Community Calendar

Join us in October for an Art Detectives program centered around Resilience—A Sansei Sense of Legacy. This exhibition features the work of eight third-generation Asian American Artists whose work reflects on a time during World War II when Japanese American families were forced to leave their homes and live in internment camps. We'll read Write to Me: Letters from Japanese American Children to the Librarian They Left Behind, view the exhibition, and create our own postcards that can be sent to friends or family members.

"Join us for a Community Day focused on our special exhibition, Resilience—A Sansei Sense of Legacy. This show highlights artwork by eight Sansei (third-generation Japanese American) artists exploring the lasting effects of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

We invite the community to visit the exhibition and explore the stories shared in Resilience. Visitors will also be able to participate in a hands-on art activity, available between 11am-1:30pm, and tell their own stories through a storyboarding activity in the library. This event is free and open to all."

"Sociolinguist Noriko Sugimori has often worked with her students to collect oral histories from Japanese-speaking World War II survivors in Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Their testimonies reveal personal experiences that have often remained untold and show how the past continues to shape the present. Drawing on video excerpts from these interviews, Dr. Sugimori will explore the stories, silences, and meanings preserved in wartime memory.

Dr. Sugimori is Professor of Japanese at Kalamazoo College. Her Mellon Foundation-funded Japanese-English oral history project was the first in using the bilingual Oral History Metadata Synchronizer. At Kalamazoo College, she teaches the Japanese language at all levels, as well as sociolinguistics."

"George Takei recounts his childhood imprisonment in Japanese American internment camps during World War II in this richly illustrated graphic novel. The memoir explores resilience and patriotism while connecting past injustices to discrimination. Blending history with storytelling, the book urges readers to challenge prejudice in America. Themes in this discussion will tie into the exhibition Resilience.

Please note that this discussion will take place one week earlier than our usual meeting."

"Jimmy Mirikitani (1920-2012) was a Japanese American artist who survived the trauma of WWII incarceration, the loss of family and friends in his ancestral city of Hiroshima, a harsh life on the streets of New York, and the chaos of 9/11 – all by making art. Sitting alone on a windy corner in Soho, he drew whimsical cats, bleak concentration camps, and the angry red flames of the atomic bomb. Blending beauty and humor with tragedy and loss, The Cats of Mirikitani is an intimate exploration of the lingering wounds of war and the healing power of art.

This film was directed and produced by Linda Hattendorf, who has worked in the New York documentary community for decades. Her editing work has aired on PBS, A&E, and The Sundance Channel, as well as in theatrical venues and hundreds of festivals. Produced in 2006, The Cats of Mirikitani was her directorial debut and won awards at more than thirty film festivals around the world. The film has a run time of 74 minutes. "

Please join us the first Saturday of each month at 9 AM (barring special events or bad weather which will be announced on our Facebook page), for "Beginning Birding Walks," led by experienced birders from the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo. This event is free and open to the public. Meet at the second parking lot at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan, just off SR 43. All skill levels are welcome.

We will enjoy nature while typically identifying 20-40 species of birds, plus butterflies, frogs, etc. Over 200 bird species have been sighted at Wolf Lake, which offers a variety of habitats and easy walking trails. Annual highlights include colorful songbirds like orioles, warblers, tanagers, hawks and eagles, kingfishers, Great Blue and Green Herons, and over 20 species of waterfowl. Eastern Bluebirds can be found year-round! Children accompanying adults are welcome. The focus is on birding fundamentals, and extra binoculars are always available. The walk typically takes about 2 hours (but feel free to arrive late or leave early).

Please join us the first Saturday of each month at 9 AM (barring special events or bad weather which will be announced on our Facebook page), for "Beginning Birding Walks," led by experienced birders from the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo. This event is free and open to the public. Meet at the second parking lot at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan, just off SR 43. All skill levels are welcome.

We will enjoy nature while typically identifying 20-40 species of birds, plus butterflies, frogs, etc. Over 200 bird species have been sighted at Wolf Lake, which offers a variety of habitats and easy walking trails. Annual highlights include colorful songbirds like orioles, warblers, tanagers, hawks and eagles, kingfishers, Great Blue and Green Herons, and over 20 species of waterfowl. Eastern Bluebirds can be found year-round! Children accompanying adults are welcome. The focus is on birding fundamentals, and extra binoculars are always available. The walk typically takes about 2 hours (but feel free to arrive late or leave early).

Celebrate the season with NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet, the largest touring production of its kind in North America. Coming to Miller Auditorium. Kalamazoo, MI on December 9, 2026, this unforgettable performance features an international cast of dancers, dazzling acrobatics, elaborate costumes, and larger-than-life puppetry.
Set to the timeless music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the production transforms the stage into a magical holiday experience. A highlight of the show is the “Dove of Peace” adagio, a powerful and visually stunning moment that captivates audiences of all ages.
Now in its 34th year, the production continues to delight families across more than 80 cities annually.

Please join us the first Saturday of each month at 9 AM (barring special events or bad weather which will be announced on our Facebook page), for "Beginning Birding Walks," led by experienced birders from the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo. This event is free and open to the public. Meet at the second parking lot at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan, just off SR 43. All skill levels are welcome.

We will enjoy nature while typically identifying 20-40 species of birds, plus butterflies, frogs, etc. Over 200 bird species have been sighted at Wolf Lake, which offers a variety of habitats and easy walking trails. Annual highlights include colorful songbirds like orioles, warblers, tanagers, hawks and eagles, kingfishers, Great Blue and Green Herons, and over 20 species of waterfowl. Eastern Bluebirds can be found year-round! Children accompanying adults are welcome. The focus is on birding fundamentals, and extra binoculars are always available. The walk typically takes about 2 hours (but feel free to arrive late or leave early).

Please join us the first Saturday of each month at 9 AM (barring special events or bad weather which will be announced on our Facebook page), for "Beginning Birding Walks," led by experienced birders from the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo. This event is free and open to the public. Meet at the second parking lot at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan, just off SR 43. All skill levels are welcome.

We will enjoy nature while typically identifying 20-40 species of birds, plus butterflies, frogs, etc. Over 200 bird species have been sighted at Wolf Lake, which offers a variety of habitats and easy walking trails. Annual highlights include colorful songbirds like orioles, warblers, tanagers, hawks and eagles, kingfishers, Great Blue and Green Herons, and over 20 species of waterfowl. Eastern Bluebirds can be found year-round! Children accompanying adults are welcome. The focus is on birding fundamentals, and extra binoculars are always available. The walk typically takes about 2 hours (but feel free to arrive late or leave early).