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Image for event: Nature, Art, and Service as Medicine with author Julia Hotz

Nature, Art, and Service as Medicine with author Julia Hotz

A Friends Speaker Series Virtual Program

2026-01-20 14:00:00 2026-01-20 15:00:00 America/New_York Nature, Art, and Service as Medicine with author Julia Hotz Can swimming reduce depression? Can a fishing club help ADHD? How does nature, movement, and social connection cure what ails us? Author Julia Hotz explores "prescriptions" that can change our lives. Reading Public Library -

Tuesday, January 20
2:00pm - 3:00pm

Add to Calendar 2026-01-20 14:00:00 2026-01-20 15:00:00 America/New_York Nature, Art, and Service as Medicine with author Julia Hotz Can swimming reduce depression? Can a fishing club help ADHD? How does nature, movement, and social connection cure what ails us? Author Julia Hotz explores "prescriptions" that can change our lives. Reading Public Library -

Can swimming reduce depression? Can a fishing club help ADHD? How does nature, movement, and social connection cure what ails us? Author Julia Hotz explores "prescriptions" that can change our lives.

Be sure to jump start your new year with us as we chat virtually with journalist and author Julia Hotz about her book The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging.  

The Connection Cure combines diligent science reporting, moving patient success stories, and surprising self-discovery to help us discover the lasting and life-changing power of social prescribing. Traditionally, when we get sick, health care professionals ask, “What’s the matter with you?” But around the world, teams of doctors, nurses, therapists, and social workers have started to flip the script, asking “What matters to you?” 

Register to attend and ask the presenter questions!

Science shows that social prescribing is effective for treating symptoms of the modern world’s most common ailments—depression, ADHD, addiction, trauma, anxiety, chronic pain, dementia, diabetes, and loneliness. By integrating age-old medicines like art, nature, movement, and volunteer service into patient’s daily lives, social prescriptions are radically changing health and healthcare in more than thirty countries. Julia Hotz travels around the world to survey them —sea-swimming lessons for depression, “culture vitamins” for anxiety,  a fishing club for ADHD, a farm-based day-care for dementia, a phone-buddy program for social isolation, and many more.

As the first book on social prescribing, The Connection Cure empowers you to find, experience, and implement this revolutionary medicine in your own community. The success stories Julia finds bring a long-known theory to life: if we can change our environment, we can change our health. By reconnecting to what matters to us, we can all start to feel better.


About the Author:

Julia Hotz is a solutions focused journalist based in New York. Her stories have appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, Scientific American, The Boston Globe, Time, and more. She helps other journalists report on the big new ideas changing the world at the Solutions Journalism Network. The Connection Cure is her first book.

This program is brought to you through the generosity of the Friends of the Reading Public Library. Thank you, Friends!

Check out more upcoming virtual author talks and enjoy recordings from past events by exploring our Friends Speaker Series page.

Reading Public Library

rdg@noblenet.org
Phone: 781-944-0840

Hours
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Mon, Feb 09 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Feb 10 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Feb 11 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, Feb 12 1:00PM to 9:00PM
Fri, Feb 13 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Sat, Feb 14 9:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Feb 15 1:00PM to 5:00PM


About the Library

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To ask questions about accessibility or request accommodations, please contact the library at rdgadmin@noblenet.org.

If the Reading Public schools are closed due to snow, all Children's programming will be canceled.

Upcoming Events

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Tue, Feb 17, 9:00am - 11:00am
RPL Children's Room - Children's Room Main Floor

Tue, Feb 17, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Tue, Feb 17, 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Tue, Feb 17, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room

Wed, Feb 18, 9:00am - 11:00am
RPL Children's Room - Children's Room Main Floor

Wed, Feb 18, 9:00am - 2:00pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room

Wed, Feb 18, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Wed, Feb 18, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Wed, Feb 18, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Thu, Feb 19, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room
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Thu, Feb 19, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room

Thu, Feb 19, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Fri, Feb 20, 9:00am - 11:00am
RPL Children's Room - Children's Room Main Floor

Fri, Feb 20, 10:00am - 11:00am
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Sat, Feb 21, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Feb 23, 9:15am - 9:30am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Feb 23, 10:00am - 10:45am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Feb 23, 10:00am - 11:30am
Reading Public Library - Studio

Mon, Feb 23, 11:15am - 12:15pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Feb 23, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room
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Mon, Feb 23, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Reading Public Library - Health Nook

Mon, Feb 23, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Feb 23, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
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Tue, Feb 24, 10:00am - 11:00am
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Tue, Feb 24, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Reading Public Library - Local History Room
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Tue, Feb 24, 3:30pm - 4:00pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Wed, Feb 25, 9:00am - 2:00pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room

Wed, Feb 25, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room

Wed, Feb 25, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Reading Public Library - Local History Room
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Thu, Feb 26, 3:30pm - 4:15pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Thu, Feb 26, 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Fri, Feb 27, 10:00am - 10:35am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Fri, Feb 27, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Reading Public Library - Studio

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Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Sat, Feb 28, 10:00am - 10:30am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Sat, Feb 28, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

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Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Sun, Mar 01, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 02, 9:15am - 9:30am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 02, 10:00am - 11:30am
Reading Public Library - Studio

Mon, Mar 02, 10:00am - 10:45am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 02, 11:15am - 12:15pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

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Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Tue, Mar 03, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room
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Tue, Mar 03, 3:30pm - 4:00pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Tue, Mar 03, 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Tue, Mar 03, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Reading Public Library - Studio

Wed, Mar 04, 9:00am - 2:00pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room

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Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Wed, Mar 04, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Wed, Mar 04, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Reading Public Library - Local History Room

Wed, Mar 04, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
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Thu, Mar 05, 3:30pm - 4:15pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Thu, Mar 05, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Fri, Mar 06, 10:00am - 10:35am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Fri, Mar 06, 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room
Registration opens Friday, February 20 2026 at 1:30pm

Sat, Mar 07, 10:00am - 11:00am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Sat, Mar 07, 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room

Sat, Mar 07, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 09, 9:15am - 9:30am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 09, 10:00am - 11:30am
Reading Public Library - Studio

Mon, Mar 09, 10:00am - 10:45am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 09, 11:15am - 12:15pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 09, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Mon, Mar 09, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Tue, Mar 10, 10:00am - 10:30am
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Tue, Mar 10, 3:30pm - 4:00pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Tue, Mar 10, 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Wed, Mar 11, 9:00am - 2:00pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room

Wed, Mar 11, 10:00am - 10:30am
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Wed, Mar 11, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

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Reading Public Library - Teen Space

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Reading Public Library - Conference Room

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Reading Public Library - Studio

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Reading Public Library - Conference Room

Thu, Mar 12, 3:30pm - 4:15pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Thu, Mar 12, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Reading Public Library - Teen Space

Thu, Mar 12, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Reading Public Library - Local History Room

Thu, Mar 12, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Fri, Mar 13, 10:00am - 11:00am
Reading Public Library - Local History Room

Fri, Mar 13, 10:00am - 10:45am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Sat, Mar 14, 10:00am - 10:30am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Sat, Mar 14, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 16, 9:15am - 9:30am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 16, 10:00am - 10:45am
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 16, 10:00am - 11:30am
Reading Public Library - Studio

Mon, Mar 16, 11:15am - 12:15pm
Reading Public Library - Community Room (A & B)

Mon, Mar 16, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Reading Public Library - Health Nook

Tue, Mar 17, 10:00am - 10:30am
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Tue, Mar 17, 3:30pm - 4:00pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room
Registration opens Tuesday, February 24 2026 at 9:00am

Tue, Mar 17, 4:15pm - 4:30pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room
Registration opens Tuesday, February 24 2026 at 9:00am

Tue, Mar 17, 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Reading Public Library - Children's Program Room

Tue, Mar 17, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Reading Public Library - Conference Room