PLBlogo
Monday, February 14th 2022

Hello reader!

Read on for what's happening at the library.

Newsletter Icon Announcement

Virtual Poetry Reading

poetry reading 2022.02.19

SATURDAY, February 19 at 2 PM

Please join Brookline poet laureate Jennifer Barber as she hosts a virtual poetry reading featuring Somerville poet laureate Lloyd Schwartz and Boston’s 2020 youth poet laureate Alondra Bobadilla. A Q&A will follow the reading.

Lloyd Schwartz is Poet Laureate of Somerville, Mass., Frederick S. Troy Professor of English Emeritus at UMass Boston, an editor of the works of Elizabeth Bishop, and an arts critic for NPR’s Fresh Air and WBUR’s the ARTery. He has been awarded NEA, Guggenheim, and Academy of American Poets fellowships in poetry and a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. His latest book is Who’s on First?—New and Selected Poems.

Alondra Bobadilla was named Boston’s first-ever Youth Poet Laureate in January of 2020. Her poetry demonstrates how creative expression can be a powerful tool for youth to examine feelings around issues, find their voice, and speak up about the changes they want to see for their future. Her collection of poems is entitled With Clipped Wings, and she is a student at UMass Boston majoring in International Relations with a minor in Dance.

Jennifer Barber is Brookline Poet Laureate for 2021-2024. Her new collection, forthcoming in 2022 from The Word Works, is The Sliding Boat Our Bodies Made.

Sign up for the Virtual Poetry Reading here!

Co-sponsored by the Brookline Commission for the Arts and the Public Library of Brookline.

Library Closed for Presidents' Day

All Public Library of Brookline locations will be closed Monday, February 21 for Presidents' Day. Regular hours will resume Tuesday, February 22.

Brookline Department of Public Health Distributing Free COVID-19 Test Kits

This week and next week, Brookline's Department of Public Health will be distributing rapid COVID-19 antigen tests at several locations around town, including the backdoor of the Coolidge Corner Library. Dates and times for rapid test distribution at Coolidge Corner are:
  • Tuesdays February 15 & 22, 4-6 PM
  • Wednesdays February 16 & 23, 9-11 AM
  • Thursdays February 17 & 24, 4-6 PM
To pick up tests at the Coolidge Corner Library during those times, go down the driveway to the backdoor, where Health Department staff will hand out tests. More information about the tests and other pickup locations is available on the Town's COVID-19 response website or by contacting the Department of Public Health at vaccine@brooklinema.gov or 617-730-2300.
Newsletter Icon Calendar

UPCOMING EVENTS

Virtual Cooking Class: Whoopie Pies

202202WhoopiePies

SATURDAY, February 19 at 3 PM

Do you love making delicious food all by yourself? We do, too! Join Food Explorers for this virtual cooking class for children! For children in grades 2–5, accompanied by an adult. Limit to 20 families only.

Sign up for the cooking class here!

This event is generously sponsored by the Brookline Library Foundation.

Virtual Event: Songs with Seth

202202SongsWithSeth

WEDNESDAY, February 23 at 10:30 AM

Join special performer Seth Hanson for a virtual, interactive singalong! This program is for families and kids of all ages, but will be mostly targeted to our friends who are 0-5 years old. We can’t wait to sing along with you!

Sign up for Songs with Seth here!

This event is generously sponsored by the Brookline Library Foundation.

Virtual Event: Leaping Lizards!

202202LeapingLizards

SATURDAY, February 26 at 3 PM

Meet some live lizard friends, virtually! From a tiny anole and a huge Komodo dragon to a venomous Gila monster, lizards can look very different. How are they similar? How do their differences actually help lizards survive around the world and even here? Find out about the amazing abilities of different lizards – some of whom will be joining us live on camera! For children ages 5 and up.

Sign up for Leaping Lizards here!

This event is generously sponsored by the Brookline Library Foundation.

Virtual Author Event: Jerald Walker

Jerald Walker event

MONDAY, February 28 at 7 PM

Join us for an evening with author Jerald Walker. He will read excerpts from and discuss his new book, How to Make a Slave and Other Essays, which was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award in nonfiction and winner of the 2020 Massachusetts Book Award in nonfiction. A Q&A will follow.

In addition to How to Make a Slave, Jerald Walker is the author of two memoirs, Street Shadows and The World in Flames. His work has appeared in publications such as The Harvard Review, Creative Nonfiction, The Iowa Review, and Mother Jones, and has been widely anthologized, including five times in The Best American Essays series. Recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize, and the L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award, Walker is a Professor of Creative Writing and African American Literature at Emerson College.

Register for this event here! The Zoom link will come from ashlandprograms@minlib.net.

If you wish to purchase a copy of How to Make a Slave, they are available at Newtonville Books.

This program is cosponsored by the Ashland Public Library, the Newton Free Library, the Tewksbury Public Library, and the Watertown Free Public Library.
Newsletter Icon Book

ONGOING PROGRAMS

Each week the Library holds many regularly occurring programs for adults and kids of all ages. Check out what's happening this week – and click on the links for more information and sign-ups!

Black History Month Book Recommendations

Twins book rec Abbey
To celebrate Black History Month, we asked our staff to recommend works by Black creators. Tween Librarian Abbey chose Twins by Varian Johnson. "I love the graphic novel Twins by Varian Johnson! Identical twins Maureen and Francine are starting 6th grade, and have very different feelings about the way middle school is making them drift apart. This is such a fun, relatable story about identity and sisterhood!" Borrow it here!

Looking for more books to read to celebrate Black History Month? Check out our displays at any of the three Brookline Libraries, or ask us for personalized recommendations.
facebook twitter instagram