Library News

Jacob Edwards Library

October 2023

Library Hours

Monday & Thursday 9 am - 8 pm

Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 9 am - 5 pm

Saturday 9 am - 1 pm

Curbside pickup is available during library hours!

hoopla is HERE!!

All you need is a library card! Borrow and enjoy audiobooks, eBooks, comics, movies, TV, magazines, or music everywhere you have a screen - your computer, your phone, your car, even your TV. hoopla syncs across all your devices, so you can stream titles immediately or whenever you're in the mood. Five titles can be downloaded per card per month. Most titles can also be downloaded to your phone or tablet. hoopla offers more content, in more places, than any other digital library platform and it's all FREE thanks to your public library!

Chess Park

Jacob Edwards Library and Southbridge Chess Club are in the preliminary stages of developing a chess park on Main Street! The Board of Trustees has been working with Joseph Coan Landscape Architect and this is a concept rendering of the proposed park. Stay tuned for updates!

Massachusetts Statewide Digital Equity Survey

We need to hear from you and others in Central MA!

The MBI's digital equity survey is still accepting submissions from residents statewide about their experiences with accessing and using the internet. We are seeking more responses from Central MA at this time.

Your input will help the Commonwealth ensure that everyone can have access to high-quality and affordable internet service, devices, skills training, and digital support.

Celebrate the Freedom to Read at Jacob Edwards Library!

Wednesday October 4th

3:00 - 4:00 pm

Head to the library for "Let Freedom Read", a statewide read-in to celebrate the freedom to read. “Libraries across the nation and in Massachusetts have experienced a surge in book challenges,” said James Lonergan, Director of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. “We may not agree on what to read, but hopefully we can all agree that the freedom to choose what we want to read is a vital part of a democratic society. Libraries across the Commonwealth develop collections that meet the diverse needs of the communities they serve. Everyone is welcome to find a good read from their library and join the celebration,” he added.

Digital participation is also welcomed. Download an eBook or audiobook through Libby or hoopla and use #LetFreedomReadMA to post pictures to social media. For a complete list of participating libraries go to libraries.state.ma.us

According to the American Library Association, there were 45 book challenges in Massachusetts in 2022 affecting 57 titles. That’s more than the past 9 years (2013-2021) combined which totaled 38 challenges. Nationwide, ALA reported 1,270 book challenges in 2022, up significantly from 350 in 2019. The Massachusetts Library Association, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Massachusetts Library System, and the Massachusetts School Library Association recently released a statement in support of libraries and intellectual freedom. Individuals can show their support by signing on at tinyurl.com/supporting-libraries

Let Freedom Read is supported by your local library and the Joint Task Force for Intellectual Freedom with members from the Massachusetts Library Association, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Massachusetts Library System, and the Massachusetts School Library Association. 

October Art Exhibit

Chosen by Bill Tremblay:

The Multi-Faceted Art of Andre Juarez

Thursday October 5th

Meet & Greet

6:00 - 6:30 pm

Reading by poet Bill Tremblay

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host an exhibit by Andre Juarez.

AJ Juarez is of the Ashiwee and Yeomen First Nations (Zuni and Yaqui). He is a poet, artist, writer, and musician. He is the founder of Noh Place Artists Cooperative and the former lead singer for The Ghost Shadows, a seminal Worcester musical experience known for its unusual blending of jazz, heavy metal, funk, Native American songs, and straight ahead rock. His Native flute musings can be heard on John Zaganiacz’s Virtual Equinox recordings.

As a student he coordinated the Poetry Center at Worcester State College and was a founding member of The Center for the Study of Human Rights. He was deeply involved in the No Nukes and Anti-Apartheid movements. He is a lifelong Jazz aficionado and a former Jazz host at WCUW (91.3 FM). His Jazz poetry and artwork can be seen on the jazzhistorydatabase.com website.

His art work has also been used on book covers and as illustrations. In the 2018 exhibition, “A Forty Year Retrospective” at the MAP Gallery in Easthampton, MA, AJ and his visual arts mentor, Michel Duncan Merle, highlighted their collaboration as artists and poets.

The Jacob Edwards Library is delighted to welcome Bill Tremblay, who will read from his most recent work The Luminous Racetrack: A Memoir in Poems (2023) as well as from his earlier work, making for a very special occasion!

Bill Tremblay is an award-winning poet as well as a novelist, teacher, editor, and reviewer whose work has appeared in seven full-length volumes

Mr. Tremblay edited Colorado Review for 15 years, served as a member of the Program Directors Council of the Associated Writing Programs [AWP], and is the recipient of the John F. Stern Distinguished Professor award for his thirty years teaching in and directing the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Colorado State University.

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

Flamenco Boston

Thursday, October 12th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to welcome back Flamenco Boston for what promises to be another stellar event! The performance will include live music on guitar, dancers, and a vocalist.

Sponsored by the Southbridge Cultural Council. The Southbridge Cultural Council is a local agency funded by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the group will be discussing The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas in October.

Multiple copies in various formats will be on hold - ask for a copy at the Information Desk!

From the publisher:



"Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, dark secrets, and the woman pulled into their clutches...

In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz's father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife's sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.

But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz's sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo's sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz's fears--but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz only knows two things for certain. Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will help her.

Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, it will take Andrés's skills as a witch to battle the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda. Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz's doom."

Community Food Collaborative

Thursday, October 19th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host the Community Food Collaborative (CFC) for a presentation by Joe Coan who is one of the founding members.



CFC is a volunteer-based non-profit community organization that has come together to build a greater sense of community by involving neighbors, volunteer organizations, as well as mentoring local youth. The food produced is distributed through the food pantry in Southbridge.

Afternoon Author Talk

Paulette Stout

Wednesday, October 25th

2:00 - 3:00 pm

Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to welcome award-winning author Paulette Stout who will present a program on her books and writing journey. Paulette writes fast-paced contemporary women’s fiction that makes readers feel—and think. Her titles include her novels Love, Only Better and What We Never Say, an anthology called A Million Ways: Stories of Motherhood, and her work-in-progress due out next February, What Eyes Can’t See. The presentation will be on Wednesday, October 25th at 2 pm in the Reading Room. All are welcome!

The Midwest Book Review called What We Never Say "a deftly crafted, deeply engaging, and memorably compulsive page turner." Best Book Awards winner, Love, Only Better, was called “original and needed women’s fiction” by BookTrib.

Paulette Stout is a fearless author, tackling social issues often ignored. Some may be one's readers haven't yet pondered; others are likely familiar--but with a fresh twist. Regardless, readers get bingeable prose and compelling stories that keep those pages turning.

Raised by a single dad in Manhattan, Paulette is the gold-star wordsmith and owner of her content marketing agency, Media Goddess Inc., where she crafts content for her list of global clients. Prior to MGI, Paulette led content and design teams at several tech companies, and one educational publisher where her elimination of the Oxford comma caused a near riot.

Paulette’s prior career as a media buyer/planner in New York earned her three industry awards, including a MediaWeek All-Star. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Cornell University and her MBA in Marketing from the Lubin School of Business, Pace University.

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

Gothic Victorian Tales by Candlelight

Thursday, October 26th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to welcome Rita Parisi from Waterfall Productions for "Gothic Victorian Tales by Candlelight."

This theatrical presentation will feature stories about curses, death, and immortality from the 19th century New England writer, Sarah Orne Jewett. A native of South Berwick Maine, her stories mirror the everyday lives of New Englanders, often reflecting the mysterious and supernatural.

Rita Parisi has been entertaining audiences for over 25 years in the New England area. In 2002, she founded Waterfall Productions to create shows that highlight her passion for theatre, literature and costuming, performing them in New England, New Jersey, New York, and Florida. In the past, Rita Parisi was also actively involved in the independent film scene in Boston and some of her films have been debuted at the Boston International Film Festival and Cannes film Festival. She is a proud member of the largest acting union in the country: SAG/AFTRA.

Sponsored by the Southbridge Cultural Council. The Southbridge Cultural Council is a local agency funded by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

How to Sell A Haunted House

by Grady Hendrix

"New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a hilarious and terrifying new novel that explores the way your past-and your family-can haunt you like nothing else...

Louise's parents have passed away, and she's returning to the small Southern town where she grew up to get their house ready to sell. It means she'll have to spend time with her younger brother - and their old grudges make that a terrifying prospect. But childhood hurts pale in comparison to the dangers posed by what still lives inside the house" - From publisher

Database Spotlight

Careers

Looking for a job or to change your career? Check out the Library's career databases - you can get assistance with your resume and job searches, do research on vocations, access one-on-one interview coaching, and more. Assistance is available at the Reference Desk in getting started.

Lego Club

Tuesdays

3:30pm - 4:30pm

Saturdays

10:30am-11:30am

Crafty Wednesday

All Day

 Every Week



Have you noticed that our sign on Main Street has been refurbished? Globe Sign Company did a wonderful job! The Foster Street sign is in process.

See you at the library!

Jacob Edwards Library

508.764.5426

jelibrary@cwmars.org