Sep
25
Wed
Critical: Food Insecurity in Western MA
Sep 25 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

This new series, geared toward teens but open to all, will tackle important issues facing our local community and beyond.

Did you know that, at the Easthampton Community Center alone, over 1400 families facing food insecurity are served each month, with over 8000 pounds of food distributed every week? So often the struggles these families face remain invisible to most, and it’s critical that we shed light on this issue.

Join us in welcoming a panel of food-access-experts to the Library, who will share their perspectives on this important topic. Please consider bringing your own questions, comments, or stories to share as well.

“Critical” is brought to you with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Oct
3
Thu
Special Family Story Time with Dan Carey!!
Oct 3 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Join us for Family Story Time with our Representative Dan Carey as our Special Guest and Reader. We will have stories, songs, and a craft (snacks too!). ages 3+

 

Oct
17
Thu
Sunny-Our Bright Spot Reading Buddy!
Oct 17 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Sunny and her human, Gail, will be ready to listen to stories at 3:30-4:30 in the youth department. We have 10 minute spots available to register to have a turn with Sunny. Call or stop by to register!

Oct
24
Thu
Service-Dog Stories with Nicole & Hera!
Oct 24 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Join us on this 1/2 day to meet Nicole and her service dog, Hera. Nicole will present a story time about assistance dogs, Hera will exhibit the many ways in which animals can help a person live independently.

Oct
26
Sat
2nd Annual Harvest Celebration!
Oct 26 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Join us for a repeat of last year’s event! Paint a pumpkin, create a graham cracker haunted house, and more! Ages 3+

Oct
30
Wed
Meat for Tea Author Reading with Andrew Varnon
Oct 30 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Join us for this special event — A Meat for Tea author reading with Andrew Varnon! Andrew will read his essay “The Other Side of the Net”. This event is drop-in. 

In “The Other Side of the Net,” writer Andrew Varnon imagines playing tennis with the ghost of David Foster Wallace, the author of the monumental novel Infinite Jest. Wallace committed suicide in 2008, but has a devoted following of readers and fans. In his essay, Varnon describes how he came to read Wallace’s novel Infinite Jest through his interest in tennis. The novel is partially set at the fictional Enfield Tennis Academy in Massachusetts. In the tennis community, Wallace is also known for his essay on tennis icon Roger Federer, “Both Flesh and Not,” and is widely credited with the appellation for tennis as “chess on the run.” In his essay, Varnon engages Wallace’s writing style – complete with end notes – and explores the idea of how the activity of reading and writing is, in fact, like playing tennis.

Writer and teacher Andrew Varnon lives in Greenfield with his wife and family. He is the boys tennis coach at Greenfield High School and an active recreational tennis player. He is also a journalist and an award-winning poet. “The Other Side of the Net” was originally published online at The Smart Set (www.thesmartset.com/the-other-side-of-the-net/) and was republished locally in Meat for Tea. Varnon presented a portion of his essay to the David Foster Wallace Conference in Normal, Illinois, this June.

Nov
6
Wed
Comics and Chronic Illness with Grace Desmarais
Nov 6 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Author and artist Grace Desmarais is back! Grace will give background on her medical experience and then discuss her comic Spoons: a dairy on chronic illness, Tubes: diaries from the hospital and her up-coming book Healing Year. She will then hold a Q&A. At the end, attendees will have an opportunity to buy her mini comics and have them signed.

Artist Bio: 
Grace Desmarais is a French-Canadian illustrator and cartoonist. She currently lives in Eastern Massachusetts and spends most of her time drawing.

Grace Desmarais primarily self-publishes auto-bio comic while also being involved in a variety of anthologies. Most of Grace’s work is rooted in subjects like art history, dis/ability and personal experience. Her long-term goal is to be a published author/illustrator with a committed comics publisher.

When Grace isn’t drawing she can be found playing Dungeons and Dragons or enjoying a craft beer.
Nov
9
Sat
Intro to Robotics!
Nov 9 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Learn about robots and how they are made and what robots do in the world today.  You’ll find out about self-driving cars and the build your own car with Digital Designer instructions and EV3 robotics kits.

You will learn to program your car to drive through the streets on a challenge mat. Then add code to use the color sensor so the car can drive itself.

7+ Pre-registration is required.

Nov
16
Sat
Winter Hibernation-Hands on Nature!
Nov 16 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am

How do your favorite animals spend the winter? Come find out, as we learn about
how animals look for shelter during the coldest months of the year. We will learn about hibernation, how
animals spend the winter, and the amazing adaptations animals have for surviving through the harshest
temperatures in New England. Bring a small stuffed animal and create a cozy little hibernation den to
take home!

Nov
20
Wed
Curly Soap Making!
Nov 20 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Curly Rainbow Soap!! A 60 minute workshop. Each participant will make their own fun and quirky swirl soap using a glycerin based soap, colorful soap curls, cosmetic glitter and a variety of scents. We will discuss the process of making cold process soap, blending of essential oils and the role of exfoliants in soap making. There is no lye exposure since does not involve traditional soap making techniques. Ages 12+