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 & Fitzgerald Collection 10:00 am Exhibit: Gatsby & Fitzgerald Collection @ The Minnesota History Center Mar 20 @ 10:00 am – May 31 @ 4:00 pm 
Exhibit: Gatsby & Fitzgerald Collection at the Minnesota Historical Society March 20 – May 31 2025 The Minnesota History Center 345 West Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul View objects from Fitzgerald’s life and world on display… | ||||||
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.
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.
Exhibit: Gatsby & Fitzgerald Collection at the Minnesota Historical Society
March 20 – May 31 2025
The Minnesota History Center
345 West Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul
View objects from Fitzgerald’s life and world on display at the History Center. Items from the collection will be on display in the Gale Family Library through May. Entry is free.
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.
The Great Gatsby: Live reading at the Minnesota History Center
Thursday, April 10 | 1:00 – 7:30 p.m.
The Minnesota History Center
345 West Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul
Click here to download voucher for complimentary parking
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Great Gatsby by attending a reading of the novel. Come and go as you please. You never know who you’ll hear reading!
While you’re there, check out the History Center’s Fitzgerald collection in the Gale Family Library.
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.
Books & Bars: The Great Gatsby – A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Katherine Woodman Maynard
Tuesday, April 15 | 6:30 p.m. Discussion
Urban Growler
2325 Endicott Street, Saint Paul
The artist, Katherine Woodman Maynard, will talk about adapting F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel. Painted in lush watercolors, this inventive interpretation emphasizes the extravagance and mystery of the characters and the fluidity of Nick Carraway’s unreliable narration. Excerpts from the original text wend through the illustrations, and imagery and metaphors are taken to literal, and often whimsical, extremes.
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 2024 Series is called "Songs for Our Fathers: A Series to Celebrate Fatherhood" This series of three panel discussions and three writing workshops aims to bridge cultural, racial, and generational divides as single fathers, young married fathers, and grandfathers reflect on their unique journeys, share perspectives, and connect over the joys and challenges of fatherhood.
Panel Discussions
Event 1: In Praise of Single Fathers
Event 2: The Unsung Realities of Fatherhood
Event 3: For the Love of Our Grandfathers
Workshops
Workshop 1: Unpacking “Single” Fatherhood
Workshop 2: The Unsung Realities of Modern Fatherhood
Workshop 3: Father and Son