Birmingham Public Library Blog

What: BPL’s Bards & Brews Open Mic Tribute to Voice Porter When: Friday, June 5, 2026 | 6:30–8:30 p.m. (doors open for open mic sign up at 6 p.m.) Where: Ferus Artisan Ales’ The Reserve, located above Umami in the Trussville Entertainment District at 215 Bell Way, Suite B, Trussville, AL 35173 About the Event: Birmingham Public Library’s Bards & Brews will host a special open mic honoring the late Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins and his legacy of creativity, community and artistic expression. Voice Porter hosted Bards & Brews for nearly a decade until his passing in August 2021. Bards & Brews is supported through a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts to the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library. Birmingham, Ala.   -   The legacy of the late Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins, longtime host of Birmingham Public Library’s popular monthly spoken word poetry and craft beer series Bards & Brews, will be celebrated during a special Bards...

  Bethany Moody in her studio Please join us at the Central Library on Saturday, May 30, at 2 p.m. for an artist’s talk with Bethany Moody. Moody will discuss the guiding concepts and processes behind her exhibition Play Things , presently on view in the Sculpture Gallery.   The talk will take place in the room adjoining the Fourth Floor Gallery at 2:00 p.m. Please register for this free event at Eventbrite . If you haven't yet visited Play Things, May 30 is your last opportunity! The animated yet abstract drawings and soft sculptures in "Play Things" combine toy history, systems-driven design, material culture, and labor rights. In her talk, Moody will trace the artistic practice behind this body of work and offer an in-depth look at her process, from sustainable material sourcing to slow hand-finishing. Shoehorn (close-up), 2024 The textile sculptures featured in Play Things are handcrafted from repurposed cotton bedsheets and hand-knit and crocheted wool, whose ...

  Birmingham, Ala. -  As graduation season arrives, many high school seniors and college graduates are preparing for the next chapter in life: entering the workforce, exploring career options, or preparing for professional exams. To assist jobseekers, this week’s Birmingham Public Library database spotlight features LearningExpress Library Career Preparation, a free online resource designed to help users build workplace skills, prepare for exams, and explore career opportunities. Available remotely with a valid Jefferson County Library Cooperative (JCLC) card, LearningExpress Library offers interactive practice tests, tutorials, and career preparation tools for a wide range of professions and industries. Career Preparation Resources Include: Learn About a Career Job Search and Workplace Skills Resume and interview preparation tools Workplace Success and Time Management Skills Digital Literacy and Personal Finance Skills Users can also ...

  Blood pressure kits can now be checked out at all 17 Birmingham Public Library locations. Mr. Floyd, a Woodlawn community resident, recently checked out the first blood pressure kit at Woodlawn Branch Library.  Birmingham, Ala. — Do you need to get your blood pressure under control? Thanks to a collaboration with the American Heart Association, patrons can now use their library card at all 17 Birmingham Public Library (BPL) locations to check out blood pressure kits to monitor their health at home. The kits were made available through the American Heart Association’s “Libraries With Heart” initiative. Previously, the blood pressure kits were available at only five BPL locations since the program began in August 2023: Central, Five Points West, Springville Road, North Birmingham and Avondale. Expanding the program citywide is part of BPL’s ongoing mission of transforming lives across Birmingham and helping residents stay healthy. The blood pressure kits available for chec...

“¡Viva la revolución!” One of my biggest fears is going into a movie with  high expectations  and leaving the theater underwhelmed, or worse, disappointed.  Trust me.  I’ve  been there, and it is not a pleasant feeling .      You better believe  I was excited about  One Battle After Another   , the 2026 Academy Awards' Best Picture Winner.  Even after watching and figuring out its trailer , I still  wasn’t  sure what  Paul Thomas Anderson  had up his sleeve. That  mystery only made me more anticipatory for Mr. Anderson’s 10th feature film. Well, this is the most fun that  I’ve  had at the movies ever since watching  Parasite   and  Everything Everywhere All at Once   for the first time. He is not the first director to give us a string of  flawless stories , but it always feels so fulfilling to watch the present-day filmmaker push himself with each project and reap the ...