Arlington Heights Memorial Library: Programs & Events

Join us for our second annual community mental health fair. Visit with community organizations and advocates to learn about the mental health services available in our area. Stay for a panel discussion facilitated by Darren Brown, Village of Arlington Heights' Social Services Coordinator.
Panel begins at 3:15 p.m. Drop in anytime during the event.

Presented in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, in partnership with State Representatives Mary Beth Canty and Nicolle Grasse, Commissioners Scott Britton and Maggie Trevor, the Kenneth Young Center, and OMNI.

Join Illinois Libraries Present to close out our fourth season with bestselling author Matthew Desmond in conversation with award-winning journalist, Natalie Moore.

Desmond is a professor of sociology at Princeton University and author of the award-winning books, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City and his recent, Poverty: By America. The recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, Desmond was named one of “fifty people across the country who are most influencing the national political debate” by Politico 50 in 2016. His research focuses on poverty in the United States, city life, housing insecurity, public policy, racial inequality, and ethnography.

Natalie Moore is an award-winning journalist based in Chicago, whose reporting tackles race, housing, economic development, food injustice and violence. She is the author of the acclaimed The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation and co-author of The Almighty Black P Stone Nation: The Rise, Fall and Resurgence of an American Gang. Moore is the recipient of Chicago Library Foundation’s 21st Century Award and a Studs Terkel Community Media Award among many others. Her work has helped shift the way Chicagoans today think about segregation in the region.

In Holy Food, Christina Ward reveals how religion has shaped America’s food culture—from ancient rules to modern-day food fads. Uncover the surprising role food played in movements like the Great Awakenings, where sects used it to control, entice, and even revolutionize followers. From the Oneida Community’s iconic strawberry shortcake to the dietary restrictions of Kosher and Halal, Ward shows how faith and food are intertwined in American history. This provocative journey through the American kitchen will change how you think about what's on your plate.

Christina Ward is an author, editor, and seeker. She is also the Vice President and Editor of Feral House, a publisher noted for their books on outré topics.