Events
Press August 28, 2023
Calling All Local Artists
For the Friends of the Library’s 1st Falling For Art Exhibit and Sale, October 20-22, 2023
Artists and photographers are invited to submit up to 5 digital jpeg images by September 30 to
fallingforartmbts@gmail.com. Include your name, title of the piece and price. 50% of proceeds benefit
The Friends of the Manchester Library.
Children’s News & Events
*Please register for all programs on our website: https://www.manchesterpl.org/events/ or call 978-526-7711
*The Pineapple Project
Saturday, September 9 at 1:00-2:00PM
A theatrical performance celebrating each child’s freedom to be who they are. “Boys can’t be princesses!” The impetus for The Pineapple Project came out of this moment during play between Mal and Mal’s niece. As a nonbinary person and theater artist, Mal knew that this moment could not go by without recognizing how early in a child’s development, ideas and influences can form around gender. And with years of experience working with LGBTQ youth who struggle with their gender, Mal, Becca, and Renee, felt it was time to create a theater piece that could help broaden the conversation as well as advocate for and validate each child’s individual freedom to be who they are. Best suited for audience ages 3-8. Registration is required as space is limited. Visit manchesterpl.org/events or call 978-526-7711 to register.
News & Events for Teens
*To register for the programs below and more: manchesterpl.org/events or call 978-526-7711
Free Friday Movies at MBTS
Friday, September 8 at 5:30—7:30PM
We will be showing a movie in our newly renovated Reference Room every month on Friday at 5:30PM. We will supply the popcorn. Feel free to bring covered, non-alcoholic beverages. The movie this month has a MPAA rating: PG-13; for intense sequences of violence, action, strong language, suggestive/drug references and thematic elements. Visit manchesterpl.org/events to see what is showing.
News & Events for Adults
*To register for the programs below and more: manchesterpl.org/events or call 978-526-7711
Mindfulness Meditation Continues this Fall at the Community Center
Every Tuesday at 11:00AM—12:00PM
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. Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome. There will be guided meditation, some silence, and discussion.
Please register if this is your first time coming to this mindfulness meditation program. We need either an email or a phone number in case we need to cancel or change venues at the last minute. Your contact info will be shared with the program facilitator who will only contact you about info pertaining to this library program. Please email mwillwerth@manchesterpl.org if you would like at any time to be removed from the contact list.
Hearthside Book Group: “Rough Sleepers”
Tuesday, September 5th at 4:00—5:00PM
Join us in person at the library or on ZOOM to discuss Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder. “When he graduated from Harvard Medical School, Jim O’Connell was asked by the medical school Dean to spend one year setting up a program to care for the homeless population in Boston. It became Jim O’Connell’s life calling, to help people known as “rough sleepers.” For the past three decades, Dr. O’Connell has run the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program, which he helped to create. Affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital, the program includes clinics and a van on which Dr O’Connell and his staff ride through the Boston streets at night, offering outreach of medical care, socks, soup, and friendship to a marginalized community”
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. Ebooks and digital audiobooks are available for free from the Libby app. Sign up using your Manchester library card.
*Shut Up and Write is Moving to Thursdays (Virtual)
Every Thursday at 10:30AM—12:15PM
Remember that novel you started writing seven years ago? Is it time to finish it? Maybe you want to write your first screenplay? Pour some poems onto the page? Settle into a daily writing habit?
Join a community of writers and artists on Zoom who just want to write (part of a larger community you can explore at https://shutupwrite.com). Come any time. No need to share, no need to critique or be critiqued. Just write in the company of other writers.
Here’s how it goes:
Show up when you feel like it.
Write for 90 minutes.
Hang out afterwards (or not – your choice) to share your work or listen to others.
*Art Across Asia: Masterpieces from the Asian Art Museum with Steve Zilles
Sunday, September 10 at 2:30—4:00PM
What constitutes a “masterpiece?” Why are some objects considered masterworks while others are relegated to lesser positions? Explore some answers as illustrated by a few of the very best treasures of the Asian Art Museum. These are masterworks from the vast and varied regions we collectively call Asia, which stretches from the Mediterranean to the Pacific. Fabulous statues, ancient bronzes, mystic jade, delicate ceramics, and evocative paintings – let them engulf you in their amazing beauty and workmanship.
This program is made possible through a partnership with the Chelmsford Public Library.