Art

Create or appreciate works of the imagination.

Dance-offs, ballet, and more! Check out a book that explores the complicated lives of dancers.

Arrows by Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Dance prodigy Karma Clark's unrequited love for Danny is unbearable until Aaryn, son of Cupid, tries to fix his mistake and ends up falling in love with the beautiful dancer from Wisconsin who can never love him in return.

Drina wants only to dance though her Gypsy mother has forbidden it, but when her mother suffers a horrible attack, Drina sets out to find the father who abandoned them, and is drawn into the world of flamenco dancers.

Sparks fly when Beatrix Adams, seventeen, who strives to be a medical illustrator, meets Jack, one of San Francisco's most notorious graffiti artists, but even as Beatrix begins to uncover the secrets that have left Jack so wounded, her own family secrets threaten to tear them apart.

And we're off by Dana Schwartz

Offered a summer trip to Europe to study history's most famous artists, seventeen-year-old Nora is required to create a unique painting at each stop, but clashes with her mom who fears her daughter's optimism may prompt an insecure future.

Draw the line by Laurent Linn

"A teen boy survives a hate crime against another gay student through his art"--.

Super STEAM Summer Series

Let's think outside of the box for a second...What does STEAM mean to you? This summer CPL is deviating from the norm and providing innovative programming around the science, technology, engineering, art and math disciplines. This programming is developed for patrons aged 11-13 and registration is required. Topics are as follows...

  • Friday, June 23 -  HTML - In this first session you will learn the basics of HTML coding, and design your own website. Customize the font, content, colors, and more. Bring a flash drive so you can save it, take it home, and show off your work. Designed for students with no coding experience. Registration is required and begins May 25.
  • Thursday, July 6 - Industrial Design: Where Art Meets Science - What's your big idea? Learn how Industrial Design helps tell the story of science ideas. Sketch, draw and design away. Registration is required and begins on June 23.
  • Thursday, August 10 - Sound Frequencies of a DJ - Motown DJ and producer Mike Huckaby visits the library for a STEAM experience like no other. Learn the ins and outs of sound mixing as well as the science behind the sound. Registration is required and begins July 25.

[light and sound image by Derek Σωκράτης Finch shared under CC 2.0]

Upcoming sessions

There are no upcoming sessions available.

"As a child in Izmir, Turkey in the 1980 and 90s, Ozge Samanci watched as her country struggled between its traditional religious heritage and the new secular westernized world of brand-name products and television stars. In Ozge's own family, she struggled to figure out the place where she belonged, too. Her older sister was a perfect student, and her dad hoped Ozge would study hard, go to good schools, and become an engineer to find stability in their country's uncertain economic climate. But Ozge was a dreamer and wanted adventure. Could she be a scuba diver like Jacques Costeau? Or should she become a world-famous actress? This touching memoir shows how Ozge dared to overcome both her family and her country's expectations to find happiness by being an artist"--.

Midnighter. Volume 1, Out by Steve Orlando

"Spinning out of GRAYSON comes a solo series starring the man who can predict your every move ... but no one will be able to predict what he'll do next! A theft at the God Garden has unleashed a wave of dangerous biotech weapons on the world, and Midnighter intends to put that genie back in the bottle by any means necessary. But something else was stolen from the Garden as well ... the secret history of Lucas Trent, the man Midnighter once was! Collects MIDNIGHTER #1-6"--.

"Born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and an American father in 1997, Christine Mari Inzer spent her early years in Japan and relocated to the United States in 2003. The summer before she turned sixteen, she returned to Tokyo, making a solo journey to get reacquainted with her birthplace. Through illustrations, photos, and musings, Inzer documented her journey. In Diary of a Tokyo Teen, Inzer explores the cutting-edge fashions of Tokyo's trendy Harajuku district, eats the best sushi of her life at the renowned Tsukiji fish market, and hunts down geisha in the ancient city of Kyoto. As she shares the trials and pleasures of travel from one end of a trip to the other, Inzer introduces the host of interesting characters she meets and offers a unique -- and often hilarious -- look at a fascinating country and an engaging tale of one girl rediscovering her roots."--provided by Amazon.com.

Zine Maker Workshop

Zine: a noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject matter - Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Join us for an open workshop on creating your own Zine! Shortened from magazine, a zine is a small, self-produced publication on a topic of your choice. Please feel free to bring your own materials, like photos, to use in the zine. Basic materials and supplies to create the zine will be available. This program is for ages 13 and over. No registration required.

Upcoming sessions

There are no upcoming sessions available.

Junior Writers Workshop

In this three session series, children will learn the five basic elements of a story: character, plot, setting, conflict, and theme. As they learn about each topic, children will create their own short stories, design characters, and reveal their work to the rest of the participants in the final session. Registration is required and registering for the first session automatically registers you for the next two, so please plan on attending all three sessions. This program is for children aged 7 - 10 years old. 

Upcoming sessions

There are no upcoming sessions available.

Explore our resources for instruction and inspiration for your poetry writing. More advanced titles can be found at the bottom of the list.

Photographs and text introduce techniques and tips for writing poetry inspired by pictures and images, discussing word choices, and examining layout, metaphores, and related topics.

Learn about real life poets and their work. The stories included below are roughly listed by increasing depth and complexity. While these books are located in the Children's Department, there is a strong possibility that they may appeal to a wider audience.

Maya Angelou by Lisbeth Kaiser

Offers an illustrated telling of the life of Maya Angelou that focuses on how she overcame childhood trauma and realized her dream and became one of the world's most beloved writers and speakers.

Presents the life and work of the twentieth-century American writer, focusing on his fascination with words from a young age and highlighting his poetry's inspirational properties.

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