At the end of the film Dead Poets Society , the students who loved their professor, Mr. Keating (played by Robin Williams ), stand up on their desks and proclaim, "O Captain, My Captain"… continue reading

By Autumn M.   May 24, 2018   

There’s something about writing poetry that sparks the need to shape the community around us. It inspires us to engage with others, it encourages reflection—and it incites change.… continue reading

By Kalela W.   May 14, 2018    5

Yolanda Wisher is back! She left us in 2017 as the first Poet Laureate since the Free Library assumed responsibility for nurturing our city's chief word smith. On May 9, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.,… continue reading

By Adam F.   May 4, 2018   

April is National Poetry Month ! I know what you are thinking—poetry is something assigned to you by a teacher and you kind of understand what the author is saying but maybe not really?… continue reading

By Rachel F.   April 26, 2018   

The Parkway Central Library will present A Voice for Peace, Concord, and Harmony: XII International Poetry Festival in Philadelphia during the global celebration of poetry in the month of… continue reading

By Mary Marques   April 24, 2018   

It’s April, everyone, and you know what that means – it’s National Poetry Month ! Each year, the Academy of American Poets "highlights the extraordinary legacy and ongoing… continue reading

By Autumn M.   April 3, 2018   

Through May, the Teen Center is partnering with the Philly Slam League  to host its 8th season at Parkway Central Library . The program will draw hundreds of teens and their supporters from… continue reading

By Kristina L.   March 2, 2018   

Saturday, March 3, 2018, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Gustav Mahler (1860–1911). Kindertotenlieder (1901–1904) Mahler . Des Knaben Wunderhorn , excerpts (1892–1899) It’s… continue reading

By Fleisher Collection   March 1, 2018   

The Free Library's Center for Public Life is thrilled to announce the 2018–2019 Philadelphia Poet Laureate— Raquel Salas Rivera , a Puerto Rican poet and translator who writes… continue reading

By Julie B.   January 8, 2018    1

In celebration of the reopenings of our four new 21st Century Libraries , Yolanda Wisher — Philadelphia’s 2016–2017 Poet Laureate —penned an original poem. She read this… continue reading

By Administrator   December 18, 2017    4

The Monday Poets Reading Series at the Free Library started as a reading group of local poets 22 years ago, sponsored by the Literature Department, and it is now a hallmark program of the… continue reading

By Larry D.   September 29, 2017   

We didn’t think we could love poetry any more than we already do here at the Free Library … but we were wrong. The City of Philadelphia Poet Laureate program —which has… continue reading

By Julie B.   September 7, 2017    2

What if an entire community wrote one line each on a vintage Underwood Typewriter to create a really, really, long poem? Would it bring world peace? Would love abound? Would we become a united… continue reading

By Abbe K.   April 17, 2017   

Imagine this: Your friends, and your associates, and the people around you, and the environment that you live in, and the speakers around you, and the communicators around you are the poetry… continue reading

By Autumn M.   April 12, 2017   

When UNESCO declared March 21 World Poetry Day in 1999, they had in mind building connections through our oral and written traditions and finding commonality among the feelings and questions that… continue reading

By Autumn M.   March 21, 2017   

'Tis the season for goal-setting! You might be feeling merry and motivated right now, but as the year gallops along, don't let your resolve wane. Lean on the Free Library to keep your… continue reading

By Samantha M.   December 29, 2016    2

"How to Triumph Like a Girl" , a poem by the dynamic Ada Limón , won’t get out of my head (and I don’t want it to). I read it the day after the election and it stuck… continue reading

By Autumn M.   November 28, 2016    1

It’s National Native American Heritage Month and the Free Library of Philadelphia is celebrating by reading books by authors who write about their Native heritage. We’re especially… continue reading

By Becky F.   November 8, 2016    1

I wrote an essay for an anthology by poets on poetry a couple of years ago about owning one’s subject matter, taking responsibility for the themes that continually crop up, and stewarding… continue reading

By Autumn M.   December 31, 2015    1

Patti Smith —poet, punk, and provocateur all rolled into one scorching soul, will be appearing at the Free Library this evening for a waaaaaaaay sold out Author Event to discuss her new book… continue reading

By Peter SM   November 6, 2015