What we’re about
The City of Menlo Park's libraries offer a variety of programs, including art events, author talks, info sessions, craft sessions, music events, and more. To make the most of our programming efforts and this meetup page, we’d love for you to get involved. If you come to a program, say hi and let us know you saw it on meetup. If you have an idea for something you’d like to see at the library, send us a message. The library is a great space for community meetups and we’d love to play a role in making those connections!
See more events at our calendar, and check our hours and holiday closures.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Mental Health Open MicMenlo Park Library, Menlo Park, CA
Please join us for Menlo Park’s 7th Annual Mental Health Open Mic Night!
Musician and mental health advocate Frances Ancheta Becker will be our emcee for a special event in honor of Mental Health Month. Let’s bring our voices together—or feel free to come and share support as a listener--to increase awareness and inspire action to reduce stigma against those with mental health conditions.
May is Mental Health Month, and the 2025 theme is Mental Health as a Continuum. This theme challenges the binary idea of “healthy” versus “unhealthy” mental health, normalizing the wide range of mental health experiences and encouraging individuals to embrace and accept the full spectrum of their well-being.
Whether in sharing experience, music, storytelling, readings, or poetry, join us in a safe space where you can share your own words, or listen to those of others.
About our Emcee:
Frances Ancheta Becker is a singer/songwriter, and creative arts/recreation therapist. She grew up in San Mateo County and worked in county government service for 20 years, most of those as the Supervising Creative Arts Therapist at San Mateo Medical Center, overseeing creative arts and recreation therapy programs for rehabilitation and psychiatric patients. Frances established and coordinated the Music and Healing Hospital Concert Series at San Mateo Medical Center. As a postpartum depression survivor and a family member of relatives with mental health conditions, Frances also served as a board member of NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) San Mateo Chapter.
About Mental Health Month:
Mental Health Month promotes awareness and action to reduce stigma against those with mental health and substance use conditions. Throughout the month of May, Menlo Park presents free events offering information, support, and opportunities for reflection and self-care:
- May 3: Music for Mental Health
- May 8: Mental Health Open Mic
- May 27: Alzheimer’s: Building Foundations of Caregiving
Thursday, May 08, 2025 | 06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo ParkMore free events with Menlo Park Library
Menlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter/X - Create Chinese Brush ArtBelle Haven Library, Belle Haven Community Campus, Menlo Park, CA
Ages 6-Adult: Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and paint with us!
Teaching artist Pauline Tsui will guide participants in painting flowers and small animals. This workshop teaches basic techniques and promotes cultural appreciation.
Art supplies will be provided. This program is suitable for adults and children ages 6 and above.
There is no preregistration for this event, but supplies are limited. Free tickets will be available at All-Ages Library desk 30 minutes before starting time.
This free event received funding support from the Friends of the Menlo Park Library.
Monday, May 12, 2025 | 05:30 PM - 07:00 PM
Belle Haven Library, 100 Terminal Ave., Menlo Park, CA, 94025More free events with Menlo Park Library:
https://menlopark.gov/programsMenlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter - Book Discussion: A Manual for Cleaning WomenLink visible for attendees
Join our Fiction Book Group online to discuss A Manual for Cleaning Women, by Lucia Berlin.
A Manual for Cleaning Women compiles the best work of the legendary short-story writer Lucia Berlin. With her trademark blend of humor and melancholy, Berlin crafts miracles from the everyday--uncovering moments of grace in the cafeterias and laundromats of the American Southwest, in the homes of the Northern California upper classes, and from the perspective of a cleaning woman alone in a hotel dining room in Mexico City. The women of Berlin's stories are lost, but they are also strong, clever, and extraordinarily real.
Menlo Park’s Fiction Book Group meets virtually on the second Tuesday of each month.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 | 06:30 PM - 07:45 PM
Zoom webinarMore free events with Menlo Park Library
Menlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter/X - Exhibition: Traveling StitchesMenlo Park Library, Menlo Park, CA
Visit the library to view handmade quilts created by men and women who have come to California from all over the world.
The Day Worker Center’s quilt project began in 2010; the idea was for the center’s users to create personal textile appliques, presenting and talking about them as a fun and interesting way to practice English. It turned out that each picture opened a window to the inner world of the individuals, and provided a focal point for conversation among them.
Each square depicts stories, memories, dreams, ideas, and hopes of the day workers. The design of the quilts illuminates each individual panel while creating a unity between them.
The quilts will be on display during library hours through June 24:
M-W Noon-8
Th-Sun 10-6
Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park, CA, 94025Join for a special program related to our exhibition:
- Tuesday, May 20: Day Worker Dreams: Traveling Stitches: Learn about the quilts from Center Director Maria Marroquin and art facilitator Naomi Zamir
More free events with Menlo Park Library
Menlo Park Library on social media:
@menloparklibrary on Instagram & Facebook
@menlolibrary on Twitter/X
