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Hartford Public Library is partnering with Hartford’s L.I.T. (Literary Integrated Trailblazers) to co-host the fourth annual Hartford Book Festival as a three-day event with workshops, poetry readings and more from Friday, Sept. 23, to Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Downtown Library at 500 Main St. and the Free Center at 460 New Britain Ave.

Hartford’s L.I.T. is a group of local authors, artists and entrepreneurs. Their mission is to establish presence and awareness of Greater Hartford’s local authors, diverse artists and entrepreneurs to revitalize literary arts and communication. H.L.I.T. focuses on literacy, literary productions, entrepreneurial building and networking within Hartford communities, including the underserved and nontraditional communities.

H.L.I.T., along with local artists, business owners and Hartford residents, came together for the last three years to host the first, second and third Hartford Book Festival at Hartford Public Library with the themes “How are the Children?,” “2020 Visions & Reflections” and “ 202One Love One Life,” respectively. This year, the theme is “Double Up 2 Double Up,” and this three-day event will be a celebration of reading and writing for children, teens and adults in the City of Hartford. The festival will feature local authors, book stores, workshops, panels, live stage, youth activities, open mic, literary highlights, publishers and a vibrant cultural live stage and more.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

For more information about Hartford’s L.I.T. visit www.hartfordslit.com or email hartfordslit@gmail.com.

Hartford’s L.I.T. (Literary Integrated Trailblazers) Team
Nzima Sherylle Hutchings: Visionary, founder, curator and CEO
T’challa Williams: Executive co-founder
Lashawn Henderson Middleton: Founding member
Alphonso McGriff: Founding member

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Day One: Writers Gotta Write! Writer’s Workshops 

Friday, September 23rd, 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St., Hartford, CT
Center for Contemporary Culture

Writing does not always happen smoothly or immediately. There are times when writers find they need to learn a new way, method or approach that allows their imagination to be as free as they need to. A great place to begin the process is a conference. Nothing is more inspirational than being among other writers and finding you are not as alone as you think you are in this journey of creativity. This year Hartford’s L.I.T. presents workshops to assist your approach to writing while also providing resources to help build out a writer’s stories. Join us as we kick off our fourth annual Hartford Book Festival Weekend with an opportunity to expand our writing gifts while celebrating our love of the written word.

Café hour (doors open)
11 a.m.: Coffee and networking, HLIT merchandise for sale
11:30 a.m.: Morning pages and meditative writing

Welcome
Noon

Ekphrastic poetry and healing words with Nzima Sherylle Hutchings
12:15-1 p.m.

Workshop core objectives: Participants will receive an overview of ekphrastic poetry, write from inspired writing prompts and visual art and learn the power of healing and affirmative poetic writing. Ages 13 and up.

Descriptive writing: Space as a character with T’challa Williams
12:30-1:15 p.m.

Workshop core objectives: To demonstrate how space, location and even a world can be a character within a work of fiction. Writers will learn ways to use their five senses in order to describe space as a character.

Poetic Narratives in choreopoems: Whole body dramatics, music and tongue cadence with Nzima Sherylle Hutchings
1:30-2:15 p.m.

Workshop core objectives: To learn about choreopoems; which are a form of dramatic expression that combine poetry, dance, music and song, coined by Ntozake Shange in 1975. In this interactive workshop participants will write and share their drafts of choreopoems. Participants will learn the fundamentals of a choreopoem. Moreover, they will learn how full-body expressions, dance movements, sound and music recreate and maximize messages in a poem. Ages 16 and up.

One voice: Art as advocacy
1:45-2:30 p.m.

Workshop core objectives: Identifying three key elements to advocacy. Artists will determine if their art or administration will be their advocate as they give voice to the matters that concern them the most. Anything that we have passion about we can take a stand for, or shed light on. The most important thing is to take the first step to be heard. Advocacy is vital in community building. Participants will also look at the ways collaboration is part of advocacy. Ages 13 and up.

Writer’s symposium: Writing wildly and risking comforts

2:45-3:30 p.m.

A discussion on unblocking boundaries to write authentic, fresh, and mind-bending stories for any genre. Participants will learn of literary giants who pushed the envelope.

Day Two: The Fourth Annual Hartford Book Festival
Saturday, September 24th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St., Hartford, CT

Time	Room	Workshop Title	Workshop Leaders
10 am	Center for Contemporary Culture (CCC)	Opening introWelcome and mission	Welcome from founders Nzima Hutchings andT’challa Williams
10:10 am	CCC	Library offerings and partnership	HPL representative
10:15 am	CCC	2022 year theme: Double Up 2 Double up	Executive founding member and spokeswomen T’challa Williams
10:25 am	CCC	Highlight authors of the day	Founding Member Alphonso McGriff III
10:28 am	CCC	Vendor highlight and author spotlight	Mio and Lashawn
11:25 am	CCC	Community trailblazers	Joe Young
11-11:45 am	Classroom 140	Advocacy and game changer	Laresse Harvey
11:40 am	Classroom 141	How to publish in 145 days	Rosa Bailey
11:40am-12:25 pm	Classroom 140	WORKSHOP: Journaling Our future stories vision board. Ages 5-13.	Barara McClane & Nzima Hutchings
2:15-3 pm	Classroom 141	WORKSHOP: Vision forward: Vision boards and the power of words and trusting the process to inspire goals, positive messages, as well as journey through truths, trials and triumphs. Ages 18 and up.	Barbara McClane
2:30-3:15 pm	Classroom 140	WORKSHOP: The plan: To offer you an opportunity to help yourself remove anger about a particular situation. The objective: To continue with life without anger for this particular situation. The result: A plan developed by you to help you eliminate the anger associated with a particular situation. Ages 17 and up.	Alphonso McGriff
3:15-4 pm	Classroom 141	WORKSHOP: Writing books on PTSD and healing without stigma. Intro of transformative writing: Helps take traumatic situations using coping skills to your narrative to a powerful positive, power-filled story. Ages 18 and up.	Laresse Harvey
3:30-4:10 pm	Classroom 140	ABC paper bag puppets and stories w/ parent or guardian. Ages 3-7.	T’challa Williams
11:50 am	CCC	Poet laureate roundtable discussion	Frederick-Douglass Knowles II – Hartford;Joshua “Urban Nerd” Brown – New London
12:45 pm	CCC	HoneyWata award	Nzima and HLIT team, and family member and owner of My Peoples Clinical Services Abdul-Rahmaan I. Muhammad
1:15pm	CCC	Ngoma Hill: Featured poet	Ngoma Hill
1:40pm	CCC	When Women Speak	Ameerah Bilal ShabazzMariah AyscueMwikali Words
2:05pm	CCC	Puppetry and storytime with Iyabo Mandingo	Iyabo Mandingo
2:35pm	CCC	Gallery of Treasures	Rosa Bailey and The Youth
2:55pm	CCC	HLIT YA Lit Mic	Amy, OSO, The Trifecta
3:20pm	CCC or Atrium	WRITING COMMUNITIES:What is a writing community?What happens in writing?Unique experiences, retreats, partnerships and benefits?

Why is it necessary?Every Kinda Lady Writer’s Cafe LAWR Nzima Hutchings, Ameerah and Guest of EKLT’challa New York Writers CoalitionLaashawn Journey WritersGabriella Rubin – Haus Expression3:55pmCCC & AtriumHLIT spiel goal 1-minute announcementHLIT Team3:57pmCCC or AtriumLIT mic open4:25pmHLIT outro, vending closing

Day Three: An Evening of Poetical Musings
Sunday, September 26th, 3-8 p.m.
Free Center, 460 New Britain Ave., Hartford, CT

Open mic, poetic activities, homage to great poets dramatic reading, Love Jones poetry, special guest poets of New England.

Hartford Public Library has received a $487,853 grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to launch a new program to expand banking access among immigrant communities, combating financial exclusion and helping build wealth among this growing population.

Building Social Capital: An Inclusive Approach to Immigrant Financial Integration was awarded a National Leadership Grant from the IMLS, the federal agency that is the main financial supporter of libraries and museums. Hartford Public Library will partner with Liberty Bank, the Connecticut Association for Human Services and the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund Bank On on the project, which is expected to launch in the Spring.

“This innovative program will support unbanked and underbanked immigrant communities by linking individuals with trusted experts in the banking field, demystifying financial products and services and saving program participants tens of thousands of dollars over their lifetimes in fees and interest,” said Hartford Public Library President and CEO Bridget E. Quinn. “Raising the financial health of local immigrant, refugee and migrant communities makes our city, our region and our state stronger. We are grateful to our partners at Liberty Bank, the Connecticut Association for Human Services and the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund for joining us in this effort and to the Institute of Museum and Library Services for funding this important work.”

Despite immigrants’ crucial role in growing the U.S. economy, the record-breaking size and diversity of this segment has created a critical demographic that remains marginalized from the American financial mainstream.

This initiative offers a unique learner-centered, project-based approach, utilizing a Learning Circle framework. The practice of Learning Circles has become increasingly popular in education; not only do they foster community and mutual trust, but also enrich the academic as well as the social and emotional dimensions of education. The social aspect of Learning Circles is also embedded in a familiar grassroots practice among many immigrants for managing their finances, and is popular among many cultures across the globe known as Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCA) or Lending Circles. This project expands the social capital that organically develops in Circles to fostering a responsive and ongoing partnership directly between the participant and their local bank.

In Building Social Capital: An Inclusive Approach to Immigrant Financial Integration participants will sign an agreement to deposit $50 per month for five months into a savings account with Liberty Bank that will be administered by the library. When the participant reaches their goal of $250, the money is transferred to an individual account under their name and they will receive an additional $250 and can decide to close the account or maintain it. Those who maintain an account balance of at least $250 for five more months will receive an additional $250 from Hartford Public Library donor funds.

Participants will meet for three hours every other week during the five-month period for financial education as well as networking opportunities and facilitated dialogues led by community leaders on topics related to quality of life issues of concern raised by the participants. Those who complete the program will have the opportunity to enroll in Liberty Bank’s Credit Builder Loan & Saver Program that offers interest-free loans to help establish a good payment history, an important step to building a better credit score.

The program is being overseen by The American Place at Hartford Public Library, which has a successful track record over more than 20 years of providing services and programs for immigrants and refugees.

“This significant federal grant will increase financial literacy and build stability in Hartford immigrant communities,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. “Public libraries are a cornerstone of our communities. The Hartford Public Library’s Building Social Capital program is innovative, important and inspiring. I am so pleased to see the Hartford Public Library receive this grant and I will keep fighting to bring these critical funds back to Connecticut.”

Establishing a checking or savings account and maintaining a positive credit score will allow individuals access to financial products and services so they don’t have to regularly rely on money orders, check-cashing services, payday loans, rent-to-own agreements or pawn shops, all of which come with added costs and fees. According to a Brookings report, a full-time worker with a checking account can save as much as $40,000 over his or her career by relying on a lower-cost checking account instead of check-cashing services.

“As a strong corporate citizen and community partner, our goal is to help create more equity and assist families on the road to financial security by providing better access to opportunities for all,” said Liberty Bank Vice President of Community Development and CRA Officer Glenn Davis. “This program will not only provide expert advice, literacy resources and support for local immigrants, refugees and migrants, it will also improve their financial health and long-term wellbeing as valued members of our community.”

By Tricia Haggerty-Wenz

The 2022-23 season of the ArtWalk at Hartford Public Library kicks off with an exhibition by Wethersfield artist Brigid Kennedy entitled “Visual Narratives” that explores the impact of COVID-19 and rising global social/political turmoil.

“I felt compelled to develop a new, innovative body of work for my artistic practice and for my viewers: healing and narrative paintings that chronicle the social issues of our time,” she says.

“Visual Narratives” will open with a reception on Friday, Sept. 16, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on the ArtWalk at the Downtown Library. The following interview with Brigid Kennedy has been edited for length and clarity.

Share with me your thoughts about how this exhibit came together.

“This is a body of work that I’ve been developing since 2020 and deeply influenced by COVID and the current social/political landscape. Before 2020 I had been focusing primarily on creating sculpture but the challenges of the current moment took me on a new path with my art.

“It began with a small series of handwashing paintings, showing we can try to avoid spreading the virus. During the pandemic handwashing became almost iconic as it came into the forefront of our shared consciousness as a simple way to represent the COVID experience. The work grew to include five themes: work and class, COVID and family, consequences of war, voting rights and landscapes.”

How did landscapes become a part of the series where the other pieces feel so interwoven with the moment?

Working with social/political issues can be a very heavy subject matter. War, racism, refugees, it all can become pretty dark. Working on my landscapes was a way of finding some relief. In the most recent paintings, I’ve enjoyed the process of combining the view inside and outside to create something more surreal. I’m focusing on my immediate surroundings in these paintings, taking something ordinary and making it more abstract and engaging. The viewer has to work a little harder to see what is truly going on in the painting.

Tell me about the path that has led you to this moment in your life.

“I got a BA in philosophy from the University of Toronto and then went on to get a bachelor’s of fine arts from SUNY Buffalo. After that I did my graduate work at Yale School of Art where I received my MFA. The next step was New York City where I worked mainly on large-scale, outdoor installations. I came up to Connecticut to teach and have been here ever since.”

So your art practice has taken my different paths.

“Sculpture and drawing, watercolor, large and small works … and currently I am enjoying the pace of what I am working on now in the form of small paintings. I enjoy pushing the limits and developing my craft.”

This body of work is really eye catching.

“The color and composition in this work is really important. After many years of working in monochromatic neutrals and earth tones in sculptural pieces, I now really enjoy the attention I give to color in this series as it lends the work an expressive quality. I also like that the work is small. This invites the viewer to have a more intimate experience with each painting.”

You recently retired from working as a high school art school teacher. What are you plans for this time in your life?

“I hope to continue to work in my studio full time, to have more time for my art, to create more and to show more. I’ve enjoyed volunteering in my community. I hope to travel more because travel changes one’s perspective; it’s a great resource and inspiration for artists. ”

We are so happy you sharing your work with our audience and patrons through your Artwalk exhibit.

“It is a beautiful open space, with lots of natural light. While I was installing the show it was so cool to look out the big windows and see Bushnell Park and the City of Hartford! This new vantage point on the city made everything look beautiful and fresh. This has been a wonderful and unexpected part of my journey.”

Hartford Public Library will be displaying the paintings of Ellen Sinclair Junger in an exhibition from September 1 to October 12, 2022, at the Downtown Library. The collection, entitled “Carousel Memories,” showcases the hard-carved wooden ponies of the Bushnell Park Carousel. 

Ellen had a deep connection to the carousel throughout her entire life. The Bushnell Park Carousel’s original home was Meyer’s Lake Park, a popular amusement park in Canton, Ohio that was owned by Carl Sinclair, Ellen’s father. Ellen always wanted to be a painter, and at age 18 she moved to Boston to study painting at Endicott College. She then worked with Expressionist painter Hyman Bloom after graduation. Ellen always carried fond memories of the carousel, which she called the Merry-Go-Round, and it was a major inspiration for much of her artwork. 

“Years later the Merry-Go-Round became the ‘Carousel’ of my first oil paintings,” said Ellen. “I had been inspired to paint because I wanted to capture the wonder and magic that those prancing horses held for me. Then, after the Merry-Go-Round was sold to Bushnell Park, I again painted it, this time in pastel.”

This collection of Ellen’s paintings was originally exhibited at the Canton Art Institute in 1987 in a memorial tribute to her late brother George C. Sinclair. After Ellen’s passing in 2021, her family donated the paintings to the City of Hartford and the Bushnell Park Foundation. Hartford Public Library will be hosting the exhibition of these paintings.