Weekly Updates

January 20, 2023

  • Please note - The Concord Free Public Library will be closed all day on Friday, January 27 for staff training. Regular hours resume on Saturday, January 28.
  • In this issue: Concord From Above the Trees - Board Games for All Ages - Music From the Library - Virtual Films at Fowler - Adult Events - Teen Events - Children's Events 

A Special Collections Event: Concord From Above the Trees

Concord from Above the Trees: Copter Ecology Views with Richard T. T. Forman

Thursday, January 26, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Goodwin Forum, Main Library


Join Richard T. T. Forman for a presentation of Concord From Above the Trees: Copter Ecology Views. The presentation will feature aerial photography recently captured, plus selections from the holdings of the William Munroe Special Collections.


Richard T. T. Forman taught ecology for 36 years at Harvard University, where he is a professor emeritus. His books include Landscape Ecology (1986), award-winning Land Mosaics (1995), Landscape Ecology Principles in Landscape Architecture and Land-Use Planning (1996), Road Ecology (2003), Mosaico territorial para la region metropolitana de Barcelona (2004), Urban Regions: Ecology and Planning Beyond the City (2008), award-finalist Urban Ecology: Science of Cities (2014), and Towns, Ecology, and the Land (2019).


In Concord, Forman helped head the Town’s 1992 Open Space Plan, led the 1995 Historic Resources Masterplan, co-led the 2004 Open Space and Recreation Plan, in 1997, wrote Concord’s Millbrook: Flowing Through Time, in 2021, co-authored Ecology along Concord Trails, and in 2022, wrote Deciphering Concord's Old Stone Walls and What They Indicate: A Field Guide. [Learn More]

Board Games for All Ages

Board Games for All Ages

Sunday, February 5, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Main Library

Don't let Winter boredom get you down... Bust that boredom with a cozy afternoon of board games at the Main Library. Join the Friends of the Library on February 5 when we will have games for all ages, including children's games in the Children's Library and Commons, Kahoots for tweens and teens in the Teen Lounge, and adult offerings in the Forum. You can also bring your favorite game from home to play. Come for the games, stay for snacks, raffle prizes, and more! Sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. Open to all. No registration required.

Coming Soon: Music From the Library Series

Music from the Library 2023 will start in February in the Main Library Rotunda.


The series will include three Saturday evening concerts and feature works by Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, and Donald Martino, Beethoven sonatas, and works from the Renaissance.


Generously sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. Free admission. Advance registrations are required and will open two weeks prior to each concert. 


[Learn More]

Virtual Films at Fowler: True Stories

Films at Fowler continues in winter 2023 with True Stories. For 26 years Concord film viewers gathered on winter evenings at Fowler Library to see some of the most interesting and stimulating examples of current and classic cinema from around the world. That movie series, now called Films at Fowler, changed to an online video streaming format in 2021 and continues in that format in 2023. Because we no longer meet in person, we now watch—on your own schedule—selected movies on Kanopy, a free streaming service available to Library patrons. We will then gather on Zoom on scheduled evenings for a lively movie discussion. The theme of the movies this winter is True Stories. The movies in this series are based on real events, and have varying degrees of surprise, suspense, compassion, and drama at their heart. 


Official Secrets (2019)

Wednesday, January 25, 7:00 p.m. (Discussion Date on Zoom)

In 2003 a minor British intelligence specialist (Keira Knightley) discovers a shocking directive about secret U.S. actions and leaks the memo to the press. 


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


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

Adult Events

Arts & Crafts Club with Art for All at Fowler (teens & adults)

Tuesday, January 24, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Fowler Branch, Meeting Room

Art for All comes to Fowler - Every Tuesday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., teens and adults with cognitive differences are welcome to attend Arts and Crafts Club. Projects and activities may include making art for local shows, making holiday cards, and playing drawing games. This club is led by members of Art for All and made possible through support from Three Stone Gallery, the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and individual contributors. [Register]

Fowler Afoot: A Walking Book Club

Wednesday, January 25, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Fowler Branch

Get outside with Fowler Afoot as we walk and talk about books. We will meet at the Fowler Branch Library at 10:00 a.m. and walk over together to the Main Street entrance of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail or inside in case of bad weather. This month we will read David Grann’s award winning true crime narrative Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. Copies of the book are available for pickup at the Fowler Branch, and both the ebook and audiobook are available on Libby. [Register]

FREE Online Group Meditation with Be Well Be Here

Thursday, January 26, 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Zoom

Join Be Well Be Here 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]

Fowler Afternoon Tea Book Club

Thursday, January 26, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Fowler Branch Meeting Room

Join Samantha at Fowler Library to enjoy a selection of teas and discuss a blend of historical and contemporary fiction. This month we will discuss Sister, Mother, Warrior by Vanessa Riley. Copies of the selected book are available at Fowler. We will discuss the book and Haitian recipes. Please feel free to bring in food related to the recipe theme. [Register]

Author Talk: Rita Zoey Chin, Author of The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern

Tuesday, January 31, 7:30 p.m.

Zoom

Please join author Rita Zoey Chin on Zoom for a discussion of her book The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern. Rita Zoey Chin is the author of the widely praised memoir Let the Tornado Come. Hailed by The Huffington Post as a “euphoric ode to the human spirit” and by Oprah.com as a “powerful story to pass onto a friend.” Published in 2022 by Melville House, The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern is her first novel and called “an imaginative debut” by the New York Times and “a work of literary excellence” by the Southern Literary Review. [Register for Zoom Link]

Teen Events

Teen Dungeon and Dragons

Wednesday, January 25, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Teen Lounge, Main Library

Teens - Join Dungeons and Dragons. Play casual one-off games or start a campaign with others. Beginners are encouraged. Experts expected to help out. No registration required. Ages 11-18 welcome.

Navigating College Admissions Successfully in 2023

Wednesday, January 25, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Zoom

Stand Out For College is offering this Zoom presentation to help families understand how the lingering effects from the pandemic have changed the college admissions landscape and how it affects Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen. We will discuss current college admissions trends, the importance of researching and visiting colleges to find schools that can be a good fit for your child, a timeline and other action steps that can be taken to make this second half of the school year productive and help reduce the stress around the college admissions process. [Register for Zoom Link]

Teen Board Game Advisory Board

Thursday, January 26, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Teen Lounge, Main Library

Teens - Join The Board Game Advisory Board. Register now and visit the Teen Lounge on Thursdays this winter. 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. [Register]

Children's Events at the Main Library

StoryWalk: Witch Hazel

24/7

Main Street leading to the Children's Library Entrance

Our Children's Services Department invites everyone to visit this month's StoryWalk on Main Street, leading to the Children’s Library entrance. The StoryWalk features Witch Hazel, written and illustrated by Molly Idle. Something magical happens when Hazel and Hilda are together. As the seasons pass, Hazel’s broom whisks the dust off many years of joyful memories, and young Hilda watches them come to life. But is it magic making memories...or are memories making magic? This poignant tale and artistic tour de force from Caldecott Honoree Molly Idle gently explores the passage of time and the transcendent power of sharing our stories.

Read to Laddie the Collie

Saturday, January 21, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Children's Activity Room, Main Library

Children ages 5 years and up are invited to “Read to Laddie the Collie” on the third Saturday of each month. Register for your own 15-minute session with Laddie. Bring along a favorite book. 

Did you know that reading to dogs boosts reading skills & emotional & social skills for children? Read to a good listener who loves stories. Laddie is a certified therapy dog through Pets and People Foundation. [Register]

Musical Monday with Tim Seston, Ages 0-6

Monday, January 23, 10:30—11:00 a.m.

Goodwin Forum, Main Library

Tim Seston has been entertaining audiences since 2006 with original stories and songs. A career as a teacher blended with experiences of fatherhood helps shape the way he interacts with children on a daily basis. Alongside puppet and his guitar, Tim brings warmth and kindness to each and every performance. Tim has been the regular music teacher at the Milldam School in Concord for the past 17 years. His 5th album, "Forgot My Oars" released this year is an acoustic album of 16 original songs that he regularly plays with his students. Sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.


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

Fowler Branch Children's Events

In Person Fowler Storytime

Tuesdays, 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. & 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.

Fowler Branch Large Meeting Room or

Labyrinth Garden at West Concord Union Church

Join us at Fowler for storytime. We will share stories, songs, and rhymes and do a simple hands-on activity. Rain location: Fowler Large Meeting Room. No registration required.

Zoom Storytime from Fowler, Ages 5 and under

Thursday, January 26, 10:00 - 10:30 a.m.

Zoom

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


Game Time at Fowler With Minute Man Arc

Saturday, January 28, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Fowler Branch Large Meeting Room

Join fellow enthusiasts on the fourth Saturday of the month to play Sorry, Operation, Uno, and other classic games. This program is sponsored by Minute Man Arc, and we welcome teens and adults with cognitive differences. No registration required.


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

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January Art Gallery: Fly Away With Me - A Collection of Personal Travel Posters by Sarah Bossert

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