Press February 27, 2023

Message from The Friends of the Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library

Annual summer book sale is this summer!!!  Due to a lack of onsite storage space, the friends have been unable to accept book donations on an ongoing basis. However, book collection dates and instructions will be set in the spring…so start saving your books now and watch for the collection dates to be announced! If you would like to learn more about the Friends and how you can join them visit https://www.manchesterpl.org/about/friends-of-the-library/   

Children’s News & Events

*Please register for all programs on our website:  https://www.manchesterpl.org/events/ 

*Read to Gus, 

Wednesday, March 8 at 3:30 PM 

Deb Kaneb and Gus, a Certified Reading Partner and Therapy Dog, are back and looking forward to hearing stories read by YOU!  Reading with a certified reading dog helps to build confidence with a safe, nonjudgmental partner.  Sign up for a 15-minute appointment and make sure to bring your favorite book or allow time to pick out your just right book at the library. 

*Seaside Saturday in the Children’s Room  

Saturday, March 11 at 10 AM   

Join our friends from Early Childhood Partners for themed stories, crafts and activities.  Please register on their website or call 978-468-5489. 

Teen Loft Announcements & Events

*To register for the programs below and more: manchesterpl.org/events 

*Discover Tarot 

Saturday, March 4 at 2—3:30 PM 

How can a deck of cards tell you the story of your life? Tarot began as a game but has evolved into so much more. It illuminates our life path through pictures and helps us navigate how to move forward towards our true destiny. Join tarot teacher, Laura Campagna, for a fun workshop to learn how to read tarot. No experience necessary. Participants will connect with their intuition and gain confidence in reading for themselves or friends.  You can bring your own Tarot deck, if you have one or the library will supply you with a deck. Please also bring a journal and pen or pencil. This program is for ages 12 – Adult and registration is required. 

*Teen Writers Workshop 

Friday, March 10 at 5:30—7:00 PM 

Come write! Anyone in grades 7-12 is welcome to join the Teen Writers Workshop. Play games, write to prompts, share your stuff, and become a part of the local writing community. Snacks provided! REGISTRATION REQUIRED. 

News & Events for Adults

*To register for the programs below and more: manchesterpl.org/events 

Mindfulness Meditation 

Every other Thursday, March 2, 16 and 30 at 11AM—12 PM 

Alida Bryant is a Dharma Leader and meditation instructor under the guidance of Anam Thubten Rinpoche. She has been meditating for over 30 years (still very much a beginner!) and studying and practicing with lineage holders in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Meditation, fundamentally, is about getting to know ourselves better. The mind is a powerful thing, and often leads us on a merry chase that does not always serve us. So, we practice becoming familiar with it, coaxing it into the present moment, where it finds rest and ease… and then we do, too. We will learn that thoughts are not a problem in meditation – they are very much a part of our experience, but usually we don’t notice them.

Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome. There will be guided meditation, some silence, and discussion. Registration is requested but not required. 

Movie Screenings are back at the MBTS Public Library 

Friday, March 3 at 5:30—7:30 PM 

Movies at the library have returned! We will be showing a movie in our newly renovated reference room on the first Friday of every month at 5:30 PM. We will supply the popcorn. Feel free to bring a non-alcoholic beverage. This month our screening has a MPAA rating: PG-13; for some strong language, thematic elements, brief violence and drug use. Check manchesterpl.org/events to see what movie is being shown each month! 

*Author Chat with Chuck Wisner (“The Art of Conscious Conversations”) 

Monday, March 6 at 6—7 PM 

In “The Art of Conscious Conversations: Transforming How We Talk, Listen, and Interact” long-time leadership coach and consultant, Chuck Wisner, provides sage insight regarding how to let go of deeply held beliefs and conversational patterns, become more conscious of internal dialogues, word choice, interactions, and intended or unintended consequences in order to have better, effective, successful conversations for better, happier, more successful relationships at home, out on the town, or in the office. Librarian, Maddy Willwerth will converse with Chuck about his book and expertise in our newly renovated space. Registration is required and coffee and tea will be provided. 

About the Author: Chuck Wisner is a highly sought-after thinker, coach, and teacher in the areas of organizational strategy, human dynamics, and leadership communication excellence. Chuck is currently working as an advisor with leaders and their teams at Google, Ford, DTE Energy, and Tesla (all Fortune 200 companies). His client list has included PSEG, Harvard Business School, Toyota, the Detroit Mayor’s Office, General Motors, Shell, and Chrysler Motor Company. 

Hearthside Book Group 

Tuesday, March 7 at 4—5 PM 

Join us in person at the library or on Zoom to discuss the novel “The Sweetness of Water” by Nathan Harris. Contact Lori Dumont at ldumont@manchesterpl.org or at 978-526-7711 for further information. Copies of this book are available at the circulation desk, curbside pickup or by home delivery. 

*“Dirtbag, Massachusetts”: An Evening with Isaac Fitzgerald (Virtual) 

Tuesday, March 7 at 7—8 PM 

Join us for a very special author event! Isaac Fitzgerald has lived many lives. He’s been an altar boy, a bartender, a fat kid, a smuggler, a biker, a prince of New England. But before all that, he was a bomb that exploded his parents’ lives-or so he was told. In his memoir “Dirtbag, Massachusetts”, Fitzgerald, with warmth and humor, recounts his ongoing search for forgiveness, a more far-reaching vision of masculinity, and a more expansive definition of family and self. The discussion will be moderated by Daniel Ford, host of The Writer’s Bone Podcast. 

Fitzgerald appears frequently on The Today Show and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, The Guardian, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, and numerous other publications. He is Boston born, raised in Athol, and currently lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.