Nov
16
Wed
Learn to Draw Diary Comics!
Nov 16 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Learn to Draw Diary Comics!

Join local artist Dave Wallace (incendavery.com) to learn about their process for creating diary comics, and turn your own life into a work of art! Dave will lead participants through exercises that incorporate free writing, character creation, and scripting, before helping us put it all together into a finished comic. Space is limited for this in-person event, so please contact the Youth Department to register. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

Dec
7
Wed
Learn to Draw Diary Comics!
Dec 7 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Learn to Draw Diary Comics!

Join local artist Dave Wallace (incendavery.com) to learn about their process for creating diary comics, and turn your own life into a work of art! Dave will lead participants through exercises that incorporate free writing, character creation, and scripting, before helping us put it all together into a finished comic. Space is limited for this in-person event, so please contact the Youth Department to register. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

Feb
7
Tue
Virtual: “Alice’s Ordinary People” Film Talk with Craig Dudnick
Feb 7 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Virtual: "Alice's Ordinary People" Film Talk with Craig Dudnick

Join us on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88517861163?pwd=SWhMKzJDTmRQdEtnTUVGc0pFZHVkQT09

Meeting ID: 885 1786 1163
Passcode: alice

Alice’s Ordinary People is a documentary film about Alice Tregay – a woman who refused to stand still for injustice. Her remarkable story spans the historic period from the marches of Dr. King to the election of Barack Obama, and her unique contribution in the field of politics is the thread that connects the two.

This hour-long Zoom program is a presentation and discussion with independent filmmaker Craig Dudnick, who brought Alice’s story to life in the documentary. Learn more about Craig and the film at http://imaginevideo.org/

Available for check out at the Library or free through the libraries’ Kanopy streaming service: https://kanopy.com/product/alices-ordinary-people-chicago-freedom-mov

**Attendees are encouraged to watch the film before the Zoom program, but the presentation can be enjoyed whether or not you’ve seen the film.

This program is sponsored in part by Emily’s Friends of the Library.

Mar
1
Wed
Virtual: Climate Justice – Addressing the Disproportionate Impacts of Climate Change
Mar 1 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Register at tinyurl.com/ewml-climate-justice

Climate change – the number one existential threat to humanity and the planet – is often described as a scientific problem with environmental impacts, but it’s more than that. Where do social justice and climate change overlap? How does identity (race, ethnicity, gender, etc.) influence the way a person is impacted by climate change? And how can we, as concerned community members, fight climate change in a way that is just and equitable for all?

Join Nia Keith, social justice educator and climate activist, as we examine the connection between societal inequities and climate impacts. Nia will share some of the most dynamic climate justice initiatives today, led by youth and People of Color around the world. Finally, we’ll discuss ways we can all take climate action in our communities and beyond.

Closed captioning will be available. This Zoom presentation will be recorded for future viewing.

Presenter Bio: Nia Keith is a Social Justice Educator & Consultant with more than 15 years experience working in nonprofits, schools, and cultural institutions. She is also Mass Audubon’s first Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice. Dedicated to cultivating equity and justice in all environments, Nia has spent her career motivating people to address environmental, social, and economic issues. As an educator, she designs and delivers interactive lessons for all ages, to help people understand and take action to fight climate change. Nia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from The Ohio State University and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England.

This program was funded in part by Emily’s Friends of the Library.

Mar
29
Wed
Virtual: Wildflower Alliance Info Session
Mar 29 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Register at tinyurl.com/ewml-wa-info

Liz will give a brief overview of the Wildflower Alliance with a focus on local in person spaces and online supports. Q&A and conversation to follow.

The Wildflower Alliance supports healing and empowerment for our broader communities and people who have been impacted by psychiatric diagnosis, trauma, extreme states, homelessness, problems with substances and other life-interrupting challenges. Learn more about the Wildflower Alliance at wildfloweralliance.org.

Closed captioning will be available. This presentation contains slides that will be made available after the session.

Presenter Bio: Liz Mombourquette is a queer trauma survivor who grew up in Central Massachusetts and has navigated self-injury and thoughts of suicide from an early age. She brings these and other challenging life experiences to her work bridging people from psychiatric hospitals, advocating for people’s rights in restrictive settings, and pushing for system change. In addition to her work as a bridger, Liz is involved in statewide advocacy for the integrity of peer roles within the state of Massachusetts. She has offered open testimony against discriminatory legislation, facilitated statewide meetings, and worked on subcommittees dedicated to defending peer roles from co-optation. Liz is a Certified Peer Specialist and a trainer in the Wildflower Alliance’s Alternatives to Suicide, When Conversation Turns to Suicide, and Self-Injury curricula and is currently studying to be an Intentional Peer Support Trainer.

Apr
5
Wed
Virtual: Rock Your LinkedIn Profile with Alyssa Pratt
Apr 5 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Virtual: Rock Your LinkedIn Profile with Alyssa Pratt

Register at tinyurl.com/ewml-4523

Explore how to create a LinkedIn profile that brings your personal career story to life, whether you’re just starting out, seeking to advance, or making a career change. You’ll learn tips on tailoring each section, starting with the key insight that a LinkedIn profile is unique and shouldn’t be approached exactly like a resume. This session will cover ways to add media to a profile, methods for showcasing your career accomplishments and aspirations, and how to grow your thought leadership on LinkedIn.

Learning objectives

  • Profile photo best practices
  • Creating a custom LinkedIn headline
  • Updating your industry
  • Introducing yourself in the summary section
  • Adding work experience
  • Adding skills
  • Getting endorsements
  • Requesting recommendations

Alyssa Pratt is a Senior Content Manager at LinkedIn and focuses on content strategy for LinkedIn Learning. She lives in Easthampton with her husband and three boys.

Apr
18
Tue
“Women in Clothes” Discussion with Susan Berry
Apr 18 @ 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm
"Women in Clothes" Discussion with Susan Berry

Pick up a copy of the book at the Library. Please RSVP at tinyurl.com/ewml-women-clothes

Join us for an informal discussion about how women use fashion/clothing as a means of self-expression, self-care, as armor or disguise, to reinvent themselves, to transform how others see them, to communicate, or to enhance confidence and individuality. Please book-mark your favorite sections of “Women in Clothes,” and share your thoughts about your relationship with clothing, shopping, and what influences your daily ritual of getting dressed.

“Women in Clothes,” the 2014 book edited by the ­novelist-critics Sheila Heti and Heidi Julavits and the artist Leanne Shapton, is a compilation of lessons, fears and wishes. It pushes against the prevailing rules that have governed women’s self-presentation for thousands of years.

As mentioned in this 2014 New York Times article, Sheila Weiss writes, “The book began as a survey consisting of an “ever-evolving” list of questions that the editors sent out to more than 600 women… The questions are provocative and psychological. They suggest that a closet is an archive of emotion. The questions also resist the idea, commonly held, that paying too much attention to dress is frivolous… Clothing is as much a means for defiance and privacy as it is a vehicle for pleasing self-presentation.”

Susan W. Berry MS, MFA, CHC, CIC is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and Certified Personal Style, Wardrobe and Image Consultant. She resides in Easthampton, MA.

May
8
Mon
Virtual: Rock Your LinkedIn Profile with Alyssa Pratt
May 8 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Virtual: Rock Your LinkedIn Profile with Alyssa Pratt

Register at tinyurl.com/ewml-4523

Explore how to create a LinkedIn profile that brings your personal career story to life, whether you’re just starting out, seeking to advance, or making a career change. You’ll learn tips on tailoring each section, starting with the key insight that a LinkedIn profile is unique and shouldn’t be approached exactly like a resume. This session will cover ways to add media to a profile, methods for showcasing your career accomplishments and aspirations, and how to grow your thought leadership on LinkedIn.

Learning objectives

  • Profile photo best practices
  • Creating a custom LinkedIn headline
  • Updating your industry
  • Introducing yourself in the summary section
  • Adding work experience
  • Adding skills
  • Getting endorsements
  • Requesting recommendations

Alyssa Pratt is a Senior Content Manager at LinkedIn and focuses on content strategy for LinkedIn Learning. She lives in Easthampton with her husband and three boys.

Jun
7
Wed
Get Started with Libby (for library patrons) Webinar
Jun 7 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Get Started with Libby (for library patrons) Webinar

Join Libby Experts for our one-hour Getting Started with Libby webinar! This webinar will show you everything you need to know to get started with Libby or to make the switch from the OverDrive app.

Register to attend at https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-PMb12r7QCqGooan3h9bUA#/registration

From downloading the app & signing in, to searching & borrowing titles, placing holds, adjusting reading settings, and more, our Libby experts are here to get you started. The session will close with a mini-quiz and live Q&A.

Want to learn Libby, but can’t attend one of our monthly sessions live? Sessions will be recorded and emailed to everyone registered 24 hours after the webinar. Please register to receive the recording.

If you don’t have the Libby app downloaded on your device already, you can download the Libby app on most iOS and Android devices. Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play store and search for Libby. Your result should be Libby, by OverDrive, and the app is FREE! You can also use Libby in your web browser by going to libbyapp.com.

Jun
8
Thu
Sit and Write with Seth Harwood
Jun 8 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Drop-in to Sit and Write in the alcoves. Come join fellow writers to meet, say hello, and then sit for three 25-minute quiet writing sessions. This event is open to writers of all ages, genres, and levels. To be added to the email list for reminders and updates, visit tinyurl.com/epl-sitandwrite