Hudson Park Library Celebrates 120 Years with Jazz, Poetry, Printing, and Community Art on January 29
By Emil Allakhverdov
LEFT TO RIGHT: Rocco J. Iacovone of Rocco John Group, Author Esther K. Smith and Dikko Faust of Pergatory Pie Press, Hudson Park Library illustration and illustrator Lily Annabelle, author and poet Mya Matteo Alexice. Photos courtesy of Emil Allakhverdov.
Hudson Park Library, a Greenwich Village landmark that first opened its doors on January 24, 1906, will celebrate its 120th anniversary with a special Community Night on Thursday, January 29, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event marks more than a milestone, offering a lively, drop-in evening that reflects the library’s long-standing role as a cultural and creative gathering place.
The anniversary celebration invites neighbors to experience the library through music, poetry, visual art, and hands-on bookmaking. Light refreshments will be served, and a looping archival photo presentation will highlight Hudson Park Library’s 120-year history.
Live jazz will anchor the evening, performed by the Rocco John Group. Led by Greenwich Village–born composer and improviser Rocco J. Iacovone, the group brings a sound rooted in melodic structure and exploratory improvisation. Iacovone, who studied with jazz legends Lee Konitz and Sam Rivers, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in composition from Hunter College and is a longtime teaching artist. He will be joined by Jack DeSalvo on guitar and Philip Sirois on bass.
Poetry will be created live through bespoke typewriter poems by Mya Matteo Alexice, who will craft custom poems on the spot based on words or ideas shared by attendees. Alexice is a Cave Canem fellow and doctoral student studying Black romantic life, and the author of A Shape We’ve Yet to Name (2024) and The Limerence Object (2025). Their work has appeared in Pleiades, swamp pink, Black Warrior Review, Copper Nickel, and other literary journals.
Visual art will take a distinctly local turn with illustrator Lily Annabelle, who will provide original drawings of Hudson Park Library and nearby Village landmarks for participants to color. Annabelle is known for her detailed illustrations of historically and architecturally significant New York facades, with work displayed in more than 100 city establishments and over 30 Broadway productions. She has recently expanded her exhibitions to London’s West End.
The library’s printing heritage will be brought to life through historic letterpress printing led by Dikko Faust, who will help visitors print keepsakes using 1800s wood type on a Kelsey press the same age as the library itself. Faust teaches letterpress printing at the School of Visual Arts and founded Purgatory Pie Press, whose artist books and limited editions have been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.
Hands-on bookmaking workshops will be led by artist and author Esther K. Smith, who invites participants to fold, stitch, draw, and write their own books. Smith is the author of How to Make Books and Making Books with Kids, and a longtime educator at Cooper Union and other institutions. Her work bridges historical printing traditions with contemporary book arts, emphasizing accessibility and creative play.
Attendees may combine their poems, prints, and drawings into handmade books or enjoy individual activities, the music, and the celebratory atmosphere at their own pace. Designed as a flexible, drop-in event, the evening reflects Hudson Park Library’s enduring mission as an open, welcoming space for creativity and community.
As Hudson Park Library marks 120 years since its opening in January 1906, the anniversary celebration looks both backward and forward—honoring a rich past while actively shaping the library’s next chapter in the cultural life of Greenwich Village.
Emil Allakhverdov is Senior Librarian at the Hudson Park Library.
