Listen MKE - The Challenge of Domestic Violence
James Causey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Ideas Lab reporter and LaToya Dennis, reporter/producer WUWM will talk with LaVerne Badger and Natalie Hayden, from EXPOSED The Podcast, a weekly conversation about exposing life after abuse; Carmen Pitre, executive director of the Sojourner Family Peace Center, which provides crisis housing, advocacy and individual support to thousands of women and children; and Steve Thomas, a former abuser, who is now leading efforts to get male abusers to change their ways through a Batters Intervention program.
Listen MKE Live: Election 2020
The presidential election is just a month away. Watch our special Listen MKE Live at 12:30 p.m. on October 7 for information about what you need to do to make sure your voice is heard. Guests: Joan Johnson, Milwaukee Public Library director and city librarian, and Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission
Census deadline extended to October 31, 2020
The deadline to complete the 2020 Census has recently been extended through Saturday, October 31st. Completing the Census, which consists of nine questions, takes minutes and can be done online by visiting www.My2020Census.gov or by calling 1-844-330-2020.
Census data is used to determine federal funding of critical services, representation in the House of Representatives, and more. As part of an American Library Association Library Census Equity mini-grant, MPL partnered with local artists to create murals on branch library locations to increase awareness of the Census. Four MPL Branches, located in Census tracts with the lowest current response rates, feature Census window messaging:
• Milwaukee Public Library Center Street Branch with artist Adwoa Asentu
• Milwaukee Public Library M.L. King Branch by artist Rozalia Singh
• Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch by artist Nicole Acosta
• Milwaukee Public Library Washington Park Branch by artist Audrey Moore
Visit www.2020census.gov for more information. #2020Census
The Kenosha Unrest: A deeper look
Join us at noon Wednesday for Listen MKE Live for a discussion on the unrest in Kenosha after the shooting of Jacob Blake. Among our guests: former Kenosha County supervisor Dayvin Hallmon, who long has emphasized the need to build trust between African Americans in Kenosha and the police, and Marc Levine, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who has studied the impact of racism on southeastern Wisconsin and has a new study that found caste-like conditions for Blacks in Milwaukee.
Listen MKE Live: Milwaukee's Promise
Six community leaders will share their vision for Milwaukee's future as part of our Milwaukee's Promise project. The online discussion, set for noon Wednesday August 12, will be moderated by columnist James E. Causey of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Milwaukee Public Library Good Hope Branch Opening
Milwaukee Public Library Director Paula A. Kiely and Mayor Tom Barrett were joined by elected officials and MPL Board of Trustees members to open the newest Milwaukee Public Library at 7715 West Good Hope Road on Milwaukee’s Northwest Side. The branch is a $6.35 million investment in the neighborhood and replaces the former Mill Road Branch Library. At 18,400 square feet, the Good Hope Branch Library is the third largest branch in the system, following Mitchell Street Branch at 23,000 square feet and Washington Park at 20,000 square feet.
The branch opening was delayed due to COVID-19 and opens under capacity restrictions and with safety measures enacted, including a mask requirement and mandatory social distancing. As such, some typical library activities, such as browsing the collection, are unavailable. Patrons are invited to access the Wi-Fi and computer stations, use copy, printing and scanning services, pick up materials holds, and limited reference services are available.
ListenMKE Live
Please join Listen MKE at 1:30 p.m. on July 8 for a discussion with youth organizers on the frontlines of the movement pushing for black lives to matter. We will talk about the current protests and where we go from here.
Meet Author Matt de la Peña (Virtual Program)
We are a week away from our virtual visit, Meet Author Matt de la Peña, on Monday, July 13th at 2 p.m.! Enjoy a special message from the author, and don’t forget to email your questions for Matt de la Peña to [email protected]. Include your child’s first name in the email! Questions will be selected at random, and Matt De la Peña will share answers during the program! You'll also meet local hero and Milwaukee County Transit System Bus Driver, Shamika Anderson, who will lead a "Wheels on the Bus" sing-a-long. Register today at https://bit.ly/2C9QmYq.
Browser's Book Bash
Celebrate your love of reading, books, and the characters that make them special. The Milwaukee Public Library celebrates our city’s diverse community of readers and the books that Milwaukee loves! Join us at
Browser's Book Bash this Saturday, March 7 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Central Library. Enjoy music, comedy, literacy activities, animals, art, and cookie decorating! You might just see the Cat in the Hat or Curious George! Visit mpl.org/browser for event details and a list of book-based fun at neighborhood branch library reader celebrations!
Join us next Tuesday, December 17 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the
Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch for the Gathering Art, Stories and Place Culmination Celebration, a two-year project funded by a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant and the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation. Festivities include: Launch of Celeste Contreras' Artist Book, Sneak Peek of the Listening to Mitchell Archive, Ex Fabula UltraShorts Booth, Artists Working in Education, Inc. Truck Studio. Gathering Art, Stories and Place Film, Live music, snacks, and more! ASL interpretation will be provided.
You have two more chances to work with our Artist-in-Residence and learn a new art skill! Join us for Screen Printing Workshop with Celeste Contreras on Wednesdays, December 4 and 11 from 5-7 p.m. at the Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch. Bring a T-shirt or any other cloth you’d like to print on!
MPL Live Rap Battle
ICYMI - Check out highlights from last Thursday's MPL Live Rap Battle. A huge shout out to the 8 talented MCs who performed their original songs - Timboloneon The Great (Timothy V.), El' Bang, Brenton Levy, Richie Buz, King Swift, Big Mack, JC Kroupa, and RB Vic. Congrats again to RB Vic for taking home the crown and to our second place winner, Timboloneon the Great. View their work at mplrapbattle.com. #LibraryLoudDays
Rap Battle Promo
They've proven they've got what it takes, but only one will take home the crown…. And a $1,000 cash prize!
Cheer on 8 up-and-coming MCs as they battle for pride and prize money at Milwaukee Central Library. Live performance by Ishdarr. Thursday, October 17 at 5:30. Voting is now closed. Learn more about the Battle here: https://bit.ly/2Zb8DdS
Recording Kit Prize
The ultimate Rap Battle Event is taking place this next Thursday, October 17 and EVERY attendee will be eligible to win a professional recording kit. Voting is now closed. Learn more about the Battle here: https://bit.ly/2Zb8DdS
MPL Live Rap Battle
DJ Bizzon will be there. Will you? See the next hot MCs battle for the crown. Special performance by Ish DARR. Thursday, October 17.
Voting is now closed. Learn more about the Battle here: https://bit.ly/2Zb8DdS
Rap Battle
Vote for you favorite Rap Battle artist now! Learn more about the Battle and how you can submit your vote here:https://bit.ly/2Zb8DdS
Thanks to the 200+ attendees who joined us last week Thursday, August 8 at the Milwaukee Public Library Martin Luther King Branch for Library Loud Days: American Klassiks. This outstanding Bronzeville Week performance featured Klassik, SistaStrings, and Nickel&Rose. A special thanks to the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation with support from 88Nine Radio Milwaukee for making this event possible.
Stay tuned for the next #LibraryLoudDays event! #TBT
Artist-in-Residence Celeste Contreras has been working super hard with Teens of Milwaukee Public Library and Artists Working in Education, Inc. interns to design and paint these spectacular murals. We were very excited to have community member and artist, Jessica Romany (pictured with Celeste) volunteer her time to help us get them done!
We hope you’ll join us tonight at the Gathering Art, Stories and Place Pillar Mural Unveiling to celebrate these two beautiful additions to the Northwestern Mutual Foundation Studio M Makerspace! There will be art activities led by AWE's Truck Studio, Ex Fabula UltraShorts Booth and most importantly, ICE CREAM🍦 😋! It all starts tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch!
Kids who do more, know more! Kids that participate in the Super Reader Squad earn free or discounted passes to great places around Milwaukee including the Wisconsin State Fair, the Milwaukee County Zoo, and the Milwaukee Public Museum. A special shout out to the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation and our generous sponsors who make the Super Reader program possible each summer. Join the Squad now through August 30, 2019 for ages 12 and younger at superreadersquad.org.
Fear the Deer!
Looks like extinction round 2, Toronto Public Library! LET'S GO, Milwaukee Bucks! Toronto Raptors Bango #fearthedeer #nbaplayoffs2019
We had a great time this past Saturday, March 23 at the Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch for Talking Shop: The Evolution of Breakdancing on Mitchell Street! It was so inspiring to hear from different voices and people of different generations talk about how breaking changed their lives and shaped their paths. A special thanks our guests and Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service for capturing video of the event. If you missed it, view it here: https://milwaukeenns.org/2019/03/26/nns-video-watch-mitchell-street-come-alive-with-breakdancing/.
Stay tuned for the next Talking Shop series in May as part of the Gathering Art, Stories and Place project.
Calling all zine makers and want-to-be zine makers! Join us at the Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch on Saturday, March 9 from 3-5 p.m. In preparation for Milwaukee Zine Fest on Saturday, April 6 at Milwaukee Public Library’s Central Library, we're hosting a Zine Drop-In Workshop led by Gathering Art, Stories and Place artist-in-residence, Celeste Contreras, plus Zine Fest’s Diversity Fellow, Randy Russell Brown. Discuss ideas and format, test out some binding techniques and maybe even make a zine together!
This event is FREE and all materials are provided (but feel free to bring your own special pens/tools/paper). All zine-making abilities and backgrounds welcome, from teens to adults!
Lend a helping hand by volunteering at Browser's Book Bash on Saturday, March 2 at the Central Library. With more than 1,200 children expected, we’re looking for approximately 30 volunteers to help all our young guests have an engaging experience. Volunteers will help out from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. by assisting with a variety of activity stations including educational games, cookie decorating, arts & crafts projects, journal making, welcoming guests, helping our mascots, and more. Volunteers must be 14 years or older. Individuals and groups interested in helping out may apply online at http://bit.ly/2EaMS6E.
Join us for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration 2019 on Monday, January 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Milwaukee Public Library Martin Luther King Branch. For the past 10 years the branch has opened on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to offer a celebration filled with poetry, music, dance, crafts, games and community services. Programming for the celebration is supported by the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation. Learn more by visiting mpl.org/MLKDay.
Thank you to everyone who joined us this past Wednesday, December 19 for the 2018 Artist Residency Celebration at the Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch. As shared by our Arts Project Coordinator, Katie Loughmiller, "The music was fantastic by SistaStrings, the food was delicious, the remarks were powerful, but what made me happiest was the turnout. We had so many of our amazing community members that we see every day, whose faces are now represented by Erick Ledesma's truly dazzling sculpture, 'Faces of Mitchell'. There were so many people from all over Milwaukee who came out to support both Erick and our new 2019 Artist-in-Residence, Celeste Contreras." We are very proud of the work that Erick has contributed to MPL and the community. Stay tuned for more great things to come as part of the Gathering Art, Stories and Place project in 2019. Learn more by visiting mpl.org/gasp.
This project is in collaboration with community partners, Milwaukee Public Library, Listening to Mitchell artists Sonja Thomsen and Adam Carr, Ex Fabula and Artists Working in Education, Inc. The project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation.
Join us for the 2018 Artist Residency Celebration, a culmination of Erick Ledesma’s year-long artist residency as a part of the Gathering Art, Stories and Place project on Wed., December 19 from 5-7 p.m. (program begins at 5:15 p.m.) at the Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch. Celebrate the unveiling of the new permanent sculpture entitled 'Faces of Mitchell' as well as the many contributions of the inaugural artist-in-residence. The finalist for the 2019 Gathering Art, Stories & Place artist-in-residence will also be announced. Enjoy free food, art projects with Artists Working in Education, Inc.'s Truck Studio, UltraShorts Storytelling Booth with Ex Fabula, a live performance by SistaStrings, and much more! #MPL #facesofmitchell #buildingcommunity #collaboration
Milwaukee PBS Presents The Great American Read Watch Party
We’ve voted for our favorite book and we’ve been waiting all summer to find out which title will be named America’s Best-Loved Book. The votes have finally been tallied! Join Milwaukee PBS, Milwaukee Public Library, Boswell Book Company, and Literacy Services of Wisconsin for The Great American Read Watch Party on Tuesday, October 23 at 7 p.m. at Milwaukee Area Technical College's Cooley Auditorium. The first 200 people to register and attend will receive The Great American Read swag bag! RSVP today at http://bit.ly/2PFmZPp.
Connect with high-quality opportunities and employers at the 2nd Annual Job Expo next Thursday, June 28 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. for unemployed and underemployed Milwaukeeans. Special employment opportunities available for ex-offenders, limited English-speakers, and teens. Registration begins the day of the Expo at 9:45 a.m. For an up-to-date list of participating employers, visit mpl.org/JobExpo.
The Great American Read Kick-Off
Milwaukee Public Library will receive a grant from the American Library Association (ALA) and PBS to host programs around “The Great American Read,” an eight-part television series premiering May 22 that will engage audiences with a list of 100 diverse books, encouraging audiences to read the books, vote from the list of 100, and share their personal connections to the titles. The Great American Read Kick-Off will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 17 at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Following a screening of the television series, a reception and open discussion will occur and books from the list will be available for both check out and purchase. Register for the kickoff at: http://bit.ly/2jYeQHB
We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow, Monday, January 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Day Celebration 2018. Enjoy a full day of activities for the entire family honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Martin Luther King Branch is the ONLY library open on MLK Day. All other Milwaukee Public Libraries will be closed.