Community Calendar

The Richland Community Library is excite to welcome Michigan Notable Author Brittany Rogers!

Brittany is a poet, visual artist, essayist, high school teacher, and lifelong Detroiter. Her work has been featured in Underbelly, Mississippi Review, and The Metro Times, just to name a few.

Her debut collection of poems, Good Dress, was selected as a 2025 Michigan Notable Title.

About Good Dress:
Following the tradition of Nikky Finney, Krista Franklin, and Morgan Parker, Brittany Rogers's Good Dress documents the beauty and audacity of Black Detroit, Black womanhood, community, class, luxury, materialism, and matrilineage. A nontraditional coming of age, this collection witnesses a speaker coming into her own autonomy and selfhood as a young adult, reflecting on formative experiences. With care and incandescent energy, the poems engage with memory, time, interiority, and community.

This program is presented in partnership with the Library of Michigan Foundation & the MI Humanities Grant.

At 15 years old, Blue is ready to leave a life spent on the run with her eccentric artist mother, Scarlet. For too long, Blue and Scarlet have been hiding from HIM, a shadow man Blue has never actually seen. Landing in South Haven, Michigan, they find a welcoming community, but Scarlet’s dark history continues to follow them. This beautiful and gripping psychological thriller examines the powerful relationships between mother/daughter and trauma/art. Visit the Western Michigan Area Show following our discussion to view local artists.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.
All book discussions are free, open to the public, and take place in-person at the Meader Fine Arts Library. Participants do not need to have read the book, but it will help facilitate the overall discussion. Preregistration is encouraged.

Join the KIA as we remember Juneteenth, which is a holiday that commemorates the abolishment of slavery in the United States. Participate in various activities, like guided tours of African American artists, drop-in low-mess art activities, and more.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.

Join us for an inspiring evening with acclaimed Detroit artist Dr. Hubert Massey, the 2025 juror for the West Michigan Area Show. Massey is renowned for his large-scale public murals and frescoes, which often celebrate the rich cultural history of Michigan and its people. Massey will share insights from his distinguished career, exploring his creative process, the inspiration behind his work, and the significance of public art in building community. Following the lecture, Massey will lead a brief gallery walk through the West Michigan Area Show exhibition, offering his expert perspective on selected works and highlighting the themes and techniques that stood out to him as a juror.

Dr. Hubert Massey is an award-winning Kresge Fine Arts Fellow. His distinctive fresco murals grace the halls of such notable Michigan destinations as the Flint Institute of the Arts, Detroit Athletic Club, and his alma mater, Grand Valley State University. He studied at the University of London’s Slade Institute of Fine Arts and later learned the centuries-old fresco technique from former assistants of legendary artist Diego Rivera.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.

Celebrated historian Dr. Nell Painter shares her story of returning to art school at the age of 64. Painter illustrates her unique perspective by offering insights on the intersection of art and sexism, ageism, and racism throughout her personal journey to earning a BFA and MFA. This memoir will appeal to anyone who has ever been interested in taking an art class or pursuing something new at any age.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.
All book discussions are free, open to the public, and take place in-person at the Meader Fine Arts Library. Participants do not need to have read the book, but it will help facilitate the overall discussion. Preregistration is encouraged.