T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, performed by John Farrell

Thu, January 17, 2019 6:00 P.M.
The Rosenbach | 2008 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103

An unquestioned masterpiece of 20th-century literature, T.S. Eliot’s  Four Quartets  is a complex, deeply moving meditation on time, memory, and human striving toward the divine. Eliot completed  Four Quartets  in 1941, as Britain slid into the abyss of World War II,…

Adult Live Performances Other Great Programs Poetry Rosenbach Museum & Library

Theater and Storytelling Workshop with Wilma Theater Portable Studio

Sat, January 19, 2019 3:00 P.M.
Independence Library

Join Wilma Theater's Portable Studio program, with the Friends of Independence Library, to collaborate with professional theater artists, share stories and ideas, and meet your neighbors. No previous acting experience is required, and workshop attendees receive complimentary tickets to the…

Adult Community Events Discussion and Participation Live Performances Workshops and Enrichment Humanities Shakespeare in the World

Romeo and Juliet: Meet the Director and Dramaturg

Fri, January 25, 2019 3:00 P.M.
Independence Library

A contemporary retelling of the William Shakespeare classic, Romeo and Juliet , is coming to Philadelphia this season, directed by Blanka Zizka, founder of the acclaimed Wilma Theater. Meet Ms. Zizka and the show's Dramaturg, Walter Bilderback, at a discussion and Q&A, in…

Adult Community Events Discussion and Participation Live Performances Workshops and Enrichment Humanities Shakespeare in the World

Chinese New Year Celebration and Performances

Sat, January 26, 2019 10:30 A.M.
Parkway Central Library

Join the Free Library of Philadelphia and WE Cultural Exchange Institute to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the Parkway Central Library! Experience martial arts, folk music, and the dances of various cultures. Performances will include Tai-Chi, Yoga dance and song, Tibetan dance, Chinese folk…

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Theater and Storytelling Workshop with Wilma Theater Portable Studio

Sat, January 26, 2019 3:00 P.M.
Independence Library

Join Wilma Theater's Portable Studio program, with the Friends of Independence Library, to collaborate with professional theater artists, share stories and ideas, and meet your neighbors. No previous acting experience is required, and workshop attendees receive complimentary tickets to the…

Adult Community Events Discussion and Participation Live Performances Workshops and Enrichment Humanities Shakespeare in the World

Sundays on Stage: Lion Dance Plus

Sun, January 27, 2019 2:00 P.M.
Parkway Central Library

Performed by Dance China New York, Lion Dance introduces students to beloved Chinese folk art pieces, including excerpts from Beijing Opera featuring the popular Monkey King character, as well as the Chinese ribbon dance. Montgomery Auditorium Parkway Central Library 1901 Vine Street   Free…

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The Art of Audience

Sun, February 3, 2019 3:00 P.M.
Drinker Collection at Parkway Central Library

In celebration of their 40th anniversary, the always popular Philomusica Chorale will present a choral program in the Grand Lobby of Parkway Central titled  "The Art of Audience." Conductor Gayle Wieand has put together a 40th anniversary celebration that focuses on the…

Adult Young Adult School Age Senior Live Performances Music Performing Arts

Monument Lab Live: "There's Spirit in Everything”

Mon, February 4, 2019 6:00 P.M.
Parkway Central Library

Join Professors Salamishah Tillet (Rutgers University-Newark) and Grace Sanders Johnson (University of Pennsylvania) in a public conversation with Paul Farber (Monument Lab) for a live recording of the Monument Lab Podcast from Parkway Central Library. Together, they will discuss haunts of…

Adult Black History Month Community Events Discussion and Participation Live Performances One Book, One Philadelphia One Book, One Philadelphia

Bluesy Style Sounds for All

Mon, February 4, 2019 6:30 P.M.
Oak Lane Library

Mississippi, particularly the Delta, lays claim to being the land where the Blues began.  Join Weez the Peeples Collective Duo, featuring Ali Richardson on vocals, guitar, and more, along with Artistic Director and lead percussionist, Karen "Magic Fingaz" Smith as we chase the…

Adult Young Adult School Age Senior Live Performances African American Music One Book, One Philadelphia

Bluesey Style Monday Sounds for All

Mon, February 4, 2019 6:30 P.M.
Oak Lane Library

The Mississippi Delta is a celebrated birthplace of the blues. Join Weez the Peoples Collective duo, featuring Ali Richardson and Karen "Magic Fingaz" Smith, and chase the winter blues away.   

Adult Young Adult School Age Preschool Black History Month Family Programs Live Performances One Book, One Philadelphia African American One Book, One Philadelphia

African Drumming

Wed, February 6, 2019 4:00 P.M.
West Oak Lane Library

Celebrate Black History Month with us! Mr. Baba Tyrone will present a program of drumming.  We will have a chance to try out some of the drums.

Young Adult School Age Black History Month Live Performances African American Music

Philadelphia Stories Issue Launch and Art Opening: Journeys

Now through Wed, February 13, 2019 5:30 P.M.
Philadelphia City Institute

The winter 2019 issue of Philadelphia Stories explores “journeys,” complementing this theme in in the One Book featured selection Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. Writers will read their work, including poetry, essays, and fiction, in an event featuring original artwork from…

Adult Community Events Live Performances Speakers and Lectures Exhibitions One Book, One Philadelphia One Book, One Philadelphia

Valentine’s Day Open Mic Poetry Readings

Thu, February 14, 2019 6:30 P.M.
Literature Department at Parkway Central Library

“The course of true love never did run smooth.”   From Shakespeare, Lord Byron, Pablo Neruda, Langston Hughes, and more, we’re celebrating the greatest love poets from around the world on the most romantic day of the year! The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, in…

Adult Young Adult Senior Discussion and Participation Live Performances Speakers and Lectures Workshops and Enrichment Other Great Programs Literature Poetry Shakespeare in the World

Philadelphia: The Changing City Events Day

Sat, February 16, 2019 1:00 P.M.
Parkway Central Library

From 1:00-5:00, join your neighbors for an afternoon of programs for adults, as well as children, themed around the Rare Book Department’s fascinating special exhibition,  Philadelphia: The Changing City. Images of the city drawn from 300 years of prints, photographs, documents, and…

Adult Young Adult School Age Preschool Toddler Community Events Black History Month Discussion and Participation Family Programs Live Performances Speakers and Lectures Other Great Programs One Book Author and Featured Events African American Philadelphia Philadelphia History Changing City

Blue Stoop Happy Hour

Sun, February 17, 2019 5:00 P.M.
W/N W/N Coffee Bar, 931 Spring Garden Street

Join community-driven literary project Blue Stoop at W/N W/N Coffee Bar for a reading by Philadelphia writers whose work relates to themes in Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing . Beer, tea, and cocktails will be available for purchase. For more information about this free event, email…

Adult Community Events Live Performances One Book, One Philadelphia One Book, One Philadelphia

The Gibson School of Music presents: The Sound of Music

Sat, February 23, 2019 1:00 P.M.
Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library

Students from the Gibson School of Music will perform excerpts from their recent production.  This short concert will take place in the Children's Department peformance "pit". For all ages!

Adult Young Adult School Age Preschool Toddler Senior Live Performances Music

Sundays on Stage: Titans of Song: A Musical Tribute to Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson

Sun, February 24, 2019 2:00 P.M.
Parkway Central Library

Hear their dramatic stories - and glorious music - in this unique multimedia tribute created and performed by the musical group Follow the Drinking Gourd, which is composed of singers Ivan Woods and Beverly Owens and pianist Diane Goldsmith. Montgomery Auditorium Parkway Central Library 1901…

Adult Young Adult School Age Preschool Toddler Senior Baby Family Programs Live Performances Sundays on Stage Children Family Music Hearing Loop

“LIVE at the Writers House” featuring One Book, One Philadelphia

Mon, February 25, 2019 7:00 P.M.
Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk

To explore the themes raised in Jesmyn Ward's novel, Sing, Unburied, Sing , a group of writers and a musical guest will share original work for a recording of the WXPN/Kelly Writers House collaboration "LIVE at the Writers House." For more information on this free event, email…

Adult Community Events Live Performances One Book, One Philadelphia One Book, One Philadelphia

FREE PERCUSSION WORKSHOPS FEATURING KAREN SMITH

Sat, March 2, 2019 2:00 P.M.
Music Department at Parkway Central Library

This exciting new series of percussion and drum workshops opens with Sistahs Laying Down Hands launching an inaugural performance, and then continues Saturdays over the next three months. Programs start at 2:00 PM , and musicians at any skill level are welcome! Karen Smith is lead percussionist…

Adult Workshops and Enrichment Live Performances Music

Frankenstein Day One

Wed, March 6, 2019 12:00 P.M.
Literature Department at Parkway Central Library

Frankenstein has been tantalizing readers since its publication in January, 1818. The novel not only raises moral and ethical questions, it challenges scientific thought. The Literature Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia, in partnership with Pure Expression, invites you to journey…

Adult Young Adult Live Performances Free Library of Philadelphia Free Library of Philadelphia Programs & Services Literature Humanities