Volume 9 No. 6 | May 28, 2025

TUTORIAL:

Click on the image to the right for a PDF of the newsletter & calendar tutorial.

RSVP to join the Pride Parade,

support the library!

Saturday, June 7th | 11am - 12:30

Downtown Greenfield

Sign up, invite others!

Greenfield Public Library is marching in the Franklin County Pride Parade, and we'd love to have as many friends as possible marching with us! Last year we had a great crowd of ~25 and we're hoping for even more in 2025. Friends and family are more than welcome to join! 

The parade is on Saturday, June 7th. Lineup starts at 11 AM, with the parade beginning at 12 PM, and the entire route is just one mile. If you like parades, supporting LGBTQ+ people, and supporting the library, this is a great opportunity to party with the GPL.🌈

For more information on Franklin County Pride, the route, and the organization, check out the website.

PLEASE SIGN UP TO JOIN THE LIBRARY MARCHERS HERE ON THE LIBRARY'S VOLUNTEER PORTAL, GIVEPULSE, OR EMAIL

JESSE.COLE@GREENFIELD-MA.GOV

TO RSVP.

Let's get out there and show our pride and allyship!

WINNERS

of the

Poet's Seat Poetry Contest

On Tuesday, April 29th, every seat in the large Community Room at the library was filled, and a significant overflow crowd watched on a live feed in the conference room, as the finalists in both the youth and adult categories read their entries for this year's poetry contest. The contest has been sponsored and run by the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library for decades, and attracts hundreds of entries. There was electrical energy in the room and readings of each finalist's poem was met with enthusiastic applause.

After the readings, the winners were announced. Each winner received a hand-made artisan's ceramic mug and a certificate. The grand-prize winner received a ceramic plate, a certificate, and the honor of bringing the Artisan-made "Poet's Seat" chair home for the upcoming year. Congrats to all who participated!

You can have the joy of reading or listening to this year's winning poems by clicking HERE.

List of all finalists, not in order of photograph of finalists above:

Christian Drake (2 poems), Kevin Thomas, Skyler Lambert, Becky Barnhart, Avery Cassell, Ursula Humphrey, Zachary Jacob, Shay Swindlehurst, Jovonna Van Pelt, Alex Li, Saul Hirshberg (2 poems), Calliope Pietrewicz, Rebecca Zhang, Henry Maxey, Luce Cordeiro, Amelia Dickson, Rex Kim, Henry Maxey

Grand Prize Winner Christian Drake for Necroscopy of a Spirit Deer sitting in the Poet's Seat Chair

Emcee for the evening, librarian Pamela McBride

Skylar Lambert, 3rd place adult winner for A Place of the Heart

Saul Hirshberg, Co-winner, Youth ages 12 - 14, for My mother has lots of freckles

Alex Li, Co-winner, Youth ages 12 - 14, for Ode to the Deep: A Discovery

Luce Cordeiro, Co-winner, Youth ages 15 - 18, for December 16, 1773

Henry Maxey, Co-winner, Youth ages 15 - 18, for WIndows in the Sacristy

Kevin Thomas, the adult second place winner, was out of town and not available to read their own poem, Foal, and is not pictured above

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS FOR LIBRARY ACTIVITIES

If you have volunteered in the past, or you think you might want to volunteer to help out the library or Friends in the future, log in to our new sign-up system today:

CLICK HERE

For detailed information about the many excellent programs presented at the library, listed below, click on the purple "Visit the Full Library Calendar" button,

which you'll find throughout the newsletter:

Teen Programs and Events

Teen programs are intended for youth ages 13 - 20 unless otherwise noted

YOUTH SUMMER READING CHALLENGES:

June 13 to July 26

Teen Summer Reading Program, ages 13-20

Leisure reading just 15 minutes a day can increase your SAT scores and lower stress levels by 70%! This summer we challenge you to read at least 15 minutes a day. Stop by the Teen Room beginning on Friday, June 13 to sign up and pick up your reading Swag Bag!

Mass Teen Choice Book Award

through September 2025

21 teen books have been nominated and teens have until September to choose their favorite! All books available in the GPL Teen Room.

Decorate the Teen Room for Pride Month

June 1-30, art supplies provided

WEDNESDAY RESOURCES FOR TEENS

Wednesday afternoons in June:

• Speak with a MassHire Youth Specialist about jobs
• Grab what you need from our care cabinet
• Make a recording for the Community Conversations Teen Hotline on a topic that’s important to you. This hotline, created by teens, for the community, attempts to make a space for political anxiety. Through recorded messages listeners can call in to hear teens’ aspirations, resources, good news, and much more.

Teen Advisory Board

Monday, June 9, 4-5pm, prep for summer

reading season by creating reels and demos

Teen Summer Reading Kick-Off Party

Friday, June 13, 11:30am to 4pm (drop-in)

Lucky for you, your last day of school is Friday

the 13th! Stop by the Teen Room to sign up for

our summer reading PLUS we’ll have free pizza,

an Oreo taste-testing contest, door prizes, bling

your sunglasses and more!

No library card? No problem. We can help you

out!

Tween Programs and Events

Come enjoy the library's dedicated space for Tweens!

YOUTH SUMMER READING CHALLENGES: 

June 13 to July 26

Summer Reading Program, ages 0-12

Track days read on a paper tracker, EVERYONE can earn up to TWO ice cream coupons, WORK TOGETHER TO SAVE MARIO!

Sign ups begin June 13 in the Children’s Room or at greenfieldpubliclibrary.org

Children's Programs and Events

An adult is required to be present with children under 8 participating in GPL programs

STORY TIMES

Book Babies

Intended for birth -18 months

Tuesdays @ 10am

Toddler Time

Intended for 18-36 months

Wednesdays @ 10am

ACTIVITIES

Meet a Therapy Dog(drop-in)

Thursday, June 5th, 3:30-5:30 pm

Intended for ages 3-12

Pride Festival Bracelet Making (drop-in)

Friday, June 6, 3:30-5 pm

Saturday, June 7, 9:30 am to 1 pm

Intended for ages 4-12

Fairy House Painting (drop-in)

Wednesday, June 11, 2:30 -4:30 pm

Intended for ages 3-12

Make a Paper Train (drop-in)

Saturday, June 14, from 9:30 am - 1:30 pm

Intended for ages 2-12

Pokémon Afternoon (drop-in)

Tuesday, June 17, 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Intended for ages 5-12

ONGOING ACTIVITIES

Drop-in Playgroup

Fridays, 9:30 - 11:30 am

Join the Children’s Librarian for free playtime with a mix of toys and activities for little ones, ages 0-5.

GPL Lego Club (drop-in)

Intended for ages 3+

Mondays, 3:30 - 5pm

FOR CAREGIVERS

Babywearing with Jennifer Hydefrost

Wednesday, June 25th, 10:45am

This Month's Focus:

May’s Focus: Babywearing Mental Health

Family Board Game Night (drop-in)

Monday, June 23, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Intended for ages 5-12

YOUTH SUMMER READING CHALLENGES: 

June 13 to July 26

Children’s Summer Reading Program, ages 0-12

Track days read on a paper tracker, EVERYONE can earn up to TWO ice cream coupons, WORK TOGETHER TO SAVE MARIO!

• Sign ups begin June 13 in the Children’s Room or at greenfieldpubliclibrary.org

Adult Summer Reading Adventure

Friday, June 13 through Saturday July 26

Are you ready for a summer of spooky stories, daring challenges, and a little bit of friendly competition? 

From June 13 to July 26, we’re taking summer reading to the next level with puzzles, scavenger hunts, and “spooky science” trivia to keep things fresh and fun. Whether you love to be scared silly by a good horror novel, swoon over a sweet romance, or just want to try something different, there’s something here for everyone.

Here’s how it works:

Sign up at the library or online at, grab your reading log and badge tracker, and start your journey.

REGISTER RIGHT HERE!

Win merit badges for each book or activity to help move your marker across our Mystical Autumn Lands Map.

Check in weekly for new puzzles, scavenger hunts, and “spooky science” trivia to keep things fresh and fun.

Join us on July 16 when we team up with the Greenfield Police Department for a Drone & Remote Control Car Obstacle Course right in the library! It’s your chance to test your skills, have some laughs, and earn exclusive badges.

And at the end of the adventure, you could win one of two grand prizes, a Kindle Fire!

For more information , call us at (413) 772-1544 or stop by the library desk. We can’t wait to see where your adventure takes you!

This program, generously sponsored by the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library, is free and intended for ages 16+. We would also like to thank the Greenfield Police Department for playing with us this summer!

Elaine Harootunian Reardon

Wednesday, June 4

2 pm

Conference Room

Conference Room
The Greenfield Public Library is pleased to welcome local author Elaine Harootunian Reardon to read from and speak about her book Stories Told in a Lost Tongue.

A story of immigration and assimilation spanning three generations, this book is an exploration of heritage and healing found in everyday rituals. There is a teller of fortunes, a monk who travels with a donkey, and the tastes and smells at the kitchen table as the alchemy of cooking raises memories of those that were loved. Stories Told In a Lost Tongue is Harootunian Reardon’s third book of poetry, an exploration of heritage and healing.

Elaine Harootunian Reardon is a storyteller telling the collective stories of our journeys and how we heal. These poems, each a short story, are drawn from her multigenerational family home in Boston where she was raised, from Kharpet, Venice, The Vatican, places on her family's journey. Elaine is the author of two previous chapbooks, The Heart Is A Nursery For Hope, 2016, and Look Behind You, published in 2019. Elaine has won several awards and has been published in various journals and anthologies in the United States and Europe.

Books will be available for purchase at the event.

For more information, contact Lisa Prolman at librarian@greenfieldpubliclibrary.org, or call (413) 772-1544.

Attention kids ages 0-12! Read this summer to earn up to two ice cream coupons to Ice Cream Alley and SAVE MARIO! Sign up and start the Children's Summer Reading Program on the last day of school, June 13. 

Caregivers can sign kids up at the library or online at greenfieldpubliclibrary.org and pick up or download a reading log. Show your reading log to earn ice cream coupons and stickers for our bulletin board to help save Mario, who has been imprisoned in Bowser's Castle.

Level Up at Your Library this summer and visit us for lots of fun programming with puzzles and games!

Wednesday Resources for Teens

Wednesday, June 14, 11, 18, 25

3:00 - 5:15 pm

Teen Room & Local History Room

Stop by the Teen Room on Wednesday afternoon to take what you need from our teen care cabinet, speak with a MassHire Youth Specialist about jobs and make a recording about what’s on your mind for the Community Conversations hotline.

For more information, please contact Teen Librarian Francesca Passiglia at 413-772-1544 or francesca.passiglia@greenfield-ma.gov

This program, made possible through the generosity of the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library, is free and for teens aged 13 -20.



Fairy House Painting

drop-in

Wednesday, June 11

2:30 - 4:30 pm

Children's Room

Join us and use paint and paint pens to decorate a terra cotta fairy house for your garden. You can even make another one for our library Children’s Garden out back!

For more information, contact Ellen Lavoie at ellen.lavoie@greenfield-ma.gov or call (413) 772-1544 x5104.

This program, made possible through the generosity of the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library, is free and recommended for children ages 3-12 and their caregivers.

World Wide Knit in Public Day

Saturday, June 14

10:00am - 1:00pm

GPL Front Patio and Maker's Space

Greenfield Public Library will have two events to celebrate World Wide Knit in Public Day: a Knit-In and a Yarn Swap.

Bring your needles, a project and a lawn chair, and set up on GPL’s front patio to join other knitters in this worldwide annual event. If the weather is inclement, you can move indoors to the Periodicals Lounge, on the first floor. 

Upstairs in the Makerspace, stop by the Yarn Swap! Bring some skeins to swap! Perfect for cleaning out your stash and finding yarn for a new project. We ask that you limit it to ten skeins. 

For more information, contact Nancy Little at nancy.little@greenfield-ma.gov or call (413) 772-154

This program, generously sponsored by the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library, is free and intended for ages 12 and up.   

Greenfield Public Library Hours

Monday - Wednesday: 9:30 am – 8 pm

Thursday - Friday: 9:30 am – 5 pm

Saturday: 9:30 am – 2 pm

For security purposes, the upstairs floor closes 15 minutes before closing time. Main doors are locked 5 minutes before closing.

Check us out 24/7 at at our website for e-books, audiobooks, movie streaming, music, and research fun.