Ideas Festival 2026
All programs will be held at the Main Library, and are free and open to the public. Sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Friends of the Maplewood Library, Maplewood Memorial Library Foundation, Maplewood Woman’s Club and [Words]
Thursday, March 12 / 4 pm:
Hazel Clark Day! The 3X Olympian Shares Her New Children’s Book!
Celebrate Hazel Clark Day and her new picturebook Hazel Takes the First Step (available for sale at the event)!
Meet 3-time Olympian and Columbia High School alum, Hazel Clark as she reads her new children’s book: Hazel Takes the First Step. A University of Florida Hall of Famer and recent TEDx speaker, Hazel will share her inspiring story of perseverance, followed by a book signing.
Monday March 16 / 4 pm:
The Great Graphic Masterclass (for Beginners!)! Featuring graphic novelist, Jay Cooper.
For kids in grades 3 and up. Pre-registration required.
Kick your graphic novel ideas into high gear with tips and secrets from Maplewood's resident best-selling graphic novelist.
Registration begins Monday, March 9th at 10am. Limited to 20 kids
Monday, March 16 / 7 pm:
Ann Roth, award-winning costume designer -
Ann Roth’s amazing career in Hollywood costume design spans decades, from Midnight Cowboy and Hair, to Mama Mia and Barbie. She will be in conversation with Jane Musky.
Musky, a Maplewood native, is a production designer and art director, known for When Harry Met Sally, Glengarry Glen Ross and The Seagull.
Tuesday, March 17 / 7 pm:
A Conversation on Books and Reading
with New York Times Book Review Editor Gilbert Cruz in conversation with Elisabeth Egan, features writer at The New York Times Book Review. Prior to that, she was a review editor at the Book Review and Books Editor at Glamour. She is a native of South Orange.
Monday, March 23 / 7 pm:
Michelle Bobrow: Carol Buchanan Award
The Carol Buchanan Award for Outstanding Contribution to Civic and Intellectual Life will be presented to Michelle Bobrow. Michelle has been an active volunteer in the Woman's Club, the League of Women Voters, CASA, National Council of Jewish Women, and is a member of the steering committee for the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking. She and her husband established the Bobrow Kosher Food Pantry at Oheb Shalom. Michelle will be in conversation with Library Director Sarah Lester.
Tuesday, March 24 / 7 pm
Mary Clare Jalonick, author of Storm at the Capital; an Oral History of January 6th, in conversation with Township Committee Member Malia Herman
In Storm at the Capitol, Mary Clare Jalonick delivers a deeply reported and definitive account of the violence at the Capitol told through firsthand narratives—from the rioters themselves and the police who fought them, to the lawmakers who fled the violence, and the staff, workers, and reporters who were there that day, including Jalonick herself. Her retelling begins in the predawn hours of January 6th, as Trump’s supporters travel to Washington, some with plans for violence, and ends in the early morning hours of January 7th, after Vice President Mike Pence slams his gavel on the House rostrum and declares Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
Friday, March 27 / 7 pm
Film Screening: The Librarians
The Maplewood Library and the Maplewood Film Society are partnering for an exclusive Maplewood screening of the award-winning documentary, The Librarians.
The film will be followed by a discussion featuring librarian Martha Hickson and local author Marina Budhos, about the film and the wave of alarming book bannings sweeping our nation. This event is free, but a ticket is required.
Saturday, March 28 / 11am
Introducing Female Composers
Join us for a chamber music concert celebrating Women's History Month!
The program will feature works for flute, clarinet and bassoon by female composers. The musicians are: Jill Sokol, flute; Chris MacDonnell, clarinet; Andrea Herr, bassoon. All ages are invited to attend! The concert is sponsored by the Musician Performance Trust Fund of Local 16-248
Thursday, May 21
2026 Maplewood Literary Award to Bruce Eric Kaplan
His personal Bio: Maplewood native Bruce Eric Kaplan is a wonderful fellow who writes for television and draws cartoons. In television, he has worked on shows such as Seinfeld, Six Feet Under, and Girls, and is currently an Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner of Nobody Wants This.
As a cartoonist, his work has regularly appeared in The New Yorker for over thirty years. Three collections of these cartoons have been published. They are No One You Know, This is a Bad Time, and I Love You, I Hate You, I’m Hungry.. He has written several picture books for adults including Every Person on this Planet, Edmund and Rosemary Go to Hell, and Everything is Going to be OK.
In addition, he has written and illustrated five picture books for children. His first, Monsters Eat Whiny Children, came out in 2010 and was an instant best seller. He has written two memoirs, I Was a Child and They Went Another Way, both published to great critical acclaim.