Concord Stories from Special Collections is a new virtual series that highlights the rich holdings of the Concord Free Public Library Corporation’s William Munroe Special Collections through stories about Concord’s people and places from a variety of guests, including Concord residents, scholars, researchers, and curators.

Join us online for the third installment of Concord Stories​ on Thursday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m.

Our featured guest is Victor Curran. In his presentation, "Emerson’s Muses: Mary Moody Emerson and Sarah Bradford Ripley," Victor will tell the stories of two brilliant women, Mary Moody Emerson and Sarah Bradford Ripley. Mary Emerson was born at Concord’s Old Manse in 1774, and Sarah Ripley died there 93 years later. Mary Emerson “danced to the music of [her] own imagination,” envisioning a nature-based spirituality that found its way into the transcendentalist writings of her nephew Ralph Waldo Emerson. Sarah Ripley—a scholar acclaimed by the President of Harvard—ran a school where she mentored a teenage Waldo Emerson. In this segment, both women will step out of the shadow of the man they educated.

Victor Curran writes and leads tours of historic Concord and is an interpreter at the Concord Museum. He teaches courses and writes articles about the men and women who made Concord the home of American independence and imagination. He is a past President of the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and of the Society of Printers, Boston. He has a B.A. in History of Art from Cornell University.

Please visit the Library home page at 7:00 p.m. on November 12 to watch the presentation.

[Watch previous presentations]

On Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 3:00 p.m., the Virtual Poetry at the Library Series will host acclaimed Massachusetts poets Jeffrey Harrison and Matthew Lippman who will read from their powerful new collections and talk about their writing lives and the impact of the current times on the creative process.

Jeffrey Harrison will read from his sixth full-length book of poetry, Between Lakes (Four Way Books, 2020), where the death of the speaker’s father places him in the ever-shifting zone between the living and the dead while also sending him back into his journey to manhood. Old arguments are reimagined: What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be a participant in one’s life as well as a witness and recorder of the lives of others? The exploration of these questions leads to new discoveries, including the way time reshapes the vision of one’s life and alters relationships, remaking a shared history.

Matthew Lippman will read from Mesmerizingly Sadly Beautiful (Four Way Books, 2020), which won the 2018 Levis Prize in Poetry – a collection that “takes on issues of sex, politics, race, religion, and poetry, all subjects our mothers warned us not to bring up at a dinner party. It's outrageously American, crass, funny, fast talking, unbound, and yes, sadly beautiful.” – notes Levis poetry judge Dorianne Laux. Lippman is the Editor and Founder of the web-based project Love’s Executive Order and calls its weekly poems by different poets a chronicle of poetic protest during the current political time.

Sponsored by The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library, the event is free and open to all. Register here for the Zoom link.

The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library (CFPL) are pleased to offer Friendly Conversation, an opportunity for local residents to keep in touch via Zoom during this time of social distancing.

The group will meet at noon on Wednesdays from November 11 - December 23, 2020. Each 45-minute session begins with a “mixer” activity to stimulate conversation and communication. "Hats and Shirts Tell a Story" is the theme for the kick-off meeting on Wednesday, November 11 at 12:00 p.m. Each participant is encouraged to come to the Zoom meeting wearing a hat and/or shirt that relates to a story to be shared with the group. [Register for the Zoom link]

Author Talk: E. Dolores Johnson, author of Say I'm Dead

Join author E. Dolores Johnson for a discussion of her book Say I'm Dead: a family memoir of race, secrets, and Love (2020). Say I'm Dead is a multi-generational memoir that reveals America's changing attitudes toward race mixing, discovered through the courageous journeys of her family’s women. [Register for Zoom link]

In November, the book discussion group will discuss The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. All are welcome. Copies of the eBook are available through Hoopla. Please email bgugluizza@minlib.net for the Zoom link.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower's arrival in Plymouth Harbor! Join genealogist Linda MacIver as she examines the early and final history of the Mayflower and the ship's connections to the county of Essex (England) including the ship's captain and signers of the Mayflower Compact. [Register for Zoom link]

In November the Book A Mystery Book Group will meet and discuss Wife Of The Gods by Kwei Quartey. A small number of print copies are available for pickup at the Fowler Branch. The title is also instantly available as an audiobook on Hoopla. All are welcome. [Register for Zoom Link]

Join our Fowler Branch Librarian Dorrie Karlin for stories, songs, and rhymes. [Register for November 12 Zoom Link]

Join our former Children's Librarian Karen Ahearn for a fun Zoom storytime highlighting old and new favorite stories and songs! This program is geared toward children ages 4 & up, but anyone who enjoys listening to stories is invited. [Register for November 13 Zoom Link]

Virtual Writing Studio 

2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

The Virtual Writing Studio is back! And this time, we are open to individuals grades 3 - 8 for brain-storming, story-telling, genre-busting, and totally kid-oriented writing. Join resident poet and our Children's Department Assistant Cary Stough for a writing-themed afternoon break with collaborative poems, hilarious and engaging PowerPoint presentations. No writing experience required. [Register for November 18 Zoom Link]

Girls Who Code (GWC) Club is a non-profit organization that encourages more girls to close the gender gap in the computer science field. Girls in grades 6-12 will learn to code along with other beginners in an open and accepting environment. Learn to code animations, games, and websites. Our GWC Club is a two-hour weekly commitment from late October 2020 to mid-May 2021. [Register for November 18 Zoom link]

Join The Nature Connection through Zoom as we explore plants and animals, geek out over nature, and connect with ourselves and those around us in new ways – all through nature-based stories and poems. 

Tuesday, November 17, 10:30 - 11:00 a.m., Ages 3 - 6 [Register]

Tuesday, November 17, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., Ages 7 - 11 [Register]

Wednesday, November 18, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., Ages 11 & up [Register]

Fridays @ 10:00 a.m. on Library's Facebook Premiere

and 2:00 p.m. on Instagram

Every Friday, thirteen year-old Concordian Jacob Edelman reads a special story from our staff curated list of 101 Picture Books Concord Free Public Library Loves!

When you borrow these titles now through November 30, 2020, you will be debited zero borrows from your monthly Hoopla borrows.

The Bonus Borrows program contains 1,000 titles available in eBooks, audiobooks, comics, and film. Check out the entire selection of titles.