During Live at the Library in June, U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón — recently reappointed for a historic two-year term — will unveil her original poem written for the NASA Europa Clipper mission. Plus, celebrations for the Juneteenth holiday will honor African American folk music and photography. Celebrate Pride with a concert saluting Billy Strayhorn on June 8, and view a display of LGBTQ+ collection items in the Great Hall.
On Thursday evenings, the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions are open for extended hours from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy happy hour drinks and snacks available for purchase in the Great Hall overlooking the Capitol and the Library’s beautiful architecture while visiting the Library’s exhibits, collections and programs.
Visitors also are now invited to Experience the Main Reading Room during Live at the Library. Usually reserved for researchers, visitors can now walk inside and see one of Washington’s most beautiful spaces. Please note that due to strong interest and limited capacity, those with timed-entry passes are not guaranteed access.
Free timed-entry passes or an event registration are required to enter the Thomas Jefferson Building. Visit loc.gov/visit to reserve your pass for Live at the Library.
Programming Highlights for June
June 1: NASA and U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón Unveil Her Poem for Europa at 7 p.m. in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium. Poet Laureate Ada Limón reads her poem for NASA’s Europa Clipper mission and talks with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden; Nicola Fox, associate administrator of the NASA Science Mission Directorate; and Sheri Wells-Jensen, the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, Exploration and Scientific Innovation. Limón’s poem will be engraved on the Europa Clipper spacecraft, which will travel 1.8 billion miles to explore Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter. The Library will also host a collections display from 5 to 7 p.m., including Galileo’s Starry Messenger and the Voyager Golden Record that carried sounds of humanity into space. Register for tickets.
