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.
Anne Talley of the Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition will host a Parenting Club (with a Book), open to the public. You do not have to read the book in order to attend the discussion. The books under discussion will be available in limited quantity to check out at the Library, at least one month prior to the meeting.
The discussion title for January 11 will be Brainstorm, by Daniel Siegel.
The discussion title for April 26 will be Raising Humans in a Digital World by Diana Graber
If you would like to participate, please email atalley@easthamptonma.gov.
The Easthampton Council on Aging Book Club meets at the Council on Aging every other month on the third Thursday, from 2 – 3:30pm. We provide copies of each title for participants to check out. Read the book and drop-in at the ECOA for the discussion. Visit the ECOA Book Club page for a list of dates and titles, with links to each in the catalog.
Join Jim Armenti (poet) and Dave Madeloni (photographer) in support of Sun On The Muddy a book of poetry and fantastic photos published by Levellers Press of Amherst, for a short presentation, poetry reading, a few songs and conversation. Books will be available for purchase.
Jim Armenti is a poet, musician, and composer. In Sun on the Muddy he gives us fifty irresistible reflections on the people and objects that make a life. He was born in Ann Arbor, MI, the third-generation product of Italian immigrants. Jim grew up in a household of musicians, his father a classical mandolin player, one sister (of three) a guitar player, another a flute player and everyone a singer. In high school Jim started a band called H&WA, named after the school counselor’s report that Jim is “happy and well-adjusted.”
Jim performs with the legendary band, The Lonesome Brothers. He tours internationally with The Young at Heart Chorus, and he constantly writes poetry.
Dave Madeloni is a photographer, educator, and journalist. Early on, his parents strongly encouraged his curiosity and creativity. He immersed himself in the lyrics of great songwriters while capturing images of performers, protesters, and most recently, puddles. For the last forty years, he has also taught and supported young people with social/emotional disabilities, inspiring their curiosity and creativity. In Sun on the Muddy, Dave explores in photos the beauty and meaning found all around us, but not where we ordinarily look.