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  Children   |   Library Extras   |   Teens   |   Weekly Programs  

 December 2018  

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Last Chance to win an iPad  Mini (a $350 value)!
We are grateful to those of you who have already filled out the six minute survey , but we need a few more responses!
To help us reach 2000 responses, we have put off the drawing to Friday, December 7. We also invite you to attend a library customer focus group at the SoNo branch library on Tuesday,                                                              December 18 at 7:00.

Please note the library buildings will close
 at 1:00 on  December 24 and December 31.

Chris
Art Displays  display
Norwalk in Winter!

Sledding on the Golf Course, Ice-Skating on frozen ponds, decorating for the Holidays! Lights strung around homes and trees! Shoveling piles of white stuff and building snowmen! Warm and cozy indoors, relaxing by a lit fire in the fireplace, a mug of hot chocolate in hand watching Holiday movies or reading a good book. Local Buildings covered with a sprinkling of snow!




Do you have photos of Norwalk in Winter that you would like to share? Scan them and email them to Cynde Bloom Lahey , clahey@norwakpl.org at the Norwalk Public Library and they will be displayed in the ArtSpace at the Main Library and on the Library website, www.norwalkpl.org. Identify the location, describe the memory and see what happens.
 Connecticut Artist Mary Lou Bierman Displays Work 
at NPL  'Places In Pastel' on View in December

Throughout the month of December, the Norwalk Public Library will host the display 'Places In Pastel' by artist Mary Lou Bierman, in the entry lobby, located at 1 Belden Avenue, Norwalk.

The display is comprised of a selection of studies of sky, ocean, and buildings over 100 years old, from as near as the Redding Reservoir, and Norwalk Beach to as distant as the Gulf of Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay.

Connecticut born chef/artist Mary Lou Bierman is delighted to be pursuing her development as an artist after spending 17 years in the culinary arts field. She joined The Leona Frank Art Studio as a way to re-enter the art world and study both pastel and oil painting. To keep her drawing skills honed she sketched 2"x2" drawings with colored pencils while working as a chef for 17 years. She has shown her works in various galleries and art centers in Fairfield County, including Stamford Art Association, Norwalk Historical Society, Wilton Library, Earthplace and City Lights Gall
ery.

Mary Lou first began studying art as a child and continued through high school and 
 college
at SUNY 
in Purchase, NY. She also studied at Brookfield Center for the Arts, Silvermine College of Art, Women's Studio Workshop, Creative Arts Center and Connecticut Graphics Art Center. She taught art at The Montessori School in Wilton, The Wooster Community Art Center in Danbury, and through Silvermine for The Mustard Seed Program over a 15 year period.

For additional information, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203)899-2780 ext. 15133, or clahey@norwalkpl.org.

Norwalk Miniaturist Vance Alexander Displays Work at NPL
A Look at the World From a Different Perspective

Throughout the month of December, the Norwalk Public Library will host a display of miniature room constructions made by artist Vance Alexander, in the entry lobby, located at 1 Belden Avenue, Norwalk.

Alexander, who has been a collector of miniatures for most of his adult life, created projects in 1/12" scale as a student in architectural and interior design. After retiring in 2017, he made his first "just for fun" room box and hasn't stopped since. He produces most of the furniture and architectural elements by hand, using tools like X-acto knives, saws, mini files, carving tools, and dental tools for working on fine details.

As a miniaturist, Alexander is always looking for objects he can use in a setting. A diner creamercontainer becomes a lamp shade, while bottle caps and the metal tops from prosecco or champagne bottles are turned into elegant chargers. Acorn tops make wonderful bowls, and fall plants can be used as floral arrangements. It's all in your perspective, or as Alexander put it, "there is an entire world out there that can be used for miniatures. It is a matter of looking at things with an eye for the tiny."

In addition to his career in architectural and interior design, Norwalk resident Vance Alexander writes short stories. His work has appeared in national magazines, literary journals and anthologies. He is the author of Expectant Journey.

For additional information, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203)899-2780 ext. 15133, or clahey@norwalkpl.org.
December Programs & Events  events
American Job Center Career Coach 
CTworks career coach
Career Coach Schedule


General Job Search Assistance

Monday, December 3
10:00 -12:00 pm &
1:00-3:00 pm

American Job Center Southwest                                              
                                                    
Poets in Conversation Series

Join us this fall for Poets in Conversation at the Norwalk Public Library. Each evening features two poets, who will read from their work and discuss the writing life with the audience. We have an amazing line-up this fall and hope you can join us for all four events! Questions? Contact Laurel Peterson at laurelpeterson@att.net. Hope to see you there.
 
Thursday, December 6
7:00 - 8:15 pm
Main Library Reading Room
:
Jack Powers teaches special education. English and math at Joel Barlow High School in Redding, Connecticut, and directs the school's Writing Center. He looks remarkably young for someone who has taught at JBHS for over 35 years.

Mr. Powers collects degrees in low-paying fields including a BFA in Painting from Syracuse University, an MS in Special Education from Southern Connecticut State University, and an MFA in Fiction and an MFA in Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College. He won the 2015 and 2012 Connecticut River Review Poetry Contests and was a finalist for the 2013 and 2014 Rattle Poetry Prizes. His poems have appeared in The Southern Review, The Southern Poetry Review, Barrow Street, Poet Lore, Cortland Review and elsewhere. His collection,  Everybody's Vaguely Familiar, is scheduled for publication in November 2018 by Golden Antelope Press.

Michele Herman's stories, poems, essays and articles have appeared in dozens of publications including The New York Times, The Sun, Lilith and Diagram, and her first poetry chapbook, Victory
Boulevard, was published in 2018 by Finishing Line Press. She teaches at The Writers Studio, and as a developmental editor and private writing coach she has helped many writers bring their manuscripts to fruition. She won the 2018 New York Press Association Better Newspaper Award for best column, is a two-time winner of the Willis Barnstone Translation Prize for her translations of Jacques Brel songs, and was a semifinalist for the 2016 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest. One of her short stories appears in the anthology The Writers Studio at 30 (Epiphany Editions, 2017). She is also a long-time columnist for The Villager, the Greenwich Village weekly paper, and often performs her own prose and poetry in cabaret and theatrical settings around New York City. She is a Norwalk native, the mother of two grown sons, and lives with her husband in Greenwich Village.


Contact Chris Bradley, Director of Norwalk Public Library, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15126, or  cbradley@norwalkpl.org  for more information about this event.
Caffe' e Conversazione with members of 
Vini, Vitti, Dici! -
an Italian community salon dedicated to promoting Italian language and culture in an informal setting will meet on three Saturdays, December 1, 8 & 15 at 10 am in the Carnegie Room of the Norwalk Public Library on Belden Avenue.

This is not a class for beginners! Participants must be able to carry on a conversation in Italian.
The first half hour will be devoted to an informal conversation on a timely topic, the second half-hour, we will read in Italian from In Oltre Parole, by Jhumpa Lahiri and in the last half hour, we will explore new vocabulary and ways to incorporate them into our conversations.

NB: December 8 will be our annual Christmas or Festa di Natale brunch. RSVP is MANDATORY along with one item you can bring to contribute to the brunch. We will be singing Christmas Carols in Italian!

For more info: ViniVittiDici@gmail.com or
Pat Tinto, PatTinto1@gmail.com.
President & Founder.
ViniVittiDici: Wines, Food & Conversation Italian Style
AuthorSpeak  AuthorSpeak
Achievement Unlocked: Strategies to Set 
Goals and Manifest Them    

Simone Morris

Saturday, December 1
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Main Library Auditorium


Simone Morris is CEO of Simone Morris Enterprises, LLC. Her company offers diversity and inclusion consulting and training, project management training, career management coaching and speaking services. Ms. Morris previously spent two decades in corporate America. She has extensive leadership experience holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut and has achieved the Associate Certified Coach credential from the International Coaching Federation, as well as the certified Project Management Professional distinction from the Project Management Institute.

This program is free and open to the public and a  light lunch will be served.

For more information please contact  Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899 - 2780 ext. 15133, or   clahey@norwalkpl.org.

Tilda's Promise
Jean P. Moore

Monday, December 10
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Main Library Auditorium


Amidst all the characters in this moving novel of loss, love, and renewal, the two who grieve hardest have the most to discover. Tilda Carr has lost the love of her life,her husband, Harold, after forty years of marriage, while her granddaughter and namesake, Tilly, has lost her grandfather and best friend. Together they will embark on a journey of discovery in this intergenerational story of friends, family, and lovers and learn that there is always hope for new beginnings.


Jean P. Moore was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Miami, Florida. She began her professional career as a high school and college English teacher. She later worked in telecommunications as executive director of workforce development, a position she held for a number of years. Jean has since returned to her first loves: the study of literature and writing. Her novel Water on the Moon was published in June 2014 and won the 2015 Independent Publisher Book Award for contemporary fiction. 

Her work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, and literary journals such as upstreet, SN Review, The Timberline Review, Angels Flight Literary West, Fiction Southeast, Slow Trains, Book Trib, Women Writers, the Hartford Courant, Greenwich Time, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. A memoir piece, Finding Charles, appears in Persimmon Tree. Several of her anthologized poems can be read in Women's Voices of the 21st Century (2014). Her poetry chapbook, Time's Tyranny, was published in the fall of 2017 by Finishing Line Press and was nominated for a Massachusetts Book Award, 2018.

This program is free and open to the public and a  light lunch will be served.

For more information please contact  Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899 - 2780 ext. 15133, or  clahey@norwalkpl.org.
Sunday Best
Ann Lineberger

Friday, December 14
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Main Library Auditorium


What happens when journalists go undercover to investigate a sex club linked to the murder of their employer, and they discover that one of their mothers may have ties to it? Sunday Best, an engaging comic mystery by Ann Lineberger, explores the lengths people will go to indulge their fantasies while preserving their secrets. When publishing mogul Walter Bloom is grotesquely murdered in the postcard-perfect Connecticut town of Longshore, his brother and business partner, Charles, is determined to discover who is responsible.

Ann Lineberger is the author of The Adjustments (Full Fathom Five Digital, 2016) and New Spaces, Old World Charm (McGraw-Hill, 2004). Ann has worked as a reporter, editor, and writer for numerous publications, including Fortune, Entertainment Weekly, Cottages & Gardens, and Home Remodeling.

This program is free and open to the public and a  light lunch will be served.

For more information please contact  Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899 - 2780 ext. 15133, or   clahey@norwalkpl.org.
The Crate

Deborah Vadas Leviso n

Monday, December 17
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Main Library Auditorium

Register

Journalist Deborah V. Levison will speak about The Crate: A Story of War, a Murder, and Justice (2018), which tells the extraordinary account of her parents' ordeals, both in one of the darkest times in world history and their present-day lives. An insightful examination of man's seemingly limitless capacity for evil...but also, his capacity for good.

After surviving the horrors of the Holocaust - in ghettos, on death marches, and in concentration
camps - a young couple seeks refuge in North America. They settle into a new life, certain that
the terrors of their past are behind them. They build themselves a cozy little cottage on a lake in
Muskoka, a cottage that becomes emblematic of their victory over the Nazis. The charming
retreat is a safe haven, a refuge from haunted memories.

That is, until a single act of unspeakable violence defiles their sanctuary. Poking around the dark
crawl space beneath their cottage, they discover a wooden crate, nailed tightly shut and almost
hidden from view. Nothing could have prepared them for the horror of the crate's contents - or
how the peace and tranquility of their lives would be shattered.

This program is free and open to the public and a  light lunch will be served.

For more information please contact  Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899 - 2780 ext. 15133, or   clahey@norwalkpl.org.
Imagine That! Igniting Your Brain for Creativity
and Peak  Performance
James Mapes

Wednesday, December 19
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Main Library Auditorium


James Mapes will speak about his new book Imagine That! Igniting Your Brain for Creativity and Peak Performance, the first video, web-enhanced volume of its kind, which looks at hot-button topics like reframing thought patterns, shattering limiting myths, breaking through fear, and managing stress, love and forgiveness.

In his provocative and engaging new book, Imagine That!, James Mapes shares the knowledge and experience he has gained in his thirty-plus years as a researcher, speaker, and personal coach. Well-written, engaging, and very accessible, Imagine That! is a guidebook that shows readers how to lead an exceptional life. Enhanced by exercises, in-depth research, real-life anecdotes, and URLs for relevant videos, Mapes dives deep into topics as diverse as reframing thinking patterns, shattering a series of limiting myths, hypnosis, stretch goals, transforming fear into love, and forgiveness.

About James Mapes:

An extraordinary speaker for the complexity and uncertainty of 2018, James Mapes defies categorization. When philanthropist/Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen quizzed Mapes as to how one person could do so much during his life, James' answer was simple: "Because no one told me I couldn't."

A true Renaissance man: speaker, coach, philosopher, clinical hypnotist, actor, award-winning performer and best-selling author. He delivers a message of unlimited possibilities, passion, love, fun and adventure. Mapes is a living example of the creativity of the human mind at work and his mission is to educate and entertain. James is considered the world's foremost authority on applied imagination. His interactive, lively and challenging programs include creativity, motivation, leadership, change, wellness and peak performance.

As creator of Quantum Leap Thinking™ and the Transformational Coach™, James Mapes is one of the most sought-after speakers in the corporate industry today. He has worked with hundreds of public and private companies in more than 70 countries.
 
This program is free and open to the public and a  light lunch will be served.

For more information please contact  Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899 - 2780 ext. 15133, or   clahey@norwalkpl.org.
Business Workshops  business
A free SCORE Small Business Workshop co-sponsored by The Norwalk Public Library

Buying a Winning Franchise  

Wednesday, December 5
6:00 - 8:00 pm (check in starts at 5:30)
Main Library Auditorium


You will gain an overview of the franchise process from a franchise consultant, an attorney and from some successful local franchisees who will discuss their own experiences in setting up a franchise.
  • Franchising 101-what's it all about?Is franchising right for you?
  • How to research franchises and understand their legal issues
  • What will it take to get financing?
  • How do you find and work with franchise brokers, attorneys and advisers?
  • Real life experiences from franchisees
     
Presenter: Michael L Rosen
Michael L Rosen is a franchise consultant and owner of FranNet of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Locally based in West Simsbury, CT where he has resided for 20 years, Michael holds a Masters in Business Administration from Boston University. He has over 30 years experience in the insurance industry, including over 20 years in senior executive roles for startup and developing companies.



For further information, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780, ext. 15133 or   clahey@norwalkpl.org.
Book Discussion bd
Readers' Choice Book Group

The Lady in Gold
Anne-Marie O'Connor

Wednesday, December 12
2:00 pm
Norwalk Senior Center
11 Allen Rd. Norwalk, Ct


Norwalk Library's Director of Library Information Services, Cynde Bloom Lahey, will lead a discussion on Lady in Gold by Anne-Marie O'Connor.

The true story that inspired the movie  Woman in Gold starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds.

Contributor to the Washington Post Anne-Marie O'Connor brilliantly regales us with the galvanizing
story of Gustav Klimt's 1907 masterpiece-the breathtaking portrait of a Viennese Jewish socialite, Adele Bloch-Bauer. The celebrated painting, stolen by Nazis during World War II, subsequently
became the subject of a decade-long dispute between her heirs and the Austrian government. When the U.S. Supreme Court became involved in the case, its decision had profound ramifications in the art world. Expertly researched, masterfully told, The Lady in Gold is at once a stunning depiction of fin-de siècle Vienna, a riveting tale of Nazi war crimes, and a fascinating glimpse into the
high-stakes workings of the contemporary art world.

One of the Best Books of the Year: The Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor. Winner of the Marfield National Award for Arts Writing. Winner of a California Book Award.

Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or  clahey@norwalkpl.org.

Weekly Programs  Weekly

Zumba with Karen

Children & Parents - Mondays
 5:00 - 5:45 pm
Adults & Teens - Mondays
6:00 - 7:00 pm

               Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance


Tuesdays
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Auditorium
Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance is an evidence-based fall prevention program that transforms traditional martial arts movements into a therapeutic regimen aimed at improving postural stability, awareness and mindful control of body positioning in space, functional walking, movement symmetry and coordination, range of motion around the ankle and hip joints, and lower-extremity muscle strength

Low Impact Aerobics with Linda

Tuesdays & Thursdays
  1:30 - 2:30 pm
 Teen Room

Linda Lombardo is known to local residents for her work as a Silver Sneakers instructor, Linda has been a Business Education teacher with the New Canaan, Norwalk, Fairfield, Greenwich and Stamford Public School Systems for over 20 years. She is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a health fitness instructor, personal trainer and nutrition counselor. Stop by on Tuesday or Thursday to welcome Linda and try out a new version of Low Impact Aerobics.

QiGong by Bill Wrenn

Wednesdays
5:00 - 6:00 pm
Main Floor Reference Area

For additional information, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext 15133 or clahey@norwalkpl.org
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News from the Norwalk History Room


The 5th Anniversary of the Norwalk History Room at the Norwalk Public Library was held on Sunday, September 23 with a lovely "High Tea" catered by Nijole Potts, The Blue Teapot.

State and City Proclamations congratulated the Library which and was followed by an introduction of members of the Museum Restructuring Committee who had the foresight to re-locate the archival material to the Library and create the Norwalk History Room. History Room Staff and Volunteers were introduced and the new Norwalk Hour Historical Newspaper Archive which was digitized by NewsBank, Inc., and is a permanent asset for the Norwalk community, connecting the past to the future was launched. Authors and researchers of local history recounted their studies that resulted in success in the History Room and attendees were invited to explore and research their ancestors.

Norwalk Historian Ralph Bloom was honored for his service to the Library and entire Norwalk Community.

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Jonathan Ketchum and the Loyalists story continues...

Jonathan Ketchum, his family, and many others left Norwalk with the British Army after the burning of the town. It must be noted that the property of the Loyalists were not spared by the British. Ketchum lost most of his possessions. It has been suggested some of the Loyalists may have aided the British fleet while navigating the shoreline of Connecticut, but this was not the case with Ketchum. New York City and part of Long Island were occupied by the British during the war (In fact the British remained in NYC for two years after the war). Once leaving CT, the British Navy with its Loyalist passengers sailed to the Huntington Bay area, directly across from Norwalk This migration was not easy. Ketchum received a very small compensation from the British on which to live. He and his family were moved into a house that formerly belonged to a Patriot, and had to work the farm land in order to survive. Jonathan Ketchum and most of his family now had to start again and build a life in a new place. In this new life, it does seem Ketchum's sons served in the British army at some point.

In the spring of 1783 (after the surrender), Jonathan Ketchum, his family and many other Loyalists
were once again up routed. They sailed on the Hope to River Saint John, Canada. The community
in which Ketchum lived on Long Island remained together in Canada. Ketchum wrote he was not
returning to Norwalk, even though the war was over because of the confiscation of his lands, and
the fact that he knew he would be unwelcomed. He was again given some land, but once again,
did not receive from the British government the full amount of his losses. Unfortunately, this land
he was given was not suitable for farming. Ketchum then moved to Springfield Parish. Here, his life begins to take a turn for the better. He became active in his community as he had been in his native home town. He became the judge of the Court of Pleas and a Justice of the Peace. Two of his sons were also magistrates. He was once again a well-respected member of his community which managed to prosper in spite of the hardships endured by the Ketchum family. The town of Norwalk, lost a valuable citizen during this turbulent time in our history. According to Dr. Leah Grandy,
Jonathan Ketchum's descendants followed in his footsteps as active contributors to their community.
If you would like more information on the Loyalists in the Revolutionary War, here are some resources
that may be found in the library:

The loyalists; the story of those Americans who fought against independence,
By Chidsey, Donald Barr

Tories : fighting for the king in America's first civil war
By Allen, Thomas B.

A good online resource are the papers of the Rev. Jeremiah Leaming, a former resident of Norwalk.
The Reverend was also a Loyalist who fled to NYC. While there, he assisted other Loyalists in obtaining compensation from the British government. Rev. Leaming eventually moved back to CT (although not to Norwalk) and continued as a minister.

LETTERS OF THE REVEREND DOCTOR JEREMIAH LEAMING TO THE REVEREND DOCTOR
SAMUEL PETERS, LOYALIST REFUGEE IN LONDON, AND ONE TIME BISHOP ELECT OF VERMONT
https://archive.org/details/historicalmagazi1219aust/page/116
https://archive.org/details/historicalmagazi1219aust/page/n191

Come to the Norwalk History Room to see what we have available on a chapter of American History that has a direct connection with our City.
Norwalk History Room Online Database


Our first online records are postcards of Norwalk scenes, most dating from the beginning of the 20th century. We will follow these with regular additions from our collection of thousands of documents and photographs. Search by keyword or use the advanced search feature.  The postcards can also be viewed randomly. 

The Norwalk History Room and archive combines the library's former Local History Collection with the archival collections of the former Norwalk Museum. The lower level of the main library building at 1 Belden Avenue houses this large array of published and unpublished books and papers, photographs and maps, and more, covering over 300 years of Norwalk history.

The mission of the Norwalk Public Library History Room is to preserve the archival materials, including manuscripts, photographs, maps, newspapers, and books, which illustrate the history of Norwalk, Connecticut. This History Room online database will further our goal of promoting knowledge and appreciation of the long history and rich cultural heritage of the Town of Norwalk. 
Burbio.com - Norwalk Calendars

We are excited to announce a great new service that will allow you to easily keep track of everything going on at the library and all over Norwalk. Introducing Burbio.com a free website and app that puts ALL Norwalk schools, library and many other community calendars and events in one place. With Burbio, you can select calendars to follow, create a personalized event feed, sync local events to your Google or iPhone calendars instantly and get notified when things change! 

Sign up for free at:   www.Burbio.com or download the  iPhone App and follow our calendar!


NPL has partnered with drivers-test.org to bring you the current CT DMV driver's practice tests for free! Included are car, motorcycle, CDL practice test, and the driver's manuals for each test. Also included are accessibility tools    that let users hear selections read aloud, make them into MP3s, translate pages into other languages, magnify text, and mask portions of the screen for greater visibility on the practice tests.  

This driver education program contains the following CT-specific information:
- 11 car practice tests
- 9 motorcycle practice tests
- 12 CDL (commercial driver's license) practice tests
- 3 online driver's manuals (car, motorcycle, CDL)
- A FAQ section with detailed answers to over 100 DMV-related questions
Social Security @ NPL


The Social Security Administration offers their Video Service Delivery program at the Norwalk Public Library.

This service is available every Friday  between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon in a small study room on the first floor of the Main Library.  

People needing to speak with a Social Security employee will be able to do so.  Video conferencing equipment has been set up so people can speak face to face with the Social Security employee.  No appointment is necessary.  This service was made available as a result of the closing of the Social Security office in Norwalk a few years ago.

For more information call the reference desk at 203-899-2780 ext. 15109
Norwalk Public Library | 203.899.2780 | 1 Belden Ave. Norwalk , CT