OWLNewslt July August 2018

A Visit with Queen Victoria
with Sally Mummey

Tuesday, August 14 at 2:00 pm

THE OWL NEWS

July  August 2018

Inside…

Return of the Sea Otter with Todd McLeish The Science of Well-Being
Murder in the Stacks  Sunday Series with Mark Scarbrough
Speed Date with a Book  Ugly Covers, Great Recipes

Antique Button Roadshow  Page Turner’s Club  & More!

Jennifer Sabella
“Order & Chaos” ~ Mixed Media

On Exhibit: July 5 through August 27
Reception: Thursday, July 5

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Jennifer paints with vibrant hues in multiple layers, capturing her
exuberance and fascination with color and texture. She has developed her
own style through many years of experimentation, adventurously exploring
a wide range of materials: wood, wire, canvas and aluminum, which lent to
the influence of surface material in her Gravity Wave series of paintings.

In this entirely new body of work, Jennifer tackles “Order & Chaos.” A
dichotomy present throughout her work, she defines animated brush
strokes into geometric hand-cut wooden pieces, and funnels free-flowing
streams of paint into orderly lines atop canvases. This juxtaposition is not
only highlighted in the varying techniques that she employs in an individual
piece, but also comparatively from one work to another. Her work highlights
both the organization and disorganization of the color palette, presenting a
more literal interpretation of “Order” and “Chaos.”

Many of these works reside at the new home of BluePrint
CT in Bantam. The artist’s work is also featured in private
collections around the world, including the boutique
hotel Fort Point Marriott Residence Inn, Boston.

In addition to producing work for her collection, Jennifer has also recently
started HUE Studio: an open studio concept intended to allow for greater
inclusivity and to promote experimentation in the world of abstract art.
Lessons are given in her bright home studio, where she teaches the very
palette knife and drip painting techniques she uses in her own work. The
beauty of HUE Studio is that no two works are exactly the same. The end
result is completely determined by the artist’s imagination and color
choices.

2

2nd Annual Adult
Summer Reading Program

June 20 through August 15

Join in the fun this summer as we challenge you to OWL Reads! Challenge
yourself to read six to nine books this summer!

How to participate? Beginning June 20th come to OWL to sign up and pick
up your challenge card. For every book you read, you will be entered to win
our book-lover’s prize basket.

Select which option: We listened to your feedback from last year and are
now offering two options to participate!

Option 1: Category-Free Challenge Card: For this option, we challenge you to
read six to nine books this summer. You select whatever books you want!
The challenge is simply READ!

Option 2: Genre Challenge Card: For this option, we have selected nine
reading categories. You need to read a book that fits within our pre-selected
challenge categories: book set in a bookshop or library, novel based on a
historical figure/event, memoir/biography, book about a crime/mystery,
book about nature, book with an ugly cover, and three “free” reader’s
choice categories.

Bonus: When you attend one of our events, you may count that event as
meeting that genre challenge category. See the following pages in our
newsletter for our events and what genre category it would fulfill.

PLUS! All summer, we will have fun displays, staff book talks, events and
more! Browse on your own or let us help you choose books to meet your
personal summer reading challenge!

CELEBRATE: If you complete six or more challenge categories, you will be
invited to an Exclusive After-Hours Celebration Gathering at OWL on
Monday, August 20 at 7 PM featuring book sharing, trivia, ice cream and
more!

3

Monday Scholars:
The Science of Well-Being

Mondays: 12:30 - 2:00 pm
June 25 through July 30

Monday Scholars is a weekly series that combines the best of online
learning with classroom discussion. Each week a new lecture topic is
watched and discussed. All you need to do is come ready to engage your
mind and participate in the discussion. Join Patricia Moore as she facilitates
this course.

About the Course:
The video lectures of The Science of Well-Being will be taught by Professor
Laurie Santos. In it, she overviews what psychological science says about
happiness.

The first half of the course reveals misconceptions we have about happiness
and the annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do.
The second half of the course focuses on activities that have been proven to
increase happiness along with strategies to build better habits. During this
course, you’ll have a chance to watch a set of short lectures exploring what
the science of psychology says about living a better life, and how to use
what the science says to rewire your own habits and positive practices.

This year, when this course was offered for the first time at Yale nearly a
quarter of Yale’s undergrads enrolled - some 1,200 students, a record for
Yale University.

About the Professor:
Laurie Santos is a tenured, Associate Professor of Psychology at Yale
University. She earned her Ph.D. from Harvard University. Her research
explores an age-old question: what makes the human mind unique? She has
published extensively on the topic.

Registration is Required

4

History Through the Lens of Fiction
A Discussion of Two Novels
with Mark Scarbrough

July 8 & August 12
Sundays: 1:00 - 2:30 pm

Join us as Mark leads us through a discussion of two novels that depict real
historical events, but through the lens of fiction.

July 8: Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander is a hilarious and haunting
examination of the burdens and abuse of history, propelled with
unstoppable rhythm and filled with existential musings and mordant wit.

The New York Times wrote, “Other fiction writers have gotten this fresh with
Anne Frank. But they don’t get much funnier…He brings to mind Woody
Allen, Joseph Heller and a libido-free version of Philip Roth…It’s a tall order
for Mr. Auslander to raise an essentially comic novel to this level of moral
contemplation. Yet Hope: A Tragedy succeeds shockingly well.”

August 12: Winner of the Man Booker Prize and a New York Times Notable
Book, Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders is set in February 1862.
President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the
White House, gravely ill, and in a matter of days, dies. From that seed of
historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial
love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a
supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying.

Mark Scarbrough started his professional life as an academic
whose focus was Chaucer and Harriet Beecher Stowe. After
several years teaching, he resigned and moved to New York
to write. In New York, he met and married Bruce Weinstein.
Together, they have written more than two dozen
cookbooks, and have appeared on The Today Show, CBS This Morning and
The View. His website is bruceandmark.com.

Registration is Required

OWL Reads! Challenge: Novel Based on a Historical Figure or Event

5

Speed Date with a Book
an OWL Reads! Discussion

Thursday, July 12
7:00 - 8:00 pm

What is the best book you have read so far this summer? We are halfway
through OWL Reads! - our second annual adult summer reading program
and we want to hear how it’s going.

Get Ready to Speed Date with a Book!

Speed Date with a Book is a fun way for us to share with each other our
favorite reads and to hear about new ones. Bring in the book that was the
most fun, affecting, or memorable read of your summer (so far). We will pair
participants to chat about the books they chose for one-minute each and
then…SWITCH! You will book-talk with the next person down the line, until
every reader has shared their book with every participant. You will leave the
program inspired and with your mind overflowing with new books to read.

Just in case…Bring your second favorite book along in case there is
additional time to share at the end.

Adult Services Librarian Patricia Moore will
facilitate the event, and will also be participating.
She will share her favorite books, share book lists
ideas, and bring multiple copies of popular titles.

We want you to be successful in the summer reading challenge and we will
do all we can to make sure you have fun and reach your summer reading
goal!

Light refreshments will be served.
Registration is Required

OWL Reads! Challenge: Reader’s Choice

6

Murder in the Stacks:
An Interactive Puzzle Adventure

Thursday, July 19
7:00 - 8:00 pm

This is not your usual “murder mystery” event - there will be no character
acting or using silly accents. You are an investigator looking for the who, the
where, and the how of a murder.

Librarians Patricia Moore and Jordan McCorison have created a unique treat
for you - questions that will test your literary skill and knowledge! Each
answer leads you to the next clue and gives you part of the puzzle to help
solve the crime. Every team that correctly answers all of the questions and
completes the adventure will receive a mystery prize.

The backstory: Marian Librarian has invited seven guests to
celebrate the launching of her memoir, Days of Our
Libraries. However, many of the guests may not be happy
to find that they are featured in her book. As they gather in
the library, the night turns deadly: Marian is found dead.

Your investigative team has been called in to identify the culprit, the
weapon, and where the actual crime took place. To solve the case and put
the right person behind bars, you and your team need to use your research
skills to find the answers to our puzzles and literary questions. To find the
answers, you need to use your knowledge of literature and authors as well
as any printed material in the library. We will also provide some hints on
where to find an answer, if needed. But this is “old school”- no computers or
smart phones may be used to find the answer.

Sign up in teams of four, or a team will be assigned to you. Dust off those
research skills and get ready for an exciting evening that blends trivia and
scavenger hunt!

Registration is Required

OWL Reads! Challenge: Book About a Crime/Mystery

7

A Life of Sorrow:
The Life & Times of Carter Stanley
Performed by Gary Reid

Tuesday, July 31
7:00 - 8:00 pm

For the uninitiated, Carter Stanley was an expressive singer and songwriter.
As the front man for the legendary Stanley Brothers duo, he spent the best
20 years of his life pounding the pavement to take his gift to anyone who
would listen. By 1966, he was tired. But...he had a story to tell! Using a mix
of storytelling and music, actor Gary Reid will bring to life the saga of a
Mountain Music Treasure.

Raised in the coalfields of Appalachia during the Great Depression, the
bright lights of a country stage raised the hairs on the back of 10-year-old
Carter Stanley. He had found his calling! A decade later, his musical
expression of choice was a new phenomenon known to many as the high
lonesome sound, what would come to be known the world over as
bluegrass. He played the music, he wrote the songs, and ultimately he self-
destructed. A Life of Sorrow is the story of one man’s musical journey, from
the Clinch Mountains of Virginia, around the world, and back home again.

A Life of Sorrow is the creation of Roanoke, Virginia actor
Gary Reid. A bluegrass enthusiast and historian for over
40 years, he is regarded as the foremost authority on the
music of the Stanley Brothers. In 2009, Reid conceived
the idea of putting together a one-man show about
Carter Stanley. To that end, he took two semesters of
acting at Virginia Western Community College and has since appeared in
more than 60 productions and events at regional community theatres as an
actor, producer, and stage manager and has appeared in several short films
and commercials.

Registration is Required

OWL Reads! Challenge: Memoir/Biography

8

The Cookbook Club
Ugly Covers, Great Recipes

Wednesday, August 8
7:00 - 8:00 pm

Cookbooks have changed dramatically in the past century. A genre that
started out as all text went on to became very reliant on photography.
Recently published cookbooks overflow with full-color photographs: with
dazzling covers and sleek, foodie photography accompanying each recipe.
But while modern, photographed cookbooks are a feast for the eye, older
cookbooks rarely had any photographs and when they did, the photographs
tend to appear quite dated in comparison to what we’ve grown accustomed
to seeing.

As the saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover and underneath
those plain and sometimes “ugly” cookbook covers are outstanding recipes!

We want you to find a cookbook with a recipe you love but an “ugly” cover.
If you don’t have any examples of this in your personal cookbook collection,
come into OWL and check out our display of Ugly Covers, Great Recipes.
Books will be available for checkout one month before the program.

Join Librarians Jordan McCorison and Patricia
Moore for an entertaining potluck dinner of
delicious food and delightful conversation. We
encourage you to bring a dish to share, but if
you run out of time to cook, never fear, just
bring yourself - there is always more than
enough food to go around. We cannot wait to
share a fun, food-filled evening with you. After all, we are just amateur cooks
who love books.

Registration is Required

OWL Reads! Challenge: Book with an Ugly Cover

9

Return of the Sea Otter
with Author Todd McLeish

Thursday, August 9
7:00 - 8:00 pm

Journey along the Pacific Coast from California to Alaska to track the status,
health, habits, personality, and viability of sea otters – the appealing animals
unique to the Pacific that were hunted to near extinction in the 18th and
19th centuries.

During his research on sea otters, Todd joined biologists as they captured
otters for study in California, rehabilitated baby otters for release into the
wild in Alaska, monitored their feeding habits in Washington, sailed coastal
British Columbia to survey otter populations, scuba dived with otters in
Monterey Bay, and met with fishermen and Native Alaskans unhappy with
the impact the animals were having on their livelihoods. Combined with the
history of the fur trade, these adventures make Return of the Sea Otter a fun
and exciting read.

Todd shares stories of his adventures, outlines the natural history of these
adorable marine mammals and the resistance of some to their return

Todd McLeish has been writing about wildlife and
environmental issues for more than 25 years. In
more than 200 magazine and newspaper articles,
he has examined the issues facing numerous
endangered species, written dozens of essays
about backyard wildlife, and profiled biologists and
wildlife artists. Return of the Sea Otter is Todd’s
fourth natural history book.

Registration is Required
A wine & cheese reception will follow.
The author will provide books for sale & signing.

OWL Reads! Challenge: Book About Nature

10

A Visit with Queen Victoria
A Theatrical Performance
with Sally Mummey

Tuesday, August 14
2:00 - 3:30 pm

In 1837, eighteen year old Victoria ascended the British throne, untrained
and innocent. Those who would try to usurp her power underestimated this
self-willed intelligent young woman whose mettle sustained her through her
63-year reign. Victoria wrote an average of 2,500 words a day during her life.
From 1832 to just before her death she kept detailed journals which
eventually numbered 122 volumes.

Using Queen Victoria’s diary and letters, this program reveals the personal
details of a powerful yet humane woman, who took her role seriously as
monarch in a time of great expansion. In this first person portrayal, Sally
Mummey captures the essence of the Queen by using Victoria’s own words
and performs this living history in proper 19th century clothing resplendent
with Royal Orders.

Sally Mummey began living history portrayals with her
study of Mary Todd Lincoln, who she has been
performing since 1991. Her interest in Queen Victoria
sparked during research on Lincoln. Although they
never met, Mary Todd Lincoln and Queen Victoria
wrote letters to each other, and through these letters,
Mummey found remarkable parallels between these
women’s lives, prompting her to develop her
portrayal of the Queen. Mummey has appeared on PBS’s American
Experience, and in a Civil War documentary for the History Channel.

Registration is Required

OWL Reads! Challenge: Novel Based on a Historical Figure or Event

11

Antique Button Roadshow
with the Acorn Button Club of
Central Connecticut

Thursday, August 23
6:30 - 8:00 pm

Remember going through Grandma’s button box? Remember playing
“Button, button, who’s got the button?” Join the Acorn Button Club of
Central Connecticut as we revisit the art, history, and beauty of antique
buttons. We’ll take a trip together down memory lane to discuss and view
buttons as they were meant to be - miniature works of art. If you have any
old buttons, bring them along, and we’ll help you learn about their age and
history.

The Acorn Button Club was established in 1942. Members
come from various backgrounds and share a love of history.
Acorn currently has 14 adult and 3 junior members ranging
in age from 10 to 95 years old. The roadshow program is
designed for the novice button enthusiast.

About the presenters:
Arlene Creswell was given her grandmother’s button collection by her
father. Arlene never knew her grandmother but was able to connect with
her by playing with the buttons as a child. Arlene has been a member of the
Acorn Button Club for over 30 years and served as the Acorn Club secretary
for many years.

Laurel Durso was introduced to button collecting about 25 years ago. A
retired Fashion Technology teacher from W.F. Kaynor Technical High School,
Laurel now has a craft business, Laurel Accessories. At present she is
president of the Acorn Button Club as well as the Connecticut State Button
Society. She is one of three state directors for the Northeast Regional
Button Society.

Registration is Required

Early Bird Café

June 26 through August 9
10:30 am before bouncing babies
& storytimes

Join us for the Early Bird Café which will be open before every Bouncing Baby
and Preschool Storytime session! Drop in and meet us before the session to
socialize with new friends and neighbors and have a chance to talk to Mrs.
Shaia. Light refreshments will be served.

Don’t forget to check out some books either before or after storytime. Mrs.
Shaia is always happy to help with suggestions of her latest favorites.

Bouncing Babies: Birth - 24 months

Tuesdays at 11:00 am
June 26 through August 7

Enjoy concept and rhyming books, learn finger plays, and meet other families
in this interactive program with Mrs. Shaia. Your child will form a bond with
you, develop listening skills and begin vocabulary development. Playtime will
follow to foster your children’s imagination, development and social skills.

Preschool Storytime: 2 - 5 year olds

Thursdays at 11:00 am
June 28 through August 9

Experience new and classic picture books, learn movement activities, and
build pre-literacy skills such as phonological awareness and comprehension.
Ms. Caitlin will read stories that encourage participation and comment.
Playtime at one of our new play centers will follow to stimulate your child’s
imagination and creativity!

13

Page Turner’s Club

Wednesdays: 1:00 - 2:00 pm
June 27 - August 8

For children entering grades 4 - 6
Registration is Required

Get your school summer reading requirement finished at
OWL this summer! Receive a complimentary copy of The
Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. In this story we follow
Omakayas and her adopted family through a cycle of four
seasons in 1847. Readers will be riveted by the daily life of
this Native American family, in which tanning moose hides,
picking berries, and scaring crows from the cornfield are
as commonplace as encounters with bear cubs and
fireside ghost stories.

Each week Mrs. Shaia will lead discussions, read passages aloud, and
create Native American crafts. A pizza lunch will be provided each week.

Field Trip to American Museum of
Natural History in New York City

For Page Turner’s Club Members Only

Wednesday, August 15
7:45 am - 6:30 pm

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent
scientific and cultural institutions since its founding in 1869. Highlights
include an Ojibwa domed wigwam, an Iroquois longhouse, a creek council
house, and a birch bark canoe. See the pages of The Birchbark House come to
life right in front of your eyes! A permission slip will be handed out, as well as
a detailed schedule of events for the day. Bus transportation, lunch, dinner,
t-shirts, and museum admission will all be provided. For more details, contact
Children’s Librarian Lisa Shaia at [email protected]

This book club and field trip are generously sponsored by Praxair.

Teen Pizza & Pages Book Club

Wednesdays: 5:30 - 6:30 pm
June 27 - August 8

For Teens entering grades 7 - 10
Registration is Required

Get your school summer reading requirement finished at OWL this summer!
Receive two complimentary paperbacks: The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth
George Speare and The Edge of Nowhere by John Smelcer. We will compare
and contrast a historic classic with a modern novel.

The Sign of the Beaver is a classic. Thirteen-year-old Matt is
left alone to guard his family’s homestead. One day, he is
brutally stung by bees as he gets their honey. He wakes to
discover that his stings have been treated by an old Native
American and his grandson. Matt offers his only book as
thanks, but the old man instead asks Matt to teach his
grandson Attean to read and an important friendship
develops.

The Edge of Nowhere is reminiscent of Gary Paulsen and Jack
London stories. Sixteen-year-old Seth Evanoff mourns his
mother’s unexpected death. Seth works with his father on a
commercial salmon fishing boat in the Prince William Sound,
and during a storm, he and his loyal dog, Tucker, are tossed
into the ocean. So begins the coming-of-age journey of Seth
and Tucker as they toil and swim among a chain of remote
islands toward home. Seth uses wisdom from his Native
Alaskan culture and common sense to survive a summer
season of challenges.

Each week Mrs. Shaia will lead discussions, read passages aloud, watch movie
clips to compare and contrast, and work on creating a wampum belt. A pizza
dinner will be provided each week.

15

Fairy Tale Lunch Bunch Club

Thursdays: 12:00 - 1:00 pm
June 28 - August 2

For children entering grades K - 4
Registration is Required

Mrs. Shaia will read a fractured fairy tale aloud while you eat
your lunch. Then we will watch a clip of Shelly Duvall’s Faerie
Tale Theatre featuring the traditional story. We will focus on a
different fairy tale each week, concluding with “The Little
Mermaid” to prepare for the field trip at the Warner Theater.
Grownups who stay for the fun will catch glimpses of actors
such as Jeff Bridges, Helen Mirren, Christopher Reeve and
Jean Stapleton in the live-action productions.

A pizza lunch will be provided each week. Keep track of the books read aloud
for the “Read to Me” portion of your Litchfield Center School summer
reading requirement!

Field Trip to The Little Mermaid
Performance at the Warner Theater

For Fairy Tale Lunch Bunch Club
Members Only

Sunday, August 5
12:30 - 6:30 pm

Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories and the
classic animated film, Disney’s The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love
story for the ages. With music by eight-time Academy Award winner, Alan
Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and a compelling book by
Doug Wright, this fishy fable will capture your heart with its irresistible songs,
including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.”

Chaperones include library staff. A permission slip will be handed out. Bus
transportation and tickets will be provided.

Tickets to The Little Mermaid Show are generously sponsored by
the Litchfield Education Foundation.

~ Special Summer Saturdays ~

10:30 - 11:30 am ~ For ages 5 - 12 ~ Registration is required

Wild West: The Mystery of the Golden Piano
with Sciencetellers

Saturday, July 14

Journey with us to the Wild West, where a bank-robber is back in town,
about to strike again and two kids must saddle up to foil the great heist.
Throughout this absolutely wild adventure story, the audience will help us
explore the science behind chemical reactions, combustion, air pressure,
inertia and more. Don’t miss this classic action-packed western with ‘notes’
of science!

Exotic Animals
with Animal Show on the Go

Saturday, July 28

In this program you will see everything from cute and furry to slimy and
scaly! The animals are presented one at a time and we’ll learn their natural
history. Animal Show on the Go is an exotic pet rescue that houses snakes,
lizards, turtles, birds, frogs, chinchillas, rabbits, ducks, hedgehog and
arthropods. It is run by Cindy King who has worked with over 100 species of
animals including venomous snakes, raptors, and lesser cats.

Pete & Chris Amusements
Magician Brothers are Back!

Saturday, August 11

Come see New England’s only two-man comedy and magic show. They give
an ultra-high-energy performance will capture your attention, and doesn’t let
go! They travel the country bringing their unique blend of magic, storytelling,
and slapstick comedy. This dynamic duo will delight as we end the summer
and get ready to begin a new school year.

17

Kindergarten Social

Friday, August 24
10:30 am

For children entering kindergarten
Registration is Required

All kindergartners and their parents are invited to a special story hour
for children getting ready to enter Kindergarten. Ease the anxiety of the
first day of school by hearing stories and songs about school including
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Ashley Wolff. We’ll
sing, listen to stories, enjoy finger plays, and practice following
directions and taking turns. Our special guest will be Litchfield Center
School Librarian Mrs. Moore.

Join OWL’s Children’s Librarian Mrs. Shaia and Center School’s Librarian
Mrs. Moore for this fun event!

Litchfield Schools Required
Summer Reading

Come to OWL to get your required school reading books. Center
School, Intermediate School and Litchfield High School summer reading
books will be available for you to check out. Find your books at a glance
by grade level. To make sure every Litchfield student has a chance to
read them, required reading books circulate for two weeks and each
student is limited to two books at a time.

Stop in to look for the color-coded leveled books that are featured on
your school lists. They are available in the New Book bins.

LIBRARY HOURS:

Mondays: 12:00 - 5:00
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays: 10:00 - 9:00

Fridays: 10:00 - 5:00
Saturdays: 10:00 - 2:00

Sundays: 11:00 - 3:00

Closings:

Wednesday, July 4 ~ Independence Day

All exhibits and programs are held in the
Jamie Gagarin Community Room & Gallery

unless otherwise noted.

Oliver Wolcott Library
Monthly Book Groups

Non-Fiction Book Group: 2:00 - 3:15 p.m.

July 12: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
August 9: TBA

Fiction Book Group: 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.

July 12: Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
August 9: TBA

All discussion groups are free and open to the public.
Books are available at the front desk.

OLIVER WOLCOTT LIBRARY Nonprofit Org
US Postage
160 South Street, Box 187 Litchfield, CT 06759 Paid
(860) 567-8030 www.owlibrary.org
Waterbury, CT
The Life & Times of Permit No. 118
Carter Stanley

Performed by Gary Reid
Tuesday, July 31 at 7 pm

For details see page 7