Weekly Updates
Sept. 15 - 20, 2020
Concord Festival of Authors
Now in its 28th year, the Concord Festival of Authors goes LIVE online to celebrate the written and spoken word with a global audience. The Festival will take place from October 16 to October 31, 2020. Registration for each event begins in mid-September. For more information, please visit concordfestivalofauthors.org.
Climate Preparedness Week: September 23 - 30
Concord recognizes September 23-30, 2020 as Climate Preparedness Week.

Concord has committed to taking action on climate by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050 and preparing to be resilient to the changes to our climate that we are already experiencing, including extreme heat, extreme precipitation, intense storms, and increased flooding.

For the second year, the Concord Free Public Library and the Sustainability Division are collaborating to participate in Climate Preparedness Week, a nationwide initiative organized by CREW (Communities Responding to Extreme Weather). We invite and encourage all residents to join us in recognizing the Climate Preparedness Week by participating in events hosted by the Concord Free Public Library.
Community Idea Session - Sustainability and Climate Action for the Concord Free Public Library  
Friday, September 25, 12:00 p.m. (Zoom Meeting) [Register for Zoom LInk]
Wednesday, September 30, 7:00 p.m. (Zoom Meeting) [Register for Zoom Link]
Join us for a one-hour online community input session about the Library Corporation's sustainability planning work. Learn about the sustainability baselining that the sustainability committee has done and share your ideas for a sustainable Concord Free Public Library.
Film Discussion - Call of the Forest
Tuesday, September 29, 7:00 p.m. (on Zoom)
Join us for a discussion of the film Call of the Forest. Take a walk in the woods with beloved Irish-Canadian scientist and author Diana Beresford-Kroeger as she reveals our profound human connection to the ancient and sacred northern forests and the essential role that they play in sustaining the health of our planet. Screen the film in advance between 9/23 and 9/29. [Register here for Screening]
See here for a complete listing of the events scheduled for the week.

For a complete listing of events hosted by CREW partners, please click here.
Virtual Adult Events
Book A Mystery Book Discussion
Wednesday, September 16, 2:00 p.m.
Please join us for this month's Book a Mystery Book Group via Zoom. We will discuss After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman. The ebook of the title is available to download on Hoopla. We also have some print copies at the Fowler Branch that will be available via curbside pickup. [Register for Zoom Link]
Thursday Morning Meditation Series on Zoom
September 17 & 24, 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Join Be Well Be Here for a 30-minute morning meditation practice with the Concord Free Public Library, and start your day with a moment of ease. Discover mindful tools that center the body, settle the mind, and open the door to well-being. [Register for September 17] 
Genealogy Research for Beginners - A Six-Week Series
Thursdays, September 17 - October 29, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Join educator, lecturer and genealogy researcher Linda MacIver for a 6-week genealogy series via Zoom. There will be no class on September 24. The series will include an introduction to researching your family tree, using the Library's resources, and finding your immigrant ancestors. Registration is required. Please note - Commitment to attending the first two classes is mandatory. [Register for the Series]
Children's & Teen Events
Henry Builds a Cabin StoryWalk
Everyday, Main Library Front Lawn
All ages
The Children's Department has recently updated the StoryWalk display on the Main Library front lawn. Please bring your children, grand-children and family to walk and read the enlarged book pages from Henry Builds a Cabin by Donald B. Johnson. The StoryWalk display is along the brick walkway outside the Main Street entrance.
Story Time with Royce on Zoom
Wednesdays @ 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
All ages
Missing storytime at the Library? Join us on Zoom for some short stories, songs, & rhymes. This is a great way to build early literacy skills. Children of all ages are welcome. Register to receive the Zoom link. [Sign up for September 16]
Read to Luna the Dog on Zoom
Every Thursday @ 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Ages 5 and up
Did you know that reading to dogs boosts reading skills & emotional & social skills for children? Join us for a "Read around the Zoom" group reading experience. Using Zoom meeting platform, we will all take turns reading aloud to Luna and to each other. Luna is taking a much deserved vacation this week. She will be back next week! [Sign up for September 17]
Sing-along with Ed Morgan
"The Music Man" returns! Join us on Zoom for an interactive sing-along with Ed Morgan, "The Music Man". Learn fun ways to connect with your family through music. This family-friendly performance will have everyone up and moving, dancing and singing. Generously sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. [Sign up for September 25]
Virtual Writing Studio 
Saturday, September 26, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
The Virtual Writing Studio is back! And this time, we are open to individuals grades 3 - 8. Bring your brothers, your sisters, your little cousins or older siblings. No writing experience required.
The classes are led by resident poet and our Children's Department Assistant Cary Stough. Join us the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month for brain-storming, story-telling, genre-busting, and totally kid-oriented WRITING. [Register for Zoom Link]
Unable to browse the children's books in the Library? Our Children's Department has launched a new service called Book Bundles with pre-selected groups of children’s books on popular topics, such as Pirates, Princesses and Caldecott winners. You can see all the choices and submit an electronic request by visiting Book Bundles.
Congratulations to all the 500+ kids and teens who have participated in our Summer Learning Program. All participants are encouraged to stop by the Main Library and pick up a "mystery" book as a special reward for their reading efforts. The books are wrapped and sorted by age level and are available for pickup outside the Sudbury Road entrance. Pickup hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:45 p.m. 
Poetry at the Library Series Goes Online
On Sunday, October 4, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m., Black poets Tommye Blount and Nathan McClain will launch the Poetry at the Library Series on Zoom with readings from their powerful, long anticipated debut collections.

During the Q and A, they will talk about their practice and the influences on their writing lives. Blount, author of Fantasia for a Man in Blue, is a Cave Canem alumnus, a recipient of a fellowship from Kresge Arts in Detroit and the John Atherton scholarship from Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and a graduate from Warren Wilson College. He has been featured in Magma, New England Review, Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day, Ecotone, Ninth Letter, Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. Born and raised in Detroit, he now lives in Novi, Michigan.

McClain, author of Scale, is a recipient of fellowships from Sewanee Writers' Conference, The Frost Place, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson. His poems and prose have recently appeared or are forthcoming in Poetry Northwest, Green Mountains Review, The Common, The Critical Flame, Poem-a-Day, and Zocalo Public Square. He teaches at Hampshire College.

The Poetry at the Library Series is sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. Register here for the Zoom link.
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