Jul
7
Thu
Summer S’Mores in a Mug!
Jul 7 @ 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm

Summer Mug Magic is here! Join Moira virtually to create an incredibly delicious s’mores mug cake in our kitchen Campfire (microwave). We will use very easy pantry ingredients for a quick campfire snack treat! Contact youthdept@ewmlibrary.org to register and receive the recipe with link for program. Ages 5+ (with adult supervision).

Jul
13
Wed
A Travel Writer’s Toolkit with Laurie McMillan
Jul 13 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

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.

Jul
20
Wed
Power Up: Summer Hiking Energy Bars!
Jul 20 @ 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm

Virtual cooking class! Get ready to power through your next adventure with your own homemade bars. We will use simple and tasty ingredients from your pantry to create our own unique energy bars! Recipes will be available to prepare for this hands-on class. Registration required to receive class link. Adult supervision is required. Ages 5+

Jul
22
Fri
“Fireside” Family Stories and Songs!
Jul 22 @ 10:30 am – 11:15 am

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.

Jul
27
Wed
Learn to Play Campfire Songs on the Ukulele with Julie!
Jul 27 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

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

Learn the Ukulele with Julie Stepanek!
Jul 27 @ 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

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.

Aug
3
Wed
Crimson Canary Concert on the Lawn!
Aug 3 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Crimson Canary Concert on the Lawn!

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.

Aug
23
Tue
“Know Your Sheriff” with the ACLU
Aug 23 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

An educational presentation from the ACLU of Massachusetts, in partnership with Decarcerate Western Mass. Learn more about the roles that MA Sheriff’s play and what decision-making powers the job holds. This program does not endorse any candidate and is presented for educational purposes only. Representatives from the ACLU will share the presentation and answer questions from attendees. Please register to receive a Zoom link to the program.

From the ACLU:

Sheriffs have the power to make our communities safer and more just for all—but most Massachusetts voters don’t even know who their sheriff is.
It’s time to change that. It’s time to Know Your Sheriff. 

Know Your Sheriff is a public education campaign by the ACLU of Massachusetts to build voter awareness about the life-changing decisions that sheriffs make. Polling shows that many voters are not familiar with sheriffs—but when they learn more, they are more likely cast a ballot for sheriff in the next election.  Knowing your sheriff means knowing that YOU have the power to demand safer communities and a more just criminal legal system.

 

Sep
26
Mon
Climate Change 101: What You Need To Know
Sep 26 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

The first in a virtual 3 part series, Saving Us! – Working Toward Climate Resilience (Part 2 on 10/3 and Part 3 on 10/17). Please register in advance, choosing the dates you would like to attend: https://tinyurl.com/cpw-saving-us

Presenter: Carsten Braun, PhD, Professor of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability Department at Westfield State University, Westfield, MA

Climate change does not have to be complicated or intimidating. In this presentation you will review the science of climate change, discuss the impacts of climate change, and then explore the practical solutions to climate change that are available right here, right now. Suitable for adults and older teens.

This series is hosted by the Emily Williston Memorial Library, a member of the Pioneer Valley Library Collaborative, in partnership with Voices for Climate. This program is funded in part by Emily’s Friends of the Library.

Oct
3
Mon
What Will Drive Our Climate Future?
Oct 3 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

The second in a virtual 3 part series, Saving Us! – Working Toward Climate Resilience (Part 3 on 10/17). Please register in advance, choosing the dates you would like to attend: https://tinyurl.com/cpw-saving-us

Presenter: Dr. Gary Yohe, PhD, Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies at Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT; Senior member, U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

This session will open a conversation about the limitations of what we know and don’t know about climate change, and how we can still make proactive decisions to “abate” or “adapt”. We will make it clear, though, that the third option will always be to “suffer” the consequences of inaction. Therefore, the emphasis of the discussion will be on organizing our thoughts about how to respond to the climate system and humanity. Ample time will be available for discussion and Q & A.

This series is hosted by the Emily Williston Memorial Library, a member of the Pioneer Valley Library Collaborative, in partnership with Voices for Climate. This program is funded in part by Emily’s Friends of the Library.