Arts Council of Greater New Haven Blog

A Library For Violeta

Arts & Culture  |  Creative Arts Workshop  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  Nasty Women New Haven Lucy Gellman | July 21st, 2026

LEAP Reads In On The Green

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  LEAP  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Green  |  Youth Arts Journalism Initiative Samir Iydroose | July 13th, 2026

Books To Jumpstart Your Summer Reading Challenge

Arts & Culture  |  Literacy  |  Youth Arts Journalism Initiative Samir Iydroose | July 9th, 2026

Hamden Library Kicks Off Summer Reading Challenge

Arts & Culture  |  Culture & Community  |  Hamden  |  Hamden Public Library  |  Literacy  |  Youth Arts Journalism Initiative Samir Iydroose | July 7th, 2026

Danielle Sekas, teen librarian at the Hamden Public Library, at her desk. Samir Iydroose Photos.

A Literacy Locomotive Turns 25

Arts & Culture  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Reads Lucy Gellman | April 27th, 2026

Library Lovers Unite To Champion A 1% Bump

Arts & Culture  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library  |  Possible Futures Lucy Gellman | April 10th, 2026

Library Puts On A Mardi Gras For The Books

Arts & Culture  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  Mardi Gras  |  New Haven Free Public Library Lucy Gellman | February 18th, 2026

Citywide Read Delivers A Lesson In American History

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Education & Youth  |  Literacy  |  MLK Day  |  New Haven Free Public Library  |  Yale University Lucy Gellman | January 29th, 2026

Power, Prose, Poets & Pages, As LIT Fest Celebrates A "Year Of X"

Arts & Culture  |  BAMN Books  |  ConnCAT  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  Science Park Lucy Gellman & Abiba Biao | October 7th, 2025

Drag Queen Story Hour Brings Magic To Mitchell Library

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  LGBTQ  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library  |  Westville Lucy Gellman | September 4th, 2025

Two Authors Bring Joy To The Guilford Green(Stage)

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  GreenStage Guilford  |  Guilford  |  Literacy  |  Youth Arts Journalism Initiative Ruby Szekeres | August 19th, 2025

A Guilford Librarian Is Celebrated In Style

Arts & Culture  |  Culture & Community  |  Guilford  |  Libraries  |  Literacy  |  Youth Arts Journalism Initiative Ruby Szekeres | July 28th, 2025

Future Bookworms LEAP Into The Power Of Kindness

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Education & Youth  |  LEAP  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Green Lucy Gellman | July 11th, 2025

Tracey Massey and Michael Goubourn. Lucy Gellman Photos.

Summer Learning Launches At The Library

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library Abiba Biao | June 5th, 2025

June, Amelia, Inessa, and Liza Alford. Abiba Biao Photos.

Will The Library Ever Get To 1% Of The City Budget? Maybe, But Not This Year.

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library Lucy Gellman | May 19th, 2025

City Librarian Maria Bernhey in July 2023, on day one of her tenure as city librarian. Lucy Gellman File Photo.

“Just Protect The Books:” Readers Speak Up For Bill Defending Libraries & Librarians

Arts & Anti-racism  |  Arts & Culture  |  Culture & Community  |  Libraries  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library Lucy Gellman | February 17th, 2025

Mauro-Sheridan Read Alouds Become A Lesson In Community

Arts & Culture  |  Black History Month  |  Culture & Community  |  Education & Youth  |  Literacy  |  Mauro Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet School  |  Westville Lucy Gellman | February 5th, 2025

New Haven Reads Paints A Love Letter To Literacy

Arts & Anti-racism  |  Arts & Culture  |  Culture & Community  |  Dixwell  |  Education & Youth  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Reads  |  Public art Lucy Gellman | December 9th, 2024

Amanda Brown Photo.

Pride Month Brings Drag And Delight To The Library

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  LGBTQ  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library  |  New Haven Pride Center  |  Pride Month  |  Westville Lucy Gellman | June 17th, 2024

Ladybugs, Literacy Take Flight At Mitchell Library

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library  |  Westville Abiba Biao | June 7th, 2024

Top: The caged ladybugs waiting to be released Bottom: Sun Holland receiving a ladybug. Abiba Biao Photos.

Library Launches Into Summer Learning

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Downtown  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library Abiba Biao | June 4th, 2024

Students Rally For The Right To Read

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Downtown  |  Education & Youth  |  Literacy Lucy Gellman | November 3rd, 2023

Destiny White, Erin Michaud and Jeremy Thanes. Lucy Gellman Photos.

In Fair Haven, Delight & Connection At Bilingual Story Hour

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library Elena Unger | October 26th, 2023

Nohra Bernal, a children's author, reads from "Que Viene El Lobo.” Elena Unger Photos.

New Haven Reads Bee Buzzes Back Into Action

Arts & Culture  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Reads Lucy Gellman | October 24th, 2023

Grant Liam Harris. Lucy Gellman Photos.

Bibliophiles Boost Banned Books Week

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Education  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library Lucy Gellman | October 3rd, 2023

State Rep. Dominique Johnson. Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer: A Memoir, which is next to her, is the most banned and challenged book of 2022. Lucy Gellman Photos.

Drag Artist Story Hour Springs To Life At Mitchell Library

Arts & Culture  |  Culture & Community  |  LGBTQ  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library  |  New Haven Pride  |  New Haven Pride Center  |  Westville Lucy Gellman | September 21st, 2023

On First Day, City Librarian Starts On Page One

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Downtown  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library Lucy Gellman | July 4th, 2023

City Librarian Maria Bernhey. Lucy Gellman Photos.

Library Kicks Off Summer Learning With Book Joy

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Education & Youth  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library Abiba Biao | June 16th, 2023

Rapunzel Jonae Hill doing story time. Abiba Biao Photos.

New Haven Comic Spectacular Lives Up To Its Name

Annex  |  Arts & Culture  |  Comics  |  Culture & Community  |  Literacy  |  Visual Arts  |  Youth Arts Journalism Initiative Kiomi Rincon | June 11th, 2023

Artist Joe St. Pierre. Kiomi Rincon Photos.

$3 Million Summer Literacy Initiative Takes Off

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Elicker Administration  |  LEAP  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Reads Ale Cruz | May 17th, 2023

New Haven Reads Turns The Page On 20 Years

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Culture & Community  |  Education & Youth  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Reads Lucy Gellman | April 28th, 2023

Sandy Fores, Melba Flores, Melba Perez, and Regina Starolis. Lucy Gellman Photos.

At Second Annual DiasporaCon, "Blerds" Build A Bridge To The Future

Arts & Anti-racism  |  Arts & Culture  |  Comics  |  Culture & Community  |  Kulturally Lit  |  Literacy  |  North Haven  |  Quinnipiac University  |  Visual Arts Lucy Gellman | April 17th, 2023

Shenkarr Davis and Taekyung Bennett. Lucy Gellman Photos.

Bookmobile Brings Joy To Refugee Readers

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS)  |  Literacy  |  Read To Grow  |  Refugees  |  Wooster Square Lucy Gellman | December 15th, 2022

New Haven Reads With Lamont At Book Bank Campaign Stop

Arts & Culture  |  Culture & Community  |  Dixwell  |  Literacy  |  Ned Lamont  |  New Haven Reads  |  Politics Lucy Gellman | July 23rd, 2022

New Picture Book Puts Pandemic In Perspective

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Literacy  |  West Haven  |  West Haven Community House Lucy Gellman | November 11th, 2021

"A Wolf Named Elvis" Makes Its New Haven Debut

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Education & Youth  |  Literacy  |  Morris Cove Lucy Gellman | October 22nd, 2021

Elm City Montessori Reads Together Against Racism

Arts & Anti-racism  |  Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  COVID-19  |  Education & Youth  |  Elm City Montessori School  |  Literacy Lucy Gellman | April 1st, 2021

At Clemente Academy, World Read Aloud Day Celebrates Sisterhood

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  COVID-19  |  Education & Youth  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Public Schools  |  The Hill Lucy Gellman | February 4th, 2021

Beeddikulus Spellers Bee-Muse And Bee-Dazzle

Arts & Culture  |  Education & Youth  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Reads Lucy Gellman | October 28th, 2019

Social Justice "Bookspace" Bursts Onto The Scene

Arts, Culture & Community  |  Books  |  Literacy  |  People Get Ready Books  |  Whalley/Edgewood/Beaver Hills Lucy Gellman | October 16th, 2019

A Local Author Finds Her Love Language

Arts, Culture & Community  |  Books  |  Education & Youth  |  Literacy Lucy Gellman | September 3rd, 2019

Voices Raised, And Heard, For Literacy

Arts & Culture  |  Books  |  Downtown  |  Literacy  |  New Haven Free Public Library Lucy Gellman | June 20th, 2019