October 2019
The Main & South Norwalk Libraries will be closed
Sunday, October 13 & Monday, October 14
in observance of Columbus Day
Greetings!

Its open!
Do stop into the beautiful Blue Teapot this month to enjoy the elegant atmosphere  that Nijole Potts has created in the main library.  Freshly brewed coffee and tea, and homemade sandwiches and baked goods await.

At the end of the month, the Friends’ bi-annual book sale begins with the Friends’ café (the precursor to the Blue Teapot) as well as book bargains for all ages.

If you are a writer or just enjoy their company, don’t miss Norwalk’s third annual Indie Author Day. W e have 50+ authors and publishers attending our own independent mini Book Expo. Authors will be reading, signing and interacting with readers. Books will be for sale. Children's authors will be reading from their books in the Children's Room and for adults there will be a main floor stage.

Living Wisely and Well on Planet Earth , produced by Audrey Cozzarin and Diane Lauricella, continues into October with screenings of the  New American Lawn  and  The Future of Eating  on successive Friday nights. Remember, the main library is now open every Friday night until 8:30!

Chris

The Blue Teapot Café & Bakery

Open Monday - Saturday
 
serving delicious
coffees, tea, sandwiches, and bakery treats!
Exhibit
Creative art without boundaries. Freedom to subtly layer color, shape and texture into art pieces that go beyond the strict boundaries of true realism.
That is what defines the current work of Aurora Campanella.

In each of her pieces -- be it a painterly marsh at twilight, a penciled portrait of an African herdsman or a bejeweled and beaded breastplate – she combines the luminescent weaving of color for which she is known.

Aurora Campanella, grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut Initially, Ms. Campanella intended to pursue a fine arts career, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of Bridgeport. She studied painting and drawing in Paris with the late Jennette Lam. But she needed an artistic means of making a living.

What ensued became a 40-year career as a graphic designer, illustrator, for companies like The Metropolitan Opera, and Disney, The Biltmore Estate, Colonial Williamsburg, F.W. Warne, with C.R.Gibson.

Today, that career is behind her and she is able to indulge in the soul-satisfying process of pure creativity.
Acrylic, oil, graphite, pastels and colored pencil are her media along with the semi-precious jewels, stones, beads and shells she weaves into impressive wearable art pieces.

Now, I follow my own vision and voice.
I travel from one interpretive form to another, blending color,
juxtaposing texture, a meditative process.
It makes for an interesting and self-nurturing journey.
When I look back over the body of this work, I see my four loves:
drawing, painting, wearable art and traveling.
I see the places I’ve journeyed to, the feelings those magical places
inspired in me, and above all, my future as an artist.“
For additional information, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or clahey@norwalkpl.org
Art and Poetry Contest!

Picture this...

Call for Entries!!
The Norwalk Public Library will be Pairing Artists with Poets!

Deadline for all submissions: October 5, 2019

"A great way to really enjoy poetry is to create a visual representation of a poem by making a painting or other artwork that shows images of the poem and captures how you feel". --Rachel Lebeter

Thirteen libraries across Fairfield County are coming together to explore the relationship between art and text in their unique exhibits!

Entry Guidelines:
  • Poets, submit up to three poems
  • Artists, submit up to three pieces of art (can be any medium)
  • (Artists, we just want to see your work! If you are selected, you will be creating a brand new artwork based on one of the selected poems that we assign you!)
  • All submissions must be through attached files via email

Email all submissions to: Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services; clahey@norwalkpl.org Any questions? Call 203-899-2780 ext: 15133
October Events
LIVING WISELY AND WELL
ON PLANET EARTH
An Environmental Film and Discussion Series
Friday Nights at Norwalk Public Library

The New American Lawn
F riday, October 4
6:30 - 8:30 pm

The New American Lawn This evening will offer practical steps about making our lawns and our City Parks healthier and less expensive to maintain, all while helping Long Island Sound! Featured will be short films presenting the “edible” yard.

Instructions about how to get soil tested and how to have a home composter will be included, in addition to lists of native plants that will return every year and do not require much maintenance! Panel discussion after the film about alternatives to pesticide use, saving money and creating a healthier outdoors.

Presenters Audrey Cozzarin and Diane Lauricella will review the goal of the series, introduce the themes for each of the four nights, and include the audience for an important role for each Friday gathering by assigning fun "homework". Some evenings will begin with movie trailers that participants will find available at the Library and online.

  • Each subsequent Friday evening will include guest speakers (TBA as we approach the date) and helpful links and resources for those who want more information.
  • Select Wall Street Area local restaurants and businesses will welcome your visit with special discounts for your "date night".
  • Door prizes reflecting each evening's theme will be offered to those who stay for the entire evening!
_______________________________________________________
The Future of Eating
Friday, October 11
6:30 - 8:00 pm

The final evening will explore the role that food choices have on our health and our planet, with a film presentation to “whet the appetite” for healthier families and planet.

Speakers will highlight easy ways to prepare healthy meals, reduce pesticide exposure and consider reviving the Victory Garden concept. Participants will receive lists of local Farmers Markets and other useful information about healthy eating.

For more information contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or  c lahey@norwalkpl.org.
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 Saturday, October 5,19 & 26 at 10 am. 
Special meeting on Columbus Day Weekend TBA

Please RSVP by the Friday before to confirm time and meeting. 
This is not a class for beginners! Participants must be able to carry on a conversation around a timely topic. For more info: vinivittidici@gmail.com or PatTinto1@gmail.com.

Pat Tinto
President & Founder
Libro e Aperitivo - a book club in English for Italophiles and foodies alike -- The fall book selection is Murder in Matera by Helene Stapinski.. 

The author will be at Norwalk Library for an AuthorSpeak luncheon at 12 noon on November 13.
American Job Center Career Coach 
Free Job Search Assistance

Monday, October 7
10:00 - 12:00 - Excel 2016 - Part 1
1:00 - 3:00 - Excel 2016 - Part 2
Curb in front of library

Spaced Limited - Registration Required
Must attend both sessions

Mondays, October 7 & 21
6:30 - 8:00 pm
Children's Activity Room

Norwalk’s poet laureate Bill Hayden will host a poetry workshops at the Norwalk Library.

Each workshop we plan to have informal readings of original poems or works in progress, shared by poets, so come prepared to read something that you wrote, or are working on, and want to try out in a safe space. Please bring extra copies to share for the group to make comments on if you wish. This is simply to receive peer reactions and comments. We'll also allow for verbal feedback time after each person reads.We expect there to be enough time for each person to read one poem.

Participants are also welcome to read a poem written by a favorite poet.The format for future workshops may included have occasional visiting featured poets. I also plan to have a listing of dates and times of other local poetry groups that meet regularly in Fairfield & Westchester counties.

Please let me know if you plan to attend the workshop. I look forward to what I hope will be the first of many poetic adventures together.

Hope to see you on Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m., and bring a friend!

Please contact Bill Hayden at poet__laureate@norwalkpl.org, for more information about the group.
NPL's Third Annual Indie Author Day

Saturday, October 12
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
This event is free and open to the public. 

Our mini book expo will feature 50+ authors and publishers. Authors will be reading, signing and interacting with readers.Children's authors will be reading from their books in the Children's Room and for adults there will be a main floor stage.

Books will be available for purchase.

For additional information, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or clahey@norwalkpl.org. 
Medicare Made Clear Seminar
"A SAFE place to ask all of your questions!"

Wednesday, October 16
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Main Library Auditorium

Join us on Wednesday, October 16th as we speak about Medicare! Bring your questions and a friend to learn in one of our educational seminars.

SPEAKER & TOPIC: Charlie Yost (your local Medicare Advocate) will educate you about:

  • The 4 pieces of Medicare (A, B, C and D)
  • What is covered and not covered
  • When to sign up
  • What options are available to add to Original Medicare (Medicare supplements, Prescription plans and Medicare Advantage plans)

This seminar is FREE and is an educational seminar only. No plan or carrier specifics will be discussed. This is NOT a sales seminar.

RSVP: (203) 856-7391 or cyost5@gmail.com

Do you have a question that can't wait for our next seminar? Contact us or visit our website for help. www.medicareplanadvisory.com.

Medicare... DON'T GO THROUGH IT ALONE.
#13 Rothko
Abstract Expressionism: The Colorists

Thursday, October 17
6:30 - 7:30 pm
Main Library Auditorium


“Abstract Expressionism: The Colorists” explores the artists who filled their canvases with fields of color and abstract forms. 

The works and lives of important artists of the period will be discussed, including Clyfford Still, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman.

The goal of ArtScapades is for you to develop the means to critique a work of art while learning art history and art appreciation. You will come away with, both, an understanding of these artists and their works, as well as the tools with which to effectively explore galleries and museums.

Robin Hoffman and Jodi Stiffelman of ArtScapades began teaching art appreciation in 1998. They have presented at libraries and museums in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Florida. They are pleased to be returning to the Norwalk Public Library. Visit www.ArtScapades.com for more about ArtScapades.

For additional information or to register for this program, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or clahey@norwalkpl.org
Creative Writing for Adults Fall Series
Writing Inspired by WPA Art

Mondays, Sept. 16 - Nov. 4
(N o class Sept. 30 & Oct 14)
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Carnegie Room

Challenge your imagination in a new six-week creative writing program at Norwalk Public Library, led by author and writing teacher Kim Kovach. Inspiration for this series will be the murals and paintings created by Connecticut artists as part of the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) program in the 1930s.

WPA works of art were displayed across Connecticut in libraries, schools, hospitals and other public spaces. New and experienced writers will be inspired by these forgotten paintings to write short stories, personal essays or poetry. Learn about the Connecticut artists and their WPA works of arts created during hard times in this six-week adult writing program.

Kim Kovach teaches fiction writing and creative nonfiction writing for adults. The author of six fiction books, Kim writes a weekly column for Halston Media newspapers, as well as lifestyle articles for Westchester Wellness and Westchester Senior Voice. As a writing coach, Kim provides guidance for adults starting a novel or memoir and moving the manuscript forward. For more information, visit her website at www.kimkovachwrites.com  

Registration is required for this program. To register, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or clahey@norwalkpl.org
Book Discussions
Readers Choice Book Group

Homegoing
Yaa Gyasi

Wednesday, October 9
2:00 PM
Norwalk Senior Center
11 Allen Road
Norwalk, CT

Norwalk Library's Director of Library Information Services, Cynde Bloom Lahey, will lead a discussion of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.

Ghana, eighteenth century: two half sisters are born into different villages, each unaware of the other. One will marry an Englishman and lead a life of comfort in the palatial rooms of the Cape Coast Castle. The other will be captured in a raid on her village, imprisoned in the very same castle, and sold into slavery.
 
Homegoing  follows the parallel paths of these sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem. Yaa Gyasi’s extraordinary novel illuminates slavery’s troubled legacy both for those who were taken and those who stayed—and shows how the memory of captivity has been inscribed on the soul of our nation.

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

Books Sandwiched In

A Place for Us
Fatima Farheen Mirza

Thursday, October 3
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Carnegie Room

Bring your lunch and join Reference Librarian Susannah Violino for a lively discussion of  A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza.

A Place for Us is a deeply moving and resonant story of love, identity, and belonging.

As an Indian wedding gathers a family back together, parents Rafiq and Layla must reckon with the choices their children have made. There is Hadia: their headstrong, eldest daughter, whose marriage is a match of love and not tradition. Huda, the middle child, determined to follow in her sister’s footsteps. And lastly, their estranged son, Amar, who returns to the family fold for the first time in three years to take his place as brother of the bride. What secrets and betrayals have caused this close-knit family to fracture? Can Amar find his way back to the people who know and love him best? 

A Place for Us takes us back to the beginning of this family’s life: from the bonds that bring them together, to the differences that pull them apart. All the joy and struggle of family life is here, from Rafiq and Layla’s own arrival in America from India, to the years in which their children—each in their own way—tread between two cultures, seeking to find their place in the world, as well as a path home. 

A Place for Us is a book for our times: an astonishingly tender-hearted novel of identity and belonging, and a resonant portrait of what it means to be an American family today. It announces Fatima Farheen Mirza as a major new literary talent.

Books Sandwiched In meets the last Thursday of every month.

For further information, please contact Susannah Violino at (203) 899-2780 ext 15115, or sviolino@norwalkpl.org .

Readers Choice Book Group

The Other Einstein
Marie Benedict

Monday, October 28
2:00 - 3:00 pm
Brightview Assisted Living Center
Norwalk, CT

Norwalk Library's Director of Library Information Services, Cynde Bloom Lahey, will lead a discussion of The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict.

The Other Einstein takes you into Mileva's heart, mind, and study as she tries to forge a place for herself in a scientific world dominated by men."-Bustle
In the tradition of T he Paris Wife and Mrs. Poe, The Other Einstein offers us a window into a brilliant, fascinating woman whose light was lost in Einstein's enormous shadow. It is the story of Einstein's wife, a brilliant physicist in her own right, whose contribution to the special theory of relativity is hotly debated and may have been inspired by her own profound and very personal insight.

Mitza Maric has always been a little different from other girls. Most twenty-year-olds are wives by now, not studyingphysics at an elite Zurich university with only male students trying to outdo her clever calculations. But Mitza is smart enough to know that, for her, math is an easier path than marriage. And then fellow student Albert Einstein takes an interest in her, and the world turns sideways. Theirs becomes a partnership of the mind and of the heart, but there might not be room for more than one genius in a marriage.

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

Books Sandwiched In

My Beloved World
Sonia Sotomayor

Thursday, October 31
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Carnegie Room

Bring your lunch and join Reference Librarian Susannah Violino for a lively discussion of   My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayer.

The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. Now, with a candor and intimacy never undertaken by a sitting Justice, she recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, a journey that offers an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself.

Here is the story of a precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself. She would learn to give herself the insulin shots she needed to survive and soon imagined a path to a different life. With only television characters for her professional role models, and little understanding of what was involved, she determined to become a lawyer, a dream that would sustain her on an unlikely course, from valedictorian of her high school class to the highest honors at Princeton, Yale Law School, the New York County District Attorney’s office, private practice, and appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty. Along the way we see how she was shaped by her invaluable mentors, a failed marriage, and the modern version of extended family she has created from cherished friends and their children. Through her still-astonished eyes, America’s infinite possibilities are envisioned anew in this warm and honest book, destined to become a classic of self-invention and self-discovery.
Books Sandwiched In meets the last Thursday of every month.

For further information, please contact Susannah Violino at (203) 899-2780 ext 15115, or sviolino@norwalkpl.org .

Weekly Programs
Zumba with Karen

Children & Parents - Mondays

 5:00 - 5:45 pm

Adults & Teens - Mondays

6:00 - 7:00 pm
Low Impact Aerobics with Linda

Tuesdays & Thursdays

 1:30 - 2:30 pm

 Teen Room
For additional information on our programs, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext 15133 or clahey@norwalkpl.org
Norwalk History Room
BACK TO SCHOOL: NOT WHAT YOU THINK
BY RAMONA GARCIA

Sometimes a source is more than it appears to be on the surface. When we think of high school yearbooks we think of past friendships and good times. We think of a snapshot in time – both words and pictures. We might even think of a lost classmate and where they are today. But do we ever think of yearbooks as an historical source?
   Like most people with a yearbook, the temptation of leafing through the pages of young people on this important milestone to adulthood was irresistible. Fashions may change but a sense of hopefulness conveyed by the young endures. I don’t know why I pulled out the yearbook for 1957. I would like to say there was something about the fifties that I found intriguing, but more likely than not that was the volume most readily at hand. In other words I didn’t have to reach too far up or too far down in retrieving this yearbook.
 
 Something caught my eye while paging through the yearbook. There on page 141 was a photograph and description with the caption “Future Nurses Club.”  
   
  “For the first time in the history of Norwalk High School a Future Nurses
   Club has been established. Under the guidance of Miss Schmitt, a nurse on 
   the administrative staff at the Norwalk Hospital and our school nurse, Mrs.
   Schleinkofer, the club had a very successful year.” 

My mind immediately turned to a topic of interest for the Norwalk History Room: the Norwalk Hospital. Here was evidence of yet another role the hospital played in the community. One of their nurses, Miss Schmitt, wanted to help girls interested in nursing careers.  
 
How was this accomplished? If it takes a village to raise a child then it takes a network of nurses to mentor the next generation of nurses. 
   
   “To achieve this, the members of the club were taken on tours of the 
   Norwalk Hospital and of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport. The club was 
   addressed by student nurses from both hospitals. Miss Krubllers, a teacher at 
   St. Vincent’s School of Nursing, and Miss Schmitt lectured on the courses 
   offered at their respective hospitals. The club was also fortunate in having a
   practical nurse address them. 

How effective was this network of named and unnamed nurses? If the twenty-nine happy faces looking out from the photograph are anything to go by then truly “the club had a very successful year.” 

  Reminiscentiae. (Published by the Senior Class of the Norwalk High School, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1957), Page 141.
 Reminiscentiae. (Published by the Senior Class of the Norwalk High School, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1957), Page 141.
 Reminiscentiae. (Published by the Senior Class of the Norwalk High School, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1957), Page 141  

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 
Newsbank

We are now proud to announce that we have partnered to digitize and provide the Hour from 1874-1929. You can now access the full collection of the Hour by coming into the library or thru the library website with your library card. 

We are hopeful to continue to grow this archive thru the 20th century and all feedback would be helpful in support of continue to develop this archive.
Library Extras
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