Activity

Learn the "long and link stitch" as you sew your own leather Grimoire! Participants will learn about how to use and maintain their own personal Grimoire, and will receive guided instruction on how to bind their own leather wrap book with suede or twine closure. Select your leather, thread color, and closure material to create a Grimoire that is uniquely you! There are two add-ons available: beading for your stitching, and/or a set of pocket pages in the middle of your Grimoire - perfect for holding a tarot card, feather, affirmation card, or whatever you'd like! Both add-ons are optional - you may choose both, just one, or no add-ons at all. This is a "make and take" class - students will create one leather-wrap book to take home. All participants will be required to sign a safety and liability waiver prior to participation. About Dana:  Dana Campbell lives in southeastern Connecticut where she works as a bookbinder and letterpress printmaker. In 2014 she launched her business, Shuttle Press & Bindery, which offers bespoke handmade journals, sketchbooks, letterpress stationery, and book repair services. Her studio, located within Stonington's historic Velvet Mill building, is open to the public.

You’re invited to a fascinating conversation with neurologist and author Pria Anand to chat about her new book The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains (forthcoming June 10, 2025). Register HERE. The Mind Electric speaks to the stories we tell ourselves about our brains, and the stories that our brains tell to us. This program is FREE and open to the public.

Dive into the world of sharks with Essex Library as we host Kristen Smith of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) center. Register HERE for this virtual program. This virtual program provides adult audiences with an understanding of the ongoing white shark research projects being conducted and funded by the AWSC, how that research is impacting conservation and public safety efforts, and up-to-date information on what that research has taught us. Audience members will also have an opportunity to view videos and photographs taken during the research season and to develop their knowledge of what a shark is and what is required to conduct white shark research. There will be a short Q&A period after the presentation. This program is FREE and available to the public. Registration is required for this virtual program.

On select Saturday mornings at 10:00 am, we offer a special cruise, designed for young children and their parents, grandparents, etc., aboard RiverQuest. On this cruise, we will show young children how to use binoculars, teach them about the birds we see, nautical terms, river ecology, and other points of interest. This is a fun cruise to introduce young children to the fragile beauty of the Connecticut River and it allows kids to be kids! For kids ages 2 to 12 ticket price will be only $10, ages 12 to 100 only $20.  Online booking only. 10:00 – 11:00 am: May 24 June 21 July 19 August 2

Swing by the Connecticut River Museum for take-home craft activities that engage kids with the Connecticut River’s stunning wildlife and rich history. Crafts will take place in the Museum’s Boathouse. A program just for kids 4+ and their caregivers, River Tales includes a story and craft activity themed around nature. In August we’ll read Bear Came Along by Richard Morris, a Caldecott Honor book that uses river wildlife to teach young learners about the importance of community and friendship. Non-members: $3 per learner Members: Free! Museum admission is not included with ticket purchase.

Delve into the fascinating world of birds through astonishing photography and clear explanations in this absorbing global guide, "The Bird Book: The Stories, Science, and History of Birds." Register for this virtual author talk with Smithsonian Biologist Jay Falk HERE.  This program is FREE and open to the public.

Stay cool this summer in the Buel Room of Essex Library with a "Book-to-Screen" movie matinee! For more information, including the movie title, call the Library at 860-767-1560 or visit the events calendar section of the Library’s website, www.youressexlibrary.org.

Program for kids ages 4-8 & mentors age 13-18. Level up your reading skills, work on your summer reading goals & beat the Summer Slide with a Teen Buddy! Build social skills, reading fluency, and confidence! Each teen volunteer (ages 13-18) is paired with a younger reader (ages 4-8) for a relaxed hour of literacy fun. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required to ensure that each reader is matched with a mentor. Click here to register a child buddy! Click here to register a teen mentor.

Join us aboard RiverQuest or Onrust for a relaxing evening cruise on the lower Connecticut River. This "journey to nowhere" is timed so that, weather permitting, you’ll see the full moon rise while enjoying twilight views, local wildlife, and points of interest. Bring your picnic dinner and favorite beverage to enjoy onboard. The cruise will run even if it’s cloudy — there’s always fun to be had on the river!

Stay cool this summer in the Buel Room of Essex Library with a "Book-to-Screen" movie matinee! For more information, including the movie title, call the Library at 860-767-1560 or visit the events calendar section of the Library’s website, www.youressexlibrary.org.

Bring an appetite for sizzling drama as we discuss New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston's latest romantic comedy, The Pairing. Register HERE. This program is FREE and open to the public. When two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour, they challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they're over each other—except they're definitely not. Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all. Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past. All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good […]

Program for families with kids of all ages. Join Miss Nicole from Essex Library and Miss Elizabeth from Ivoryton Library for a Field Day at Main Street Park to end the summer! Celebrate all the awesome reading you did this summer with a fun afternoon full of games, face painting, book prizes, and more! This program will be held at Main Street Park, 12 Main Street, Essex, CT. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged but not required. Click here to register.

Stay cool this summer in the Buel Room of Essex Library with a "Book-to-Screen" movie matinee! For more information, including the movie title, call the Library at 860-767-1560 or visit the events calendar section of the Library’s website, www.youressexlibrary.org.

Program for families, kids, and teens. Come celebrate Back to School at the Essex Library! Bingo for books is fun for everyone! Bring your family and friends, play BINGO and earn books as your prize. Winners will be able to select a book from a selection of children and teen titles. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. No registration required, drop in!

Program for kids and teens ages 8-18. Essex Library Association and Essex Historical Society invite children and young adults, with their parents, to join the team from Digging for Good in Haddam, CT to ‘dig’ on Pratt House’s grounds, using metal detectors to find buried objects. Digging for Good will provide metal detecting tools to find objects embedded in Pratt’s two-acre field, which was once part of a farm dating from 1701. Anything found will be donated to Essex Historical Society, and may later be placed on exhibit. Digging for Good members will record a video, as well as take photos of the interesting finds. Please dress for the outdoors and wear sturdy shoes and sunscreen, as needed. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to register.  

Essex Historical Society and Essex Library Association invite children and young adults ages 8-18, with their guardians, to join the Digging for Good team from Haddam, CT to metal detect and ‘dig’ on Pratt House’s historic grounds. Digging for Good will bring a number of metal detecting tools and lead the search to find objects buried in Pratt’s two-acre property, which was once part of a 12 acre farm dating from 1701. Anything found will be donated to Essex Historical Society, and may later be placed on exhibit.  Digging for Good may take photos and videos of interesting finds for their You Tube channel. This program is a partnership between EHS, Digging for Good, and Essex Library Association. You must REGISTER for this event through Essex Library so that we may contact participants in the case of inclement weather. Please dress for the outdoors and wear sturdy shoes and sunscreen, as needed. Pratt House is located at 19 West Avenue in Essex, CT. All necessary equipment will be provided. Questions? Contact Outreach Coordinator, Kate Savage

Learn how to master the daily grind and become shatterproof in a tumultuous world with key insights by Dr. Tasha Eurich as she talks about her newest book, "Shatterproof: How to Thrive in a World of Constant Chaos" (And why resilience alone isn’t enough).  Register HERE. This program is FREE and open to the public.

Join us as award-winning author and summer reading champion Katherine Applegate talks to viewers about her enthusiastically heartwarming novel in verse, Odder. Everyone wants to meet Odder, the Queen of Play. Odder spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she’s known. She’s a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself―and about the humans who hope to save her. Katherine Applegate’s Odder is inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium program that pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers. This poignant and humorous tale told in free-verse examines bravery and healing through the eyes of one of nature’s most beloved and charming animals. About the Author: Katherine Applegate is the Newbery Medal-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young readers, including The One and Only Ivan, Wishtree, Crenshaw, the Endling series, the Roscoe Riley Rules chapter books series, and the Animorphs series.  She lives with her husband, who writes as the author Michael Grant, and their children in California. Essex Library programs are free and open […]

Stay cool this summer in the Buel Room of Essex Library with a "Book-to-Screen" movie matinee! For more information, including the movie title, call the Library at 860-767-1560 or visit the events calendar section of the Library’s website, www.youressexlibrary.org.

Program for kids birth – age 5. Join us for a hands-on, child-led play session designed to engage the senses! Sensory Playtime encourages exploration, creativity, and early learning through touch, sound, and movement. Kids are invited to move from station to station, at their own pace, to scoop, squish, pour, and play with a variety of textures and materials in a safe, supportive space alongside their caregivers. This program supports sensory development, fine motor skills, and social interaction—come play, learn, and make a (little) mess with us! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Program funded in part by the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, and made possible by the GSB Grant Making Fund, and the Whelen Family Fund. Registration is required for each individual session. Click here to register.

Embrace your dark side (and your best evil laugh) and join us in conversation with Hannah Nicole Maehrer, creator of the New York Times bestselling Assistant to the Villain series. REGISTER and submit questions for the author! This program is FREE and open to the public, regardless of residency. Registration is required for all virtual author talks.

Dr. Olena Lennon returns to Essex Library to discuss how Russia’s War on Ukraine continues to pose a threat to global security, along with the implications of Donald Trump’s presidency and Israel-Iran relations. Dr. Lennon will provide a 45-minute lecture on the topic followed by a 15-minute Q&A. This program is FREE and open to the public regardless of residency. Due to limited space, registration is required. Register HERE. About Dr. Olena Lennon Olena Lennon, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Professor of National Security at the University of New Haven, where she teaches such courses as the U.S. Foreign & Defense Policy and International Relations. Formerly a Fulbright scholar from Ukraine, and most recently a scholar at Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., she has dedicated her research to the study of conflict management and identity politics in eastern Europe, focused on domestic and foreign policy of Ukraine. An eastern Ukraine native, Dr. Lennon has been a regular participant in scholarly and media forums related to issues in Ukraine, facilitating a more informed and objective analysis of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. She also serves as an election observer with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and has completed several […]

Program for kids ages 2-5. Get ready for the new school year with stories, songs, and fun activities all about classrooms, backpacks, and first-day jitters at this Back to School-themed story time! Join us for themed stories, songs, rhymes, and crafts! We’ll learn early literacy concepts like colors, shapes, opposites, the ABCs and much more, to prepare our pre-school age children for kindergarten. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged to ensure enough crafts are prepared. Click here to register.