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Book Log Snakes!!!

Posted on by Cait Quinn

To get Sssssstarted…what’sssss thisssss about?

There are snakes at the Malden Public Library! Book snakes! This year we wanted a way to log books and encourage reading that was fun and educational. And thanks to TikTok and the internet we have this cool and crafty project. For this project you will crochet or knit a log of all your reading by assigning colors to genres or themes and then adding them each time you finish a book that matches those categories. In the end you’ll have a cute, plush log of all you’ve accomplished.

Sssssupplies…

We have provided kits with a crochet hook, some eyes, stitch markers, a pattern, and a pre-crocheted head to get you started. We are also stocking the card catalog with loads of yarn for you to choose from and some back up supplies. Stop by the library and get your kit, pick up some yarn, or just get a pattern and start logging your books. You can view the crochet pattern here:

Don’t like to crochet?

No problem…we have a knitting pattern! And you can still use the yarn, the eyes, the stitch markers. You can also bring your knit snake to one of our knitting programs and ask questions or seek assistance.

Need ssssome more help?

The library is hosting our first Book Log Snake Class and Clinic on Thursday, March 13th at 6pm. Stop by to learn how to crochet your snake from scratch. You will need your own 4.5mm hook, but we will provide the rest. There will be other snake clinics as we go and you can email cquinn@maldenpubliclibrary for updates on classes or suggestions for snake resources. In the meantime, here are some free online tutorials the staff found helpful:

And for kids too little to crochet or knit…

We have a coloring sheet. You can ask for copies at the children’s desk or pick them up near the yarn station. You can also print this template at home!

Library Presents Outdoor Family Movie Night in the Park at River’s Edge

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

Join us for a “Movie Night in the Park at Rivers Edge” on Friday, June 13. The movie will be on The Park at Rivers Edge Great Lawn adjacent to 200 River’s Edge Drive in Medford. The Great Lawn section of the park will be transformed into an outdoor movie theatre where residents and visitors of all ages are welcome to gather and enjoy a free movie night featuring Moana 2 (Rated PG). The movie begins at sunset at 8:00 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by Preotle, Lane & Associates and the Malden Public Library. Attendees should bring their own blankets and chairs for use. There will be free snacks and water provided. Wellington Station is just 0.4 miles from Rivers Edge. Free parking is available at the Rivers Edge Garage.

Deb Haney – June Artist

Posted on by Marita Coombs

Deb Haney is a world traveler and collector of the old, odd or unusual, and has embraced the world of handcrafting and design for decades.   Her ethnic inspired adornments for home, person and garden have been sold in shops, shows and galleries in Southern California and New England.

Deb was honored to have been juried into several national mixed media exhibitions at the Bristol (R.I.) Art Museum, an historic mixed media art exhibit at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT honoring the thousands who lost their lives to COVID, as well as numerous local art events in Melrose, Malden, and the Winthrop and Revere Art Festivals.

Deb lives on Revere Beach (the oldest public beach in USA!) where she looks out on the ocean for daily inspiration.

This “Oldest Public Beach in USA” series comes from her musings about the ways people enjoyed Revere Beach in early times.    Vintage images, acrylic paints and several mediums were used in these acrylic mixed media collages.

An artist reception will be held on Monday June 2nd from 7-8pm.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

 

YA Polymer Clay Jewelry – June 12th @ 3:00 PM

Posted on by Patrick Brennan

Young Adults in the 5th through 12th grade are invited to get craft at the MPL by painting polymer clay items for yourself and for gifts. Let your imagination guide you on Thursday February 13th from 3:00-4:00 PM.

Sign up is required so head to our online calendar here to reserve your spot today:

https://maldenpubliclibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/young-adult-craft-polymer-clay-jewelry-2/

Young Adult Movie Matinee, Thurs. June 5th @ 3:00PM

Posted on by Patrick Brennan

Young Adults in the 5th through 12th Grade are invited to the Malden Public library this Thursday, June 5th from 3:00-5:00 for the YA Movie Matinee.

We will be getting ready for this Summer’s Reading theme of “Level Up At Your Library” by watching the latest movie based on the video game character “Sonic the Hedgehog”

Join us in the Maccario Room for snacks, refreshments and a fun film with friends this week!

World Movie Night: Wed, May 21st: 6:00-8:30pm

Posted on by Stacy Holder

Please join us for World Movie Night on Wednesday, May 21, 2025: 6:00-8:30pm at the Malden Public Library. We will be showing a movie based on the bestselling Brazilian memoir, Ainda Estou Aqui, (I’m Still Here), about the life of Marcelo Rubens Paiva. The film stars Fernanada Torres, Selton Mello, and Fernanda Montenegro. The movie won an Oscar this year for Best International Feature Film and Fernanda Torres won a Golden Globe for Best Actress

“While Brazil faces the tightening grip of a military dictatorship, Eunice Paiva, a mother of five, is forced to reinvent herself and her family, resisting the oppression that hangs over the country. From the acclaimed director of Central Station and The Motorcycle Diaries, Walter Salles and based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s memoir, this story portrays an important part of Brazil’s hidden history.” Rated PG-13 (136 min.) (2024) 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

This film is one of the best of the year and not to be missed.

Free snacks will be provided. Movie times are approximate.

 

TONIGHT! 2nd Annual Haitian Culture Night: 6:00-8:00pm

Posted on by Stacy Holder
Please join us on Wednesday, May 28, 2025: 6:00-8:00pm for our 2nd Annual Haitian Culture Night filled with Haitian art, poetry, music, books, language, and food.
Our featured guests include Haitian artists, Professor Joel Renfort and his wife, artist, Martine Renfort. The Renforts have their beautiful art featured in the Malden Public Library during the month of May. Mr. Renfort will talk about his art and poetry in his discussion, “When Painting Meets Poetry.”
Just added is our featured guest, musician, Kera Washington, Zili Misik Founder & Band Leader and the Director of Yanvalou Drumming and Dance Ensemble, Wellesley College. Ms. Washington has been performing and teaching music, using Boston as her base, for over twenty years. Her first love is percussion, which she found while studying ethnomusicology at Wellesley College, Wesleyan University, Brown University, and in Interdisciplinary Studies at Tufts. She studies with master musicians from Haiti, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Brazil, and the United States. She is on faculty in the Music Department of Wellesley College.
Erga Pierette, 1st Vice President NAACP Mystic Valley Area Branch and Dean of Community, Culture and Equity, Malden Catholic will be our emcee for the night and will read some Haitian poetry and will talk about Haiti.
Please join us for some samples of popular Haitian foods from Grêp Kafé. Start learning Haitian Creole with one of our language apps, check out some books in Haitian Creole for kids and adults, and learn a little bit about Haiti and the country’s interesting historical connection to Malden, Massachusetts.
This event is generously co-sponsored by the Friends Of The Malden Public Library and co-sponsored by the NAACP Mystic Valley Area Branch.
Everyone is welcome to join us at this all-ages event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Pride Screening: Gen Silent 6.4.25

Posted on by Cait Quinn

The Malden Public Library in conjunction with the City of Malden, Councillor Ari Taylor, the Malden office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Malden Pride Coalition will have a special screening of Gen Silent in honor of Pride month. On Wednesday, June 4th at 6pm, at the library, we will show this very important documentary about LGBTQIA+ elders and the hurdles they face as they navigate later life care and medical concerns. Gen Silent follows the lives of 6 seniors in and around Boston who are trying to navigate aging and care in a system that is often hostile or at a minimum not equipped to embrace and support their needs.

Join us for this very important film and share your perspectives with our community. Elder care is an issue that each of us will have to face in some form. But for our queer elders that can be even more daunting. SAGE Advocacy and services for LGBTQ+ Elders provides some startling figures facing the community. “53% of LGBTQ+ older people report feeling isolated from others. 50% of all Americans living with HIV are over 50 years old. 65% of older transgender respondents felt there would be limited access to care as they aged… 55% from the same 2015 national survey feared they would be denied medical treatment. 70% of LGBTQ+ elders fear having to “re-closet” themselves when seeking elder housing. 41% of LGBTQ+ older people report having a disability, compared to 35 percent of heterosexual older adults.” With these figures it is essential to have conversations around what we can do to better support people in our neighborhood, family, and systemically through government support.

Following the screening there will be a discussion and light refreshments. There will also be representatives from Mystic Valley Elder Services and the Wicked Queer Film festival there to join the discussion. And for those who wish to learn more about services available for themselves and elders in their community we’ll also have in information table with materials from local organizations and a book list for further reading.

When Painting Meets Poetry by Joel and Martine Renfort

Posted on by Marita Coombs

Joel and Martine Renfort are freelance artists who produce art linked to the currents of surrealism, realism and abstract art. Their current exhibit When Painting Meets Poetry will be on display throughout the month of May.  Themes of hope, happiness, nature,  and history can be found in their work.

In addition to paintings, they enjoy transforming clothing, bottles, and many other creations. Examples can be found in the glass display case inside the library.

A reception for the artists will be held on Thursday May 15th from 7-8pm, and everyone is welcome to attend.