Lots of things to do, discuss or meditate upon this fall
From fall gardening to short stories, from collage to meditation, the Charlotte Library is hoping you will hope that you’ll find something to enjoy.
Jonah Hutchin of Charlotte shares the beauty of the cello on the porch of the Charlotte Library on Sept. 16 with an audience that included a number of younger musical aficianados. Hutchin is in his third year at New England Conservatory Prep.
Book chat on the porch
Wednesdays, 3 p.m.
Meet on the library porch to discuss new books, old books and books we might have missed. Each week, library director Margaret Woodruff selects a theme and highlights related titles from the library collection. Please check library calendar for dates.
Short story selections
First and third Fridays, 1 p.m.
Join Woodruff to share and discuss short stories old and new. The reading list will include a variety of authors, and one or two stories will be featured each session. Copies of the stories are available at the library circulation desk or via email.
Book chat
Fridays, 9:30 a.m.
Discuss new books, old books and books you might have missed on Zoom. Friday is a recap of the Wednesday porch session. Please check library calendar for dates and register in advance for Zoom link.
Children and family programs
Preschool story time
Tuesdays, 10 a.m.
Join us at the Charlotte Library for preschool stories, crafts and activities. No registration required. Age 2 and over.
Kindergarten-first grade story time
Tuesdays, 3 p.m.
Please call the Charlotte Library to register for this event.
Preschool free play
Wednesdays, 10 a.m.
Play in the preschool years enables children to explore and make sense of the world, as well as to use and develop their imagination and creativity. Exploring the sensory table, sorting, playing with blocks, play dough — these are a few of the open-ended projects planned for Monday morning play-based learning on the Charlotte Library porch. Ages 3 and 4.
Adult programs
Tech help sessions
Thursday, Sept. 22, 1-2:30 p.m.
Email enigma? Kindle conundrum? Computer question? App apprehension? Or maybe you want to learn how to use your library card to read or listen to books on a device. Sign up for a 40-minute, one-on-one session with Susanna, Charlotte Library’s technology librarian, to get some tech support. Make sure to bring your device and any necessary login information. Registration required, please call 802-425-6345.
“March” by Geraldine Brooks
Thursday, Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m.
Join a discussion via Zoom of Geraldine Brooks’ March. From Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic “Little Women,” Brooks has animated the character of the absent father of the March family, crafting a story “filled with the ache of love and marriage and with the power of war upon the mind and heart of one unforgettable man,” according to Sue Monk Kidd. Copies available at the library circulation desk. Register in advance.
Library Garden Circle
Wednesday, Sept. 28
New members are welcome. Join Karen Tuininga, Linda Hamilton and the jolly Garden Circle volunteers who work together to maintain the library’s gardens, including the large Rain Garden on the east side, and the Welcome Garden on the south end. Come every time or as your schedule allows. No experience necessary, just an interest in gardens and willingness to get down and dirty sometimes. Learn about the plants in these gardens and some pesky weeds, too. Connect with friends and make some new ones. To join the Garden Circle, contact Karen and Linda. Thank you!
“Wilding: Returning Nature to Our Farm” discussion
Tuesdays, Sept. 27-Nov. 1, 7-8:30 p.m.
A six-week discussion series based on “Wilding: Returning Nature to Our Farm” will take place via Zoom on Tuesdays. Register at tinyurl.com/2wuyzd67. This is a story about what happens when 3,500 acres of land, farmed for centuries, is left to return to the wild, and about the wilder, richer future a natural landscape can bring. Copies to check out or purchase at the library circulation desk.
Climate Prep Week workshop
Wednesday, Sept. 28, 6-8 p.m.
Saving the World/Losing the Planet is a creative response workshop to look at the multiple possibilities for our planet. During conversation and collage crafting, participants will share stories and create pieces for a community mobile reflecting varying sides of the climate change challenge. You will have the option to include your collages in the “40 x 2030: Sustainable Charlotte” exhibit at the library in October. Presented as part of the Communities Responding to Extreme Weather Climate Prep Week. No registration necessary.
Stillwater Meditation
Saturdays, Oct, 1-Nov. 19, 9 a.m.
Gathering together for eight weeks this fall is an exploration of poetry and meditation as sacred community. Respect for all beings and faiths is a foundational quality of this time together. Beginning and experienced meditators are welcome. Come to one or all meetings. Free. This meditation is offered by Rain Elizabeth Healing Arts.
Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 1 p.m.
Back by popular demand. You will not want to miss this presentation if you or someone you love is experiencing vision loss. Join Dan Norris, director of adult services at the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, for this hour-long interactive presentation. Dan will share the variety of large-print, digital and audio resources available to help you to access print and how you can access these resources through smart devices like an iPad or smartphone. Less high-tech solutions include large-print books and audiobooks that can be obtained through the ABLE (audio, braille, large print and electronic books), branch of the state library system by way of your local library.
Nature walk and book talk
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2 p.m.
Join the librarians from Hinesburg’s Carpenter-Carse Library, Charlotte Library and Shelburne’s Pierson Library for a recurring outdoor perambulation and discussion of books on the subject of our big, beautiful world. This group aims to pair a local hike with a book discussion fairly regularly. We’ll start with Rebecca Solnit’s book “A Field Guide to Getting Lost.” Meet in the parking lot at Shelburne Farms to walk to the farm barn and gather to discuss. Please contact your home library to pick up a copy of the book.
Braver Angels Workshop
Sunday, Oct. 16, 2:30-5:30 p.m.
Do you find that communication breaks down over political disagreements with friends, family or neighbors? Do you wonder if it’s even fruitful to engage in potentially divisive subjects anymore? Increasingly, we are siloed within communities that overwhelmingly share our own perspectives and lose the dynamism that diverse perspectives offer, a reality that drives today’s polarization. Braver Angels is committed to helping people to address these tendencies and to cultivate skills that foster constructive engagement across differences. Participate in a three-hour, in-person, workshop called Depolarizing Within. Our trained workshop leaders will introduce communication skills that allow productive conversations with those you strongly disagree with, and will provide guided opportunities to practice these skills. Register here.
Library contact information:
Margaret Woodruff, director
Cheryl Sloan, youth services librarian
Susanna Kahn, tech librarian
Phone: 802-425-3864
Email
The Charlotte Library Board of Trustees meets the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. For information about agenda and Zoom access, please contact the library director.