West End
Neighborhood Library

Head shot of recently deceased poet Claudia Emerson

'Lament for the Makers'

A tribute to recently deceased poet Claudia Emerson and others

Please join us for a reading of poems in memory of Claudia Emerson (1957-2014), winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in poetry and former Poet Laureate of Virginia, as well as anecdotes and tributes to this remarkable and beloved poet, and with apologies to Scottish poet William Dunbar (c.1460-c.1513),

Weekly Online Trivia Contest!

Women's History Month

Join us in celebrating Women's History Month, and win fantastic prizes! Every Monday in March, a new trivia question will be posted on Twitter (@dcpl) and Facebook. Respond by Friday with the correct answer using #herstoryDCPL, and get entered to win a different prize each week! We'll reveal the correct answer at the end of the week.

Image of book cover for Kate Chopin's "The Awakening"

Book Club Pick of the Month

'The Awakening' by Kate Chopin

The West End Book Club will meet to discuss The Awakening by Kate Chopin, in celebration of March as Women's History Month. Copies are available a the library. Please pick one up and join us!

CANCELED: Abraham Lincoln and the Cosmos

A talk on the 16th president as an amateur astronomer

This event has been canceled due to a change in the speaker's travel plans. Commander Kirk R. Benson, Precise Time and Astometry Technical Lead, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, will speak on President Lincoln's interest in the heavens on Wednesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. in the library's meeting room.

Library Closed February 17

DC Public Library is closed Tuesday, Feb. 17 due to inclement weather.

Sonnet Reading

Celebrating the versatility, longevity, and flexibility of the sonnet form

Sonneteers, unite . . . and join us for a reading from the new Sonnet issue of Beltway Poetry Quarterly on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m., featuring Washington, D.C.-based poets Holly Bass, Holly Karapetkova and Melanie Henderson. Editor Michael Gushue and Kim Roberts also will read selected poems from the issue, and Deborah Ager will host. Shakespeare, Spenser, and Petrarch as masters of the sonnet will attend in spirit :>)

What Happens at West End?!

From Sign Language Story Time, Thanksgiving Dinner and Movie, to Teen Slam Poetry, 2014 has been full of events. Be sure to check out more events on our online calendar for 2015!

Image of book cover for Stephen A. Hansen's "History of Dupont Circle"

'A History of Dupont Circle: Center of High Society in the Capital'

A talk by author Stephen A. Hansen

Please join us Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. in the meeting room for a talk by Stephen A. Hansen, longtime D.C. resident, architectural historian, historic preservation specialist, and author of A History of Dupont Circle: Center of High Society in the Capital (History Press, 2014).

Image of book cover for George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four"

Big Brother Is Watching . . .

A discussion of '1984' by George Orwell

The West End Fiction Book Club will meet Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 12:30 p.m. to discuss George Orwell's classic novel 1984, in keeping with system-wide programming on the topic of government transparency and personal privacy in the digital age. Copies are available at the branch. Please pick one up and join us!

7 Ways to Enjoy the Library Instantly

The library's closed, but dclibrary.org is open 24/7!

All library locations are closed today, but there's myriad ways you can enjoy the library online! 1. Have your own film festival at home. View films from major festivals like Sundance, Tribeca and more. Log into IndieFlix with your library card.

West End Neighborhood Library