Newsletter      Happy New Year!    January 2020
Celebrating Karen Ahearn's Retirement 
 
Retirement Reception for Karen Ahearn
Karen Ahearn dressed as Mother Goose in a town parade
Thursday, January 2, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Main Library
 
Please join us in congratulating Karen Ahearn on her retirement from Head of Children's Department. Karen has served the Town of Concord as a librarian for 44 wonderful years.

Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome!

 
Author Talk: Adapting Louisa May Alcott's Little Women from 1912 to 2019
Author Talk with Anne Boyd Rioux
Saturday, January 18, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Main Library
 
Author and professor Anne Boyd Rioux will discuss the challenges of adapting the novel Little Women and how each era produces its own Little Women, from the first adaption for the Broadway stage to Greta Gerwig's 2019 film.

Anne Boyd Rioux is the author or editor of six books about American women writers, including the bestselling Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters (Norton 2018). She is a professor of English in New Orleans and the recipient of two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, one for public scholarship.

Rioux was recently interviewed in our Special Collections by Rita Braver of CBS Sunday Morning. The interview was later aired on CBS. [ Watch Interview (Forward to 5:24)]

The event is free and open to the public.
Adult Programs
Letter Writing Social
Thursday, January 9, 7:00 p.m.
Main Library
Is staying in touch with family and friends one of your New Year's resolutions? Let us help you succeed!  It's the perfect time to brighten someone's day with a card or note. Keep the tradition of handwritten correspondence alive by participating in a letter writing social. The Library will provide a variety of stationery, writing implements, and some refreshments to get you started. Pick up a pen and let the words flow! No registration required.

StoryShare in Literary Concord
Wednesday, January 15, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Main Library
What makes your story unique? Here's a forum to share your narrative, receive encouraging feedback, and learn more about the art of writing. Join author and writing instructor, Lara Wilson, M.A., to discover new ways to engage with your writing project. Each month, we'll examine a craft topic such as compelling characters, plot, pacing, dialogue and details. Learn how readers inhabit scenes through the senses, and how writers explore conflict to keep them reading. Feel inspired to write on! All levels welcome.

MetroWest Writer's Guild Write-In
Saturday, January 25, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Fowler Branch
Come out and get some words written in the New Year! If your resolution is to (finally) write that novel or memoir, make this your kick-start moment. We provide a quiet space and supportive vibe, you bring your favorite writing tools and the story in your head. The MetroWest Writers Guild is a supportive community of writers living between Boston and Worcester, providing monthly write-ins and workshop sessions for writers who want to grow in their craft and get projects done.

The Keys to Speaking Confidence that Nobody is Talking About
Tuesday, January 28, 7:00 p.m.
Main Library
Join speaker Linda Ugelow for a presentation on "The Keys to Speaking Confidence that Nobody is Talking About." Find a way to feel confident, relaxed, and naturally you in public speaking. Free and open to all. No registration required. Sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.
Poetry at the Library
Poetry at the Library
Sunday, January 12, 3:00 p.m.
Main Library

Poet, visual artist, and oral historian Susan Eisenberg reads from her 5th poetry collection, Stanley's Girl (Cornell, 2018), using her vantage point as one of the first female electricians in the construction industry to reflect on interconnections of power and violence.  A recipient of a Must-Read distinction from the Massachusetts Center for the Book, she is a Resident Scholar at the Brandeis Women's Studies Research Center.
 
Award-winning poet Denise Bergman reads selections from her work, including A Woman in Pieces Crossed a Sea (about the making of "symbol" in the Statue of Liberty), Seeing Annie Sullivan (about the early life of Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher), and Three Hands None that delves into the poet's "incremental triumphs in regaining her selfhood" after her assault 40 years ago in her bed by a stranger.
 
A free event with light refreshments sponsored by The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.       
Friday Flicks @ Fowler  
Friday Flicks @ Fowler Series  will celebrate its 26th anniversary in 2020 and will begin the new season with these award-winning German films. 

THE COUNTERFEITERS (AUSTRIA 2007)
January 17, 7:00 p.m. 
Fowler Branch
The story of the Operation Bernhard, the largest counterfeiting operation in history, carried out by Germany during WWII. Director Stefan Ruzowitzky. Winner of the Best Foreign Language Film of the Year at the 2008 Academy Awards. 98 min., Rated R. (In German, Russian and Hebrew with English subtitles) 

WINGS OF DESIRE (GERMANY 1987)
January 24, 7:00 p.m.
Fowler Branch
Wings of Desire is one of cinema's loveliest city symphonies. Bruno Ganz is Damiel, an angel perched atop buildings high over Berlin who can hear the thoughts--fears, hopes, dreams--of all the people living below. But when he falls in love with a beautiful trapeze artist, he is willing to give up his immortality and come back to earth to be with her . Director: Wim Wenders.  127 min., PG 13. (In German with English subtitles)

Free admission. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Sponsored by The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.

[View Complete Film Schedule]
      
Monthly Mindfulness Series
The Practice of Presence
Tuesday, January 14, 7:30 - 8:15 p.m.
Main Library

Hope to eat/work/exercise/sleep better in the new year? Start by cultivating healthy habits with Monthly Mindfulness at the CFPL! Explore simple mindful wellness practices that settle the mind, honor the body and enhance overall well-being. We'll discuss your path toward freedom from stress and experience the power of the pause. Lara Wilson, founder of Concord's non-profit mindful wellness collaborative, Be Well Be Here, will share ways to integrate mindfulness into daily life through meditation and movement tailored to your natural way of BEing. All are welcome!
Adult Book Groups
Cookbook Club
Wednesday, January 8, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Fowler Branch
Check out a copy of the selected cookbook at the Library, pick a recipe, and prepare it for the program. We will sample lots of good food, talk about what worked and what didn't, and select future cookbooks.  This month's book titles are The Pho Cookbook: Easy to Adventurous Recipes for Vietnam's Favorite Soup and Noodles and Into the Vietnamese Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen, and Vegetarian Viet Nam by Cameron Stauch. Copies of the titles will be available at the Main and Fowler Libraries to check out Registration required. [ Waiting List]

Tuesday Book Group 
Tuesday, January 14, 9:30-11:15 a.m.
Trustees' Room 
Please join us for the Tuesday Book Discussion Group to read and discuss  Educated by Tara Westover. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library Circulation Desk to check out. All are welcome.  


Book-A-Mystery Discussion 
Wednesday, January 15, 2:00-3:00 p.m.  
Fowler Branch 
Love a good mystery? All are welcome to join the discussion. Copies of this month's title, Not a Sound: a novel by Heather Gudenkauf are available at the Branch to check out. 
 
 
Book Discussion at Debra's Natural Gourmet
Monday, January 20, 7:00 p.m.
Debra's Natural Gourmet, 98 Commonwealth Ave.
The Library is teaming up once again with  Debra's Natural Gourmet for a book discussion, which will take place at Debra's at 98 Commonwealth Avenue in West Concord. Copies of this month's selection,  Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice by Bill Browder are available at both the Main and Fowler libraries. Registration required.  Please email Debra Stark at debra@debrasnaturalgourmet.com to register.    
Children's, Teen and Family Programs 
101 Picture Books CFPL Loves - Winter Session Begins
January 6 - June 1
Main Library
Concord Free Public Library's 101 Picture Books CFPL Loves program is a fun way to start your child on the right path to reading! Any child ages birth to five years can participate. Register online, and view the current book titles list online or with printed copies available at both libraries. Track your child's reading by coloring an owl on the Henry & Weetzie Read Sheet for each book you read together. Come by the Library when you've read at least 33 books for a prize and more books to read!
 
Toddler Sing-a-long with Ed Morgan*
Friday, January 10 & 17, 10:00 a.m. (Fowler Branch)    
Come sing and dance along with the Music Man, singer and musician Ed Morgan. Families are invited to enjoy this family-friendly concert.

3D Design and Printing Workshop
Fridays, January 10 & 24, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Main Library
Ages 6-12. Come create a design for the 3D printer. You'll learn how to use 3D design software, craft your own digital model, and send it to the printer!  No prior experience with 3D design or 3D printing required: just bring yourself and all your creativity. Registration required. [ Register for January 10 ] [Register for January 24]
 
The Weekend Writing Studio
Saturdays, January 11 & 25, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Main Library
Calling all individuals age 10-15. Need a better way to spend your Saturday mornings than cartoons? Join author and Librarian Assistant Cary Stough this winter for The Weekend Writing Studio. Explore voice and metaphor as well as learn new and wild writing techniques that break the mold. Writers of all genres and experience welcome. It takes place every other Saturday at the Main Library. Registration required. [ Register for January 11] [ Register for January 25
 
CCHS Study Day
Sunday, January 12, 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Main Library
Grades 9-12. The Library belongs to Concord-Carlisle High School students from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, January 12. We'll have snacks and quiet spaces available for study all day and evening!  

Middle School Teen Advisory Board (TAB)
Tuesday, January 14, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. 
Fowler Branch
Are you in grades 6-8? Do you like books, games, crafts, sharing your ideas, or just hanging out with your friends? If so, this group is for you! We'll do a different fun activity each month! Refreshments will be served. Please register.   [ Register
 
Third Grade BookEaters Book Group
pile_of_old_books.jpg
Wednesday, January 15, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Main Library
Calling all third graders! Come to the monthly meeting of the BookEaters Book Group. Each month we will explore an area of the Library, do an activity and have fun with our friends.
 
Dragon Day Celebration
Thursday, January 16, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Main Library
Grades 5 - 8. January 16 is "Appreciate a Dragon Day." Join CFPL staff for some dragon-themed activities, and even learn how to make your own Dragonfruit Drink. Space is limited. Registration is required. [ Register]

Tunnel Book Workshop
Tuesday, January 21, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Main Library
Time to expand the possibilities of what a book can be! Tunnel books are easy to make, three-dimensional stories that YOU create. Grab your scissors and paper, and let's tunnel! Concord Main Children's Room. Ages 3-14 welcome. Supervision of those with little craft/scissor experience is suggested.

It's All Fun and Games...
Tuesday, January 21, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Main Library
Grades 6 -12. Want to "try before you buy?" We'll provide a variety of quirky board and card games for you to play. Experience Settlers of Catan, Exploding Kittens, Machi Koro, and more! Snacks will be served. Please register. [ Register]

ArtSplorers
Monday, January 27, 10:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Main Library
Drop in for some creative, open-ended art activities and a story. Wear clothes you don't mind getting messy! For kids ages 18 months to 5 years old, with a caregiver. No registration is required, but the program is limited to 15 children. Due to the nature of the program, late arrivals cannot be accommodated.
 
 
For a complete list of Children's and Teen programs, click here
Art Jury
The next opportunity to have your work considered by the Art Jury for an exhibit at the Concord Free Public Library Art Gallery is Thursday, January 23, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in the Special Collections Room. 

Art Drop-off:  No later than 6:30 p.m. 
Judging:  Between 7:00 and 8:15 p.m.
Art Pick-up:  Between 8:15 and 8:30 p.m.

How it works:
  • Bring five pieces of your work, framed or unframed, to Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library.
  • Pieces should reflect the type of work you would choose to include in an exhibit. Slides are also acceptable, but electronic files are not.
  • Be sure that your work is clearly labeled with your name and contact information.
For more information please contact staff librarian Gay Weiss at 978-318-3367 or e-mail at gweiss@minlib.net
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