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The Concord Free Public Library is closed on Saturday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day. [View All Hours]
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In this issue: Holiday Book Sale - Adult Programs - Virtual Films at Fowler - Teen Programs - Children's Programs - Highlights from Special Collections
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Coming Soon - The 2023 Holiday Book Sale will take place in the Goodwin Forum of the Main Library:
- Friday, December 1, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Saturday, December 2, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Sunday, December 3, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
The Holiday Book Sale, sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library, will be full of nearly-new or gently used books, movies, and music CDs for adults and children. Come for your holiday shopping and have a fun time. Currently the Friends are still accepting donations for the Book Sale.
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Tuesday Book Discussion: Northanger Abbey
Tuesday, November 14, 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 November, we will discuss Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Copies of the book will be available at the Main Library Circulation Desk. [Register]
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Book-A-Mystery
Wednesday, November 15, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Meeting Room, Fowler Branch
Join Madeline from Fowler on the 3rd Wednesday of each month to discuss a range of mysteries, from thrillers to whodunnits. This month we will discuss the first installment of Sherry Thomas' historical mysteries series A Study in Scarlet Women. Copies of the book are available at Fowler in both regular and large print formats. The digital audiobook is instantly available from Hoopla. [Register]
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Author Talk with Lawrence Buell (A Program Hosted by the Library's Special Collections)
Thursday, November 16, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Professor Lawrence Buell will talk about his new book Henry David Thoreau: Thinking Disobediently. Buell will discuss Thoreau’s multiple claims to fame, several challenging issues in Thoreau’s writing, thought, and life on which his book sheds light, the challenge—and delights—of reading Thoreau’s quirky prose, and why he was moved to write this book. Buell is Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature Emeritus at Harvard University. His previous books include Literary Transcendentalism, New England Literary Culture, and The Environmental Imagination : Thoreau, Nature Writing, and the Formation of American Culture, Emerson, and the anthology The American Transcendentalists: Essential Writings. He is a long-term member of the Thoreau Society, a recipient of the Society’s Thoreau Medal, and a three-time keynoter at the Annual Gatherings. [Register]
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Virtual Films at Fowler Fall Series | |
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L’Avventura (1960)
Wednesday, November 15, 7:00 p.m. (Discussion Date on Zoom)
In Michelangelo Antonioni’s existential classic a group of friends take a boat trip to a remote island. A mystery develops when one of the friends goes missing,
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 Fall 2023 Virtual Film at Fowler Calendar]
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Teen Magic Hour
Tuesday, November 14, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Teen Lounge, Main Library
Join our pod of "Magic the Gathering" collectible card game players. Bring your own deck or try out one of our pre-built decks. All skill levels and formats are welcome. No registration required.
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Teen Dungeons and Dragons
Wednesday, November 15, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Teen Lounge, Main Library
Try your hand at tabletop heroics in our new and ongoing game. Build a character, choose your weapon, and lay waste to nasty critters with a roll of the dice. No registration required.
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Children's Programs at the Main Library | |
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Musical Monday: Rockabye Beats
Monday, November 13, 10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Start your week off right by dancing, singing, and having some fun at Musical Monday! Rockabye Beats is a fun, family group whose music is reminiscent of founder Marcos Valles’s Puerto Rico. Their songs offer a range of styles from rock n’ roll to calypso to funk and even blues. Enjoy movement, dancing, counting, singing, and a little bit of Spanish vocabulary. Generously sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. No registration required.
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Nutcracker Reading with Commonwealth Ballet Company (Ages 4-10)
Tuesday, November 14, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Join us for a free reading of the classic tale The Nutcracker. Ballet dancers from the Commonwealth Ballet Company will help bring the story to life in their elegant and colorful costumes as the story is read aloud. This is a wonderful opportunity for children to see and meet their favorite characters from the beloved holiday tale. The dancers will be available to answer questions and pose for photos with the children after the reading. No registration required.
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Fowler Branch Children's Programs | |
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Fowler Storytime with COA Guest Reader (Ages 5 & under)
Tuesday, November 14, 10:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Labyrinth Garden at West Concord Union Church (Rain Location: Fowler Branch Meeting Room)
Join us at Fowler for storytime - We will share stories, songs, and rhymes and do a simple hands-on activity. This week Tracey Zellman will visit us from the Council on Aging as we welcome members of the community to our storytimes. No registration required.
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Read to a Dog at Fowler
Thursday, November 16, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Fowler Branch Backyard or Meeting Room
Are you looking to improve your reading? Join Samantha, a young golden retriever, on the 3rd Thursday of the month for a 10-15 minute reading session. No advance registration required. When you arrive, sign up and choose a book to read, and we will do our best to accommodate all interested participants. This program is designed for developing readers of all ages.
For more Children's programs at Fowler, visit here.
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Highlights from Special Collections | |
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Film Release: "Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love" – A New Film by Michael Maglaras is now available for viewing at no charge (for individual/personal use). To view the film, click here.
This film features the author and editor, James Marcus, whose new book on Emerson, Glad to the Brink of Fear: A Portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson, will be released in March 2024 by Princeton University Press. "Drawing on telling episodes from Emerson's life alongside landmark essays like "Self-Reliance," "Experience," and "Circles," Glad to the Brink of Fear reveals how Emerson shares our preoccupations with fate and freedom, race and inequality, love and grief. It shows, too, how his desire to see the world afresh, rather than accepting the consensus view, is a lesson that never grows old."
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Connecting the Community: An Exhibition to Celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Concord Free Public Library
October 1 - December 22, 2023
Art Gallery, Main Library
We are inviting you all to visit the newly renovated Art Gallery (pictured, right) to view "Connecting the Community: An Exhibition to Celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Concord Free Public Library," a special exhibition curated by the William Munroe Special Collections, highlighting the history of the Library's buildings, services, and staff. Special Collections also features displays on the first floor (pictured, left) on early circulation procedures, conservation of the Library's First Collection, and a selection of books checked out to Concord residents, including Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar, in the first decade of the Library's operation.
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