Advertise on podcast: Hamden Library Podcast

Send us Fan Mail This episode is about trees: how they can help us and how we can help them. First up, Brittany discusses forest bathing with certified forest therapy guide Jesse Bernier of the E.C. Scranton Memorial Library in Madison. Then Matt interviews Diane Hoffman, Susan Neitlich and Kyle Dougherty about the missions of the Hamden Tree Commission and the Hamden Alliance for Trees, and why trees are a crucial part of a town or city’s infrastructure.

Send us Fan Mail Summer is rapidly coming to a close, so we convened what has become an annual tradition on our podcast, the end of summer roundtable. If you’ve heard any of our previous roundtable episodes, you’ll know what to expect. It’s basically a low-key, casual discussion wherein the podcast team gets together and shares the things we read, watched and did over the past few months. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did making it.

Send us Fan Mail It’s summer reading time again and on this episode, Marcy, Eliza, Kacie and Danielle explain how it all works. After we hear from them, Hannah has an announcement about a special project she’s been working on with the Connecticut State Library.  And since this is a great time of year to get out and enjoy your local parks, Hannah talks with Mike Miller of the Sleeping Giant Park Association about the trail clean up crew. More info is available here: https://sgpa.org/trail-maintenance/

Send us Fan Mail Matt talks to Recycling Coordinator Joe DeRisi and Chair of the Solid Waste & Recycling Commission Alice Kosowsky. They talk about everything from composting and other ways of recycling food waste to the importance of recycling textiles and lots more. If you’re a Hamden resident, you’re sure to pick up some useful tips, and even if you don’t live in Hamden, you will likely learn something interesting from this interview. Now let’s listen to Matt, Joe and Alice.

Send us Fan Mail On this episode we are celebrating National Library Week. This year’s theme is “Find Your Joy,” and Kacie and Eliza are here to tell us all about the many different ways the library can help you do just that.   In addition, Kacie talks to Pat Sirulnick about the Friends of the Hamden Library and all that they do for us. If you don’t already know, the Friends are absolutely crucial to what we do. If you’re looking for a way to support the library, joining the Friends is a great way to do so. Visit our website for more details.

Send us Fan Mail When it comes to a subject as broad as poetry, it’s hard to pick one thing to focus on. So we picked a whole bunch. From statistics of who is writing poetry and why, to a staff-wide poetry collaboration, to an infamous poet with a relentless drive to write and recite his creations regardless of how well, or how poorly, they were regarded by the audiences who heard them - this is a conversation that covers a lot of ground. We had lots of fun making this episode and we hope you have fun listening.

Send us Fan Mail Love is in the air and on the shelves! In this Valentine’s Day episode, Kacie chats with booksellers from two of Connecticut’s romance-only bookstores to rave about all things romance novels. From breaking down stereotypes to sharing can’t-miss love stories, we’re making the case that romance is for everyone. Big thanks to Sarah and Elizabeth from Montgomery & Taggert and Jenna from Blush Book Lounge for chatting with us this month!   For more romance novel suggestions, stop in and browse the February book display on the first floor of Miller Library. 3

Send us Fan Mail This is a special, Matt-centric episode in which podcast team member Matt sits down to talk with host Michael Pierry to talk about New Year’s traditions. And because the only force in the known universe more powerful than one Matt is .. two Matts, Matt interviews Matthew Kerzner, aka Dr. K, to help us all in formulating and following through on our New Year’s resolutions and goals. There are also some book recommendations, of course.

Send us Fan Mail Enjoy our special end-of-year roundtable discussing our favorite (and least favorite) books and media of 2025 and what we're looking forward to in 2026. List of books/media discussed: Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins ReidThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins ReidThe Summer Hikaru Died, MokumokurenAlchemised, SenLinYuThe Black Wolf (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #20) & The Gray Wolf (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #19), Louise PennyThe Office of Historical Corrections, Danielle EvansInfinite Jest, David Foster WallaceDungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1), Matt DinnimanDemon Copperhead, Barbara KingsolverAtavists: Stories, Lydia MilletThe Hacienda, Isabel CañasBabel, R.F. KuangThe Framed Women of Ardemore House (Ardemore House #1) & The Dead Came To Stay (Aredemore House #2), Brandy SchillaceRead Between the Lines (Ms. Right #1) & No Rings Attached (Ms. Right #2), Rachel LaceySky Full of Elephants, Cebo CampbellThe Spellshop (Spellshop #1) & The Enchanted Greenhouse (Spellshop #2), Sarah Beth DurstEmily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1), Heather FawcettThe Grace of Wild Things, Heather FawcettA Court of Thorns and Roses (book series), Sarah J. MaasWuthering Heights, Emily BrontëSunrise on the Reaping, Susan CollinsPeople We Meet on Vacation, Emily HenryOff-Campus (upcoming TV series based on the book series by Elle Kennedy)Percy Jackson & the Olympians (TV series, based on the book series by Rick Riordan)Bridgerton (TV series based on the book series by Julia Quinn)Vagabond, Tim CurryA Monsoon Rising (The Hurricane Wars #2) & The Shattered Tempest (The Hurricane Wars #3), Thea GuanzonThe Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) & Dead Beat (Alex Stern #3), Leigh BardugoSilo (TV series based on the books Wool, Shift & Dust by Hugh Howey)American Girl & Dear America seriesWelcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure, Lewis HancoxTransitions: A Mother's Journey, Élodie DurandHypercapitalism: The Modern Economy, Its Values, and How to Change Them, Larry Gonick & Tim KasserWish Monster: A Middle Grade Halloween Horror Tale About a Wish-Granting Creature and the Price of Bringing the Dead Back, J. A. WhiteFourth Wing (Empyrean #1) & Iron Flame (Empyrean #2), Rebecca YarrosDon’t Trust Fish, Neil Sharpson & Dan SantatFlotsam, David WiesnerRoxaboxen: A Picture Book About Childhood Imagination and the Transforming Magic of Boxes, Sticks, and Sand for Children, Alice McLerran & Barbara CooneyThe Wedding People, Alison EspachRemarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby van PeltUntypical, Pete WharmbySilver Elite, Dani FrancisThree Days in June, Anne TylerLessons in Magic and Disaster, Charlie Jane AndersThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, V. E. SchwabBury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, V. E. Schwab

Send us Fan Mail Board games and picture books - what do these two things have in common? For one thing, you can find them both at the library. For another, they’re both entertaining for all ages. Engaging with a picture book or playing a game with friends and family members can surprise and delight us with the kind of screen-free joy that many of us don’t get enough of but definitely need. In this episode, Hannah and Matt take you on a journey of exploration into the worlds of picture books and board games, respectively.

Send us Fan Mail This episode is dedicated to YOU and your library card. In a special in-depth interview, our Head of Borrower Services discusses the amazing things you can do with your Hamden library card. TJ also mentions some services we offer at the library, even if you don’t have a card. Also includes a quiz show segment all about banned books, in celebration of Banned Books Week, currently in progress (Oct. 5-11). Libraries believe in the freedom to read, and that includes the freedom to listen, learn and discover new things - about the world, about other people, and about yourself. Enjoy!

Send us Fan Mail Hamden Library Podcast team members Hannah, Eliza, Matt, Rebecca and Michael discuss their summer reading.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, children's librarian Kacie chats with Daron, a professor and reading specialist about reading aloud to older kids. Did you know that research shows some clear - and surprising! - benefits to continuing to read aloud to kids as they grow up? Daron and Kacie share some tips, tricks, and strategies for selecting appealing books for all ages as well as some of their favorite titles! For a full list of books mentioned, click here.

Send us Fan Mail To mark this Juneteenth, Mike spoke with Hamden Black History Committee members Deborah Moxam and Evans Simmons about what the Committee does for the community as well as the library’s upcoming Juneteenth Read-In. Mike also talked to author Jill Marie Snyder about her research into the lives of Black Americans, both pre- and post-Civil War.

Send us Fan Mail In honor of Pride month, our new podcast team member, Eliza, recorded a couple of great interviews with two members of the LGBTQ+ community, Tony Ferraiolo and Jillian Celentano. Tony and Jillian are both very engaging, dynamic speakers, and I hope that you get as much out of listening to them as I did. CW: Suicide, gender dysphoria