Upcoming Programming

Slowing Down with Amy Tan | 2/19 at 7pm | Adults |  Register Here

Amy Tan is the daughter of immigrant parents from China, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Best known for her novel The Joy Luck Club, which was adapted into a 1993 film, Tan also has several other popular novels, short story collections, children's books, and a memoir. 

In 2016, Amy began taking nature journaling classes with John Muir Laws. During the pandemic shutdown, she spent long hours observing the behavior of wild birds in her backyard. Her editor, Dan Halpern, suggested she turn those pencil sketches, colored portraits and journal notes into an illustrated book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, published in April 2024 by Knopf, which became an instant #1 bestseller. Her drawings were on special exhibition at the Roger Torey Peterson Institute. 

Amy serves on the board of American Bird Conservancy, the National Poetry Series, and The Community of Writers.  She lives with her husband and their dog in California and New York.  

Exploring Space with Coralie Adam | 3/4 at 7pm | Adults | Register Here

Get an inside look at the space industry with Illinois’ own Coralie Adam. She’ll be joined in conversation by Renae Kerrigan, Curator of Science and Director of the Dome Planetarium at Peoria Riverfront Museum.

9to5: The Story of a Movement | Available 3/21 (starting at 2pm) through 3/23 | Adults | Register Here

Watch this award-winning documentary from the comfort of your home! Discover the story behind the 9to5 movement, established to advocate for workplace equity and address wage disparities.

In the early 1970s, a group of secretaries in Boston took a stand against humiliating, harassing, and illegal workplace conditions. What began as a local movement grew into a nationwide fight for workers’ rights, becoming a pivotal yet often overlooked chapter in 20th-century U.S. history. Directed by Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning documentarian Julia Reichert, this film brings their inspiring story to life.

The Art of Foraging with Alexis Nikole Nelson | 4/10 at 7pm | Adults | Register Here

Alexis Nikole Nelson is a forager and an outdoor educator using her inspiring Instagram account @blackforager to celebrate all the edible plants hiding in plain sight. She peels back historical layers on African American and Indigenous food traditions that have traditionally been repressed and empowers those living in food deserts with greater self-sufficiency.

Art and Adventures with Author/Illustrator Dan Santat | 5/3 at 2pm | All Ages | Register Here

Dan Santat is the author and illustrator of over a hundred books for young people. Many of his books are New York Times-bestsellers, including The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, Are We There Yet?, and After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again). His latest works include the best-selling graphic novels, The Aquanaut and A First Time for Everything.

Poverty: A Discussion with Matthew Desmond | 5/13 at 7pm | Adults | Register Here

Matthew Desmond is a sociology professor at Princeton University and the author of the award-winning book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. His research focuses on poverty in the United States, urban life, housing insecurity, public policy, racial inequality, and ethnography.