Readers Services
The latest pick of the Library's FYI Book Group, in partnership with the Kansas City Star, is Hanif Abdurraqib's new book A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance, a penetrating meditation on Black culture and creativity and its place in broader American culture. Read an interview with the author and learn more about the upcoming book discussion.
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and the Library is celebrating the history, culture, and achievements of AAPI with a collection of reading recommendations, online events, book discussions, and more.
As the Library's Big Read 2022 continues, our youth librarians have created collections of books that explore Native American culture and introduce young readers to the power of poetry.
Have a delightfully wicked Halloween season with a monstrously good mashup of scary story recommendations, frightfully fun films, and other creepily cool Library resources.
This year’s Summer Reading Program invites readers of all ages to LIVE THE FANTASTIC and experience the power of storytelling. Behold your quest: Read any five books between June 1 and July 31, 2020. Pick stories in your preferred format, log them online, and earn a reward.
From classic literature to contemporary cinema, the Library offers a number of ways to discover stories celebrating the African American experience. As we commemorate Black History Month, check out a selection of recommended books and browse the collection of films available through the Library's free streaming services.
“This is really about the community,” said U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo during her April 14 visit to the Library. "It’s not about one person standing up here. This is all of us coming together.” For the past two months, Kansas Citians engaged in Big Read 2022 book discussions, speaker events, film screenings, and other activities revolving around Harjo's An American Sunrise. As the celebration draws to a close, we look back on memorable moments.
Stanley Banks' Blue Beat Syncopation: Selected Poems 1977-2002 is a frank meditation on the Black experience in Kansas City at that time – with remarkable resonance today, addressing street violence, untimely death and “never-to-be dreams” while also celebrating resilience and finding room for hope. It's the Library's latest FYI Book Club selection.
Is reading about art like dancing about architecture? If an artist sits in a vacant gallery, is it art? If an author writes a novel with a real person as a character is it fiction? An FYI Book Group discussion of Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose held at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art had book and art lovers pondering these very questions. Readers also had the chance to pose their questions to the author, who dropped in via Facetime from her home in Hobart, Tasmania.
Pump up the volumes as the Library's Summer Reading Program again invites both youth and adults to Rock & Read. The song remains the same: Read and log five books between May 25-July 31, 2018, earn a rockin’ prize. Explore this year’s music-themed offerings, including suggested reading titles, events, book discussions, family activities, and more.
Books make great holiday gifts, but choosing the right one can be daunting. The Library can toss you a gift-giving lifeline with our Gift Shelf Help reading recommendation service. Tell us a bit about the special reader in your life (or yourself!), and our experts will prepare a customized list of taste-tailored titles.
Congress established Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in 1992, corresponding its timing in May to two historical milestones: the arrival of the nation’s first Japanese immigrants in May 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad, in which Chinese workers played a pivotal role, in May 1869. A presidential proclamation in 2021 expanded the observance to include Native Hawaiians. The Library pays tribute by offering a collection of books, events and activities, resources, and more that highlight AAPI voices and experiences.
Celebrate the power of creativity, ideas, and expression with the Kansas City Public Library’s 2022 Summer Reading Program: Art Starts at Your Library. Read any five books between June 1 and August 15, log them, and earn a prize!
The Big Read Kansas City 2022 celebrates U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo and her acclaimed book of poetry, An American Sunrise. Explore poetry, history, and Native American literature and culture through book discussions, speaking events, films, an art exhibit, and much more in this community-wide reading program.
With the beginning of a new year comes the renewed commitment to shake up our usual routines. We tell ourselves we’re going to learn a new skill, take a class or two, strive to get exposed to diverse and different ideas, make healthier choices, take risks in personal and professional lives… an ambitious list of life-changing activities. Luckily, the Library is an ideal starting point to help you turn your New Year’s resolutions into real results.
Dig into this year's Summer Reading Program with a bounty of HOMEGROWN STORIES that celebrate regional roots and cultivate the seeds of learning. We're commemorating Missouri’s Bicentennial with a crop of book picks that highlight Show-Me State storytelling in many forms, for readers of all ages. Read any five books, log them, and earn a prize!
Nothing comes between readers and their books. Not even a pandemic. “One of the first things the Library did after closing our physical locations in response to COVID-19 was start looking for ways to maintain our connection with readers,” says Kaite Stover, director of readers’ services at the Kansas City Public Library. Read more about the Library's online book group offerings.
Saying 2020 has been a challenging year is an epic understatement. But amid the ongoing difficulties (and between rounds of cleaning and sanitizing), our staff discovered books that offer moments of enlightenment, delight, enjoyment, and empowerment. Check out the some of the reads that got us through these past months!
What books from the past year really resonated with our staff? From pop culture page-turners to mind-melting history reads, we’ve highlighted some favorites that boosted our bookish delight.
What books from the past year really resonated with our staff? From pop culture page-turners to mind-melting history reads, we’ve highlighted some favorites that offered bookish delight.