by Jeanni Ritchie
The Rapides Parish Library (RPL) ushers in the new year with a wealth of programming in addition to new releases in January like Colleen Coble’s AI thriller I Think I Was Murdered and Danielle Steel’s Never Say Never.
2025 will bring a few popular kids’ titles as well: Bad Kitty Goes to the Beach (Nick Bruel), Book Comes Home: A Banned Book’s Journey (Rob Sanders), The Crayon Stub (Marcus Cutler), and Every Monday Mabel (Jashar Awan). Create a Beanstack app for your child or grandchild and log their reading as part of the 1,000 Books Before Five program. Children reaching that goal will be recognized at a RPL Board Meeting.
Each branch has a schedule of events designed for patrons of all ages- from babies and preschoolers to senior citizens! For a complete guide visit rpl.org.
Here are a few highlights:
Children’s Book Tasting Book Club: Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch, January 22, 3:30-4:30 PM. Dog Man: The Scarlett Shredder. Followed by a Dog Man craft activity. Perfect timing as Dog Man comes to the big screen at the end of the month!
Come Write In! Main Library, January 28, 4:30-5:45 PM. Creative writing group. Write with prompts or work on an existing project of your own.
Crafty Saturdays: Hineston Branch, every Saturday, 10 AM- Noon. Guided crafts, crafter choice. Supplies included.
Winnie the Pooh Acrylic Painting: Johnson Branch, January 16. Celebrate Winnie the Pooh Day with this Grab & Go activity.
Life-Sized Pac-Man: Libuse Branch, January 4, 10-11 AM. Outsmart your friends in this life-sized Pac-Man game.
Homeschool STEM: Bathbombs, Alfred Boyce Wettermark Branch, January 7, 2-3 PM. Bath bomb making workshop. Also at Westside January 15, 10-11 AM.
Teen Cuisine: Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch, 3-4:30 PM. Making Garlic Bread Pizza Sandwiches. Registration required.
Say What? Karaoke! Martin Library, January 10, 4:30-5:30 PM. Grab your crew and sing your heart out! Snacks and a dance-off as well!
Sip and Paint: Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch, 5-7:30 PM. Worry free, kid free, no judgment zone artistry class. Registration required.
Self Care Saturday: Martin Library, January 4, 10-11 AM, DIY workshop creating bath bombs, body scrubs, and calming mists. Unwind, create, and pamper yourself!
Tea Party: JW McDonald Branch, January 18, 11 AM- Noon. Tea, food, and laughter. Registration required.
Cenla Authors Club: Westside Library, January 23, 6-7 PM. Open to authors and writers of all levels and genres. This month’s speakers are Robert and Laura Gentry.
Check out these and other programming at the branch nearest you!
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist and former educator and librarian. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
