Celebrate Halloween with Mystery Night Featuring Louise Penny, A Murder Mystery Party and More During Live at the Library in October
Join for Events Honoring Hispanic Heritage and Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Visitors are invited to get into the Halloween spirit during Live at the Library in October. Join us for Pick Your Poison – Mystery Night on Oct. 26, featuring a conversation with author Louise Penny, a panel of mystery writers, an improvised murder mystery performance, a scavenger hunt and more. Plus, visitors can explore the Hispanic Reading Room in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month on Oct. 5, and learn from two breast cancer experts on choosing the best healthcare for you on Oct. 12 in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
On Thursday evenings, the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions are open for extended hours from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy happy hour drinks and snacks available for purchase in the Great Hall overlooking the Capitol and the Library’s beautiful architecture while visiting the Library’s exhibits, collections and programs.
Visitors also are now invited to Experience the Main Reading Room during Live at the Library. Usually reserved for researchers, visitors can now walk inside and see one of Washington’s most beautiful spaces. Please note that due to strong interest and limited capacity, those with timed-entry passes are not guaranteed access.
Free timed-entry passes or an event registration are required to enter the Thomas Jefferson Building. Visit loc.gov/visit to reserve your pass for Live at the Library.
Programming Highlights for October
Oct. 5: Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by exploring the Hispanic Reading Room Open House from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Thomas Jefferson Building. Visitors can get a first glance at the reading room’s “Latinex Alcove,” a trove of curated books, periodicals, posters and other reference materials th at tell the stories of Latinidad – the common attributes shared by Latin Americans – in the United States. Reserve timed-entry passes.
Oct. 12: Conversations with African Poets & Writers from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Jefferson Building’s Whittall Pavilion. Poet, translator and artist Kebedech Tekleab joins the Library’s Ethiopic specialist Fentahun Tiruneh for a conversation about her work. Reserve timed-entry passes.
Oct. 12: Choosing the Breast Cancer Care That’s Right For You – In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, join for this conversation from 7 to 8 p.m. in Room 119 of the Thomas Jefferson Building. Dr. Rachel Brem and Dr. Christy Teal, authors of “No Longer Radical: Understanding Mastectomies and Choosing the Breast Cancer Care That's Right For You” – and leaders in the field of breast cancer treatment at George Washington University – discuss best practices for taking control of your own healthcare. Reserve timed-entry passes.
Oct. 19: An Evening with Ann Patchett and Kate DiCamillo at 6:30 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Please note that this event has sold out. Watch the event livestream on the Library's YouTube channel.
Oct. 26: Pick Your Poison – Mystery Night at the Library from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Thomas Jefferson Building is a celebration of mystery novels in all their thrilling, confounding glory. Authors Melissa Adelman, Nick Medina and Sarah Pekkanen discuss the perfect murder in Room 119, and cap off your night with Erick Acuña Productions’ “Who Did It?: An Improvised Murder Mystery” in the Coolidge Auditorium. Throughout the night, test your mystery-solving skills with a scavenger hunt. All writers featured this evening will sign their books on the mezzanine level of the Great Hall. Reserve timed-entry passes beginning Sept. 26.
Oct. 26: Pick Your Poison -- A Conversation with Louise Penny at 6:30 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Louise Penny, author of the award-winning “Armand Gamache” series of murder mysteries, discusses the habitants of “Three Pines” with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Please note that this event is sold out for in-person registration. Watch the event livestream on the Library's YouTube channel.
Ticket holders for the Louise Penny program will be welcome to stay for all Mystery Night programming in the Thomas Jefferson Building.
Exhibitions On View
Beginning Oct. 6, view the Native American Arts display in the Great Hall, which honors creative work by Indigenous artists from various tribal nations. The display highlights work promoted by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board in association with Native galleries and museums, featuring the tradition of Ledger Art and the work of women artists.
Explore Library exhibitions during Live at the Library. The Library’s exhibition, “Join In: Voluntary Associations in America,” explores the history of voluntary associations that reveal the aspirations of Americans as “a nation of joiners,” while also acknowledging these groups have sometimes reflected society’s exclusions, discriminations and divisions. The exhibit is on display in the South Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building.
“Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library” represents a sampling of the more than 15 million photographs held by the Library, ranging from the early days of photography to today. Take a look at the “first selfie,” which is thought to be the world’s oldest known photographic self-portrait, and see important pictures of Harriet Tubman, the Wright brothers and more.
Find the latest event details at loc.gov/live, and subscribe to the Library’s Upcoming Events email list. Future events will be announced on a monthly basis.
Live at the Library is part of a broader effort to reimagine the visitor experience at the Library of Congress that invites visitors to enjoy the Library and its collections in new formats during extended evening hours on Thursday night. The series regularly features special conversations, music, performances, films and workshops that showcase the broad range of holdings at the national library.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
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PR 23-085
09-21-2023
ISSN 0731-3527