Check out these adult events happening in February!

2/1 | 11 AM-12 PM | Spanish Conversation Practice
Are you looking to improve your conversational Spanish in a supportive and friendly environment? Join us! Come practice your Spanish speaking and learn some vocab, the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month, 11 AM-12 PM.
No registration required.
2/1 | 1:00-4:30 PM | Valentine Cards
Drop-in to make Valentine’s Day cards for loved ones and our community members! On Valentine’s Day the library will bring cards to local nursing homes for their residents to enjoy.
Can’t make this day? Stop by anytime Tuesday, February 4 from 5:00-8:30 PM.
No registration required.
2/3 | 9:30-10:30 AM | Gentle Flow Yoga
This slow and thoughtful practice at room temperature will include yogic breathing, meditation, standing, seated, supine and balancing postures, ending with a deep relaxation. This is a safe practice to help increase flexibility. Options will be offered to help you personalize the practice to support your health and well-being. All levels welcomed, no experience necessary. A yoga mat is required and if you have any props (yoga blocks, towel), feel free to bring them.
*This program involves some physical activity that could result in injury and by participating in this program you are acknowledging these risks and releasing HPL from liability.*
Register here for Gentle Flow Yoga on February 3.
2/3 | 6-7:30 PM | English (ESL) Conversation Circle
Would you like to practice your English with native speakers in a relaxed and informal environment? Join us for a friendly chat–Monday evenings at 6 PM.
No registration required.
2/3 | 6-7:30 PM | Papercrafting & Card Making
A card making and paper crafting class for beginners as well as those with stamping and papercrafting experience. We will be creating projects such as multi-layered cards, bookmarks and 3-D items, using several techniques including stamping, die cutting, and embossing.
Workshop led by Ruth Tinkham
Register here for Papercrafting on February 3.
2/4 | 10 AM-12:45 PM | Classic Matinees: Black History Month
Join us every Tuesday morning in February for a movie showing the Black experience in the US. Today we watch Amistad (1997) starring Djimon Hounsou and Matthew McConaughey. Rated R.
No registration required.
2/4 | 5:00-8:30 PM | Valentine Cards
Drop-in to make Valentine’s Day cards for loved ones and our community members! On Valentine’s Day the library will bring cards to local nursing homes for their residents to enjoy.
Can’t make this day? Stop by anytime Saturday, February 1 from 1:00-4:30 PM.
No registration required.
2/5 | 6:30-8 PM | Fiber Arts Group
Calling all fiber artists! Bring your current project(s) of knitting, crocheting, hand stitching, hand quilting, and embroidery, or whatever else, to work on in the company of other fiber arts enthusiasts! Instruction is not offered at this event but fellow attendees are always happy to offer advice when they can.
No registration needed. Drop in at any point during the 90-minute block!
2/5 | 7:00-8:00 PM | Virtual Author Talk with Author Charles B. Fancher
Author Charles B. Fancher will discuss his new historical novel, Red Clay, in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist, author and professor Cynthia Tucker in this installment of “Author Hour in Massachusetts.”
About Charles
Charles B. Fancher is a writer and editor, and a former senior corporate communications executive for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He also worked as a journalist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Detroit Free Press, and WSM-TV, as well as a publicist for the ABC Television Network. Fancher was previously a member of the School of Communications faculty at Howard University and the adjunct faculty at Temple University. He lives in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Red Clay is his first novel.
About Red Clay
An astounding multigenerational saga, Red Clay chronicles the interwoven lives of an enslaved Black family and their white owners as the Civil War ends and Reconstruction begins. In 1943, when a frail old white woman shows up in Red Clay, Alabama, at the home of a Black former slave–on the morning following his funeral–his family hardly knows what to expect after she utters the words “… a lifetime ago, my family owned yours.” Adelaide Parker has a story to tell–one of ambition, betrayal, violence, and redemption–that shaped both the fate of her family and that of the late Felix H. Parker. But there are gaps in her knowledge, and she’s come to Red Clay seeking answers from a family with whom she shares a name and a history that neither knows in full. In an epic saga that takes us from Red Clay to Paris, to the Côte d’Azur and New Orleans, human frailties are pushed to their limits as secrets are exposed and the line between good and evil becomes ever more difficult to discern. Red Clay is a tale that deftly lays bare the ugliness of slavery, the uncertainty of the final months of the Civil War, the optimism of Reconstruction, and the pain and frustration of Jim Crow. With a vivid sense of place and a cast of memorable characters, Charles B. Fancher draws upon his own family history to weave a riveting tale of triumph over adversity, set against a backdrop of societal change and racial animus that reverberates in contemporary America. Through seasons of joy and unspeakable pain, Fancher delivers rich moments as allies become enemies, and enemies–to their great surprise–find new respect for each other.
2/6 | 5:30-8:30 PM | Adult Game Night
Join us Thursdays for a night of board games at Haverhill Public Library! Strategy games, abstract games, filler games, complex and non complex alike, come and try out whatever you like. Feel free to bring your own games! All experience levels are welcome.
No registration required.
2/7 | 10 AM-12:15 PM | Friday Flicks
During February, we are featuring book-to-movie adaptations by Black authors! Today we watch Just Mercy (2019). Rated PG-13.
No registration required.
2/7 | 11 AM-12 PM | Elevate Your Life by Befriending Math (Again)
Using examples from personal finance, instructor Shrikant Kshirsagar will help you learn basic math skills that may help you access higher-paying jobs, provide greater agency in handling personal finances, and make sense of online data.
No registration required.
2/8 | 2-4 PM | On Screen: American Fiction (2023)
Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a novelist who is frustrated with the publishing industry profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive stereotypes. To prove his point, Monk crafts an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that takes him on a hilarious and thought-provoking journey he did not foresee. Starring Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae, Erika Alexander, and Adam Brody. Rated R.
No registration required.
2/10 | 6-7:30 PM | English (ESL) Conversation Circle
Would you like to practice your English with native speakers in a relaxed and informal environment? Join us for a friendly chat–Monday evenings at 6 PM.
No registration required.
2/10 | 9:30-10:30 AM | Gentle Flow Yoga
This slow and thoughtful practice at room temperature will include yogic breathing, meditation, standing, seated, supine and balancing postures, ending with a deep relaxation. This is a safe practice to help increase flexibility. Options will be offered to help you personalize the practice to support your health and well-being. All levels welcomed, no experience necessary. A yoga mat is required and if you have any props (yoga blocks, towel), feel free to bring them.
*This program involves some physical activity that could result in injury and by participating in this program you are acknowledging these risks and releasing HPL from liability.*
Register here for Gentle Flow Yoga on February 10.
2/11 | 10 AM-1:30 PM | Classic Matinees: Black History Month
Join us every Tuesday morning in February for a movie showing the Black experience in the US. Today we watch Malcolm X (1992) starring Denzel Washington and Angela Bassett.
No registration required.
2/11 | 6:00-7:00 PM | Narcan Training
Join us for a FREE & in-person training presented by ONESTOP Harm Reduction Center. Learn how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose.
Register here for the Narcan Training on February 11.
2/11 | 6:30-7:30 PM | How to Appeal to Colleges for More Financial Aid (VIRTUAL)
Now more than ever, colleges are more willing to say “yes” to appeals for more financial aid and scholarship money for both new and returning students. This workshop provides detailed guidance for families on how to appeal to colleges for more financial aid and how to improve the likelihood of a successful appeal.
Register for the virtual event here.
Internet Basics I & II | Session I: 2/12 & Session 2: 2/19 | both from 2:00-3:00 PM
For those who have never touched a computer or have limited mouse skills, this class will introduce the basics of having a computer, mouse, and keyboard. We will also explore how to find information online and develop web browsing skills.
This is a two-part program. Session 1 is on February 12, and session 2 is on February 19. Both sessions will take place in the computer lab on the second floor of the library.
Register here for both sessions of Internet Basics.
2/12 | 6:30-8:00 PM | How to Start Seeds with the Haverhill Garden Club
Want to get an early start on gardening? Join the Haverhill Garden Club for this informational presentation! Gardening experts Jane Langlais and Dustin MacIver will demonstrate best techniques for starting plants from seed indoors!
No registration required.
2/13 | 5:30-8:30 PM | Adult Game Night
Join us Thursdays for a night of board games at Haverhill Public Library! Strategy games, abstract games, filler games, complex and non complex alike, come and try out whatever you like. Feel free to bring your own games! All experience levels are welcome.
No registration required.
2/14 | 10 AM-12:15 PM | Friday Flicks
During February, we are featuring book-to-movie adaptations by Black authors! Today we watch The Hate U Give (2018). Rated PG-13.
No registration required.
2/15 | 11 AM-12 PM | Spanish Conversation Practice
Are you looking to improve your conversational Spanish in a supportive and friendly environment? Join us! Come practice your Spanish speaking and learn some vocab, the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month, 11 AM-12 PM.
No registration required.
2/15 | 2:00-3:30 PM | Adult Coloring Club
Relax, have some snacks, and color away the day with some coloring sheets. You are also welcome to bring your own drawing and coloring projects!
This program is for adults. No registration required.
2/18 | 10 AM-12:30 PM | Classic Matinees: Black History Month
Join us every Tuesday morning in February for a movie showing the Black experience in the US. Today we watch 12 Years a Slave (2013) starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender. Rated R for violence.
No registration required.
2/18 | 5:00-6:30 PM | Author Talk with Derek Mola
Join us for a local author talk and Q&A with Derek Mola. He will discuss his two short story collections, The Lavender Fields and Anansi’s Web. Plus, learn a bit about the self-publishing process. Refreshments provided & signed copies available for purchase!
No registration required.
2/19 | 6:30-8 PM | Fiber Arts Group
Calling all fiber artists! Bring your current project(s) of knitting, crocheting, hand stitching, hand quilting, and embroidery, or whatever else, to work on in the company of other fiber arts enthusiasts! Instruction is not offered at this event but fellow attendees are always happy to offer advice when they can.
No registration needed. Drop in at any point during the 90-minute block!
2/20 | 5:30-8:30 PM | Adult Game Night
Join us Thursdays for a night of board games at Haverhill Public Library! Strategy games, abstract games, filler games, complex and non complex alike, come and try out whatever you like. Feel free to bring your own games! All experience levels are welcome.
No registration required.
2/21 | 10 AM-12:15 PM | Friday Flicks
During February, we are featuring book-to-movie adaptations by Black authors! Today we watch Hidden Figures (2016). Rated PG.
No registration required.
2/21 | 7:00-8:00 PM | Virtual Author Talk with Victoria Christopher Murray
Bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray will discuss her new historical fiction novel, Harlem Rhapsody, in this installment of “Author Hour in Massachusetts.”
About Victoria
Victoria Christopher Murray is a New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including The Personal Librarian, a Good Morning America book club pick, and The First Ladies, Target’s 2023 Book of the Year, both of which she coauthored with Marie Benedict. She is a NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literary Work for her novel Stand Your Ground, which was also a Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Victoria holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.
About Harlem Rhapsody
She found the literary voices that would inspire the world…. The extraordinary story of the woman who ignited the Harlem Renaissance, written by Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian. In 1919, a high school teacher from Washington, D.C arrives in Harlem excited to realize her lifelong dream. Jessie Redmon Fauset has been named the literary editor of The Crisis. The first Black woman to hold this position at a preeminent Negro magazine, Jessie is poised to achieve literary greatness. But she holds a secret that jeopardizes it all. W. E. B. Du Bois, the founder of The Crisis, is not only Jessie’s boss, he’s her lover. And neither his wife, nor their fourteen-year-age difference can keep the two apart. Amidst rumors of their tumultuous affair, Jessie is determined to prove herself. She attacks the challenge of discovering young writers with fervor, finding sixteen-year-old Countee Cullen, seventeen-year-old Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen, who becomes one of her best friends. Under Jessie’s leadership, The Crisis thrives…every African American writer in the country wants their work published there. When her first novel is released to great acclaim, it’s clear that Jessie is at the heart of a renaissance in Black music, theater, and the arts. She has shaped a generation of literary legends, but as she strives to preserve her legacy, she’ll discover the high cost of her unparalleled success.
2/22 | 10-11:30 AM | HPL Read Anything Club
Join the HPL Read Anything Club!
This group of anyone 18 or older will feature books across the literary spectrum – whatever genre piques your interest!
We will meet the 4th Saturday of each month. No registration necessary – you can simply pick up a book (limited copies, first come, first served) on the holds shelf in the front of the library.
Our February book will be “America the Beautiful?” by Blythe Roberson.
No registration required.
2/22 | 2:00-4:00 PM | Haverhill Hall of Fame Induction of Frances Cole Lee
The Haverhill Citizens Hall of Fame Committee in conjunction with activities planned for Black History Month by the Haverhill Public Library will host an induction ceremony for Frances Cole Lee, an accomplished poet, in the Johnson Auditorium.
The Haverhill Citizens Hall of Fame honors Haverhill residents who achieved fame in their lifetime and brought recognition to the city. Frances Cole Lee was an accomplished poet who wrote and published hundreds of poems over the course of her life. Frances had a natural talent for poetry and she developed this skill by studying books of and about poetry that she found at the Haverhill Public Library. Her poem “For Love of Life” was one of a handful from over 6,000 entries accepted selected for display on 10-square foot panels in the poetry building at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
Join us for this free induction ceremony to honor Frances Cole Lee!
No registration required.
2/24 | 6-7:30 PM | English (ESL) Conversation Circle
Would you like to practice your English with native speakers in a relaxed and informal environment? Join us for a friendly chat–Monday evenings at 6 PM.
No registration required.
2/25 | 10 AM-12:00 PM | Classic Matinees: Black History Month
Join us every Tuesday morning in February for a movie showing the Black experience in the US. Today we watch Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) starring Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya. Rated R.
No registration required.
2/25 | 6:00-8:00 PM | Never Forget a Name
People like it when you remember their name!
Remembering names no longer needs to be left to chance. It is a skill you can learn. You will have surprising results, right in the training, and with additional practice, you may never again forget a name. Learn from Neil Kutzen, the most prominent and successful memory trainer in New England for the last decade. Neil will use two principles to help you learn: 1. pictures are easier to remember than words, and 2. silly pictures are easier to remember than serious ones.
Registration is appreciated for Never Forget a Name for February 25.
2/26 | 6:00-7:30 PM | Understanding Our Feline Friends
Join us for a fun and informational program with the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society! Learn about caring for and interacting with cats, shelter life, and more. Have specific questions? Includes a Q&A. Plus, meet two adoptable cats!
Register here for Understanding Our Feline Friends on February 26.
2/27 | 5:30-8:30 PM | Adult Game Night
Join us Thursdays for a night of board games at Haverhill Public Library! Strategy games, abstract games, filler games, complex and non complex alike, come and try out whatever you like. Feel free to bring your own games! All experience levels are welcome.
No registration required.
2/28 | 10 AM-12:45 PM | Friday Flicks
During February, we are featuring book-to-movie adaptations by Black authors! Today we watch Miracle at St. Anna (2008). Rated R.
No registration required.