All Ages

Police killings of Black people are painful reminders of not only our history in this nation but, all too often, our present.

In this cross-section of literature, we highlight prize-winning debut novels and new nonfiction books, which we hope will engage and inform you.

Earth Day, which promotes protecting the environment, is on April 22. The day can also be a starting point on discussions such as climate change, environmental racism, agriculture, and more. Zakiya Collier, digital archivist in our Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division, and Michael Mery, acting curator of our Photographs and Prints Division, share digital resources to help spark those conversations.

"I don't know that I'll ever feel like I've fully mastered painting or any other medium, but when I catch glimpses of it in the zone, during that rare effortless balance between technique and what I'll call, say, "blissflow," I'm shown that the reason I do this is for those moments."

NYPL's World Literature Festival, taking place April 12–30, 2021, celebrates books and writers from around the world and reflects the languages spoken in our communities. It also coincides with NYC's Immigrant Heritage Week (April 12–18). We invite you to join the Library through the end of the month and beyond to discover our multilingual resources, what our patrons are reading in different languages, free online events, book recommendations, and more.

Tammi Lawson, curator of the Art & Artifacts Division, shares her pick of a Schomburg Center digital collection to explore.

Dr. Brian Jones, associate director of Schomburg Educational Programs, shares his suggestions for compelling education content including projects by the Junior Scholars and Teen Curators programs.

Staff of the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research Research and Reference Division suggest some highlights of the collections to explore.

Dr. Michelle Commander shares her picks of Schomburg Center digital collections and Livestream conversations to explore.

"Nature stuns me, unfathomably immense. I am constantly learning from it. Each painting becomes a landscape that I inhabit."