Saint Paul Public Library Announces the Read Brave Saint Paul Event Lineup for February

Read Brave Saint Paul is the library's citywide reading program that addresses housing insecurity, a critical issue in Saint Paul
Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.

Saint Paul Public Library will present a wide array of free events in February highlighting the library's new Read Brave Saint Paul program and its housing theme, including  workshops, information sessions, lectures, film screenings, and a TEDx-style event featuring community members. All of these events are free and open to the public. See a full list of events below.

Read Brave will culminate in a visit to Saint Paul by 2019 Newbury Medal winner Meg Medina—author of the Read Brave Saint Paul fiction pick Burn Baby Burn—from February 19 to 21. Medina will present a book talk at Rondo Community Library (461 N Dale St.) on Wednesday, February 20, 6–7:30 p.m., opens a new window

Featured Events

  • Speak Brave: Stories About Home and Homelessness at Arlington Hills Community Center (1200 Payne Ave.): Thursday, February 7, 7–8:30 p.m, opens a new window. Listen to personal stories told be people in our community who have experience with the housing crisis in the Twin Cities.
  • Community-First Approaches to Housing the Homeless at Saint Anthony Park Lutheran Church (2323 Como Ave.): Thursday, February 7, 7–9 p.m, opens a new window. Thomas Fisher, University of Minnesota Professor and Chair in Urban Design, talks about his work to develop innovative approaches to housing the homeless.
  • Author Talk with Meg Medina at Rondo Community Library (461 N Dale St.): Wednesday, February 20, 6–7:30 p.m. , opens a new windowJoin Newbury Medal-winning author Meg Medina for a talk centered on her novel, Burn Baby Burn.

Housing Workshops & Information Sessions

  • Tenants' Rights Info Session at George Latimer Central Library (90 W 4th St.): Monday, February 11, 5:30–7 p.m., opens a new window Muria Kruger from the Volunteer Lawyers Network will explain the basics of tenants rights and legal responsibilities in Minnesota.
  • AARP Homefit: Stay in Your Home! at Highland Park Library (1974 Ford Pkwy.): Wednesday, February 13, 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m., opens a new window Conducted by an experienced architect, AARP's Home Fit Workshop provides information to participants on how to decide what type of home modifications are needed to stay in their homes as they age. 
  • Rethinking Eviction: Options for Landlords at Sun Ray Library (2105 Wilson Ave.): Tuesday, February 19, 5:30–7:30 p.m., opens a new window Landlords of smaller rental properties are invited to get information on free resources in the community that can help keep their property maintained and keep good tenants.
  • Finding Home Wherever You Are at Hamline Midway Library (1558 W Minnehaha Ave.): Thursday, February 28, 10:30–11:30 a.m., opens a new window Eunice K. Neubauer, a Certified Senior Advisor and owner of Choice Connections will engage in a dialogue about what home means to seniors and share examples of how seniors have moved and created "home" in their new environment.

Film Screenings

  • "The North Pole" web series screening and panel-led discussion at Rondo Community Library (461 N Dale St). Part I: Wednesday, February 6, 5:30–8 p.m , opens a new window(rescheduled from January 29); Part II: February 13, 5:30–8 p.m., opens a new window Each screening will be followed by a panel-led discussion surrounding its themes of gentrification, global warming, and community activism.  Presented in partnership with the Community Stabilization Project (CSP), The Storymobile, ReConnectRondo (RCR), and the Peace Sanctuary Garden.  
  • Rondo Movie Club presents "99 Homes:" Rondo Community Library, Thursday, February 14, 5:30–8 p.m., opens a new window Set amidst the backdrop of the 2008 housing market catastrophe,Writer/Director Ramin Bahrani's 99 Homes follows a recently unemployed single father as he struggles to get back his foreclosed home by working for the real estate broker who is the source of his frustration.
  • "Rondo: Beyond the Pavement" screening and discussion: Rondo Community Library, Thursday, February 21, 5:30–7:30 p.m. , opens a new windowWatch a documentary filmed by Rondo youth that shares the voices of a thriving Saint Paul neighborhood torn apart by the I-94 corridor. 

Storytimes

Book Clubs

All are welcome at our book clubs!

First announced in August 2018, Read Brave Saint Paul is the library's citywide reading program that shines a spotlight on community issues through the lens of literature. This year, Read Brave Saint Paul focuses on housing insecurity.

For complete list of events and to subscribe to our Read Brave Saint Paul newsletter, visit ReadBrave.org, opens a new window. 

Read Brave Saint Paul is presented by Saint Paul Public Library, The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, and the City of Saint Paul. Read Brave is sponsored by Bremer Bank, and supported by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, the Katherine B. Andersen Fund, the Carl and Eloise Pohlad Family Foundation, and the Saint Paul Saints.

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