Calendar

Register at tinyurl.com/ewml-authortalk-518

If you liked Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver or The Overstory, by Richard Powers…

Caroline Ailanthus’ novel, Ecological Memory, is set twenty years after a catastrophic global pandemic. It is part scientific detective story, part post-apocalyptic travelogue. It is NOT a dystopia—although the author uses catastrophe as a starting point, her vision for the future is quite optimistic. The story explores how the characters, society, and the planet find ways to heal. It’s a book about what happens AFTER you lose everything. Caroline wrote the book well before our real pandemic, but now finds her story has become unexpectedly timely.

Caroline will briefly talk about the book’s plot, main characters, and other relevant points, then will read several excerpts and use them as starting points to discuss two themes:

1) creating a fictional pandemic vs. living in a real one

2) looking to the science of ecology as a source of perspective and hope in the face of loss

She’ll end with a question-and-answer period, and may read additional excerpts as part of the discussion.

Author Bio:
Caroline Ailanthus is primarily a science writer; even her fiction blends science and story. She is also the author of the Climate in Emergency blog. Ecological Memory is her second published novel. She grew up in Delaware and attended various small, odd schools, mostly in New England, earning BA in Environmental Leadership and an MS in Environmental Studies. She lives in Maryland with her husband and assorted animals.

Jennifer will talk about what led her to co-author The #ActuallyAutistic Guide to Advocacy: Step-by-Step Advice on How to Ally and Speak Up with Autistic People and the Autism Community. She’ll go on to discuss general advocacy, then focus on family, work and educational topics. Q&A to follow.

This talk is in-person. Masks are required.

Please RSVP to slevine@ewmlibrary.org with the event name and number of attendees.

The #ActuallyAutistic Guide takes an in-depth look at the key elements of effective, respectful, inclusive advocacy and allyship. Every topic was chosen, shaped, and informed by #ActuallyAutistic perspectives. She and Jenna are currently writing, and collecting surveys for, their second collaboration, The #ActuallyAutistic Guide to Teen and Young Adult Advocacy and Activism: Step-by-Step Advice for Autistic Youth and Those Who Care About Them.

Author Bio:
Jennifer Brunton, Ph.D. is the co-author, with Jenna Gensic, M.A., of The #ActuallyAutistic Guide to Advocacy: Step-by-Step Advice on How to Ally and Speak Up with Autistic People and the Autism Community. A neurodivergent parent of an Autistic son and a neurotypical daughter, Jennifer is passionate about making the world a better place for people who think, learn, and experience life in unique ways. Her parenting blog, Full Spectrum Mama, has been advancing civil rights for all—with a focus on neurodiversity and intersectionality—for more than 10 years.

Music and stories, outside on the Lawn! Bring a blanket or comfy chair and enjoy!!

Longtime New England singer/songwriter Matt York will perform the songs of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings and tell stories of their careers. The four songwriting legends joined forces in the 1980’s to form the country supergroup The Highwaymen. However, prior to that, they’d each established themselves as stars and their careers intersected many times since the 1960’s.

York has twice been nominated as Best Male Artist by the New England Music Awards and his latest release was named one of the Boston Globe’s best albums of 2019.

Learn more about Matt and the program at https://mattyorksongsandstories.com/

Registration is required. In-person with a max of 15 participants. Click here to register.

Do you have a sense of adventure, a desire to experience new vistas, a keen eye for detail and a storyteller’s flair? These are a few of the elements of the travel writer’s toolkit that Laurie will discuss in this travel writing workshop. You’ll practice in-class writing exercises to awaken the imagination and help guide your interest in writing about the places you’ve traveled or want to travel. You’ll walk away with some ideas to begin, methods to engage your reader, and stimulate your own sense of wonder! This is also a class for those who don’t travel but would like to armchair travel and write about what places intrigue them.

Facilitator Bio:
Laurie McMillan has an MFA in fiction and has led writing workshops for 21 years in all genres. She was the co-founder of the Pittsburgh Memoir Workshop, and several workshop series in venues as diverse as art museums, outpatient clinics, and at the VA. She believes that creativity and community in a safe and supportive environment can help writers do their best work. She is published in several magazines including American Journal of Nursing and the Healing Muse.

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

This in-person session is for teens only. Registration is required. Click here to register.

Life is tough, but you’re not in it alone. Hear from local author Maeve Ronan (It’s the Depression for Me) as she shares her personal story and provides practical tips for dealing with depression and anxiety.

This workshop will leave you feeling inspired and empowered with strategies to believe in yourself and in your future. If you’re ready to move beyond the negative thoughts in your head and start genuinely living life again, this workshop is definitely for you.

Families are invited to share summer stories, songs, rhymes, and music in a fun interactive program that builds early literacy skills. This program is designed for children birth to 5 years old, accompanied by a favorite adult.  Together we will enjoy making our own pinwheels to try and to take home. Registration required, limited supplies.

Learn how to play this fun and easy instrument! No experience necessary. Bring your own ukulele or borrow one of Julie’s. After a short lesson, you’ll be able to play songs and we’ll play a few campfire classics. Recommended for families of all ages.  Registration required

This session is for teens and adults. Registration is required. In-person with a max of 24 participants. Click here to register.

Julie will be teaching campfire songs on the ukulele! No experience necessary. She’ll teach participants how to hold, strum, fret and read chord diagrams – everything one needs to know in order to play the ukulele. Bring your own ukulele or use one of Julie’s.

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

Crimson Canary is BACK and playing a lovely evening concert for us on the Library lawn. They will be performing classic vocals from the 40s, 50s and 60s in several languages. Bring a blanket or chair, relax, and let the music move you! (Rain date Friday, August 5th, 6-7pm)

Crimson Canary consists of guitarist/vocalist David Chu and vocalist Lonnie Chu, known for their vintage music sung in various languages. They also perform and educate about flamenco music.

David Chu began his music career as a teen playing piano and percussion, but soon switched to guitar. An accomplished soloist, he provides accompaniment and is the group’s arranger and composer. He delights audiences with the variety of genres he plays on either guitar, including flamenco, jazz, blues, Brazilian, and even Beatles.

Lonnie Chu, manager and singer, has also played folk guitar and bluegrass mandolin and enjoys singing in various languages and genres. A retired professor of Spanish, she delights in teaching audiences how to participate in flamenco’s rhythmic hand-clapping (palmas).

Read more about Crimson Canary on their website at crimsoncanary.com

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

Join us as we welcome author Tim Spofford for a conversation about his new book What The Children Told Us. Tim will discuss the lives and work of Drs. Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark, including Clark/Phipps genealogy (guided by vintage family photos), the Doctors’ famous Doll Test, and their roles as Black activists, humanitarians and intellectualists in Springfield, MA and nationally.

This event is drop-in and masks will be required.

Author Bio:
Tim Spofford’s writing career was inspired by the May 1970 slayings on the Kent and Jackson State campuses amid antiwar unrest. He wrote Lynch Street, the only book about the black students slain in Mississippi. A writing career focused on racial issues in education followed the completion of his first book.

For seven years, Spofford covered educational policymaking for the Albany Times Union, including at the NYS Education Department, the NYS Legislature and the 64-campus State University of New York system. He often interviewed Kenneth Clark, a policymaker on the NYS Board of Regents.

Spofford has taught writing and journalism in schools and colleges and has a Doctor of Arts in English degree from the State University at Albany. He’s published articles in the New York Times, Newsday, Mother Jones, Columbia Journalism Review and other publications. He also worked as a copy editor, most recently at the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, where he coached young editors. Spofford is an avid but unaccomplished hiker, swimmer and landscaper. He lives with his wife, Barbara, in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Lee, Massachusetts.