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  • Tuesday Mar 28, 2023 at 1:30pm / until Jun 20, 2023

    Cover to Cover - Book Club

    Book club for adults that love to share a good book!

    Please register online (each date individually) and pick up your copy of the book about a month before the meeting date at the main desk of the Cumberland Branch.

    These are the next books:

    An American Marriage by Tayari Jones - March 28, 2023

    The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George - April 25, 2023

    A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson - May 23, 2023

    One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle - June 20, 2023

  • Poetry month
    Saturday Apr 8, 2023 at 1:00pm

    Using figures of speech and other simple literary techniques, learn to develop your writing skills.

    Stimulate your imagination with a series of visual prompts to create original and lively works. With a few tools and strategies of the craft, discover the joys of writing poetry.

    This workshop promotes the development of rich, colourful and personal work. No steadfast rules, no competition, just fun for everyone!

    For adults and teens ages 15+. 

    About the presenter: 

    Michèle Vinet, guest of honour at the 2021 Salon du Livre de l’Outaouais, is an award-winning author. She has published three novels in French (Prise de parole) that have gleaned seven nominations and three awards: le prix Trillium, le prix Émile-Ollivier (Conseil supérieur de la langue française) and le prix littéraire Le Droit. She has also published poetry in English, Tendrils (BookLand Press). Her novel Le malaimant (L’Interligne), published in 2021, was finalist to the Trillium Book Award and is the winner of the City of Ottawa Book Award 2022. JAZ, her next novel will be out in September 2023.

    The author offers creative writing workshops to the public as well as for the Ottawa Public Library, in schools and universities, community centres, in the penitentiary system, in the field of mental health and Amnesty International.

    Her work is the subject of interviews, articles, signings, book fairs, videos, podcasts and various literary presentations.

  • Climate feelings: A writing workshop for teens
    Saturday Apr 15, 2023 at 3:00pm

    The world is on fire and nothing is okay. What does this feel like? There are a lot of standard names for what we feel when we think about global warming, wide-spread extinction of creatures, and, well, [gestures generally]: Anxiety, grief, anger, fear, blankness. Sometimes the way we talk about feelings shapes what we feel, and so it matters what words we have. We might not have all the words we need to understand the experience of climate crisis.

    In this hands-on workshop, we’ll discuss some theories about emotions and expression, why writing is a good way to explore feelings we don’t have a name for, and how to practice finding our “outlaw emotions” about big problems.

    About the presenter

    Alexis Shotwell is a professor at Carleton University, on unceded Algonquin land. She is a writer, SF nerd, queer, functional potter, currently obsessed with doing handstands. She’s the author of Against Purity: Living Ethically in Compromised Times and working on a book about getting together to solve big problems in which we are complicit.

    Presented in partnership with the Ottawa Writers Festival.

  • Poetry month
    Tuesday Apr 18, 2023 at 6:30pm

    Using figures of speech and other simple literary techniques, learn to develop your writing skills.

    Stimulate your imagination with a series of visual prompts to create original and lively works. With a few tools and strategies of the craft, discover the joys of writing poetry. 

    This workshop promotes the development of rich, colourful and personal work. No steadfast rules, no competition, just fun for everyone.

    For adults and teens aged 15+.

    About the presenter: 

    Michèle Vinet, guest of honour at the 2021 Salon du Livre de l’Outaouais, is an award-winning author. She has published three novels in French (Prise de parole) that have gleaned seven nominations and three awards: le prix Trillium, le prix Émile-Ollivier (Conseil supérieur de la langue française) and le prix littéraire Le Droit. She has also published poetry in English, Tendrils (BookLand Press). Her novel Le malaimant (L’Interligne), published in 2021, was finalist to the Trillium Book Award and is the winner of the City of Ottawa Book Award 2022. JAZ, her next novel will be out in September 2023.

     The author offers creative writing workshops to the public as well as for the Ottawa Public Library, in schools and universities, community centres, in the penitentiary system, in the field of mental health and Amnesty International.

    Her work is the subject of interviews, articles, signings, book fairs, videos, podcasts and various literary presentations.

  • Tuesday Mar 28, 2023 at 12:30pm / until Jun 27, 2023

    Speak, in person, with a Public Health Nurse to get support around infant feeding and parenting. No appointment is necessary, simply drop in during these hours. Learn ways to help your child eat healthy and be active Make sure your child is on track with their growth and development. In partnership with Ottawa Public Health.

  • Tuesday Mar 28, 2023 at 1:00pm / until Jun 13, 2023

    Learn and practice new English language skills and meet new people in a relaxed and friendly environment. Offered in partnership with Greenbelt Church. All are welcome to this drop-in program!

    Apprenez et pratiquez votre anglais parlé et rencontrez des gens dans un milieu décontracté. Offert en partenariat avec l'Église Greenbelt. Tout le monde est bienvenue à ce programme sans inscription!

  • Tuesday Mar 28, 2023 at 1:30pm / until Apr 25, 2023

    Stories, rhymes and songs for babies 0 -18 months and a parent/caregiver. 

    Drop - in.   **Limit of 12 babies. **

  • Tuesday Mar 28, 2023 at 2:00pm / until Jun 20, 2023

    Want to learn more about your family history or getting stuck working on your family tree?  

    Drop-in on alternating Tuesday afternoons, anytime between 2 – 3 to work on your family tree, share research strategies, and discover what resources are available for your research.  

    Specialists from the Ontario Genealogical Society Ottawa Branch and the Ottawa Public Library will be here to answer questions and help you get the most from library resources.  

    Bring your laptop, tablet, or borrow a Chromebook from the library.  

    All welcome! 

    Local History & Genealogy Reference Department Second Floor 

    No registration required. 2 – 3 on alternating Tuesdays; please see schedule at right. 

  • Tuesday Mar 28, 2023 at 2:00pm / until Jun 27, 2023

    Do you like to knit, crochet, or do handwork of some sort? Please join like-minded individuals for an enjoyable afternoon of crafting. Bring any project that you are working on.  Drop-in.

  • Tuesday Mar 28, 2023 at 2:00pm / until Apr 25, 2023

    A fun program of discovery for preschoolers and their adult co-learner. Explore elements of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) through hands-on inquiry-based activities and story. For ages 3-4.