Events
Press December 18, 2023
Holiday Hours
The library will be closed Sunday, December 24 & Monday, December 25 as well as Sunday, December 31 & Monday, January 1. Many of the library’s virtual resources are available 24/7 from our website, manchesterpl.org/resources/all-resources — but some require a library card.
News & Events for Kids and Families
*To register for the programs below and more: manchesterpl.org/events or call 978-526-7711
Storytime and Craft at the Manchester Museum
Friday, January 12 at 2:30—3:30PM
Join us for a Storytime and craft with Miss Audrey, hosted by the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum. This program is for ages 5-10. We hope to see you there on January 12th at 2:30 pm!
Graphic Novel Club
Wednesday, January 17 at 4:00—4:45PM
Do you love graphic novels? Want to read them with your friends? Do you like tasty snacks and fun activities? If you are in grades 4-7 and answered yes to any of these questions, join the library’s Graphic Novel Club today! We meet monthly from January to June. Our first book will be “Freestyle” by Gale Galligan. Pick up a copy today and read it for our first meeting on January 17th at 4 pm. Hope to see you there!
News & Events for Teens and Young Adults
*To register for the programs below and more: manchesterpl.org/events or call 978-526-7711
Forensic Science Roadshow with Paul Zambella
Thursday, January 25 at 5:30—7:00PM
Venture into the world of CSI with this interactive program run by Paul Zambella, who spent 36 years with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory.
Subjects include: Functions of a forensic scientist, Blood, DNA, Fingerprints, Gunshot residue, Footwear impressions and Crime light
To add mystery to the program, there is audience participation in order to identify a “suspect.”
Due to the nature of the subject matter, the program is recommended for people of high school age and older.
News & Events for Adults
*To register for the programs below and more: manchesterpl.org/events or call 978-526-7711
Concert: Sean Fullerton Performs “Acoustic Memories”
Wednesday, December 27 at 2:00—3:00PM
The library is bringing musician Sean Fullerton to the Crowell Chapel for an afternoon concert. Escape the post-holiday doldrums and enjoy Sean playing blues, rock, folk and more. The Crowell Chapel is located at 4 Rosedale Ave in Manchester and parking is available on the street.
Sean Fullerton is a Massachusetts based solo Acoustic/Electric musician, singer/songwriter, recording engineer and producer with 28 years of professional experience, specializing in Blues, Soul, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Folk, Irish, and instrumental Classical and Fingerstyle Guitar…covers and originals…using a variety of guitars, harmonicas, and effects.
Registration for this event is encouraged but is not required.
This program is sponsored by a grant from the Manchester Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Mystery Book Group: “Past Reason Hated”
Friday, December 29 at 10:30—11:30AM
The Manchester Mystery Book Group meets on the last Friday of the month at 10:30AM. December’s meeting will occur in the library’s reading room and over Zoom. Email mwillwerth@manchesterpl.org with any questions or to get connected with the group.
We will discuss “Past Reason Hated” by Peter Robinson. Physical copies will be available at the circulation desk in late November/ early December and a digital audiobook is available through the hoopla app. Sign up using your Manchester library card
New members are always welcome.
*Mindfulness Meditation – Moving Back to the Library
Tuesdays in 2024 at 11:00 AM—12:00PM
Group will meet in the teen loft on Tuesday mornings starting January 2. 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.
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 last minute.
Hearthside Book Group
Tuesday, January 9 at 4:00-5:00PM
On Tuesday, January 9 at 4:00 PM join us in person at the library or on ZOOM to discuss “Lessons in Chemistry.”
“A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek.
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.
Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.”
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.
*What Works In Community News’ with Journalism Professor D. Kennedy (Virtual)
Thursday, January 11 at 7:00—8:00PM
Journalism professor and author Dan Kennedy will discuss his new book, “What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate”, published 1/9/2024, which serves as a groundbreaking study of the journalism startups that are solving the local news crisis one community at a time. Local news is essential to democracy. Meaningful participation in civic life is impossible without it. However, local news is in crisis. According to one widely cited study, some 2,500 newspapers have closed over the last generation. And it is often marginalized communities of color who have been left without the day-to-day journalism they need to govern themselves in a democracy. Kennedy, and his co-author Ellen Clegg, cut through the pessimism surrounding this issue, showing readers that new, innovative journalism models are popping up across the country to fill news deserts and empower communities. Dan Kennedy is a professor in the School of Journalism at Northeastern University and a nationally known media commentator. He was a panelist on the GBH News television program Beat the Press (1998–2021) and also served as a weekly columnist for the network. Dan is a recipient of the Yankee Quill Award from the New England Academy of Journalists and the James W. Carey Journalism Award from the Media Ecology Association.
**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.**
RECORDING NOTE: This program will NOT be recorded. Viewers must attend live to watch.
This program is made available through a partnership with the Tewksbury Public Library and is sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Library.
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