Birmingham Public Library Blog

  Join us at the Central Library, 2100 Park Place in downtown Birmingham, at 6:30 p.m. this Friday, January 3 for the Birmingham Public Library 's first Bards & Brews Open Mic spoken word poetry event of 2025.  If you wanted to read original poetry before a friendly audience of your peers, Bards & Brews is the place to be. Doors open at 6::30 p.m.. This event is free to the public. You must be 18 or older to enter, and 21 or older to drink alcoholic beverages (I.D. required).    Thed Weller, host of Bards & Brews Hosted by Thed Weller, Bards & Brews is a spoken word poetry performance/tasting event hosted by the Birmingham Public Library  - usually held on the first Friday of each month except December. Slams are held quarterly in April, July, and October; the other sessions are open mic.   In its 13th year, Bards & Brews has built a reputation as metro Birmingham's premier spoken word poetry event, described in this 2019 profile ...

  Over 80 free holiday programs and activities happening at  14 of our libraries across the city  throughout December are drawing to a close this week as the Birmingham Public Library helps patrons get ready for 2025.   At 11:00 a.m. today in the Central Library's Research Library 4th Floor Computer Center at 2101 Park Place downtown, Paul Boncella of the BPL Southern History Department is hosting a workshop guiding patrons on how to use DNA testing kits to research their family tree.  Smithfield Branch Library, #1 8th Avenue West , is hosting the last chair aerobics class and last coloring "Between the Lines" workshop of the year.   Today through Thursday, January 2,  Southside Branch Library, 1814 11th Avenue South,  has grab-n-go wreath kits available celebrating Kwanzaa - free of charge while supplies last.   For more information on BPL programs and activities, go to the calendar on our  BPL website .  Below is...

  Paul Boncella, map conservator for BPL's Southern History Department, will lead the free "Getting the Most from Your DNA Ancestry Test" workshop happening Monday at the Central Library. Birmingham, Ala. - Did you receive a DNA test kit as a holiday gift?  If you desire to learn more about genealogy as you prepare to research your family tree, make plans now to take advantage of a free workshop, "Getting the Most from Your DNA Ancestry Test," happening at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 30, at the Central Library in downtown Birmingham. Class instructor Paul Boncella will provide an overview of DNA testing basics. The DNA  Ancestry Test workshop will take place in the 4th Floor Computer Center in the BPL Research Library, 2100 Park Place. It is open to both in-person attendees as well as for patrons online. There is no need to register in person. To register online via Zoom, click here.   In an interview below, Boncella gives a preview of what to expect.  ...

Sandi Lee is President of the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library   The Birmingham Public Library (BPL ) would like to thank everyone who contributed to the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library on Giving Tuesday! If you are looking for end-of-the year tax deductions for 2024, you still have time to support BPL by giving to the Friends Foundation of BPL.  Your gift ensures that BPL continues to provide the highest-quality experience of lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, and enjoyment to the Birmingham community.   The Friends Foundation of BPL is led by President Sandra "Sandi" Lee. Sandi worked 25 years at BPL in several roles, including interim executive director and deputy director, until retiring in 2018. After retirement, Sandi began volunteering at the Friends Bookstore inside the Central Library downtown, then joined the Friends Foundation.  Sandi was elected president of the Friends Foundation of BPL in 2021, and her ...

  Birmingham, Ala. -  Happy holidays from the  Birmingham Public Library (BPL) !  Over 80 free holiday programs and activities have been offered at 14 of our libraries across the city  throughout December to help patrons of all ages get in a festive, holiday mood. With New Year's Day around the corner, we still have a few programs left. Beginning today, Monday, December 23, through the New Year,  Southside Branch Library, 1814 11th Avenue South,  has grab-n-go wreath kits available celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa - all free of charge while supplies last.   For more information, call Branch Manager Pamela Jessie or Library Assistant III Gelenda Norman at 205-933-7776. For more information on BPL programs and activities, go to the calendar on our  BPL website .  Below is a listing of remaining Holiday Happenings at BPL.  BPL Southern History Department, Central Library, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203   Mon...

Would you like to make your physical, mental, and emotional health a priority in 2025?   Then plan on joining us every month at BPL Central for the Self-Care Mastermind:   Community Edition.   The program topic will be different each month, but all will focus on improving your overall well-being by engaging in purposeful and persistent health practices.   Each presentation will consist of lecture, discussion, and audience participation. The instructor for the Self-Care Mastermind:   Community Edition series is Christina (C. J.) Wade .   Ms. Wade is a licensed massage therapist and certified health coach. She has owned and operated her own private practice, You Matter Massage and Wellness, in Mountain Brook since 2018. She has a B.A. in Communication Management from UAB, a Master of Arts in Education from UAB, a diploma in Therapeutic Massage from Virginia College, and a certificate in integrative nutrition from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in Ne...

Let’s Talk About Medicare: Questions and Answers Returns to BPL Facebook Each Month Beginning January 2nd Are you or someone you know eligible to enroll in Medicare in 2025? If so, then you probably have a lot of questions about how the system works. When do I enroll? How much does it cost? What kind of coverage do I need? Will Medicare cover all of my medical expenses? These are all daunting questions, but don’t worry, answers are available! Checkout the Birmingham Public Library’s Facebook page on first Thursday of each month for Let’s Talk About Medicare: Questions and Answers. Our program presenter is Albert McWilliams, Sr., a local Birmingham licensed insurance advisor. McWilliams has been a licensed Medicare advisor since 2001 and a licensed ACA (Affordable Care Act) advisor since 2013. What: Let’s Talk About Medicare: Questions and Answers Facebook Live program Dates: The first Thursday of each month, January-December 2025       January 2 • February 6 • March 6 •...

  Image Credit: Larry Allen - Large Bottle  If you were a blade of grass or a tiny flower   I will pitch my tent in your shadow.   Only your presence revives my withered heart.   You are the candle that lights the whole world   and I am an empty vessel for your light.   – Rumi, 13 th -century Islamic poet     A new exhibition of works by Alabama potter Larry Allen, Vessels of Possibility , is on view at the Central Library . Inspired by Native American and African designs , Allen delicately carve s decorative details o nto the surface of his wheel-thrown vessel s in a process known as sgraffito . A selection of Allen’s intricately embellished stoneware is on view in the Lobby Gallery through Friday, February 28.      “ I am moved by Native American and African designs. I use them as a springboard for my designs. The aftermath of 9/11 gave me the message that I wanted to put in my work. The tragic event was a unifying mom...