We Believe in the Library. We Invest in the Library.
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library believes that libraries are essential. We act as a catalyst for libraries to strengthen and inspire their communities. Learn more in this short video about our work.
Books and so much more
Libraries are the best way to strengthen communities because they connect individuals of every age, ethnicity, and background with resources that enrich and improve lives.
Has the Public Library Made an Impact in Your Life or Community?
Stronger Libraries for Stronger Communities
“I don’t know how to help my child with their homework, so this helps them. We love it here, and the kids want to come.”
– Safiya, mother
“This storytime means so much to me because my kids get to learn their native language.”
– Po, parent
“The library brings people together. It’s a place to come together around community and information.”
– Darren, small-business owner
“The best thing about this program is that it has all the resources a low-income student may need to do well in school… along with a safe learning environment for students to work.”
– Mai Xee, student
Upcoming Events
Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms by Jokeda “JoJo” Bell | Nonfiction
Wednesday, January 15 | 6:30 p.m.
Rondo Community Library | 461 North Dale Street, Saint Paul
OR via Zoom | REGISTER HERE for Zoom event
About the Book
Hilda Simms joined Harlem’s Negro Theater in 1943 and helped chart a path for Black actors who wanted to be considered serious dramatists. She openly supported civil rights and was blacklisted during the McCarthy era for “un-American” activities. Despite this setback, she continued her efforts to create opportunities for people of color in theater and film.
About the Author
Jokeda “JoJo” Bell is executive director of exhibitions and programming for the African American Interpretive Center of Minnesota. She is a PhD student in the history department at the University of Minnesota. She studies Black women and land ownership in the Upper Midwest.
About the Fireside Reading Series
Great authors by the fireside.
FREE
Wednesdays | January 8 – January 29, 2025 | 6:30 p.m.
Rondo Community Library | 461 North Dale Street, Saint Paul
or via Zoom
thefriends.org/fireside
Cozy up for four weeks of readings with great writers. In partnership with Saint Paul Public Library, Fireside Reading Series highlights some of Minnesota’s finest writers who have published new work.
Captioning will be provided for all four livestreamed events. ASL interpretation is available upon request with at least seven days’ notice. Contact [email protected] or 651-222-3242.
These programs are made possible in part through an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Minnesota Center for the Book.
All Fireside Events
Wednesday, January 8th
Taiyon Coleman, Traveling Without Moving: Essays from a Black Woman Trying to Survive in America
Memoir
Wednesday, January 15th
Jokeda “JoJo” Bell, Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms
Nonfiction
Wednesday, January 22nd
Naomi Cohn, The Braille Encyclopedia
Poetry/Memoir
Wednesday, January 29th
Pallavi Dixit, Edison
Novel
Saturday, January 18 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Arlington Hills Community Center | 1200 Payne Ave, Saint Paul
Register below to watch the livestream.
Editors Niklas Salmose and David Rennie will join contributors David Page and Ross Tangedal in conversation to celebrate the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Composite Biography. This unique biography tells the story of Fitzgerald’s life through the writing of 23 different scholars.
Light food will be provided, and book sales will be available on site.
To request ASL interpretation or other accommodations, contact [email protected] or 651-222-3242 at least seven days in advance. The livestream will be captioned.
This book is published by the University of Minnesota Press with support from The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library through the Richard P. McDermott Fund.
Gatsby at 100
2025 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby. To mark this milestone, The Friends will convene a variety of programs that invite us to revisit the book and consider how its themes apply today. Learn more and browse programs here.
Livestream Registration: "F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Composite Biography:" Book launch and conversation with editors
Registrants for this event will receive the livestream link ahead of time.
The Braille Encyclopedia by Naomi Cohn | Poetry/Memoir
Wednesday, January 22 | 6:30 p.m.
Rondo Community Library | 461 North Dale Street, Saint Paul
OR via Zoom | REGISTER HERE for Zoom event
About the Book
Told in the form of imagined alphabetical encyclopedia entries, this meditation on progressive vision loss examines and illuminates Cohn’s at first halting then avid embrace of braille as part of relearning to read and write as an adult. Using linked essays and prose poems, Cohn links her personal story to the larger discussion of how our society views disability.
About the Author
Naomi Cohn is a writer and teaching artist. Her past includes a childhood among Chicago academics; involvement in a guerrilla feminist art collective; and work as an encyclopedia copy editor, community organizer, grant writer, fundraising consultant, and therapist. Cohn has also appeared on NPR and been honored by a Best of the Net Finalist and two Pushcart nominations.
About the Fireside Reading Series
Great authors by the fireside.
FREE
Wednesdays | January 8 – January 29, 2025 | 6:30 p.m.
Rondo Community Library | 461 North Dale Street, Saint Paul
or via Zoom
thefriends.org/fireside
Cozy up for four weeks of readings with great writers. In partnership with Saint Paul Public Library, Fireside Reading Series highlights some of Minnesota’s finest writers who have published new work.
Captioning will be provided for all four livestreamed events. ASL interpretation is available upon request with at least seven days’ notice. Contact [email protected] or 651-222-3242.
These programs are made possible in part through an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Minnesota Center for the Book.
All Fireside Events
Wednesday, January 8th
Taiyon Coleman, Traveling Without Moving: Essays from a Black Woman Trying to Survive in America
Memoir
Wednesday, January 15th
Jokeda “JoJo” Bell, Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms
Nonfiction
Wednesday, January 22nd
Naomi Cohn, The Braille Encyclopedia
Poetry/Memoir
Wednesday, January 29th
Pallavi Dixit, Edison
Novel
Edison, by Pallavi Sharma Dixit | Novel
Wednesday, January 29 | 6:30 p.m.
Rondo Community Library | 461 North Dale Street, Saint Paul
OR via Zoom | REGISTER HERE for Zoom event
About the Book
Prem Kumar leaves New Delhi to chase his filmmaking dreams in America. Though life does not go according to script, Prem finds contentment working at a gas station in Edison, New Jersey. When Leena Engineer bursts onto the scene, she upends Prem’s short-term plan to do as little as possible, launching him on an epic adventure to make something of himself.
About the Author
Pallavi Sharma Dixit was born in India and raised in New Jersey. She was a winner of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop’s Pages in Progress Prize. Pallavi holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
About the Fireside Reading Series
Great authors by the fireside.
FREE
Wednesdays | January 8 – January 29, 2025 | 6:30 p.m.
Rondo Community Library | 461 North Dale Street, Saint Paul
or via Zoom
thefriends.org/fireside
Cozy up for four weeks of readings with great writers. In partnership with Saint Paul Public Library, Fireside Reading Series highlights some of Minnesota’s finest writers who have published new work.
Captioning will be provided for all four livestreamed events. ASL interpretation is available upon request with at least seven days’ notice. Contact [email protected] or 651-222-3242.
These programs are made possible in part through an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Minnesota Center for the Book.
All Fireside Events
Wednesday, January 8th
Taiyon Coleman, Traveling Without Moving: Essays from a Black Woman Trying to Survive in America
Memoir
Wednesday, January 15th
Jokeda “JoJo” Bell, Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms
Nonfiction
Wednesday, January 22nd
Naomi Cohn, The Braille Encyclopedia
Poetry/Memoir
Wednesday, January 29th
Pallavi Dixit, Edison
Novel
The Great Gatsby: Performance & Talk by Literature to Life
Wednesday, February 12 | 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
George Latimer Central Library – Magazine Room
90 W 4th Street, Saint Paul
Literature to Life adapts F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic work as the newest title in their Signature Performance series. The novel touches on the treatment of different social classes, gender, race, environmentalism, and the price of the American Dream. Literature to Life Signature Performances are professionally staged adaptations of award-winning literary works performed by a single actor. Each performance is accompanied by pre- and post-show discussion.
To request ASL interpretation or other accommodations, contact [email protected] or 651-222-3242 at least seven days in advance.
Gatsby at 100
2025 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby. To mark this milestone, The Friends will convene a variety of programs that invite us to revisit the book and consider how its themes apply today. Learn more and browse programs here.