HPL Blogs

Hartford Public Library will be holding a series of events at each of our community locations to help anyone seeking to fill out the 2020 Census or register to vote.

Librarians will be on hand to offer assistance filling out the 2020 Census mobile questionnaire and voter registration forms. There will be free books and ice cream available at each event.

“Voting and completing the Census are two of the most fundamental – and easy – things a citizen can do to help their communities. It is our goal at HPL to encourage as many people as we can to participate in the civic process,” said Bridget Quinn-Carey, HPL’s president and CEO.

Currently, Hartford’s Census self-response rate is 46.2%, a number that doesn’t include response collected by Census enumerators. The deadline to get a full count for Hartford is September 30.

“We want to help Hartford get to a 100 percent count,” Quinn-Carey said.

The events will take place the following dates:

September 3, Albany Library,

September 8, Camp Field Library, 3-5 pm, 30 Camp Field Avenue

September 14, Dwight Library, 3-5 pm. 7 New Park Avenue

September 15, Camp Field Library, 3-5 pm

September 16, Park Library, 10 am-12 pm 744 Park Street (Art Box across the Street from the branch)

September 18, Downtown Library, 12-2 pm, 500 Main Street

September 23, Park Library, 1:00-3:00 pm, 744 Park Street

For more information, visit hplct.org.

To learn more about the 2020 Census, visit census.gov.

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Hartford Public Library has received $14,810 in funding from Cigna to pilot a new program called ARTLink, a series of community art workshops dedicated to increasing awareness around mental health through the arts.

“We are exceedingly grateful to Cigna for supporting this important initiative. We live in stressful times, which can often exacerbate mental health conditions. We know that participation in the arts has a number of positive social outcomes, not the least of which is an increase in quality of life. Through a range of artistic expression, this project will help combat the stigmas associated with mental health that can prevent people struggling with mental illness from seeking help,” said Bridget Quinn-Carey, HPL’s president and CEO.

“Whether we are creating it or experiencing it, art has the capacity to stir our souls, lift our spirits and help us make sense of the world around us. And now, with funding from Cigna, the ARTLink program will use art to advance mental health awareness and promote healing, which is essential during the unsettling times we’re now experiencing,” said Wendy Sherry, president of Cigna’s Connecticut market.

ARTLink, a mental health wellness art series, will consist of four series of community art workshops – podcasting, keyboarding, pottery and visual arts – all taught by working artists. Each series will host workshops with five participants, in line with COVID19 safety protocols, and each series will offer weekly workshops starting in October for a six-week period.

“Our city is dealing with many compounded challenges under COVID- it’s especially important now to continue carving out spaces for self-discovery, stress relief, wellness, and connecting with others,” said Liz Castle, HPL’s programming and events manager.

Through instruction and highlighting tools and resources for mental health information, ARTLink will work towards decreasing isolation and reducing the stigma and discrimination around mental and behavioral health, and provide participants the opportunity to learn new skills.

“Workshop participants will learn how to express themselves and their own stories in a series of hands-on art forms.  Working artists will teach workshops on how to produce and record your own podcast episode, how to begin playing the piano and record a song on a piano keyboard, how to use a basic pottery wheel and make a simple pot, and how to use visual art such as collage and painting to as a form of self-care,” Castle said.

ARTLink will culminate in an outdoor and online visual exhibition of all art and media created during the project. The locations of the outdoor exhibitions will be identified through collaborations with community partners, bringing public art to underserved communities.

The library will partner with Hartford Behavioral Health, the McKinney Shelter, and two Neighborhood Revitalization Zones to spread a message of education and community building to the streets.

For more information about Hartford Public Library programming, visit hplct.org.

For more information about Cigna, visit www.cigna.com.

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Hartford Public Library (HPL) will be hosting virtual School Choice Information Sessions on Wednesday, September 16 and Tuesday, September 29.

Representatives from the School Choice program will be on hand to answer questions about enrollment for the 2021-22 school year.

Both sessions will take place from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. To register for the event, e-mail schoolchoiceoffice@hplct.org, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvd-yhrTgrE9H9i-qDzQ_qhBLsfxjozJjx, or call 860-306-9757 or 860-969-9148.

Participants will be eligible to enter a raffle to win backpacks filled with school supplies and family pizza dinner certificates.

“Parents should attend because it will give them all the information they need to make decisions about the upcoming school year and to learn what they need for the current school year,” said Rajranie Busgith, school choice coordinator.

The process of signing up for schools can be a nuanced one, Busgith said. She encourages parents to explore what school will work best for their child. Once they select a school, school choice coordinators can help them negotiate the application, response and registration processes.

“There is a lot that goes into making the decision,” said Busgith.

Information will be presented on:

• What the school choices are
• Who is eligible to apply
• How families can explore, apply and respond when it comes to school choice
• Where and when families can apply
• Zones and transportation
• The distinctions between Hartford and non-Hartford residents.

The event will conclude with a question and answer period.

For more information about school choice visit HPL’s information page at https://www.hplct.org/library-services/parents/school-choice-assistance or the Regional School Choice Office website at ChoiceEducation.org.

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Murals recognizing the contributions of people of color to Hartford’s rich history will be unveiled at virtual ceremonies taking place August 29 and September 17.

In an effort to update the traditional historical narrative of Hartford, Hartford Public Library worked with city teens, elders, and local artists to create public art celebrating the stories of city change makers from the Black, Latinx, and indigenous communities.

“We are so pleased to recognize people who have made a difference in the community, some who may not yet have been appropriately recognized for their contributions. The Library is here to share their stories, make sure they are remembered by future generations, and also to provide an opportunity for our young people to connect with and be inspired by the legacy and impact of these Hartford changemakers,” said Bridget Quinn-Carey, HPL’s president and CEO.

The murals, created as a result of a series of community workshops, will be at the following locations:

Melanin – Albany Ave & Blue Hills

Mural reveal: August 29, 3-5pm

Art Box, Park Street

Mural reveal: September 17, 5:30-7:30 pm

Viewers can watch both celebrations live streamed on Hartford Public Library’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. These live streamed celebrations will feature an unveiling of the mural celebrating Hartford Changemakers and a showcasing of artwork produced by summer workshop participants.  Tune in for live dance and music performances, as well as a showcase of photography and storytelling.

Nygel White, HPL’s YOUmedia Program Coordinator and one of the organizers of the program, is honored to work on a project that he believes contributes to the empowerment of Hartford’s youth. The project gives them the ability to dream, he said.

“I think the fact that so many people from the community have been able to contribute to the development of the workshops has provided a glimpse of their ability to positively impact our city in ways that weren’t always clear or available. I believe the celebration and culmination of all of the community work that has been taking place in the series of workshops will ultimately make the power of the people evident,” White said.

The workshops, which have included photography, dance, storytelling, and poetry, have brought together people from all walks of life to explore untold aspects of the city’s history through their own talents.

“The mural workshop, an all women group with women representing the North End and South End, Black and Latinx Hartford communities, and ages 13-68, have such an incredible joy to bear witness to. We’ve transferred all of the learning, discussions, and art sharing into designs and mural creations. Mural paint days have also included some of the participants’ children. It’s been a great way to deeply connect across the city, intergenerationally, culturally, and linguistically, in a way that we rarely get to do with site-based physical programming,” said Jasmin Agosto, Education & Community Outreach Manager for the Hartford History Center.

“Participants in the storytellers workshop have focused on the ‘unsung heroes’ in their lives- the people who watched over them and others in their neighborhood, the people who fought for their communities in small and big ways, the people who kept Hartford alive and cared for. We need to keep telling stories of these heroes and sing their praise,” said Liz Castle, HPL’s programming manager.

Artist Instructor Bios

Mural Design & Painting – Lindaluz Carrillo & Mina Elise

Lindaluz Carrillo is an Afro Peruvian artist born in New York and raised in the South End of Hartford. She is an urban artist and graphic designer. Carrillo uses typography, textile patterns and graffiti elements to tell a story about her life experiences and values. Her work reflects topics such as self-love, growth, resilience, and encouraging others to stand in their truth. Her work serves as a message to speak your mind with honesty and without fear, in order to embrace who you are.

Mina Elise is a fine artist and illustrator navigating this world as a queer Black femme from Hartford, CT. Raised by a lineage of artists and healers, she understands that to be black and creative is to be a work of art itself. Her work reflects her identity, while inspiring those to redefine what beauty, intimacy, and love looks like to them.

Documentary Photography – Jasmine Jones

Jasmine Jones is a photographer and filmmaker based in Hartford. Her work focuses on daily life, overlooked moments, and ignored communities. Her goal is to showcase those who should be seen and heard and to use her art as an outlet for them to tell their own stories.

Dance – Ginette Christie

Ginette Christie aka Gin is from Bloomfield, CT. She took her first tap class at the age of 6 with Cheryl Smith at The Artists Collective located on Albany Ave in Hartford CT. She started dancing at The Collective again when she was 14 years old. While she was there she also developed skills in visual/fine arts. She has trained and taught classes in hip hop, West African, and modern dance at Studio 860, Northstar Dance Academy, The Dance Studio, Trinity College, Wellesley College, Connecticut College and more.

Dance – JuS

Justin “JuS” Hughes is a versatile musician from Bloomfield, CT who has made his mark in the industry. JuS has been singing and dancing since the age of 6 starting with genres such as African, Tap, Ballet, Jazz, and Modern. Since the day he knew he had the talent to sing and dance, JuS has involved himself in numerous activities in the Boston, Connecticut, New York and Southern areas. At age 10, JuS began pursuing Hip Hop and found that he was able to excel much higher in this genre of dance. JuS is a self-taught Hip Hop street dancer that has worked his way into becoming one of the most versatile choreographers, hard hitting dancers and performers in the field today. Working and touring with artists such as, Madusa from def Poetry Jam, Pharaoh Monch and Slum village, for the “Beats for Peace Tour”, JuS has also gained exposure to Sony/BMG Music entertainment. As a Choreographer, JuS has choreographed for artists that are breaking into the industry in front of Industry Executives from BET. Being an R&B, Soul, and Hip Hop singer, JuS has been able to utilize his talents and electrify every stage with his versatile performance. Attending Berklee College of Music in the heart of Boston, MA, Now CEO JuS of JuS Move Studios has become a well-known name throughout the East Coast. Currently JuS is working in the school system of Richard J. Kinsella Magnet School for The Performing Arts teaching music and dance to grades 4th – 8th, as well as the Thirman L Milner School teaching basic Keyboarding to grades 3rd-8th in Hartford, and the surrounding areas of CT.

Storytelling – Andre Keitt

“It’s in my blood…” says Andre Keitt Greatheart Griot, a native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, now residing in Connecticut, excelled in the cultural arts at an early age. Inspired by the storytelling of his grandmother, Martha Greatheart Thompson, “Mama Thompson”, Andre has a lore of tales that he will envision forever. He has a B.A. in English from South Carolina State University. For ten years he was one of the host/producers of “Black Perspective” an Emmy award winning public affairs television show aired on WVIT, an NBC affiliate in Connecticut. Some of the subjects broached on this program were: African Folklore, The Spirit of the Native American, Music of the Black Church, and Holiday Traditions. He is a member of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (ALA) and has performed at library conferences in Columbus, OH, Milwaukee, WI and Winston-Salem, NC. Andre is delighted to be a teaching artist and literacy activity leader for students in Greater Hartford and surrounding regions for the following arts and humanities institutions: Hartford Stage Company, The Bushnell Memorial, Connecticut Humanities Council and Readers as Leaders, CT. He has also performed with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

Poetry – Versatile Poetiq

Versatile Poetiq (aka Brittana Tatum) is a spoken word artist and rap poet with a mission to enhance student’s abilities to understand and conceptualize poetry and spoken word. She uses an inclusive style of teaching that values success over a system and people over a plan. This enables her to connect with each student in deep, meaningful ways. A regular performer in the Hartford area hip-hop scene, Versatile graduated from the University of Hartford and teaches spoken word at Hartford Academy for the Arts.

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“Do you know any good yoga jokes?” Mike Riley said.

No, can’t say I do. Do you?, his interviewer responded.

“What is the pirate’s favorite yoga position? The plank pose,” he said and chuckled.

Riley says he’s normally quite serious during his yoga sessions. The laugh comes after class. He wants to guide people within their own bodies towards a place of calm, a task he has devoted his life to over the past decade while teaching throughout the Greater Hartford area, including at Hartford Public Library.

Riley will be part of HPL’s Wellness Wednesday series, airing on Facebook.

Breathing is the most important part of yoga practice – it’s called pranayama, or controlling the breath. “When you laugh it is a way of controlling breath unconsciously,” he said.

For a long time in his life, Riley was angry. He felt unsettled. It impacted him as a father and as a husband. “I couldn’t sit. I couldn’t be quiet. I reacted to every thought I had in my head,” he said.

Ten years ago Riley saw an advertisement for a yoga class at a local church on Thursday evening at 6 pm. He decided to give it a try. “I don’t know how the seed got planted but I wanted to do it,” he said.

After three classes, Riley began to pay attention to what was happening inside. He was unearthing things from his past, wrestling with his dissatisfaction and sadness. He came out on the other side with insight and more peace than before.

“I went deeper and deeper. I became a teacher,” he said.

Thanks to constant yoga practice, Riley feels he is better able to manage his life and hopes that he can share his tools and techniques with others.

“Yoga has allowed me the space to let go of that which doesn’t make sense to me, which can be challenging,” Riley said.

Riley believes that yoga is an answer to the anxiousness and anxiety that pervades the modern world. “The answers are there and the need is there,” he said. “What yoga does is connect your mind, body and breath … the minute you are focused on your breathing, you really don’t do anything else. The mind really just begins to calm.”

The stakes are more than just a vague sense of peace. Riley believes that yoga helps us become a witness to our own lives, and leads us to our truest self.

“We are more than our names. We are more than the color of our skins. We more than who we ever believed ourselves to be,” Riley said.

– By Steven Scarpa, Manager, Communications and Public Relations

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Hartford Public Library is launching two book clubs wrestling with the topics of anti-racism and social justice.

The first, called The Awakening Book Club, will start on August 13 at 6 pm. The club is targeted for young adults ages 13 to 25. Click here to sign up: bit.ly/TheAwakeningBookClub

“Connecting around a good book is one of the most meaningful ways to learn more about ourselves, each other and the world we live in. We want to inspire, engage and empower our young people to be thought leaders and decision makers. The future of our society is in their hands – and sharing ideas from great works of literature and non-fiction paves the way for them to form their own ideas about the world and form relationships with others that will last a lifetime,” said Bridget Quinn-Carey, HPL’s president and CEO.

The club hopes to create a safe and open space for young adults to connect around a good book. The biweekly discussion series will center on a book of the month that prompts much needed conversation about past and present racial injustices. Not an avid reader? Come and hear what others have to say about this important dialogue.

Liz Castle, programming manager for the library, said that the book club was a result of a meeting with young local organizers in early June. “We basically asked them how we can support them as a library. They told us the most useful thing we could do is to help them connect with other young people, reading books, discussing books and how literature can help inform how they move forward with their social justice work,” Castle said.

Club meeting dates and the books are below:

August: How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Session 1:  August 13
Session 2: August 27

September: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Session 1: September 10th
Session 2: September 24th

October: So you Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Olou
Session 1: October 15th
Session 2: October 29th

November: The New Jim Crow : Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Session 1: November 12th
Session 2: November 27th

December: The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter Woodson
Session 1: December 10th
Session 2: December 13^th

Hartford Public Library has also been named a chapter of Noname’s Book Club, an online/irl community dedicated to uplifting the voices of people of color. They do this by highlighting two books each month written by authors of color. From cult classics to the words of emergent authors, Noname’s Book Club highlights books that speak on human conditions in critical and original ways. In addition to social media presence have free virtual meet ups to discuss the monthly picks in a safe and supportive environment. The book club was founded by the rapper Noname in 2019 and has partnerships with libraries in Oakland, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

Click here for more information on Noname’s Book Club.

Noname’s August Picks:

Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination, by Toni Morrison

The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett

For a list of all of Noname’s book picks, click here.

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The combination of the stress of being a social worker and the challenge of being a single mom forced Krystal Failey to come up with new ideas for relief.

“I like to say that yoga kind of found me,” she said.

Failey started practicing yoga after college about a decade ago but became more serious this past year.  This past March Failey began a new business, Klear Greatness, named for herself (Klear as in Krystal) and her four-year-old son Grayson, who she calls Grayson the Great. She will also offer free virtual classes on Facebook as part of HPL’s Wellness Wednesdays series.

“People don’t have the coping mechanisms needed to get through stressful situations,” Failey said.

Failey said there is a stereotype in the Black community surrounding yoga practice, that it is only for white people. There can be barriers to entry. Classes can be expensive and often times there is no way for a parent to do yoga with their child, something of tremendous importance to her. Through her practice, she hopes to address these issues, offering positive affirmations and a place for everyone to find centeredness in their own lives.

“I like to tailor my services to my own people,” she said. “I want people of color to realize that they can do this no matter what.”

Our minds are cluttered. We don’t breathe properly. We carry our stresses and our troubles where ever we go. Under ideal circumstances, there is a lot of pressure, Failey believes. Virtually everyone would agree that today is far from ideal.

“People in general, we over exert ourselves,” she said. “You want to make sure that the mind clears. A huge component of what I am practicing is clearing the mind. We let go of what is not serving us,” she said.

Yoga strengthens the body, but in Failey’s estimation, the greatest clarity can be found by releasing stress. “It makes for a better sense of self,” Failey said.

For more information about Klear Greatness, visit www.kleargreatness.com.

By Steven Scarpa, manager of communications and media relations

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Hartford Public Library celebrates Black owned businesses in Hartford with a new video series called Local Business Spotlight, released each Friday on Facebook starting July 31. Business owners will talk about their establishments and the role Black literature has played in their journey. A wide range of businesses are represented from bookstores and restaurants to career consulting and therapy.

Here are links to the businesses joining us in the series and the books that helped them on their way.

• Supreme Being Inc.

Stanley Williams

The mission of Supreme Being Inc. is to elevate the quality of life for disadvantaged families
and to refine the minds of disadvantaged youth.

Inspiration: The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley

The Key Bookstore 

Khmani Harrison

The Key Bookstore is a fully interactive bookstore experience. The Key engages readers through curation, activities, subscriptions, events, events, and community engagement. The focus is to lead readers on a path to self-mastery and the cultivation of connection on and offline with respect to the mission, “Divine liberation one page at a time”. This store is curated on for the pillars Afrocentricity, Spirituality Environmentalism, and Entrepreneurship.

• Career Consulting with Christina

Christina Edwards, HR Career Consultant

Inspiration: Relationship Goals by Michael Todd

• Kay Droppin Gems LLC

Kay Dropping Gems specializes in intuitive guidance on self, relationships, love, careers, dream interpretations, aura cleanses, healing rituals, all channeled thru spirit

Quote: “If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be” – Maya Angelou

• ini sips

Davina Ismail

We are a veteran and family-owned company based in New Britain, Connecticut. We sell premium organic, direct trade coffee and flavorful blends of loose leaf tea.

Inspirations:

Black Titan by Carol Jenkins

Becoming by Michelle Obama

• Breakfastxlunchxdinner

Onyeka Obiocha

Breakfast Lunch & Dinner (BL&D) creates collective culture by building unique, diverse ventures that bring people together authentically. We leverage the assets of the Connecticut region to bring the best of the community forward to offer to our in-house ventures and the projects of our partners and clients. Hartford, like many cities, is receiving revived interest from Government investors that will change the city. Breakfast Lunch & Dinner positions our work to make sure everyone is a part of that revival.

Inspiration:

Poem “Secrets”- Black experiences in America

Black Marxism by Cedric Robinson

• B&B Wings 

Rita and Marc

B&B Wings and Things is a husband and wife team running the kitchen together with a lot of love.

Owners Marc and Rita share a love for creative food, their award-winning sauces and making people laugh.

Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It by Charlamagne tha God

Thieves’ Paradise by Eric Jerome Dickey

• Awakening the Power Therapy 

Monique West

Awaken The Power Therapy offers coaching & mental health therapy services. We offer coaching for parents on how to effectively parent amidst the “chaos” and balance career goals, parenting and personal growth. We also offer action coaching for people who experience procrastination and indecisiveness in the areas of relationship, career, vocation and personal growth. With couples we work to have each person communicate more effectively, create emotional intimacy and meaningful bonding.

Inspiration: The Gentleman In The Grey Suit: A Black Man’s Tale To Save Black Boys In America by Eldorado Anderson

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