News You Can Use
from your library
April 2020
photo credit: Anna Doucet - Bristol, VT
To Our NWPL Friends and Patrons,

Some days I come up for air and if there were roses, I'd smell them. But they aren't here yet so I hunt for other things to make the day a little better. This week, for me, one of those things is high school student Anna Doucet 's photograph, Road and Sky , which reflects the beauty of a Vermont day, literally, in a puddle which mirrors the sky (see photo above). Doucet chose to include the mundane with the breathtaking view beyond. What originally captured my attention, however, is a poem by Doucet, which also reflects on our days of isolation. You'll find it below.

We have some new online programs for children and adults, as well as information about all the resources the library offers while the building is closed. (Don't forget: our book return slot is closed and we cannot accept book donations until further notice.)

And, it's National Poetry Month . We are sharing poems that we think you'll enjoy along with a few online readings. Send us a poem you enjoy or one you've written. We'll be updating our website and Facebook page with them during the month.

If you've ever thought, "I don't understand poetry" or "I don't like poetry," now's a time to give it a look or a listen again. And for those who revel in words, we hear ya!

Director of Communications & Events
Norman Williams Public Library
NEED A LIBRARY CARD? GET ONE FREE.
If you don't already have a library card and want one, please email our circulation desk and we'll get one to you. Cards are free for six months to help people take advantage of e-books, audiobooks, online classes and resources during the coronavirus pandemic.
* NEW FOR CHILDREN: ONLINE EVENTS *
**NEW** Attention Kids & Adults BreakoutEDU is LIVE!
Free for anyone to tune in and play. G o to BreakoutEDU.com/live at 2PM ET, weekdays. No login required. Each game starts with a 2nd-4th grade level question and slowly works its way up to the critical thinking puzzle. Sometimes those critical thinking puzzles require an upper Middle or High school level knowledge. Parents encouraged to play along too. For more info, click here.
Photo by 2Photo Pots on Unsplash
Photo by 2Photo Pots on Unsplash
Norman Williams Public Library
Youth Book Discussions & Preschool Storytime
We are now hosting bi-weekly children’s book discussions.

Have you read any good books lately? What are you reading now? What do you want to read? Join us to discuss all things books. The first groups will meet:
  • Preschool storytime - weekly on Tuesday mornings at 10:30 am.
  • Monday, April 20, at 3:30 pm - Children ages 9-11, and
  • Tuesday, April 21, at 3:30 pm - Children 12-14.

Each session will be 30 minutes long and hosted on Zoom. If you're interested, please contact Clare McFarland by email and we will send you an invite to join us.
APRIL IS POETRY MONTH
Milk Shake
by Mary Ruefle

I am never lonely and never bored. Except when I bore myself, which is my definition of loneliness—to bore oneself. It makes a body lonesome, that. Continue reading.

Mary Ruefle is Vermont's Poet Laureate. To read more about Ruefle, click here .
By Anna Doucet, 16, of Bristol
Thank you
for bringing us mornings that taste like leftovers
and sound like last night’s debate replaying on TV.
Thank you
for giving us the songs of the radio:
politics and pollution, promises and lies. 
Thank you 
for 8 a.m. voices echoing in the halls of school, 
snippets of life we forget to love 
until only silence fills their place.
Thank you
for unanswerable questions 
and rain outside classroom windows.
Thank you 
for building endless cities to get lost in 
on a Tuesday afternoon 
when the sun dangles from the skyscrapers. 
Thank you 
for the parade of tired buses 
crawling down Main Street at 3 p.m.,
and the space between sidewalks and April skies. 
Thank you 
for crowds of strangers, but more than that, 
thank you
for the people who feel like happiness
and places that look like home.

And read more from other young writers in the Young Writers Project, "The Voice ."
Poet Richard Blanco
“How to Love a Country”
courtesy of the Vermont Humanities Council

Richard Blanco reads from his recent poetry collection “How to Love a Country,” as well as other poems that explore immigration, gun violence, racism, LGBTQ issues, and more. He unravels the fabric of the American narrative in accessible and emotive verses.
Full Moon
by Ted Kooser

The moon was in self-isolation, too,
and wearing a white mask as it passed us
in an aisle of the night, keeping a distance
not acknowledging us. It was pushing
a cart heaped up with stars, far more stars
than any moon could ever need, the cart
sparkling, a few little stars falling out,
left behind as the moon rolled past,
on its way toward eternity's checkout.

Full Moon, March 2020, Ted Kooser
Thanks to Humanities Nebraska for sharing this poem by the former US Poet Laureate.
Geza Tatrallyay

Geza Tatrallyay r eads poems from his third collection, EXTINCTION, and from a still-to-be-published fourth collection, EXTINCTION REBELLION, to celebrate Poetry Month and Earth Day (April 22nd). To read more about Geza and his work, visit his website .
Recent Poetry from Recite!
This month, we kicked off our first Recite! online. To participate in the May online Recite! email us at: programs@normanwilliams.org . Click the image below to play a Recite! from the archives, courtesy of WCTV.
F rom the Poetry Foundation, Producer Helena de Groot explores the diverse world of contemporary poetry with readings by poets, interviews with critics, and short poetry documentaries. Nothing is off limits, and nobody is taken too seriously

This week, give a listen to "Our New Reality." Quarantined with kids, Zoom chats, and stranded abroad: Eight poets on what life is like for them these days . Click here to listen. .

Curbside Service and Local Front Porch Deliveries from independent bookstore, Yankee Bookshop
Yankee Bookshop is working hard to keep you reading while you stay safe at home. Scroll their homepage to find recommendations. And you don't need to visit the store to get your orders! Local front porch deliveries are made on Tuesdays & Fridays. Media Mail shipping will be free through April 30th . Their website is great for searching, for recommendations, and ordering online.

Thank you Kari and Kristian for being there for all of us!
What's on Your Nightstand (WOYNS)
This week's image is a series of one-minute sketches of readers participating in an online Zoom session of "What's on your Nightstand." The drawings come to us courtesy of WOYNS regular Charlet Davenport who, these days, is rapid sketching from online and tv images. Thank you Charlet. And we do understand that these are rapid, rough sketches, not finished drawings!
Resources: Free Classes, Tutorials, Testing
Your NWPL library card gives you free access to learning at Learning Express . Online tools, tests, ebooks and more to help you with: Career Preparation, Job & Career Accelerator, High School Equivalency, College Admissions Test Prep, Computer Skills Center, Adult Core Skills, and lots more for all ages.
COMING SOON:
TECH TUTORING ONLINE
Watch for info about tech tutoring online. Meg Brazill will be offering tips and useful know-how to better manage your day-to-day online life. For more info email: Programs@normanwilliams.org
Resources: Free eBooks and Audiobooks
You have online access to free ebooks  and audiobooks through the Green Mountain Library Consortium or through Libby . Click on any of the underlined linksto find the respective website.

**NEW** Guess what? We now have ADDED items that only NWPL patrons can view. That means you can access some books faster and be able to choose from more books.
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NEED HELP setting up an account, remembering your library card number, or help using one of these systems? If so, please call or email the library and we will get back to you as soon as we can! The library can be a great resource, especially when it's necessary to spend time indoors.
Useful and Important Sites During COVID-19

The official site for health & safety information related to COVID-19 in VT, including daily updates on statistics and infection rates
(with information by age, gender, and county).
Plus how and where to get help .
Find accurate info on handwashing & disinfecting.
Updated daily at 1:00 pm   novel-coronavirus

VT Dept of Health - Face Coverings

VT Dept of Health https://www.healthvermont.gov
General health information for Vermonters

VT Public WiFi spots Public WiFi Map VT


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"The Gift" - the cat that keeps on giving, submitted by Sonja Olson.
Questions? Please call us at 802.457.2295 or
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Norman Williams Public Library
Phone : 802-457-2295 | E-mail | Website