It’s Montana Poetry Day this Friday and Newtown Library is celebrating with an open-mike night.  Don’t be shy - read your own verse or a favourite from another poet.

If it’s like other poetry evenings held at Newtown Library, it’ll be a great event to attend.

We’re going Olympic for the July school holidays! Meet the Push Play team and have fun playing ‘olympic’ games and doing ‘olympic’ activities while learning about the Olympic Games. Our first session starts tomorrow at Cummings Park at 2pm… kids, come along for some fun!

‘We’re Going Olympic’ sessions will be on at all our Wellington library branches. Visit the Kids’ events page for dates and times and we’ll see you there!

Wellington City Libraries in association with Allen & Unwin, Unity Books and the New Zealand Book Council present “An Evening with Emily Perkins”, bestselling author of A Novel About My Wife.  Emily Perkins will be in conversation with Fergus Barrowman, with questions invited from the audience following the discussion.

When: Thursday 24 July, 6pm
Where: The Cinema, City Gallery, Civic Square, Wellington

Tickets are $10, and available at the Information Desk, Wellington Central Library, 65 Victoria Street.
Ticket sales are in person only, no reserves. Payments accepted: cash, cheque or eftpos.

Our last author event sold out quickly so don’t delay!

Marilyn Domney, our Business Customer Specialist, will be at Stand 148b at the Wellington Small Business Expo this week (25-27 June).

We have a limited number of passes to give away so if you would like a 3 day free pass to the Expo, email our team of Business subject librarians at prosearch@wcc.govt.nz or ring Marilyn Domney, on 801 4059.

More details are available on the Wellington Small Business Expo website. Come and see us there!

Wellington Small Business Expo, TSB Arena (Queen’s Wharf), 25-27 June.

Have fun, stay warm! That’s the message behind our Winter Gamesfest. From Monday 30 June to Friday 4 July we’ll be playing board games on the first floor of the Central Library during the lunchtime hours (12-1pm, and 1-2pm). Featured games will be: Japanese Go, bridge, lightning chess, Mah Jong and Scrabble. Free lessons will be available, and there will be a free for all area where you can bring your own board games or play those provided by us. There will also be some sessions of Texas Hold’em (the popular new form of poker) and you can browse our display of new books and magazines on indoor games. Come along and join us - we’d love to see you there!

For more information, and a schedule of organised games, visit our News page.

Join John Dawson from Victoria University - speaking on the story of our native plants and forests.

Karori Library, Thursday 19th June, 7-8pm.

(Full PlantMania programme)

The Wellington Regional Land Transport Committee is inviting public submissions on the draft Ngauranga to Airport Corridor Plan, an implementation plan of the Regional Land Transport Strategy.  Staff of the Greater Wellington Regional Council will be available to answer questions on the draft plan between 11am and 2pm, on the Ground Floor, with displays providing further information.

In association with Brooklyn Library, St Bernard’s seniors will be playing a chorus of Ukuleles!

Come along to the Library on Tuesday 17th of June at 10:20 am (ten minutes before pre-school storytime) - the performance will be immediately followed by a storytime and sing-a-long

Come along and hear how you can make your current home (or the one you are building) warmer, healthier and environmentally friendlier.

Date: Thursday 29th May
Time: 12 noon - 1pm
Place: 2nd (top) floor, Central Library, 65 Victoria Street, Wellington
Speaker: Nigel Isaacs, BRANZ Principal Scientist and VUW School of Architecture, Research fellow.

There are plenty of events happening in our libraries this week, check out this lineup:

Kilbirnie Library:
Wednesday 21 May, 11am – St Catherine’s Barbershop Chorus
Thursday 22 May, 11am – Alistair Fraser, demonstration of taonga pūoro (Māori instruments)

Miramar Library:
Friday 23 May, 11am – Miramar Central Middle Syndicate vocal group
Monday 26 May, 11am – Miramar Central Senior Syndicate vocal group

Tawa Library:
Saturday 24 May, 11am – Ska bank - Leadpipe Larry and the Dangermen – a
mixture of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz & rhythm ‘n blues.

Of course, there’s still time to have a go at the New Zealand Music quiz - complete it successfully and you can enter your details for the chance of winning an iPod.