🌸 May 2026 🌸

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and the Free Library is excited to celebrate with engaging events all month long! Visit the events calendar to join the fun with activities at many of our neighborhood libraries that include a dumpling making workshop, a lively Chinese Music Festival, karaoke, and many other fantastic events!

We’re also thrilled to share that, as of April 18, all Free Library locations are now open on Saturdays. Thanks to generosity from friends like you, we’re able to offer more programs, resources, and services that reach neighbors across the city. If you're interested in learning about ways you can support the Free Library, please feel free to reach out to us at the Foundation!

We hope to see you at the library soon!

May Author Events

• May 7: Annette Gordon-Reed (Jefferson on Race: A Reader) in conversation with Patrick Spero, Ph.D

• May 12: Mary Beard (Talking Classics: The Shock of Old) in conversation with Tamala Edwards

• May 19: Jodi Kantor (How to Start) in conversation with Michael Solomonov

• May 27: Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. (America, U.S.A.) in conversation with Senator Cory Booker *Montgomery Auditorium is sold out but registration for a rush line is available. Please visit our website for more info*

Missed an Author Event? You can watch most recordings on our YouTube!

More to Explore in May

In honor of the country's 250th anniversary, the Free Library invites Philadelphians of all ages to take part in its oral history project, To Be Free. 

From April through June, participants can share their response to one fundamental question: "What does it mean to be free?" 

These recordings will be preserved as a time capsule, offering future generations a glimpse of Philadelphia today. Learn more and explore all To Be Free times and locations here.

Join South Asian Americans For Change (SAAFC) and the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation for a dynamic 90‑minute workshop that turns reading into conversation and ideas into art. Guided by facilitators Sukanya Kumar and Nidhi Alur, we’ll move through short readings, reflective discussion, and playful creative exercises—from personal storytelling and poetry to visual collage and optional performance.

Monday, May 18, 6:30pm
Parkway Central Library

The Free Library's Special Collections department has opened a new exhibition, Book Complaints and the Defense of Intellectual Freedom. The exhibition explores real moments when books were challenged and nearly lost from public access. 

Book Complaints is on view through August 29, 2026, with a light reception and curator-led tour of the exhibition on May 13. Come see it firsthand in the Dietrich Gallery on the Third Floor of Parkway Central Library!

Celebrate the finale of One Book, One Philadelphia with an evening of dance, art, and conversation!

Thursday, May 28, 6:30pm
Parkway Central Library

Great things are happening at the Free Library! Please consider making a gift today to advance literacy and inspire curiosity! ✨