Hey teens! Who needs a job for the summer? Come to our Teen Summer Job Fair at the Main Library at Goodwood on Tuesday, April 28 at 4 p.m. and talk with employers who are looking for seasonal employees. Use your free time this summer to earn some extra cash! For more information, call the EBRPL Career Center at 231-3733.

The Baton Rouge Concert Band invites the community to its Spring Concert at the Main Library at Goodwood on Sunday, April 19 at 5 p.m. This performance will celebrate some of the most recognizable and exciting music ever written – all connected by one very familiar name. This season’s program, “William and Friends,” brings together sweeping melodies, bold symphonic dances, and unforgettable themes from the concert hall and the silver screen. While the spotlight shines on composers named William, the program also features outstanding works by their friends and collaborators, creating a rich and varied musical experience.

Join author Sam Erwin at the Main Library at Goodwood on Sunday, April 26 at 3 p.m. for a presentation of his book, Louisiana Crawfish: A Succulent History of the Cajun Crustacean. The hunt for red crawfish is the thing, the raison d'etre of Acadian spring. Introduced to Louisiana by the swamp dwellers of the Atchafalaya Basin, the crawfish is a regional favorite that has spurred a $210 million industry. Sam will discuss his book, focusing on how the ancient Procambarus Clarkii, the red swamp crawfish, emerged from the river to become an iconic symbol of Louisiana. Copies will be available for purchase and signing.

Special Collections welcomes Baton Rouge historian Dr. Kevin D. Smith, founder and executive director of the National Institute for Cold War Studies (NICWS), to the Main Library at Goodwood on Wednesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. for a practical workshop on how to conduct Cold War research using today’s publicly accessible online resources. Special attention will be given to open-access materials available through the Library system, the Louisiana State Archives, and major national repositories such as the National Archives and the Library of Congress.

The Library welcomes Dr. Amber Alexis of Geaux Learn Educational Solutions, in partnership with the Louisiana AI Literacy Association, for ChatGPT and Chill, a free, hands-on monthly build lab for adults who want practical, beginner-friendly support using ChatGPT to create real outputs. Each session includes a short mini-lesson, a guided warm-up, and a 60-minute build sprint. Join us at the Main Library at Goodwood on Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m. The theme will be Personal Brand Starter Kit. It is preferred that you bring your own device (laptop, iPad, or tablet). A free ChatGPT account is required to participate. Registration is required. To register, please visit ebrpl.co/events.

Unleash your inner poet! Join us this spring for our One Book One Community series featuring You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, edited by Ada Limon, 24th Poet Laureate of the United States. Read some poetry with us, write some poetry of your own, and participate in poetry and nature programs throughout the Library system. You can even submit your original poem to be considered for a community anthology!

You Are Here features fifty previously unpublished poems from some of the nation’s most accomplished poets! Each poem engages with its author’s local landscape, offering an intimate model of how we relate to the world around us. You Are Here invites readers to experience nature and poetry as a source of inspiration and connection. Check it out in print at any Library location or as an eBook or audiobook on Libby, the Library app!

For more information, visit ebrpl.co/onebook.

Dive into the fascinating world of beetles with Louisiana Master Naturalist Amber King at the Main Library at Goodwood on Tuesday, April 14 at 6 p.m. From dazzling colors to surprising

behaviors, you’ll never look at beetles the same way again. Amber will also introduce the City Nature Challenge, a global community science event, and share easy ways you can participate by observing and documenting nature right where you live. Whether you’re a budding naturalist or just beetle-curious, this talk is for you!

Everyday Wild by Kathryn Hunter and Bo Hunter is a beautifully illustrated celebration of the natural wonders hiding in plain sight. Blending mindfulness, art, and approachable science, the book invites readers of all ages to notice clouds, birds, plants, weather, and more—right outside their door – a joyful guide to slowing down, looking closer, and reconnecting with the living world. Join local artist, Blackbird Letterpress owner, and author Kathryn Hunter as she shares insights from the book and her creative journey at the Main Library at Goodwood on Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m.

The Library continues its Virtual Author Talk Series with four new authors in April! Each live, virtual event features a different bestselling author, along with an interactive Q&A session where participants can ask questions directly to the author. See April selections and dates/times below. Visit libraryc.org/ebrpl to register for these virtual events, learn about other upcoming conversations with bestselling authors, and view previous author talk recordings. For more information about these and other virtual events, visit ebrpl.co/virtual.

• Tuesday, April 14 at 6 p.m. – Join us in conversation with acclaimed author Brad Taylor on his

latest work, Shadow Strike, book 20 of the bestselling Pike Logan series. After its proxies are

devastated and its offensive capability pummeled in the latest war in the middle east, a rogue

group of Iranian regime officials create a brazen plot to strike back at their hated enemies once

and for all. And there’s only one assassin with the skills to pull it off: Abdul Rahman, known in

the shadows as the Ghost. When a routine prison transfer is ambushed, the Ghost escapes and is

given the assignment. The only Operator who can hunt him down is the man who stopped him

before: Pike Logan. Pike and his team soon learn that the mission involves something bigger than just the escape of his old enemy.

• Wednesday, April 22 at 1 p.m. – Award-winning and bestselling author Miranda Cowley

Heller takes us on an intimate journey through the life stages of a woman in her new poetry

collection, What the Deep Water Knows. Delicate, yet exceedingly raw, these poems will

transport you as vividly as any work of fiction.

If I could fly backward, I would.

To the safety of branches, to the time

when my heart still raced for you,

twelve hundred beats a minute.

Register now to celebrate National Poetry Month with this graceful new poetry collection.

• Thursday, April 30 at 6 p.m. - Join us in conversation with bestselling author Jason Reynolds as we discuss his latest work, Coach, the fifth–and last–entry in the highly popular Track series.

Before Coach was the man who gave caring yet firm-handed guidance to the Defenders track

team, he was little Otie Brody, who was obsessed with Mr. 9.99 (a.k.a. Carl Lewis) and Marty

McFly from Back to the Future. Like Mr. 9.99—and his own dad—Otie is a sprinter. Sprint free

or die is practically his motto. Then his dad, who is always away on business trips, comes home

with a pair of Jordans. JORDANS. But one morning he wakes up to find his brand-new secret

weapon kicks are missing—right off his feet! And Otie just might have a fuzzy memory of his

dad easing them off as Otie was sleeping, but that can’t be right, can it?

Do you craft or junk journal? Do you have extra supplies that you don’t use anymore but just can't throw away? Bring them to the library! Adult patrons are invited to Greenwell Springs Road Regional Branch Library on Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. for a Craft Supply Exchange Shindig! Bring your excess craft/journaling supplies and browse supplies from other crafters. Then, visit our Ephemera box station where patrons can utilize newly swapped supplies to decorate personalized ephemera boxes.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with plant poetry! Join us at the South Branch on Wednesday, April 15 at 3 p.m. to choose a plant grown from our seed library. Then, write a poem describing the plant's unique characteristics. You are welcome to take the plant home and watch it grow!