Upcoming Programs
Join us for a summer art show inspired by our neighborhood. This exhibit will feature multiple mediums by local artists from the Cuernavaca Arts Cooperative. Come enjoy these one-of-a-kind works drawn from our very own splendid environs.
We will be having a Reception on Sunday, May 26 at Laura’s.
The Cuernavaca Arts Cooperative is a cooperative support group for visual artists that live in or near the Lake Hills neighborhood in Austin, TX. Our purpose is to create a community of artists to network, share ideas, as well as to support and inspire one another. We are here to promote the arts in general within our local community.
Are you an artist interested in exhibiting your work at the library? Visit our Art at Laura’s page to find out more, see past shows, and submit your samples.
Join your neighbors at the library for a summer full of fun!
Join your neighbors at the library for a summer full of fun!Come in to either library to get your summer calendars, or click here for the printable version. We recommend you check the web calendar before heading to library events to confirm there have been no cancellations. Pick up a log to track your reading and discoveries throughout the summer. Stop by both locations each week to participate in guessing jar games and scavenger hunts.
Special Events
The fun begins on June 1 for Kickoff at Laura’s from 10 am – 1 pm. Music, mini horses, special guests, and more!
Join us for a screening of Won’t You Be My Neighbor? on June 6 at Laura’s at 6 pm.
Laura’s Library is turning 10! Celebrate this milestone on July 19, when we’ll enjoy music & cupcakes.
Celebrate your summer of discovery on August 2 at Laura’s from 5 – 7 pm, where we’ll have Amy’s Ice Cream!
Weekly Events
Events are all ages, unless otherwise specified.
MONDAYS
10:30 – Infant Storytime @ Westbank (ages 0-12 mos.)
Noon – Art Exploration @ Laura’s
Noon – All Day Art & Play @ Laura’s on 6.3, 7.1, & 8.5
4:00 – Free Play @ Laura’s
TUESDAYS
10:30 – Music & Movement @ Westbank (special guests 6.4, 6.11, 6.25, & 7.23)
1:00 – Fun & Games @ Westbank
4:00 – Arcade @ Laura’s
6:00 on 4th Tuesdays – Pajama Storytime @ Westbank
WEDNESDAYS
10:30 – Performers @ Laura’s (ages 3 & up)
10:30 – Storytime @ Westbank (special guests 6.12, 6.26, & 7.24)
4:30 – Discovery! @ Laura’s (ages 5 & up)
THURSDAYS
10:30 – Storytime @ Laura’s (special guests 6.13 & 7.11)
10:30 – Spanish Storytime @ Westbank
3:00 on 2nd and 4th Thursdays – Watch & Read Book Club @ Laura’s (ages 7 & up)
4:00 on 1st & 3rd Thursdays – Young Adult Book Club @ Laura’s (tweens & teens)
FRIDAYS
2:00 – Heart Meditation @ Westbank on 6.7
2:00 – Movie Matinee @ Laura’s on 6.28 & 7.26
SATURDAYS
1:00 – Discovery! @ Westbank (special guest 6.29)
3:00 – Chinese Learning Playground @ Westbank (ages 5 & up)
Programs for Adults
Sundays – noon – Tech Help @ Westbank
1st Sundays – 4 pm – Daytime Book Group @ Laura’s
2nd Sundays – 1:30 pm – Sisters in Crime @ Laura’s
2nd Sundays – 2 pm – French Film Club @ Westbank
2nd Sundays – 4 pm – Shakespeare Out Loud @ Laura’s
Mondays – 10 am – Qi Gong @ Laura’s
2nd Mondays – 11:30 am – Eanes History Group @ Westbank
Tuesdays – 5-7 pm – Tech Help @ both locations
Tuesdays – 6 pm – Evenings at the Library @ Westbank (featuring games, art workshops, laughter yoga, and music)
1st Tuesdays – 10:30 am – Westbank Travels @ Laura’s
3rd Tuesdays – 10:30 am – Senior Living Truth Series @ Laura’s
Last Tuesdays – 1 pm – BookTalk Book Club @ Westbank
Wednesdays – 6 pm – Prime of Life Yoga @ Laura’s
3rd Wednesdays – 1 pm – Mysteries & More Book Club @ Westbank
2nd & 4th Thursdays – 12:30 pm – Quilters @ Laura’s
1st & 3rd Thursdays – 6 pm – Education Conversations @ Laura’s
Fridays – noon – Knit Wits @ Westbank
1st Fridays – 10 am – Genealogy @ Laura’s
4th Saturdays – 3 pm – Women in Print Book Club @ Laura’s
Saturdays – 11 am – Sheng Zeng Seated Qi Gong @ Westbank
¡Hola, Hola! Spanish Storytime for All Ages is designed to empower parents to read simple Spanish books at home and foster a love of Spanish language and Hispanic culture through singing, traditional circle games, rhythm instruments, puppets, and stories. You do not need to have any Spanish language skills to participate. All skill levels are welcome. Come early or stay after to enjoy the beautiful playground and picnic area just outside the door and make new amigos!
Ms. Benson has been leading parent/child Spanish programs for over 15 years in south Florida and now in Austin. She has a degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Bilingual Education from the University of Texas, an International Montessori degree as well as certifications in early childhood music. Ms. Benson has years of experience teaching in bilingual classrooms and Spanish immersion preschools. Click here to learn more about “Somos Amigos” (in English, “We’re Friends”), Ms. Benson’s music based early childhood program.
Join Ms. Leah for Storytime every Thursday. This program develops early literacy skills through story sharing, music, and crafts or activities. All ages welcome!
Teen-facilitated YA book club for fans of Young Adult literature. Please note, some books contain mature content.
Summer Book Selections:
- June 6 – Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck
- June 20 – The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
- July 4 – No meeting due to holiday
- July 18 – To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
- August 1 – Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke
- August 15 – The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
Our Knitters meet for fun and fiber every week. Flash your best needles, break out the good yarn, and come teach, be taught, or simply enjoy the glorious art of knitting! Join the group every Friday at noon at the Westbank Library.
Crocheters and embroiderers welcome.
Sheng Zhen Healing Qi Gong is a unique seated form of exercise developed by Master Li Junfeng. This gentle form of Qi Gong is ideal for loosening stiff joints, restoring focus and mental clarity, producing deep relaxation, and promoting overall health. The movements are easy to perform for all fitness levels, and are ideal for anyone with lower extremity difficulties, such as knee or hip pain. The meditative element of Sheng Zhen Healing Qi Gong also helps calm the mind, reduce stress, and balance emotions.
Thomas Najar is a licensed acupuncturist and certified Qi Gong instructor. He left a career in hi-tech to pursue a healing career and has been teaching Qi Gong and practicing acupuncture since 2016. A native of Wisconsin, he’s lived in Austin for the past 20 years and is passionate about healthy living through fitness, nutrition and meditation.
The Discovery program offers hands-on exploring for young learners in many different topics, including science, art, music, and more. Come each week and discover something new!
All ages welcome.
June:
- 1st: NO DISCOVERY. Come to Kickoff at Laura’s!
- 8th: Kinetic Sand
- 15th: Mixed Media Art
- 22nd: Music & Movement
- 29th: Special GUEST – Mad Science (Performance 1 -2, Games & Toys from 2-3)
July:
- 6th: Building Exploration
- 13th: Sensory Galaxy Jars
- 20th: Sculpting with Dough
- 27th: Special GUEST – Back to Bach (Performance 1 -2, Activities & Toys from 2-3)
New Book Club
New Book ClubLed by volunteer Camille Hoff, this book club reads and discusses books focusing on women’s perspective of the world. Their reading list includes literary fiction, non-fiction, and some classic titles. Join the group on the fourth Saturday of the month at 3 p.m. at Laura’s Library.
2019 Selections:
- March – A Wilderness Station: Selected Stories, 1968 – 1994 by Alice Munro
- April – Circe by Madeline Miller
- May – Women who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
- June – The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
- July – Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- August – A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother by Rachel Cusk
- September – Alias Grace: A Novel by Margaret Atwood
- Xiaoqing Zhu, a PhD from Stanford and currently a tech lead in a Fortune 500 company, whose favorite side job is to teach and learn from her kindergartner.
- Wendy You, a college finance professor, who finds it more challenging to teach her five-year-old than to teach a college class.
- Celine Wright, an MBA and finance executive who worked for many large companies and had managed many difficult mergers and acquisitions projects, realized that her three young kids are the most difficult, but fun, projects of all.
- Lan Luan, a research professor of biomedical engineering at UT, who finds it extremely fun to guide and observe young children including her own 4-year-old son to grow physically and intellectually.
The Westbank Library has supporting materials for this program. Ask a staff member if you are interested.
Library News
LGBTQ resources@ the library
June 28 marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, a series of violent protests in New York’s Greenwich Village by members of the gay community who were tired of living an underground life. Sparked by a police raid [...]
Join us for summer!
Join your neighbors for shared experiences this summer! Pick up a shiny printed summer brochure when you visit the library next, view our brochure online or search our online calendar. We have something going on every day! Here are [...]
Reading on the Go: Magazines and Newspapers
Sometimes it’s hard to find time to immerse ourselves in a book. We may be sitting in waiting rooms, waiting in carpool lines, or hurrying through our lunch with time enough for just a few minutes of reading. The [...]