Weekly Updates

June 9, 2023

  • The Main Library will close on Sundays from June 18 - September 24.
  • The Main Library and the Fowler Branch will close on Monday, June 19 for Juneteenth.
  • In this issue: Annual Book Sale - Makerspace Open House - Special Collections Event - Adult Events - Virtual Films at Fowler - Teen Events - Kids Summer Reading Program - Children's Events - More Highlights from Special Collections

Annual Book Sale

Annual Book Sale

Saturday, June 10, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Front Lawn, Main Library


Annual Book Sale is on! Join us for the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library's 2023 Annual Book Sale. The Book Sale will be full of nearly-new or gently used books, movies, and music resources for adults and children. Come for your summer reading, treasure hunting, and for the fun.


The proceeds from the Friends book sales (Annual Sale, Holiday Sale and on-going Friends Bookshop Sale) fund the Library programs, museum passes, eBooks, large print and audiovisual materials, and staff professional development.


Volunteers are still needed - Sign up to volunteer for the Book Sale.

Makerspace Open House & Upcoming Programs

The Workshop/Makerspace Open House

Saturday, June 10, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Main Library


When you attend the Annual Book Sale on the 10th, please drop in as we unveil the Workshop - a brand new, all ages public makerspace at the Concord Free Public Library. See the space, make stuff, win prizes, and get first chance at tool reservations for the coming week. To reach the Workshop/Makerspace, call 978-318-3385 during Library hours. Click here to read more about the Workshop/Makerspace.

Laser Cut Pride

Monday, June 12, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

The Workshop, Main Library

Celebrate Pride Month with the Workshop by decorating your own laser cut Pride pin, magnet, or necklace. All ages welcome. No registration required. Sponsored by the Concord Free Public Library Corporation.

Make-It Club

Wednesday, June 14, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

The Workshop, Main Library

Join us every Wednesday afternoon for an awesome craft project or engineering puzzle geared towards kids ages 5 to 10 and their caregivers. No registration required.

Knitters' Workshop

Thursday, June 15, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

The Workshop, Main Library

Stop by the Workshop every Thursday morning for a cup of coffee and two hours of informal, self-guided knitting with fellow Concord crafters. Needles and yarn scrap swap available for new knitters. All ages and experiences welcome. No registration required.

A Special Collections Event: Celebrating Emerson

Celebrating Ralph Waldo Emerson: Filmmaker Michael Maglaras and Writer James Marcus in Conversation

Thursday, June 22, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Goodwin Forum, Main Library

[Register]


Filmmaker Michael Maglaras, whose new “essay in film,” Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love is in the final stages of completion, will hold a “conversation” with author and editor James Marcus. Give All to Love, filmed in and around Concord, including, over two days, at the Emerson House, will provide a new and deeply personal perspective on Emerson, his writing, his life, and his importance to contemporary life. This film’s premiere will be in the Goodwin Forum at the Library on September 30, 2023.


James Marcus, featured in Give All to Love, will release his new book, Glad to the Brink of Fear: A Portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson (March 2024), published by Princeton University Press. In this new evaluation of the importance of Emerson, we will get a modern writer’s perspective and a deeply personal reflection on how Emerson’s writing has mattered to a great contemporary writer speaking with the voice of our time.


These two leading thinkers and artistic visionaries will engage in a lively conversation about Emerson’s continuing impact on contemporary life. At the end of the conversation, they will welcome audience questions.


[Watch recordings of the recent lectures hosted by Special Collections]

Adult Events

Tuesday Book Discussion: Strength in What Remains

Tuesday, June 13, 9:30 - 11:15 a.m.

Trustees Room, Main Library

Each month, join other readers to discuss a range of books, from classics to contemporary. For June, we will discuss Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library Circulation Desk. [Register]

FREE Online Group Meditation with Be Well Be Here

Thursday, June 15, 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Zoom

Join Be Well Be Here (BWBH) for a 30-minute morning meditation practice with the Concord Free Public Library and start your day with a moment of ease. Discover mindful tools that center the body, settle the mind, and open the door to wellbeing. [Register for Zoom Link]

Rock Into Summer Reading with Los Sugar Kings

Thursday, June 15, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Front Lawn, Main Library

Kick off your summer season with a free concert on the lawn of the Main Library. This family-friendly performance features Los Sugar Kings – a Boston-based quartet known for dynamic performances, rich harmonies, intense musicianship and the ability to transcend genres. Respect is paid to traditions of Afro-Cuban, Salsa, and Ruma-Flamenca as well as drawing on influences from nearly every continent in a unique root-rock-reggae repertoire. Feel free to bring a blanket. There are plenty of chairs on hand as well. Rain location: Goodwin Forum, Main Library. Sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. Free Admission. Open to all. No registration required.

Shakespeare on the Lawn: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Saturday and Sunday, June 17 & 18, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Front Lawn, Main Library

The Concord Players Present The World's a Stage Players in A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Nicholas Meunier. For their first show of the summer, and tenth as the Players' resident Shakespeare troupe, they will revisit the first show they presented in 2012 — the much beloved A Midsummer Night's Dream. Free admission. No registration required.

Author Talk with Jane Roper

Tuesday, June 20, 7:00 p.m.

Goodwin Forum, Main Library

Join author Jane Roper for a discussion of her new book The Society of Shame. A viral photo of a politician’s wife’s “feminine hygiene malfunction” catapults her to unwanted fame in a story that is both a satire of social media stardom and internet activism and a tender mother-daughter tale. [Register]

Virtual Films at Fowler Summer 2023

Virtual Films at Fowler continues in summer 2023 with the theme of Finding Family. These selected movies are in some way about the varied pleasures, problems, and pitfalls of belonging to a family, whether conventional or unconventional. Please watch the films on Kanopy and participate in discussions on Zoom.


Someone Somewhere (2019)

Wednesday, June 21, 7:00 p.m. (Discussion Date on Zoom)

In this romantic comedy from French director Cédric Klapisch, two lonely neighbors in Paris would be perfect for each other if only they could meet. 


Please watch the film on Kanopy before the discussion. To register for the discussion and receive a Zoom link, send an email to the Coordinator of the program Randall Warniers at FilmsatFowler@concordlibrary.org.


This series is sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.


[View Updated Summer 2023 Virtual Film at Fowler Schedules]

Teen Events

Dishing Out Drag

Saturday, June 10, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Zoom

Join us virtually to experience the world of drag through the eyes of popular New England Drag Queen Giganta Smalls. Teens aged 13 to 18 are welcome to join as Giganta Smalls dishes on what the life of a drag performer is like. [Register to Receive Zoom Link]

Teen Board Game Advisory Board

Thursday, June 15, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Teen Lounge, Main Library

Teens - Join The Board Game Advisory Board. Receive your very own Board Game Board Member membership card. Choose from our game selection at the library, plan which games we purchase in the future, or bring your own from home (board games, table top role playing, card games [Magic, Pokemon, etc]). Popcorn will always be provided. No registration required.

CCHS Weekend Chess Club

Saturday, June 17, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Teen Lounge, Main Library

For beginners and pros alike - Play chess with the Concord-Carlisle High School (CCHS) Weekend Chess Club. Ages 11-18. No registration required.

Kids Summer Reading Program Starts June 12

Kids, Parents and Caregivers - Please visit the Library starting Monday, June 12 to sign up for 2023 Summer Reading Program.


Rubber Ducky Club

Main and Fowler  

For babies, toddlers, and preschoolers - Stop by to sign up and pick up your Rubber Ducky BINGO Board as well as a special sign-up prize. Complete the challenges, bring the board to the Library, and win a rubber ducky (limit one per week). There will be new BINGO challenges every week.


Read to Bead

Main and Fowler

For kids in grades K-8 - Stop by to sign up and get a necklace and summer brag tag. Read and complete BINGO challenges to earn beads for your necklace. More reading and more challenges. Earn special beads: letter beads, star beads, and even animal beads. Every week, visit the Library for a chance to win gift cards to local businesses through Bike for Books and the Children's Library Guessing Jar.

Children's Events at the Main Library

Musical Monday with Tim Seston

Monday, June 12, 10:30 - 11:00 a.m.

Goodwin Forum, Main Library

Join us for a musical program for kids and families every Monday. Tim Seston has been entertaining audiences since 2006 with original stories and songs. Recommended for kids of all ages. No registration required. Sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.

Science Heroes: Stories and Experiments! Saving Earth Together (all ages)

Thursday, June 15, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Goodwin Forum, Main Library

Science and stories collide in this brand new interactive STEM program - Two unlikely heroes must learn to work together to stop a super polluting mastermind. Throughout the story, you will help the performer conduct amazing science experiments all about air pressure, the laws of motion, chemical reactions, and much more. No registration required. Sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.

Millie's Birthday Party (all ages)

Friday, June 16, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Children's Garden, Main Library

Join us as we celebrate Millie the Duck's first birthday party - We will have several special birthday activities and, of course, cake. No registration required. This event is made possible by the generous support of the Concord Free Public Library Corporation. Click here to read more about the Millie the Duck.


For more Children's events at the Main Library, visit here.

Fowler Branch Children's Events

Craft Lab with the West Concord Green Thumbs at Fowler, Ages 12 and under

Wednesday, June 14, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Fowler Branch Large Meeting Room

Inspired by the book Rooftop Garden, members of the West Concord Green Thumbs have made an incredible display at Fowler! Learn more about urban and alternative gardening, and craft with artistic gardeners! No registration required.

ZOOM Storytime from Fowler, Ages 5 and under

Thursday, June 15, 10:00 - 10:30 a.m.

Zoom

Join Fowler staff online for weekly songs, stories, and rhymes. [Register for Zoom Link]

Meet an Owl at Fowler

Saturday, June 17, 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.

Fowler Backyard, Fowler Branch

Nuala, a rescued Great Horned Owl, and falconer Diane will teach us about the importance of protecting local ecosystems. Rain location: Large Meeting Room. No registration required.


For more Children's events at Fowler, visit here. 

More Highlights from Special Collections: Announcing Recent Alcott Acquisition

Special Collections is thrilled to announce an exciting recent acquisition. A handwritten letter dated circa 1868 by Louisa May Alcott to her publisher, Thomas Niles of Roberts Brothers, making editorial notes pursuant to the publication of her book, Little Women (originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869). The Concord Free Public Library Corporation and a group of special donors made the acquisition possible.


In the letter corresponding with her publisher, Louisa May Alcott adds a subtitle to her soon-to-be-published classic, Little Women. She writes, "About the title, we think that if a second one is needed, 'Meg, Jo, Beth & Amy' simply, is enough, for it isn't the story of their lives, & any thing like ['the story of,' crossed out] 'a year of their times' is suggestive of Leslie Goldthwaite." The book's first edition was entitled 'Little Women; or, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy'—just as Alcott suggests in the letter.


The first edition of Little Women, published in 1868 by Roberts Brothers included illustrations by May Alcott Niereker, Louisa’s sister who inspired the fictional Amy March. Still a developing artist, May Alcott 'struggled' with her illustrative additions to her sister's book. The letter further addresses May’s design and alterations to the illustrations. Again, Louisa writes, “I send the design with May’s alteration. She cannot do much but has put a snood onto Meg, & shaded here & there.” 


Finally, the letter conveys to the publisher a special request from the illustrator, Louisa’s sister May. Again, Louisa writes, “My sister does not want to be identified as one of the little women & prefers to have it stand—'illustrated by May Alcott.'”


We invite you to schedule a visit to Special Collections to view our newest Alcott acquisition, as well as the other rich collection of original material relating to the Alcott family, including portions of Louisa May Alcott's Little Men (published in London and Boston in 1871); and Pt. II of Little Women (published in Boston in 1869) in manuscript. 

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