm Sunday, December 3, 2023 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm Sunday, January 7, 2024 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm Sunday, February 4, 2024 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm Sunday, March 3, 2024 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm | Whitridge Room | for members and their guests | free of charge | registration required
We gather monthly to read aloud a play by William Shakespeare in the company of Columbia University lecturer and Library trustee Emily Madison.
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Lecture

Members' Room: Gretchen Rubin, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, with Alexandra Horowitz

Monday, October 2, 2023 - 6:00pm | Members' Room | open to the public | $15 per person | registration required
The bestselling author of The Happiness Project discovers a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. In this special event, Gretchen Rubin converses with Alexandra Horowitz, author of On Looking: A Walker's Guide to the Art of Observation and other books.
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Lecture

Livestream: Gretchen Rubin, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, with Alexandra Horowitz

Monday, October 2, 2023 - 6:00pm | Livestream | open to the public | $10 per person | registration required
The bestselling author of The Happiness Project discovers a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. In this special event, Gretchen Rubin converses with Alexandra Horowitz, author of On Looking: A Walker's Guide to the Art of Observation and other books.
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Children

Wiggles & Giggles

Tuesday, October 3, 2023 - 10:00am | Whitridge Room | Ages 24 Months and Younger | For Members Only

Join us for songs, stories, and movement for babies and toddlers.

Pick up a ticket in the lobby.

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Children

Quack! Quack! Puppet Workshop with Leah Rubin and Margery Quackenbush

Tuesday, October 3, 2023 - 4:00pm | Whitridge Room | Grades K+ | For members & a guest | $15 per child

Robert Quackenbush’s delightful creatures of mystery come to life as puppets with teaching artist Leah Rubin and Margery Quackenbush, the inspiration for Miss Mallard herself. This unique story and art workshop shows young artists how to craft their own vintage-style pantin puppets using paper, string, and imagination! These whimsical creations go back more than 2,000 years to ancient Egypt but became better known as Jumping Jacks in America. They’re the perfect form for Sherlock Chick, Detective Mole, or any character you design!

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Performance

A Pleasing Terror: Two Ghost Stories by M.R. James, performed by Robert Lloyd Parry

Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - 6:00pm | Members' Room | open to the public | $15 per person | registration required
Robert Lloyd Parry returns to the Members' Room with two of the wonderfully spooky stories by British horror master M.R. James (1862-1936). “Wonderful, magical storytelling." - The Daily Mail
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Reading Group

Seminar: The Personal In A Political World: The Fiction of Magda Szabó, with Nicholas Birns

Thursday, October 5, 2023 - 11:00am Thursday, November 9, 2023 - 11:00am Thursday, December 14, 2023 - 11:00am | Whitridge Room | for members only | $75 per person | registration required
Magda Szabó (1917-2007) is the most famous and most translated Hungarian novelist. This seminar discusses three of her best-known novels spanning 1963 to 1987.
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Children

Pajama Party

Thursday, October 5, 2023 - 4:00pm | Whitridge Room | Ages 3 and Older | For Members Only

Put on your PJs early and enjoy bedtime stories and a snack.

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Children

Mother Goose Magic

Friday, October 6, 2023 - 10:00am | Whitridge Room | Ages 2 and Older | For Members Only

Enjoy favorite nursery rhymes, picture books, and songs.

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The Writing Life

The Writing Life: Prompt! Online with Charlie Allenson

Friday, September 8, 2023 - 11:00am Friday, October 6, 2023 - 11:00am Friday, November 10, 2023 - 11:00am Friday, December 1, 2023 - 11:00am | on the Zoom Meetings platform | for members only | free of charge | registration required
Join your fellow member writers for a fun and stimulating hour+ of prompts, writing, and sharing.
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Special Event

Quack! Quack! Questions!

Saturday, October 7, 2023 - 2:00pm Saturday, November 4, 2023 - 2:00pm Saturday, December 9, 2023 - 2:00pm | Peluso Family Exhibition Gallery | open to the public | drop in
Drop by to see our cheery family-friendly exhibition and chat with the expert. You can catch Margery Quackenbush on three select Saturdays answering your questions about Robert Quackenbush and his art in the gallery.
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Special Event

Closing: Italian American Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day 2023

Monday, October 9, 2023 - 9:00am | holiday closing

The Library is closed all day Monday, October 9, for Italian American Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day. Otherwise we observe normal hours.

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Children

Crafternoon

Wednesday, October 11, 2023 - 4:00pm | Whitridge Room | All Ages | For Members Only

Leaves are falling and Halloween is on its way! Come get crafty at the Library!

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Special Event

Happy Hour, October 2023

Wednesday, October 11, 2023 - 5:30pm to 7:00pm | Members' Room | for members and their guests | free of charge | drop in
End your day with wine and light refreshments in the beautiful Members' Room. Library members and their guests are welcome.
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The Writing Life

The Writing Life: Prompt! In Person with Carol Weston

Thursday, September 7, 2023 - 11:00am Thursday, October 12, 2023 - 11:00am Thursday, November 2, 2023 - 11:00am Thursday, December 7, 2023 - 11:00am | Whitridge Room | for members only | free of charge | registration required
Join your fellow member writers for a fun and stimulating hour+ of prompts, writing, and sharing.
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The Writing Life

The Writing Life Special Event: Live from the Library, Fall 2023

Thursday, October 12, 2023 - 6:00pm | Members’ Room | open to the public | $15 per person | registration required
Library members read from their own short stories, novels, poetry, criticism, memoir, and plays.
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Children

Mother Goose Magic

Friday, October 13, 2023 - 10:00am | Whitridge Room | Ages 2 and Older | For Members Only

Enjoy favorite nursery rhymes, picture books, and songs.

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Special Event

Members' Room: A.E. Stallings, “Frieze Frame”: Artists and the Debate Around the Elgin Marbles, with The Hudson Review

Monday, October 16, 2023 - 6:00pm | Members' Room | open to the public | free of charge | registration required
The Hudson Review celebrates its 75th anniversary this year with an original in-depth essay by A.E. Stallings, "Frieze Frame: How Poets, Painters (and Actors and Architects) Framed the Ongoing Debate Around Elgin and the Marbles of the Athenian Acropolis." At this special event, Ms. Stallings will give an illustrated talk about the history of the Elgin Marbles, discussing the 19th century’s many attitudes toward them through the present-day debate about their future. Light refreshments will be served.
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Special Event

Livestream: A.E. Stallings, “Frieze Frame”: Artists and the Debate Around the Elgin Marbles, with The Hudson Review

Monday, October 16, 2023 - 6:30pm | Livestream | open to the public | free of charge | registration required
The Hudson Review celebrates its 75th anniversary this year with an original in-depth essay by A.E. Stallings, "Frieze Frame: How Poets, Painters (and Actors and Architects) Framed the Ongoing Debate Around Elgin and the Marbles of the Athenian Acropolis." At this special event, Ms. Stallings will give an illustrated talk about the history of the Elgin Marbles, discussing the 19th century’s many attitudes toward them through the present-day debate about their future.
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Today's Events

Exhibitions

The Library showcases our historic collections and the literary culture of the city with themed public exhibitions on the second floor. Exhibitions are offered for six to twelve months, and both members and nonmembers are welcome to drop by any time the Library is open.

Current Exhibition: