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The 2023 Concord Festival of Authors Mystery Night presents Gledé Browne Kabongo, John Nardizzi, and Sharon Healy Yang on Monday, October 30, 7:00 p.m. in the Goodwin Forum, Main Library. Moderated by Concord's own mystery writer Kate Flora. Sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. [Register for Mystery Night]
The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library will present the 2023 Ruth Ratner Miller Award to Robert A. Gross on Saturday, October 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the Goodwin Forum of the Main Library. A longtime Concord resident and a specialist in the social and cultural history of the United States from the Revolution to the Civil War, Prof. Gross focuses particularly on New England. His first book The Minutemen and Their World received the Bancroft Prize in American History. His latest book The Transcendentalists and Their World was chosen by the Wall Street Journal as one of the ten best books of 2021. Book signing and reception to follow. Tickets: $15 ($5 for students). [Read More and Register]
Join us to celebrate the Concord Free Public Library's 150th birthday on Sunday, October 1, 2023 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.! Please come to the Town House at 2:00 p.m. to hear local and state officials commemorate this historic day and hear special guest “Ralph Waldo Emerson” re-enact excerpts from his original Library Dedication speech on October 1, 1873. Immediately following, the Concord-Carlisle Regional High School Pep Band will kick off a parade to the Main Library’s Front Lawn, where the celebration will continue with special guests, music, cake, activities, and giveaways for all ages. [Read More about the Celebration]
The Library Green Team welcomes the launch of the CFPL Sustainability Newsletter - the "Climate Corner" - at the end of September 2023! Recent highlights include the CFPL Corporation working to identify options for decarbonization and Library staff offsetting the equivalent of 83,333 pages of paper consumption to date by going receipt-free.
The annual Leslie Riedel Memorial Lecture for Young People will present author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen on Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. in the Goodwin Forum, Main Library. The lecture series was created in memory of Leslie Riedel by her family and friends so that young people could meet some of their favorite authors. Past speakers of the series include children's authors/illustrators David Macaulay, Chris Van Allsburg, Jerry Pinkney, Lois Lowry, Tomie dePaola, Grace Lin, Katherine Paterson, Kate DiCamillo, Robert Sabuda and Rajani LaRocca. [Register for Chris Van Dusen Event]
Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Concord Free Public Library with an evening of food & drink & merriment for patrons 21+ at our After-Hours @ the Library fundraising event on Saturday, October 14, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. at the Main Library. Your ticket includes all food, drink, and entertainment. Proceeds benefit the new makerspace the Workshop of the Library. Tickets sold online only. [Read More About the Event] [Purchase tickets]
Celebrating the 31st anniversary, the 2023 Concord Festival of Authors will take place from October 20 - 30 in locations around Concord. The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and the Concord Free Public Library Corporation continue to be the proud organizational leaders of the Festival. [Read More] [View Festival Home Page]
September 24 – 30, 2023 is Climate Preparedness Week. This year's theme is Intersection of Climate Change and the Broader Social Justice Movement. Climate Preparedness Week is held every year at the end of September to raise awareness and provide educational programs to help prepare communities for extreme weather events. [View the Library's Climate Prep Week Events]
Film Premiere: “Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love” – A New Film by Michael Maglaras will be held on Saturday, September 30, 2023, 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. at the Umbrella Arts Center (40 Stow Street, Concord, MA). Michael Maglaras and his Executive Producer and artistic partner Terri Templeton are known for their “essays in film” on the subject of the great cultural heritage of America. Give All to Love, filmed in and around Concord, including, over two days, at the Emerson House, will provide a new and deeply personal perspective on Emerson, his writing, his life, and his importance to contemporary life. [Register for the Film Premiere]
GLORY for George! Understanding the Massachusetts 54th will be held on Thursday, July 13, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the Goodwin Forum, Main Library. This event kicks off the weekend of honoring Concord's native son George Washington Dugan on the 160th anniversary of his heroic sacrifice with the Massachusetts 54th during the assault of Fort Wagner. Marvin Alonso Greer noted historical interpreter will trace the connections made between these two conflicts and the growing struggle to expand the rights of life, liberty, and dignity to all people of our nation. This event is co-sponsored by the Town of Concord DEI Commission and the Concord Free Public Library. [Register for the George Washington Dugan Event]
