One way The Friends invests in the library is by connecting readers and writers statewide through a range of programs. For more than 30 years, we have offered programs that entertain, enrich, and nourish curious minds.
Our events are always open to the public and most are free. Browse our calendar below.
Captioning is provided for our livestream events; ASL interpretation is available upon request with at least seven days’ notice. To request ASL interpretation or other accommodations, contact [email protected] or 651-222-3242.
Full Calendar of Events
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibit: “Gatsby at 100” Exhibit: “Gatsby at 100” @ Minneapolis Institute of Arts Sep 13 2025 – Mar 22 2026 all-day 
“Gatsby at 100” Exhibit September 13, 2025 – March 22, 2026 Minneapolis Institute of Arts 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis “Gatsby at 100,” opening in fall 2025 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, will explore… Moving Words Writers Across Minnesota – St. Michael 10:30 am Moving Words Writers Across Minnesota – St. Michael @ Great River Regional Library St. Michael Nov 1 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm 
Enjoy a lively discussion with three multi-genre, Minnesota authors: Sally Franson, Nina Hamza, and David Nash. Moving Words is an opportunity for writers and readers to explore various themes together: the impact of literature in… | ||||||
| Performer Talk: “The Last Flapper” with Monette Magrath 6:00 pm Performer Talk: “The Last Flapper” with Monette Magrath @ Saint Anthony Park Library Nov 3 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
“The Last Flapper” Performer Talk with Monette Magrath: Monday, November 3 | 6:00 p.m. Saint Anthony Park Library | 2245 Como Avenue, Saint Paul Performer Monette Magrath shares a behind-the-scenes look at her one-woman show… | Moving Words – Wheaton 6:00 pm Moving Words – Wheaton @ Wheaton Community Library Nov 6 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm 
Enjoy a lively discussion with four multi-genre, Minnesota authors. Moving Words is an opportunity for writers and readers to explore various themes together: the impact of literature in their lives, their connection as fellow Minnesotans,… | |||||
| Panel Discussion: Teaching “The Great Gatsby” 1:00 pm Panel Discussion: Teaching “The Great Gatsby” @ Online Nov 9 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm 
Teaching The Great Gatsby: Panel discussion Sunday, November 9| 1:00 p.m. Online | Register here. Join Amy Goldman, teacher and moderator of the Teaching The Great Gatsby Facebook group, and local artist and writer K.… | Performance: “The Last Flapper” by William Luce 7:00 pm Performance: “The Last Flapper” by William Luce @ Landmark Center Nov 14 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Performance: “The Last Flapper,” by William Luce, based on the writings of Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald November 14 | 7:00 p.m. (Additional performances November 15 and 16 at 1:00 p.m.) Landmark Center | 75 W… | Performance: “The Last Flapper” by William Luce 1:00 pm Performance: “The Last Flapper” by William Luce @ Landmark Center Nov 15 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Performance: “The Last Flapper,” by William Luce, based on the writings of Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald November 15 | 1:00 p.m. (Additional performance 16 at 1:00 p.m.) Landmark Center | 75 W 5th Street, Saint… | ||||
| Performance: “The Last Flapper” by William Luce 1:00 pm Performance: “The Last Flapper” by William Luce @ Landmark Center Nov 16 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Performance: “The Last Flapper,” by William Luce, based on the writings of Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald November 16 | 1:00 p.m. Landmark Center | 75 W 5th Street, Saint Paul Get tickets here. Based on… | Books & Bars: “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore 6:30 pm Books & Bars: “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore @ Utepils Nov 19 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm 
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore Wednesday, November 19 6:30 p.m. Discussion Utepils 225 Thomas Ave N, Minneapolis This event is FREE and open to the public. — Early morning, August 1975: a… | Moving Words Writers Across Minnesota – St. Peter 6:30 pm Moving Words Writers Across Minnesota – St. Peter @ St. Peter Public Library Nov 20 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm 
Enjoy a lively discussion with three multi-genre, Minnesota authors: Jokeda Bell, Alison McGhee, and Teresa Peterson. Moving Words is an opportunity for writers and readers to explore various themes together: the impact of literature in… | ||||
| Books & Bars: “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore 6:30 pm Books & Bars: “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore @ Urban Growler Nov 25 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore Tuesday, November 25 6:30 p.m. Discussion Urban Growler 2325 Endicott St, Saint Paul, MN This event is FREE and open to the public. — Early morning, August… | ||||||
Ongoing Series
Books & Bars
With The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to our computer screen every first Wednesday of the month.
Even if you don’t like the featured book, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Wednesday, November 19
6:30 p.m. Discussion
Utepils
225 Thomas Ave N,
Minneapolis
This event is FREE and open to the public.
—
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow.
—
With The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Tuesday, November 25
6:30 p.m. Discussion
Urban Growler
2325 Endicott St,
Saint Paul, MN
This event is FREE and open to the public.
—
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow.
—
With The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Wednesday, December 10
6:30 p.m. Discussion
Utepils
225 Thomas Ave N,
Minneapolis
This event is FREE and open to the public.
—
Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country’s vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of the powerful businessman Mr. Hosokawa. Roxanne Coss, opera’s most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening—until a band of gun-wielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, a moment of great beauty, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different continents become compatriots, intimate friends, and lovers.
—
With The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
Fitzgerald in Saint Paul
The Friends stewards F. Scott Fitzgerald’s legacy through programming that celebrates the life and literature of the revered author and inspires people to reflect on both his historical and contemporary significance. Learn more here.
“Gatsby at 100” Exhibit
September 13, 2025 – March 22, 2026
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis
“Gatsby at 100,” opening in fall 2025 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, will explore how F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel shaped and was shaped by the visual art of his time. The exhibition will bring together works from Mia’s collection that embody the decadence, social upheaval, and underlying racism of Fitzgerald’s most famous novel, highlighting paintings, prints, drawings, and photographs that are rarely on view. Like Fitzgerald, artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Oskar Kokoschka, and Henri Matisse, as well as regional artists like Wanda Gág, Clement Haupers, and Frances Cranmer Greenman, endeavored to capture the contradictions of the Jazz Age, a term coined by Fitzgerald himself. Entry is free.
Learn more here.
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 is convening a variety of programs that invite us to revisit the book and consider how its themes apply today. Learn more and browse programs here.
Teaching The Great Gatsby: Panel discussion
Sunday, November 9| 1:00 p.m.
Online | Register here.
Join Amy Goldman, teacher and moderator of the Teaching The Great Gatsby Facebook group, and local artist and writer K. Woodman-Maynard for a chat about teaching The Great Gatsby in 2025. How are students reacting to a century-old work? What have they learned in years of teaching the novel?
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.
Performance: “The Last Flapper,” by William Luce, based on the writings of Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald
November 14 | 7:00 p.m.
(Additional performances November 15 and 16 at 1:00 p.m.)
Landmark Center | 75 W 5th Street, Saint Paul
Get tickets here.
Based on her real letters and stories, this dynamic one-woman show is the definitive portrait of Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald: the glamorous, fun-loving, and tragic Zelda. Set in an insane asylum on the last day of Zelda’s life, the play unfolds as a mesmerizing, hypnotic session.
Performed by Monette Magrath.
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.
Fireside Reading Series
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. Events take place Wednesday evenings in January at 6:30 p.m. at Rondo Community Library and via Zoom.
January 15 | Jokeda “JoJo” Bell, Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms
January 22 | Naomi Cohn, The Braille Encyclopedia
January 29 | Pallavi Sharma Dixit, Edison
Captioning will be provided for all four Zoom livestream events; ASL interpretation will be provided for the 1/31 event and is available upon request for the other events 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.
Previous Seasons:
Watch the 2024 recordings here.
Watch the 2023 recordings here.
Watch the 2022 recordings here.
Watch the full playlist of events from 2020.
Listen to podcasts from previous years.
Read Brave Saint Paul
Read Brave is Saint Paul's annual citywide book club hosted by Mayor Carter and Saint Paul Public Library. Read Brave taps into the power of books to bring residents together to read and talk bravely across generations about an issue critical to Saint Paul and its future. The 2024 Read Brave book pick is the young adult novel Man o’ War by Cory McCarthy.
Sign up for the Read Brave e-newsletters or visit the Library's Read Brave webpage to learn how to access books and events.
More Than a Single Story
More Than a Single Story is a series of panel discussions/public conversations where writers of color discuss issues of importance to them in their own voices and in their own words.
The 2025 Series is "Songs for Our Fathers: A Series to Celebrate Fatherhood" This series includes two panel discussions that aims to bridge cultural, racial, and generational divides as single fathers, married fathers, stepfathers, and grandfathers gather to explore the songs and silences passed down by our fathers, and the stories we’re crafting now as we raise, support, and stand beside the next generation.
Moderators: Suleiman Adan and Ben Weaver
Click on an event to the right to learn more.