Live! at the Library to Celebrate Black History Month, Valentine’s Day in February
Rebecca Ross, Kerri Greenidge and Poet Major Jackson to Visit the Library for Author Talks and Book Signings
Get into the Valentine’s Day spirit with bestselling author Rebecca Ross for a book talk and signing during Live! at the Library in February. Enjoy sweet treats, cocktails, a make-your-own Valentine’s Day cards station, and explore love letters in the Library's collections.
Plus, celebrate Black History Month throughout February with special performances from the Library’s American Folklife Center and Concerts from the Library of Congress spring lineup. Also, award-winning historian Kerri Greenidge comes to the Library to discuss the long struggle for racial and gender equality.
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.
Ticketing
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.
Visitors are 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.
Programming Highlights for February
Feb. 1: Cellist Seth Parker Woods offers a special program for Black History Month; his riveting solo recital at the Library will bring together new compositions from Nathalie Joachim, Monty Adkins and others. Register for tickets.
Feb. 8: Join us for a night of love letters and beautiful storytelling with YA sensation Rebecca Ross, author of “Divine Rivals” and the sequel “Ruthless Vows.” Register for tickets.
Feb. 15: The Rev. Robert B. Jones, Sr. comes to the Library to showcase his deep love for traditional African American and American music within his live performances that interweave timeless stories with original and traditional songs. Register for tickets.
Feb. 15: In celebration of Black History Month, Major Jackson, the prizewinning author of "Razzle Dazzle: New & Selected Poems" and host of "The Slowdown" podcast, will talk with Washington Post Book Critic Ron Charles about his work. Register for tickets.
Feb. 22: Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will be in conversation with leading historian Kerri Greenidge about her new book, “The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family.” Register for tickets.
Feb. 29: Making their first American tour, Le Consort offers a well-informed travelogue pairing music by Baroque masters including J.S. Bach and Jean-Philippe Rameau. Register for tickets.
Exhibitions On View
• “Join In: Voluntary Associations in America,” explores America’s history as a “nation of joiners” through voluntary organizations and our longstanding impulse to join together for common purposes, 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. “Join In” was recently extended through July 6, 2024.
• “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. Located in the Southwest Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building, visitors will see the “first selfie,” which is thought to be the earliest known American photographic self-portrait, and view important pictures of Harriet Tubman, the Wright brothers and more.
• Celebrate the 100th anniversary of composer George Gershwin’s iconic “Rhapsody in Blue” with a special display of sheet music and other items from the Library’s Music Division. View the display on the second floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building through Feb. 28.
• Learn more about the lives and work of the Gershwin brothers in “Here to Stay: The Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin” on the Ground Floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building. This permanent exhibition pays tribute to the much-loved musical duo with handwritten and printed music, lyric sheets, letters, photographs, paintings, and drawings from the Library’s Gershwin Collection.
• Herblock Gallery: “Herblock Looks at 1973” celebrates the work of editorial cartoonist Herbert L. Block — better known as “Herblock” — with an ongoing display of 10 original drawings that look back at the world 50 years before, drawn from the Library’s extensive Herbert L. Block Collection. This display will be ongoing through March 2024 and is located in the Graphic Arts Gallery on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building.
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 nights. 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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Media Contact: Elaina Finkelstein, efinkelstein@loc.gov
PR 24-006
1-18-2024
ISSN 0731-3527