New Poet Laureate
Join DCASE, Chicago Public Library and the Poetry Foundation as we celebrate Chicago’s new Poet Laureate at the Chicago Cultural Center! The night will feature remarks from City leaders, performances, a conversation with the soon-to-be-announced laureate, and light food and drink. The free event will take place on Wednesday, January 14 at 6 p.m — to reserve your spot or to learn more, visit www.chipublip.org.
Puerto Rico x Bad Bunny: Beats & History
Prep for Super Bowl LX by learning about Puerto Rican history through the music of its 2026 halftime headliner, Bad Bunny. The superstar singer worked collaboratively with Professor Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, author of “Puerto Rico: A National History,” to release a visual presentation of historical context and inspiration for the songs on Bad Bunny’s latest multi-platinum album, “Debí Tirar Más Photos.” The presentation has various dates throughout the month.
Teen Winter Challenge
Teens across Chicago can win prizes for submitting their original art in our 11th annual Teen Winter Challenge! Some winners will even have the chance to have their art featured on our 2026 Gamer’s Universe con badges.
New Books on the Reading Set
New year, new book club picks! We’ve just added new books to The Reading Set, our groundbreaking platform that allows book clubs to easily reserve sets of books instead of members individually checking out their own copies. New additions to our collection of 300+ titles include “Daisy Jones & The Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us” by Hanif Abdurraqib and “The Searcher” by Tana French.
Mainstage Author Events
We’re kicking off our 2026 mainstage author events with a talk from Christopher Clott to speak on his new book, “Unearthing Highway 41: An American Journey.” Come along for a virtual ride through eight states, from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the southern tip of Florida, and learn how past and present are intermingled within controversial historical and current issues that remain part of the American journey.
For more information, visit www.chipublib.org.
Photo Credit: Chicago Public Library
