Tagged Self-Help

Inner Excellence: Read-Alikes for Championship-Level Inspiration

As the Philadelphia Eagles advance in the playoffs (GO BIRDS!), football fans everywhere are looking for a copy of A.J. Brown's viral sideline read , Inner Excellence . While the Free Library does carry digital audiobook…

Department Highlights: Education, Philosophy, and Religion

Since  Parkway Central Library  opened in 1927, patrons have had free and open access to its rich and unique collections, expanding services, and professionally trained and welcoming staff. The robust programs and collections…

What's Your New Year's Resolution for 2023?

We're about to embark on a new year, and even if you're not a New Year's Resolution person, you might view this time of year - and the turning of the calendar - as a chance to evaluate goals for the next 12…

Join Us in Joyful Acts of Mindfulness: In Joy, Take Care

The ongoing pandemic has elevated stress levels, anxiety, uncertainty, depression, and loneliness within our communities. So what if we took a moment to reflect on self-care? Members of the Culinary Literacy Center 's Healthy…

Baking with Becca: Cooking Outside the Box

Baking with Becca began at Whitman Library , nestled between 2nd and 3rd Streets on Snyder Avenue in South Philly. When COVID hit, we had to take a long break. I continued to grow and learn to strengthen this class and to steel myself…

How to Spark Your Creativity

Inspiration comes with a few simple elements. For example, being in a quiet room might trigger your creative mind with a new flow of ideas. Each one of us has a different approach. Maybe you like to paint, saw, quilt or just walk.…

New Year's Resolutions: Moving Forward by Taking a Step Back in 2021

What can I say about 2020 that hasn’t already been said? The Coronavirus pandemic completely turned the world upside-down and forced many of us to hunker down in our households, work from home, and greatly alter the way we travel…

Fight Procrastination Day!

I waited until the last possible minute to write this blog. I’m not joking. When I took on the assignment, I made a joke about how ironic it would be to turn in a blog about procrastination, late. Well, it’s not late, but…

Let the Free Library Help You Grow During Self-Improvement Month!

September is Self-Improvement Month , and if you’ve been thinking about taking steps to become your best self, now is the time. Let the Free Library – and your library card , of course – help you meet your goals! Learn…

Simplify Your Life with a Little Help from the Free Library!

It's officially National Simplify Your Life Week , and I'm sure we can all use some tips to make our lives simpler all year round! When I reflect on how to simply my life, I think about the things that make me happy and how I…

How the Free Library Can Help During Self-Improvement Month

We at the Free Library love celebrating monthly themes, especially when they tie in to our resources! September – in addition to being National Library Card Sign-Up Month – is Self-Improvement Month, and it got us thinking…

Older Adult Coffee/Tea Table Talk

The first Thursday of the month, a different agency will provide information and resources relevant to older adults, in an informal, congenial atmosphere around the table over a nice cup of tea or coffee.

Community Wellness Resource Table

Stop by the community wellness resource table and chat with certified peer support specialists working in your neighborhood. See how they can help you, your friends, family, and neighbors. Hosted by the Community Wellness Engagement…

Community Wellness Resource Table

Stop by the community wellness resource table and chat with certified peer support specialists working in your neighborhood. See how they can help you, your friends, family, and neighbors. Hosted by the Community Wellness Engagement…

Older Adult Coffee/Tea Table Talk

The first Thursday of the month, a different agency will provide information and resources relevant to older adults, in an informal, congenial atmosphere around the table over a nice cup of tea or coffee.

Community Wellness Resource Table

Stop by the community wellness resource table and chat with certified peer support specialists working in your neighborhood. See how they can help you, your friends, family, and neighbors. Hosted by the Community Wellness Engagement…

Community Wellness Resource Table

Stop by the community wellness resource table and chat with certified peer support specialists working in your neighborhood. See how they can help you, your friends, family, and neighbors. Hosted by the Community Wellness Engagement…

Dr. Judith Joseph | High Functioning

The Author Events Series presents Dr. Judith Joseph | High Functioning  REGISTER The first book to unmask the hidden face of depression. If you look fine on the outside but don't feel fine on the inside, learn five tools to…

Community Wellness Resource Table

Stop by the community wellness resource table and chat with certified peer support specialists working in your neighborhood. See how they can help you, your friends, family, and neighbors. Hosted by the Community Wellness Engagement…

Older Adult Coffee/Tea Table Talk

The first Thursday of the month, a different agency will provide information and resources relevant to older adults, in an informal, congenial atmosphere around the table over a nice cup of tea or coffee.

Community Wellness Resource Table

Stop by the community wellness resource table and chat with certified peer support specialists working in your neighborhood. See how they can help you, your friends, family, and neighbors. Hosted by the Community Wellness Engagement…

Community Wellness Resource Table

Stop by the community wellness resource table and chat with certified peer support specialists working in your neighborhood. See how they can help you, your friends, family, and neighbors. Hosted by the Community Wellness Engagement…

Older Adult Coffee/Tea Table Talk

The first Thursday of the month, a different agency will provide information and resources relevant to older adults, in an informal, congenial atmosphere around the table over a nice cup of tea or coffee.

Probate Essentials

Probate is a legal process that involves, settling an estate, and distributing assets to heirs. Join us to learn the process of probate and understanding the consequences of not probating an estate. Learn what steps to take to probate…

Community Wellness Resource Table

Stop by the community wellness resource table and chat with certified peer support specialists working in your neighborhood. See how they can help you, your friends, family, and neighbors. Hosted by the Community Wellness Engagement…

Understanding Deeds and Tangled Titles

Join us for a discussion on understanding deeds and tangled titles. This event aims to help attendees identify issues with property deeds and help residents take proactive steps to resolve tangled titles. A tangled title exists when the…

Community Wellness Resource Table

Stop by the community wellness resource table and chat with certified peer support specialists working in your neighborhood. See how they can help you, your friends, family, and neighbors. Hosted by the Community Wellness Engagement…

Older Adult Coffee/Tea Table Talk

The first Thursday of the month, a different agency will provide information and resources relevant to older adults, in an informal, congenial atmosphere around the table over a nice cup of tea or coffee.

Community Wellness Resource Table

Stop by the community wellness resource table and chat with certified peer support specialists working in your neighborhood. See how they can help you, your friends, family, and neighbors. Hosted by the Community Wellness Engagement…

Cutting Clutter - Straighten Up at Work

Stop paper pile-ups and e-mail overload.

Cutting Clutter - Home Storage

If you can't toss it, learn how to stow it.

Cutting Clutter - Organize Your Life

From time management to mental feng shui.

Cutting Clutter - Clean House

Cut the clutter and keep it that way.

Dasha Kiper | Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregivers, and the Human Brain

In conversation with Dr. Jason Karlawish In partnership with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society The clinical consulting director of support groups at The CaringKind (formerly The Alzheimer's Association),  Dasha Kiper  has an MA in…

Emily Nagoski | Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections

Emily Nagoski  is the author of the  New York Times  bestseller  Come as You Are , a self-help manual lauded by critics and readers for its ability to “offer up hard facts on the science of arousal and desire in a friendly and…

Dannagal Goldthwaite Young | Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite for Misinformation

Co-sponsored by Committee of Seventy In conversation with Cherri Gregg, host/news anchor for WHYY radio Dannagal Goldthwaite Young is the author of Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laughter in the United…

Mehdi Hasan | Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking

In conversation with Marc Lamont Hill British American journalist Mehdi Hasan hosts the eponymously titled  The Mehdi Hasan Show , a news and politics program that airs on MSNBC and NBC’s streaming channel Peacock. He is also the…

Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone | How to Be a (Young) Antiracist

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6abc Action News morning edition Ibram X. Kendi  is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research.…

W. Kamau Bell with Kate Schatz | Do the Work!: An Antiracist Activity Book

In conversation with Marc Lamont Hill W. Kamau Bell is the host and executive producer of the Emmy Award–winning CNN docuseries United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell , and also directed and executive produced the recent four-part…

Catherine Price | The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again with Gretchen Rubin | Better Than Before

Catherine Price discusses her new book with #1 best selling author, Gretchen Rubin Catherine Price is the author of How to Break Up with Your Phone , a book that “gives practical advice on how to forge a healthier relationship with…

Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts | Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration

In conversation with Bernice McFadden The author and co-author of 15 books that explore topics such as faith, race, social justice, and motherhood,  Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts  is a professor of English and Black Studies at the…

Todd Doughty | Little Pieces of Hope: Happy-Making Things in a Difficult World

In conversation with Adriana Trigiani  The senior vice president and deputy publisher of Doubleday, Todd Doughty has worked for Penguin Random House publishing for more than 20 years. When the World Health Organization named COVID-19 a…

Jessamyn Stanley | Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance

In conversation with adrienne maree brown Internationally sought-after wellness expert Jessamyn Stanley is the author of  Every Body Yoga , “a clever memoir of a millennial woman’s search for self-acceptance” ( Elle ) wrapped inside a…

Stephanie Schriock | Run to Win: Lessons in Leadership for Women Changing the World

In conversation with Yvette Nicole Brown, star of screens big and small and known to audiences for her roles in Community, The Mayor, Supermansion, The Odd Couple, and many other films and TV shows.  The president of EMILY’s List since…

Judith Heumann | Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition A world-renowned leader in the Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement, featured in the new film  Crip Camp , Judith Heumann has spent four decades…

David Fajgenbaum | Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope into Action

A professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and associate director of the university’s Orphan Disease Center, Dr. David Fajgenbaum holds an MBA from the Wharton School, earned a master of science at Oxford, and graduated…

Jon Dorenbos | Life Is Magic: My Inspiring Journey from Tragedy to Self-Discovery

In conversation with Larry Platt, co-founder/co-executive director of The Philadelphia Citizen and former editor of the Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Magazine and co-author of Life is Magic Philadelphia Eagles long-snapper…

Sean Brock | South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations

In conversation with author events editor and producer Jason Freeman Praised as “an absolutely transformative figure” by the late Anthony Bourdain, Sean Brock is the founding chef of the Husk restaurant group, which has four locations…

Hoda Kotb | I Really Needed This Today: Words to Live By

The co-anchor of the flagship hour of the venerable Today show, Hoda Kotb has also been a Dateline correspondent for the past 21 years. Her New York Times –bestselling books include Ten Years Later and Hoda , and the children’s books…

Elaine Welteroth | More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say)

In conversation with Rakia Reynolds , founder and CEO of Skai Blue Media The firebrand former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue and the first African American ever to hold the post of beauty and health director in Condé Nast’s 107-year…

John Waters | Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder

In conversation with Jason Freeman, producer and editor of author events John Waters’s transgressive movies include  Pink Flamingos ,  Hairspray ,  Cry-Baby ,  Serial Mom , and  Cecil B. Demented . He is also the author of  Shock Value…

Eve Ensler | The Apology

One of  Newsweek ’s “150 Women Who Shake the World” and the Guardian ’s “Top 100 Women,” Tony Award–winning playwright Eve Ensler is a performer, activist, and author. Her phenomenon  The Vagina Monologues  has been published in nearly…

David Brooks | The Second Mountain

A “clever and insightful inspector of the American scene” ( Wall Street Journal ), David Brooks has written an op-ed column for The New York Times since 2003. A former editor and columnist at The Weekly Standard , The Washington Times ,…