What’s the difference between hearing and listening? Kirsten, our instructor from the Drexel Writers’ Room , asked us this question last week in a workshop inspired by Sing, Unburied, Sing . We were gathered at the Institute for Community Justice at 12 th and Chestnut, spread out with notebooks and pens and learning names. We heard… continue reading First Listen: Writing Workshops Inspired by This Year's One Book, One Philadelphia Selection

By written by Brittanie S.    January 30, 2019   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

Back in October, we announced Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing as the 2019 One Book, One Philadelphia featured selection, and since then we’ve been digging in and gathering our thoughts throughout the three-month-long reading period. Tonight, we’ll officially kick off another robust season of programs – One Book… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: It All Starts Tonight!

By written by Kate C.    January 16, 2019   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

As we begin 2019 and await the One Book, One Philadelphia Kickoff , I’ve been re-reading Sing, Unburied, Sing and thinking about its outward effects. Many people have called Jesmyn Ward ’s book a protest novel. But what is that, exactly? Howard Zinn gives probably the broadest possible definition, which is "any form of… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Jesmyn Ward and Bearing Witness

By written by Brittanie S.    January 9, 2019   

• One Book, One Philadelphia
• Chronicling Resistance

We’re about a month away from kicking off the One Book, One Philadelphia 2019 season. After the official Kickoff Event , eight weeks of discussions, films, performances, and more take place across the city! Even if you haven’t read the book, that still gives you a bit of time to catch up! And, if you don’t tackle it before the… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: It's Time to Discuss!

By written by Lo I.    December 19, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

In case you missed it, we announced in mid-October that Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing is the 2019 One Book, One Philadelphia selection . We’re now in the heart of the reading period. Many of us are already deep in the titillating novel, but if you’re not, don’t worry! You still have plenty of time to read… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: There's More to the Story...

By written by Lo I.    December 5, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

Today we kicked off the annual One Book, One Philadelphia reading period with the announcement of the 2019 featured selection. You’re invited to jump into the 17 th season of this citywide book club by reading Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward , the National Book Award-winning author of Salvage the Bones . With interlocking layers,… continue reading One Book, One Philadelphia is Here!

By written by Brittanie S.    October 16, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

What if the whole city read one book at the same time and then talked about it? What if the book became the basis for hands-on activities in every single neighborhood? What if folks started making art projects about the book, and what if it brought strangers together to talk about social issues in our city? These ideas launched the Free… continue reading This Year’s One Book, One Philadelphia Selection Is…

By written by Brittanie S.    October 10, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

The 2018  One Book, One Philadelphia  selection was Jacqueline Woodson’s award winning novel,  Another Brooklyn . After an exciting season of discussions and programs about her novel, the Free Library of Philadelphia and the  Philadelphia Jazz Project  have commissioned drummer and… continue reading Get Ready for a Live Summer Jazz Soundtrack of Jacqueline Woodson's Another Brooklyn!

By written by Perry G.    July 3, 2018   

• Music
• One Book, One Philadelphia

The end of another phenomenal  One Book, One Philadelphia  season is upon us. We have spent eight inspired weeks reading, discussing, watching, creating, playing, and enjoying. The 16th season of this shared reading endeavor has included writing workshops, live music, discussions on mental health and gentrification, and cooking… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Our Season Comes to a Close

By written by Julie B.    March 14, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

In Jacqueline Woodson’s books, cooking traces the roots and routes of families and memories. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) joined with the Free Library’s Culinary Literacy Center this week to celebrate the historical flavors of these roots and routes. Patrick Glennon, communications officer at HSP, took the time to… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: The Many Flavors of One Book

By written by Julie B.    March 8, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia
• Culinary Literacy

At the beginning of Jacqueline Woodson’s recent event at the Community College of Philadelphia, she told the roomful of eager students: "Put down the phone and experience me." For those of you who haven’t experienced her yet this season during her visits to Philly, here are some highlights of her talk. On writing about her… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: In the Author’s Words

By written by Julie B.    February 28, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

When you first think about reading a book, it seems like a solitary affair. I picture myself curled up by a window, reading by natural light and entering a new little world—alone. Sometimes I picture myself in a coffee shop, surrounded by others and the buzz of conversation, but still on my own literary journey.   Once I finish a… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: A Shared Experience

By written by Lo I.    February 21, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

How do we dream ourselves out of this? It’s 1968, 50 years ago. This is what August, a young girl freshly uprooted from her rural Tennessee home, now living in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, asks herself as she stares at the cover of Life magazine. Wide eyes in the hunger-hollowed faces of two other black children look back at her.… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Black History, Our Philadelphia

By written by Kalela W.    February 14, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia
• Black History Month

Dear reader, Perhaps a dying art, or perhaps in fact an art that has now expanded in form, letter-writing creates a tangible connection between humans. Usually, letters are thought to be written on pieces of paper, exchanged between two individuals who care deeply for each other. Is an essay a letter? A poem? A novel? The Boston Globe refers to… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: A Love Letter for You

By written by Lo I.    February 7, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

Last week, One Book, One Philadelphia joined a session of The Best Day of My Life So Far , which brings together older Philadelphians to write and share their stories. Younger folks are invited to listen, with the goal of getting conversation moving between generations. At the session, participants talked a little about memory and Jacqueline… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: The Best Stories – A Day at Philadelphia’s Senior Center

By written by Brittanie S.    January 31, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia
• Seniors

Often when we think of "urgent care" we think about the medical drop-in facilities that have opened up in recent years, bridging the gap between primary-care offices and emergency rooms. But what does urgent care mean in a more societal context? What does it mean for women of color dealing with internal and external trauma, triggers,… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Spotlight on The Colored Girls Museum

By written by Kamilah C.    January 24, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

Tonight marks the official beginning of One Book season! Join us for an evening of reading, conversation, and performance at Parkway Central Library to kick off eight inspired weeks of programming across the city. Tonight's event is free and open to the public! Following a reading from featured selection Another Brooklyn , author Jacqueline… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Join Us at Tonight’s Season Kickoff

By written by Julie B.    January 17, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

We are just one week away from the Kickoff Event to the One Book, One Philadelphia 2018 season . On Wednesday night, January 17, at 7:30 p.m. you are invited to join us in Parkway Central Library for a free event featuring Another Brooklyn author Jacqueline Woodson, in conversation with WHYY’s Katie Colaneri. They will be discussing… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Book Discussion Tips

By written by Julie B.    January 10, 2018   

• One Book, One Philadelphia

Author Jacqueline Woodson has said that as much as Another Brooklyn is the story of August, who we see progress from childhood to adulthood, it is the story of a place—Bushwick, New York. And just as we get to know the characters and they come alive for us, so too do we readers come to know and feel this pocket in Brooklyn. In the pulsing… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: Another Brooklyn, Another Time, Another Childhood

By written by Julie B.    January 3, 2018    1  

• One Book, One Philadelphia

When Another Brooklyn narrator August moves north with her father and brother, her mother does not go with them, but her absence in Bushwick isn't exactly real. The first sentence of August’s story is: "For a long time, my mother wasn’t dead yet." Her mother remains with her. August waits desperately, believing… continue reading #OneBookWednesday: What Are Funerals For?

By written by Brittanie S.    December 27, 2017   

• One Book, One Philadelphia