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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moving Words: Writers Across Minnesota | Rochester 6:00 pm Moving Words: Writers Across Minnesota | Rochester @ Rochester Public Library Nov 12 @ 6:00 pm  Moving Words: Author Discussion Tuesday, November 12 | 6:00 p.m. Rochester Public Library | 101 2nd St SE, Rochester MN 55904 Free | Registration not required Enjoy a lively discussion with three Minnesota authors:… | ||||||
| Books & Bars: “Mercury Pictures Presents” by Anthony Marra 6:30 pm Books & Bars: “Mercury Pictures Presents” by Anthony Marra @ Sociable Cider Werks Nov 20 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm  Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra Wednesday, November 20th 6:30 p.m. Discussion Sociable Cider Werks 1500 Fillmore St NE Minneapolis This event is FREE and open to the public. — Born in Rome, where every… | Moving Words: Writers Across Minnesota | Saint Peter 6:30 pm Moving Words: Writers Across Minnesota | Saint Peter @ Saint Peter Public Library Nov 21 @ 6:30 pm  Moving Words: Author Discussion Thursday, November 21 | 6:30 p.m. Saint Peter Public Library | 601 S Washington Ave, Saint Peter MN 56082 Free | Registration not required Enjoy a lively discussion with three Minnesota… | |||||
| Books & Bars: “Mercury Pictures Presents” by Anthony Marra 6:30 pm Books & Bars: “Mercury Pictures Presents” by Anthony Marra @ Urban Growler Nov 26 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra Tuesday, November 26th 6:30 p.m. Discussion Urban Growler 2325 Endicott Street Saint Paul This event is FREE and open to the public. — Born in Rome, where every Sunday… |
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.
Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra
Tuesday, November 26th
6:30 p.m. Discussion
Urban Growler
2325 Endicott Street
Saint Paul
This event is FREE and open to the public.
—
Born in Rome, where every Sunday her father took her to the cinema instead of church, Maria immigrates with her mother to Los Angeles after a childhood transgression leads to her father’s arrest. Fifteen years later, on the eve of America’s entry into World War II, Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures. Over the coming months, as the bright lights go dark across Los Angeles, Mercury Pictures becomes a nexus of European émigrés. While the world descends into war, Maria rises through a maze of conflicting politics, divided loyalties, and jockeying ambitions. But when the arrival of a stranger from her father’s past threatens Maria’s carefully constructed facade, she must finally confront her father’s fate—and her own.
—
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 Future by Naomi Alderman
Tuesday, December 17th
6:30 p.m. Discussion
Urban Growler
2325 Endicott Street
Saint Paul
This event is FREE and open to the public.
—
When Martha Einkorn fled her father’s isolated compound in Oregon, she never expected to find herself working for a powerful social media mogul hell-bent on controlling everything. Martha may have left the cult, but if the apocalyptic warnings in her father’s fox and rabbit sermon—once a parable to her—are starting to come true.
Across the world, in a mall in Singapore, Lai Zhen, an internet-famous survivalist, flees from an assassin. She’s cornered, desperate, and—worst of all—might die without ever knowing what’s going on. Suddenly, a remarkable piece of software appears on her phone telling her exactly how to escape. Martha and Zhen’s worlds are about to collide. An explosive chain of events is set in motion.
—
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 Future by Naomi Alderman
Wednesday, December 18th
6:30 p.m. Discussion
Sociable Cider Werks
1500 Fillmore St. NE
Minneapolis
This event is FREE and open to the public.
—
When Martha Einkorn fled her father’s isolated compound in Oregon, she never expected to find herself working for a powerful social media mogul hell-bent on controlling everything. Martha may have left the cult, but if the apocalyptic warnings in her father’s fox and rabbit sermon—once a parable to her—are starting to come true.
Across the world, in a mall in Singapore, Lai Zhen, an internet-famous survivalist, flees from an assassin. She’s cornered, desperate, and—worst of all—might die without ever knowing what’s going on. Suddenly, a remarkable piece of software appears on her phone telling her exactly how to escape. Martha and Zhen’s worlds are about to collide. An explosive chain of events is set in motion.
—
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.
F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Composite Biography: Book launch and conversation with editors
Saturday, January 18 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Arlington Hills Community Center | 1200 Payne Ave, Saint Paul
Livestream registration: Coming soon
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.
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.
Gatsby & Fitzgerald Collection at Minnesota History Center
March – May 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.
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.
Traveling Without Moving: Essays from a Black Woman Trying to Survive in America by Taiyon Coleman | Memoir
Wednesday, January 8 | 6:30 p.m.
Rondo Community Library | 461 North Dale Street, Saint Paul
OR via Zoom | REGISTER HERE for Zoom event
About the Book
Coleman shares intimate essays from her life. She explores what it means to write her story and that of her family—an act at once a responsibility and a privilege—bringing forth the inherent contradictions between American ideals and Black reality.
About the Author
Taiyon J. Coleman is a poet, writer, and educator whose work has been anthologized widely. She is a 2017 recipient of a McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowship in Creative Prose and a recipient of a 2018–2019 Mirrors and Windows Fellowship. She is associate professor of English and women’s studies at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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
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
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
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