Library Updates

Outdoor Browsing
The weather doesn't seem promising for our usual Wednesday Outdoor Browsing. But we haven't ruled out Thursday! Check in on the library website or Facebook page to see the latest plan. In addition to looking through newly released books and DVDs, Outdoor Browsing is an opportunity for you to drop by and meet our new Library Director, Jean Maguire. Jean is anxious to meet patrons and learn about Maynard organizations and groups, so come introduce yourself and chat!
Art Talk with Jane Oneail-Bending Towards Justice
TONIGHT, Feb 2 @ 7:00 pm

In celebration of Black History Month, we're delighted to bring a new installment of our series of art talks. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Jane Oneail of Culturally Curious will examine that arc as it relates to African American history enshrined in American Art. From colonial era portraits to 19th-century and Jim Crow-era prints to 1960s Civil Rights photography, this program will provide a visual overview of African American oppression, struggle and progress towards equality.

Read more and register here. You can also view previous programs in the series at https://www.maynardpubliclibrary.org/art-talks.
A Celebration of the Life and Work of Elizabeth Bishop
Wed, Feb 10 @ 7:00 pm

We are pleased to present of “A Celebration of the Life and Work of Elizabeth Bishop." Authors Lloyd Schwartz and Megan Marshall will discuss Bishop’s life and poetry. Worcester poet Elizabeth Bishop was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award and many other awards. She has been called “the most famous poet you never heard of.”

Read more, purchase books and and register here.
Book Talk with Robert Reich-The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It
Thurs, Feb 11 @ 7:00 pm

This event is brought to you in partnership with the Newton Free Library.
In The System, Robert B. Reich, Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, shows how wealth and power have interacted to install an elite oligarchy, eviscerate the middle class and undermine democracy. Christopher Lydon, host of the original podcast, Open Source, heard in Boston on WBUR, will moderate.
 
Robert Reich has served in three national administrations and has written fifteen books, including The Work of Nations, The Common Good, and Saving Capitalism. His articles have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. He is co-creator of the award-winning film Inequality for All and the Netflix original Saving Capitalism.

Read more and register here. Registration will be closed two hours before the event starts. Please be sure to read the instructions in your event invitation carefully. Some attendees will watch on Zoom and others will be directed to Vimeo.
Maynard Sesquicentennial History Talk
Thurs, Feb 25 @ 7:00 pm

2021 is the 150th anniversary of the founding of the town of Maynard. As part of the Sesquicentennial celebration, we'll be presenting a series of local history talks in collaboration with the Maynard Sesquicentennial Steering Committee.

In celebration of Black History Month, Maynard author and historian David Mark will speak about Massachusetts’ history of slavery, statewide and locally. Massachusetts was the first colony to legalize slavery (1641) and the first to end it (1783). A census conducted in 1754 reported that between 1 and 2% of the colony's population was adult slaves (children were not counted). With the Revolutionary War still raging on, Massachusetts passed a state constitution in 1780. Key wording: "All men are born free and equal..." A court case a few years later confirmed this applied to people of color. The talk will also include the story of Lucy Chester and her mother Cate Taylor, the only person owned as a slave in Stow.

You can register for this talk here. We'll add information about future talks in the series here.
Upcoming Events

Mon, Feb 8, 3:30 pm Animal Tracks!
Thurs, Feb 11, 3:30 pm Valentine Storytime and Craft Connection
Thurs, Feb 18, 12 noon Buy and Sell on Craigslist
Thurs, Feb 18, 4:45 pm Virtual Book Bingo
Fri, Feb 19, 10:30 am Maple Sugaring with Lands' Sake Farm
Mon, Feb 22, 12 noon February Cookbook Club
Tues, Feb 23, 7:00 pm Book Mill: The Beekeeper of Aleppo