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.
Join us at Essex Library on select Mondays in August for a 3-part meditation series led by local Meditation Coach, Caryl Horner. Meditation has proven to be a practice that helps to reduce stress and improve physical, mental and emotional health. The series, consisting of three 45-minute classes, will progressively lead participants through an introduction to the practice. Monday, August 18 “Creating Your Meditation Practice” This class will cover the benefits of regular meditation, the details on the frequency, length of time, etc. of a regular individual meditation practice, as well as a resource list on meditation. About Caryl Horner Caryl helps people learn how to meditate individually and in groups, and assists them to develop and continue this practice. She owns The Dharma Room, a meditation business in Chester. She has worked in healthcare for more than 40 years. She has a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Connecticut College and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Connecticut.
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.
Join us at Essex Library on select Mondays in August for a 3-part meditation series led by local Meditation Coach, Caryl Horner. Meditation has proven to be a practice that helps to reduce stress and improve physical, mental and emotional health. The series, consisting of three 45-minute classes, will progressively lead participants through an introduction to the practice. Monday, August 18 “Creating Your Meditation Practice” This class will cover the benefits of regular meditation, the details on the frequency, length of time, etc. of a regular individual meditation practice, as well as a resource list on meditation. About Caryl Horner Caryl helps people learn how to meditate individually and in groups, and assists them to develop and continue this practice. She owns The Dharma Room, a meditation business in Chester. She has worked in healthcare for more than 40 years. She has a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Connecticut College and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Connecticut.
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.
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.
Program for kids ages 0-3 and their caregivers, siblings welcome! Wiggle Worms is a play-based music and movement story time for children and their caregivers! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. No registration required.
Program for grandparents and their grandchildren, ages 3 and up. For Grandparents Day, come celebrate at the Essex Library! Kids and their grandparents are invited to enjoy tea and snacks together and create a Grandparents Day craft. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required. Please register each attendee (grandparents and kids) separately. Click here to register.
Register HERE. In 1951, with the publication of God and Man at Yale, a scathing attack on his alma mater, twenty-five-year-old William F. Buckley, Jr., seized the public stage—and commanded it for the next half century as he led a new generation of conservative activists and ideologues to the peak of political power and cultural influence. Ten years before his death in 2008, Buckley chose prize-winning biographer Sam Tanenhaus to tell the full, uncensored story of his life and times, granting him extensive interviews and exclusive access to his most private papers. Thus began a deep investigation into the vast and often hidden universe of Bill Buckley and the modern conservative revolution. Buckley vividly captures its subject in all his facets and phases: founding editor of National Review, the twentieth century’s most influential political journal; syndicated columnist, Emmy-winning TV debater, and bestselling spy novelist; ally of Joseph McCarthy and Barry Goldwater; mentor to Ronald Reagan; game-changing candidate for mayor of New York. Tanenhaus also has uncovered the darker trail of Bill Buckley’s secret exploits, including CIA missions in Latin America, dark collusions with Watergate felon Howard Hunt, and Buckley’s struggle in his last years to hold together a movement coming apart over the AIDS epidemic, […]
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.
Join us (and be ready to take notes) for an afternoon virtual conversation with communication expert Jefferson Fisher, as we chat about his book, The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More. REGISTER and submit questions for the author! This program is free and open to all regardless of residency. Registration is required for all virtual talks.
Program for kids ages 5-10. Join educators from Steward Outdoor Day School to explore the world of dragonflies! Together, we will investigate their habitat, behavior, and life cycle in this hands-on STEAM experience that blends science, nature, and art! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to register!
Hear from Nicholas Bellantoni, Emeritus Connecticut State Archaeologist, as he discusses his experiences in 2009 as one of the lead researchers on a team investigating the death of Adolph Hitler for the History Channel. After traveling to Germany and Russia to examine and gather evidence, Bellantoni worked with Dr. Linda Strausbaugh and her team from the University of Connecticut’s Center for Applied Genetics and Technology to analyze biological samples for DNA evidence. Hear what they discovered about Hitler’s final moments. This program is FREE and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Space is limited, so registration is required. Register HERE. About Nick Bellantoni: Nick Bellantoni serves as Connecticut State Archaeologist Emeritus at the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut in 1987 and was shortly thereafter appointed the second Connecticut State Archaeologist. He is a former president of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut and the National Association of State Archaeologists.
In this evolving yoga series, yogis will learn valuable breathing and movement sequences that will connect their mind and body. Each class will include breathing and meditation to prepare the mind as well as deep stretching appropriate for all levels and just a hint of strength work to help keep bodies healthy and agile. Modifications will be provided for anyone that needs them. The library has a limited supply of yoga mats; we suggest bringing your own. This program is FREE and open to ALL at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. No registration necessary, drop in!
Join us at Essex Library for a Local Author Book Fair from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Drop-in to hear from local and regional writers as they showcase their work and offer insight on their creative journeys. Books available for purchase and signing. Light refreshments will be provided. No registration necessary. Drop-in! This program is free and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT.
Join us at Essex Library on Tuesday, September 16 at 6 p.m. for a talk with legendary NFL sports anchor, reporter and producer Suzy Kolber. Kolber will share highlights of her journey from the peewee football field in Philadelphia to becoming a prominent sports anchor with ESPN, delving into her love of the sport as well as the challenges and experiences of her career and personal life. Refreshments provided. This program is free and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Registration is required. Register HERE or call the Library at 860-767-1560. About Suzy Kolber Suzy Kolber enjoyed an extensive 27-year career at ESPN. As one of the original anchors for the launch of ESPN2 and the XGames, she most recently hosted the pregame and halftime shows for Monday Night Football. Kolber spent more than a decade on the field, where she was widely praised for elevating the NFL sideline role. Considered a trailblazer for her versatility and longevity in sports broadcasting, she was the first female recipient of the Maxwell Football Club’s Sports Broadcaster of the Year Award in 2006. Kolber’s 39 years of experience began as a sports producer at WTVJ- Miami. Along the way she helped launch Dallas […]
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.
Have you ever wondered why the English spelling of words is sometimes… well… just weird? Come on a surprisingly hilarious journey with us and author Gabe Henry through the history of the English language, while we discuss troublemakers like Mark Twain who broke all the rules. REGISTER and submit questions for the author! This program is free and open to all regardless of residency. Registration is required for all virtual author talks.
Hear from Essex’s top law enforcement officers on how to help prevent crimes, as well as how to avoid them, in this talk offered by Essex Library on Thursday, September 18 at 6 PM. Essex Resident State Trooper First Class Mark Roberts and Essex Police Officer Todd Belcourt will discuss the most common crimes and scams that are specific to this area, as well as what steps to take to reduce the chances of being a victim of a crime. This program is FREE and open to the public regardless of residency at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Registration is required. Register HERE or call the library at 860-767-1560.
In this evolving yoga series, yogis will learn valuable breathing and movement sequences that will connect their mind and body. Each class will include breathing and meditation to prepare the mind as well as deep stretching appropriate for all levels and just a hint of strength work to help keep bodies healthy and agile. Modifications will be provided for anyone that needs them. The library has a limited supply of yoga mats; we suggest bringing your own. This program is FREE and open to ALL at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. No registration necessary, drop in!
Program for kids ages 0-3 and their caregivers, siblings welcome! Wiggle Worms is a play-based music and movement story time for children and their caregivers! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. No registration required.
Warren Leach, talented garden designer and owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth, MA will recommend a diverse selection of superlative plants with exceptional foliage characteristics in his talk “Beyond Blooms: Creative Design with Color, Structure and Seasonal Senescence”. Warren will highlight woody and herbaceous plants with good garden foliage color, architectural structure, multi-season interest and stunning shape and texture characteristics that can be used in a diversity of ways to compliment flowers, provide structure and offer seasonal succession in the mixed border. Warren will also suggest plant combinations that you can translate into your own garden, echoing leaf colors and texture to brighten the garden through the seasons. This program is a collaboration of the Essex Garden Club and the Essex Library. The program is FREE and open to the public, regardless of residency, at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Register HERE or call the library at 860-767-1560.
In this evolving yoga series, yogis will learn valuable breathing and movement sequences that will connect their mind and body. Each class will include breathing and meditation to prepare the mind as well as deep stretching appropriate for all levels and just a hint of strength work to help keep bodies healthy and agile. Modifications will be provided for anyone that needs them. The library has a limited supply of yoga mats; we suggest bringing your own. This program is FREE and open to ALL at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. No registration necessary, drop in!
Program for kids ages 0-3 and their caregivers, siblings welcome! Wiggle Worms is a play-based music and movement story time for children and their caregivers! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. No registration required.
Artist Robyn Rivers will take you through her 13-year sailing voyage around the world with a lecture entitled “Images of a Pacific Voyage.” Rivers will detail her experiences in the remote islands of the South Pacific as well as the Philippines, Turkey and other locations. She’ll also discuss how she was inspired to document her journey by painting scenes of the local landscape and people. This program is free and open to the public at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Register online at youressexlibrary.org or by calling the Library at 860-767-1560.
Each class will include deep stretching and just a hint of strength work to help keep bodies healthy and agile. Modifications will be provided for anyone that needs them. All levels are welcome. The library has a limited supply of yoga mats; we suggest bringing your own. All of the library's programs are free and open to all regardless of residency at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. No registration necessary, drop in!
Program for kids ages 2-5. Join firefighters from Essex Fire Engine Co. #1 for a fire safety-themed story time filled with fun stories, songs, and tips to help little ones learn how to stay safe in case of a fire! 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.
Costume donations for our Kid's Halloween Costume Swap will be collected on October 10 from 2-5 PM. Gently used or new costumes can be dropped off to the Children's department!
Program for families with kids of all ages. Come find something new-to-you for Halloween! Available costume sizes may range depending on the donations received. Costume accessories may be offered as well. You do not have to donate to choose a costume. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Costume donations will be collected on October 10 from 2-5 PM. Gently used or new costumes can be dropped off to the Children's department! No registration is required, drop in!
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 for October 15 @ 9:30 AM
This fall, take a deep dive into three of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories with Tom Kelly as he leads a literature seminar series at Essex Library. O’Connor, an American novelist and short story writer, is well known for her Southern Gothic writing style and major contributions to American Literature, before her death from lupus at the young age of 39. This program will help participants read critically, focusing on specific writing techniques used by the author to create meaning. Kelly will also help participants identify patterns, representations and ideas found in the following short stories. Oct. 16 – “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O'Connor Oct. 30 – “Revelation” by Flannery O'Connor Nov. 13 – “The River” by Flannery O'Connor This program is free and open to the public regardless of residency at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Seating is limited. Registration is required. Please email Adult Services Librarian Elizabeth Reinhart at ereinhart@essexlib.org if you need assistance locating these selected works by O’Connor. About Tom Kelly Thomas Kelly earned a B.A. in English from Wesleyan University in 1981, and an M.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut in 1984. He taught English for […]
Each class will include deep stretching and just a hint of strength work to help keep bodies healthy and agile. Modifications will be provided for anyone that needs them. All levels are welcome. The library has a limited supply of yoga mats; we suggest bringing your own. All of the library's programs are free and open to all regardless of residency at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. No registration necessary, drop in!
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 for October 22 @ 9:30 AM
You are invited to join us online and be one of the first to hear from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai about her astonishing memoir, Finding My Way. Malala reintroduces herself to the world, sharing how she navigated life as someone whose darkest moments threatened to define her narrative—while seeking the freedom to find out who she truly is. Register online at youressexlibrary.org or by calling the library at 860-767-1560.
Fiber Artist Kaitlin Cahill will lead a workshop on needle felting where participants will learn various techniques to create a 3-dimensional sleeping fawn using a barred needle and wool. Supplies are limited, so registration is required. This program is FREE and open to the public at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Registration is required. Register online at youressexlibrary.org or by calling the library at 860-767-1560.
Each class will include deep stretching and just a hint of strength work to help keep bodies healthy and agile. Modifications will be provided for anyone that needs them. All levels are welcome. The library has a limited supply of yoga mats; we suggest bringing your own. All of the library's programs are free and open to all regardless of residency at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. No registration necessary, drop in!
Coined as the “queen of British historical fiction,” Philippa Gregory returns to the infamous Tudor Court with a tale that is both timely and timeless. We invite you to sit down with us for an intriguing conversation with Gregory about her newest novel Boleyn Traitor (forthcoming October 14, 2025). Register online at youressexlibrary.org or by calling the library at 860-767-1560.
This fall, take a deep dive into three of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories with Tom Kelly as he leads a literature seminar series at Essex Library. O’Connor, an American novelist and short story writer, is well known for her Southern Gothic writing style and major contributions to American Literature, before her death from lupus at the young age of 39. This program will help participants read critically, focusing on specific writing techniques used by the author to create meaning. Kelly will also help participants identify patterns, representations and ideas found in the following short stories. Oct. 16 – “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O'Connor Oct. 30 – “Revelation” by Flannery O'Connor Nov. 13 – “The River” by Flannery O'Connor This program is free and open to the public regardless of residency at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Seating is limited. Registration is required. Please email Adult Services Librarian Elizabeth Reinhart at ereinhart@essexlib.org if you need assistance locating these selected works by O’Connor. About Tom Kelly Thomas Kelly earned a B.A. in English from Wesleyan University in 1981, and an M.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut in 1984. He taught English for […]
Each class will include deep stretching and just a hint of strength work to help keep bodies healthy and agile. Modifications will be provided for anyone that needs them. All levels are welcome. The library has a limited supply of yoga mats; we suggest bringing your own. All of the library's programs are free and open to all regardless of residency at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. No registration necessary, drop in!
The Essex Library invites children of all ages to trick or treat at the library on Friday October 31 during open hours, 9 AM – 5 PM. Come in costume and take home a small treat from the library!
Welcome to the 2025 Essex Film Fest! Essex Film Fest is a fiscally sponsored program of the Essex Library Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tickets are offered free of charge with a suggested donation that directly supports the Essex Library and the festival. Featured Guest Filmmaker Mike S. Ryan is a prolific indie film producer, known for bold, visionary low-budget cinema. A key player in the American independent film boom, Ryan has collaborated with auteurs like Kelly Reichardt, Todd Solondz, Hal Hartley, and Béla Tarr. His breakout film Junebug earned an Oscar nomination and proved low-budget films can make a global impact. A Cannes alum, Venice winner, and Whitney Biennial selectee, Ryan continues to shape the future of independent film—both as a producer and as a professor at Emerson College. His latest, The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire, directed by Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich, has screened at major festivals including TIFF and NYFF and is currently touring cinemas across the U.S. Film Lineup THE ARTIST’S WIFE Claire, the wife of a celebrated artist who set aside her own creative ambitions for his, grapples with that choice—and with how to steward his legacy—after he’s diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. A graceful meditation on love, art, and identity, exploring the […]