Welcome to the Stratford Library Adult Department.
April Adult Programs
Celebrate National Poetry Month and Robert Frost (author of the poem “The Road Not Taken” the inspiration behind Two Roads’ name).
Two Roads Brewing will donate $1.00 to the Stratford Library for every pint poured on Tuesdays during the entire month of April!FEATURED PROGRAMS
COMMUNITY BOOK DISCUSSION, a Zoom Series
Co-sponsored by Stratford Library, First Congregational Church & CARE (Citizens Addressing Racial Equity)
Join us on Zoom for a community book discussion of When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America led by co-author Donald Burnes.
The Zoom series began on Monday, March 18 and will continue on weekly Monday evenings through April 29 at 6:30pm.Email socialjusticeatfcc@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link.
When We Walk By provides a deeply humanizing look that radically changes ones understanding of neighbors, poverty, and homelessness. Believing we can make inroads in resolving homelessness and poverty in our community, the multipart discussion series welcomes all to attend, even if they have not yet read the book. Free copies of When We Walk By are currently available at the Stratford Library while supplies last.
Learn to Play the Ukulele!
Monday, April 15 | 6:30pm | Lovell Room
Want to try an instrument that is fun and easy to play? Join Julie Stepanek as she shows the fundamentals of ukulele playing. No experience necessary. Ukuleles provided.
Registration Required.
Red Sox vs Yankees: The Greatest Rivalry in Sports
Tuesday, April 16 | 7pm | Lovell Room
Welcome to the most intense rivalry in American sports – maybe the world. Sportswriter and baseball beat writer Marty Gitlin shares videos
and trivia questions on the biggest moments of the rivalry.
Creating a Bird-Friendly Yard
Tuesday, April 21 | 2pm | Lovell Room
Looking for ways to attract birds to your yard? You can help birds thrive right where you live by making your yard more bird-friendly. In this hands-on workshop, you will pick up expert tips from presenters Marca Leigh, a native gardener and co-creator of the Longbrook Park Pollinator Garden, and Meredith Barges, a bird-friendly building advocate and co-chair of Lights Out Connecticut.
Edible Wild Plants and Fungi of Spring
Thursday, April 25 | 6:30pm | Lovell Room
Meet the 3 Foragers and learn how to identify, sustainably harvest, and prepare the wild foods of spring, from invasive bamboo shoots to the lemony tang of fresh wood sorrel, including some of the early edible fungi of the season.
Registration Required.
Managing Money Matters – an It’$ My Money Workshop
Tuesday, April 30 | 6:30pm | Lovell Room
Are you looking to better manage your money? Take charge of your finances? In this It’$ My Money financial session you will receive tips and strategies to master managing cash flow and increasing your savings.
Registration Required
Stratford: THE STORIES WE TELL – HOMES WITH HISTORY
Monday, April 29| 6:30pm | Lovell Room
Town Historian David Wright holds this monthly lecture series, a detailed examination of the Stratford’s history.
In David’s presentations, Stratford: The Stories We Tell, he reveals the “hidden” and forgotten stories of Stratford that help us remember who we are and why we’re here.SUNDAY AFTERNOON TALKS:
MOHEGAN TRADITION, CULTURE & HISTORY
Sunday, April 14 | 2pm | Lovell Room
David Eichelberg, Outreach and Traditions Specialist for the Mohegan Tribe will share history as well as oral traditions, beliefs, music and sacred practices of the Tribe.POETRY & OPERA WITH STEFANO RUSSO
Sunday, April 21 | 2pm | Lovell Room
SPECIAL FOR “NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!
Italian poet and opera singer STEFANO RUSSO will perform opera and discuss his new collection of poems, “Beyond the Chains Of The Mind”
CAREER & TECH HELP:
COMPUTER CLASSES AT YOUR OWN PACE
Tuesday, April 9 or Thursday, April 16 | 2pm | Board Room
Take one of our training sessions to learn how to use Northstar Online Learning to build your basic computer skills. Once you create an account you can pick what you learn at your own pace.
Register HERE for April 9
Register HERE for April 16
BOOK DISCUSSIONS:Monday Morning Buzz
Monday, April 1 | 11am | Lovell Room
Stop in to hear what’s new, what’s hot, and what books are creating a buzz! Staff will lead an informal discussion of books, movies and more. Share what you’re reading and watching and hear from others!
“Don’t Know Much About” Book Discussion
Tuesday, April 9 | 6:30pm | Lovell Room AND
Wednesday, April 10 | 11am | Lovell Room
PERESTROIKA IN PARIS by Jane Smiley
Locate the setting in Paris. Include charming main characters: a runaway horse, a resourceful dog on her own, an opinionated raven, and an inquisitive small boy. Employ the writing skills of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley. Voila! A tender tale of adventure, imagination, and friendship.
Two different dates! Attend the one you want!
Copies available at the Check-Out Desk.
Books Over Coffee
Wednesday, April 24 | noon | Lovell Room
WEST WITH GIRAFFES by Lynda Rutledge
An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, West with Giraffes explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late.
Copies available at the Check-Out Desk.
CREATE:Coloring & Coffee
Monday, April 1 | 6pm | Lovell Room
Don’t let stress get you down! Try coloring for adults! Coloring has many benefits including helping you to focus and de-stress. Stop in and give it a try. The Library will supply coloring pages, colored pencils and markers, plus coffee and tea. You are welcome to bring your own supplies too.
Knit Wits
Wednesday, April 3 & 17 | 6pm | Lovell Room
Join the library’s drop-in knitting program! Also crochet! Make new friends, get tips and share ideas while working on your own projects.
Held every other Wednesday evening 6:00-7:30pm.
MOVIES:
Continue reading →
Monday Matinees: KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Monday, April 8 | 12pm | Lovell Room
Based on David Grann’s broadly lauded best-selling book, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is set in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro and Lilly Gladstone star.
Rated R. 206 minutes.
Learn More About the Great North American Eclipse 2024
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun.
The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk.
These are the stages of a total solar eclipse. The duration of totality will be up to 4 minutes and 27 seconds, almost double that of The Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017. The partial phases last about an hour and 20 minutes.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Total Solar Eclipse
Find out Where & When
The total solar eclipse will be visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states.
Check out NASA’s interactive map, the Eclipse Explorer, to learn what will be visible in different areas of the country.
Eclipse Cloud Cover Climatology for the afternoon of April 8, 2024 from the National Weather Service.
2024 Eclipse Information for cities in Connecticut
Although Connecticut will not be in the path of totality for the solar eclipse on April 8, our state will experience a deep partial eclipse, with the degree of magnitude increasing south to north.
Click HERE to learn more about the 2024 Eclipse with detailed information for cities in Connecticut.
How to View a Solar Eclipse Safely:- Eye-Safety
- Different ways to safely view a solar eclipse (video)
- Pinhole & Optical Projection
- How to Make a Box Pinhole Projector
What about animal & pet behavior during an eclipse?
Help NASA scientists better understand how wildlife is impacted by solar eclipses by contributing to the NASA’s Eclipse Soundscapes Project.
Citizen Science – Other ways to contribute to NASA Science!
Start planning for future eclipses!
Continue reading →March Adult Programs
FEATURED PROGRAMS
COMMUNITY BOOK DISCUSSION, a Zoom Series
Co-sponsored by Stratford Library, First Congregational Church & CARE (Citizens Addressing Racial Equity)Author talk: March 18 @ 6:30pm – Join us on Zoom as co-author Donald Burnes discusses his book When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America.This is the first session of our Community Book Discussion. The Zoom series begins on Monday, March 18 and will continue on weekly Monday evenings through April 29.
When We Walk By provides a deeply humanizing look that radically changes ones understanding of neighbors, poverty, and homelessness. Believing we can make inroads in resolving homelessness and poverty in our community, the multipart discussion series welcomes all to attend, even if they have not yet read the book. Free copies of When We Walk By are currently available at the Stratford Library while supplies last.
After the March 18 talk, the next four sessions (all on Zoom) and led by Burnes are at 6:30pm on Mondays March 25, April 15, April 22 and April 29 and will delve into relevant topics from the book.
All discussion will take place on Zoom. Email socialjusticeatfcc@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link.
Concert: CELTIC MUSIC!
Tuesday, March 19 | 7pm | Lovell Room
Musician and raconteur Jeff Snow combines the music, stories and a wee bit of history from Scotland, Ireland and England into a concert event that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Early Voting in Connecticut – Starts this month!
Sunday, Mar 24 | 2 pm | Lovell Room
Stratford Registrars Lou DeCilio and Jim Simon will host a talkback forum on the new early voting system that is set to begin on March 26 for the Presidential Primary. Learn how it will work and ask questions.
Explore Plant Based Eating
Wednesday, March 27 | 10:15am | Lovell Room
It’s National Nutrition Month! Join ShopRite Dietitian Siddhi Sheth, MS, RDN, CDN, for a presentation to learn about a plant-based eating routine, and a demonstration of a delicious plant-based recipe.
Special for “Women’s History Month”!
Sunday Afternoon Talks: FIVE YEARS UNDER NAZIS OCCUPATION
Sunday, March 3 | 2pm | Lovell Room
Stratford author Elizabeth Breslav will discuss her memoir, the story of a Dutch girl’s will to survive WWII. She was 12 years old when Hitler’s troops marched into the Netherlands and 17 when the country was finally liberated. Elizabeth is one of a fast-dwindling group of teens who survived the 1940-1945 Nazi occupation of Holland. Born in Amsterdam, she has been an immigrant American for over 50 years and lives in Connecticut.
“Meet-the-Author” Event: HOW TO SAY THE THINGS YOU’VE NEVER SAID SO YOU CAN HAVE THE THINGS YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED!
Sunday, March 10 | 2pm | Lovell Room
Westport author Hilary Arnow Burns will discuss her humorous new advice book, Real Talk: How to Say the Things You’ve Never Said So You can Have the things You’ve Always Wanted. Using her signature “Getting Real Process”, Burns teaches women and men how to finally get what they’ve always wanted by harnessing the power of Real Talk.Stratford: THE STORIES WE TELL – WOMEN OF DISTINCTION
Monday, March 25 | 6:30pm | Lovell Room
Town Historian David Wright holds this monthly lecture series, a detailed examination of the Stratford’s history.
In Sue Monk Kidd’s book, The Secret Lives of Bees, she writes, “Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.” In David’s presentations, Stratford: The Stories We Tell, he reveals the “hidden” and forgotten stories of Stratford that help us remember who we are and why we’re here.CAREER & TECH HELP:
CAREER COACH: Excel Workshop
Monday, March 11| 10am to 12pm or 1 to 3pm | Bus parks on Main Street near the library front entrance.
Think Excel is tough? No longer! Come to our workshop and participate in a fun, two-hour, hands-on session!
This Excel Workshop is offered in the morning from 10am-12pm and will be repeated in the afternoon from 1-3pm.The same material will be presented in each 2-hour workshop, participants only need to attend one of the sessions.
Register HERE for 10am-12pm session
Register HERE for 1-3pm sessionCOMPUTER CLASSES AT YOUR OWN PACE
Tuesday, March 19 or Thursday, March 21 | 2pm | Board Room
Take one of our training sessions to learn how to use Northstar Online Learning to build your basic computer skills. Once you create an account you can pick what you learn at your own pace.
Register HERE for March 19
Register HERE for March 21CREATE:
Coloring & Coffee
Monday, March 4 | 6pm | Lovell Room
Don’t let stress get you down! Try coloring for adults! Coloring has many benefits including helping you to focus and de-stress. Stop in and give it a try. The Library will supply coloring pages, colored pencils and markers, plus coffee and tea. You are welcome to bring your own supplies too.
UCreate Craft for Adults: Herb Planters
Thursday, Mar 7 | 6 pm | Lovell Room
Design a planter and get your herb garden started! Planters, soils and seeds provided.
Adults 18+
Register HEREKnit Wits
Wednesday, March 6 & 20 | 6pm | Lovell Room
Join the library’s drop-in knitting program! Also crochet! Make new friends, get tips and share ideas while working on your own projects.
Held every other Wednesday evening 6:00-7:30pm.BOOK DISCUSSIONS:
Monday Morning Buzz
Monday, March 4 | 11am | Lovell Room
Stop in to hear what’s new, what’s hot, and what books are creating a buzz! Staff will lead an informal discussion of books, movies and more. Share what you’re reading and watching and hear from others!
Little Gems Book Discussion
Wednesday, March 13 | 11am | Lovell Room
THE HEN WHO DREAMED SHE COULD FLY by Sun-Mi Hwang
An anthem for freedom, individuality, and motherhood featuring a plucky, spirited heroine who rebels against the tradition-bound world of the barnyard, this is a novel of universal resonance that also opens a window on Korea, where it has captivated millions of readers.
Copies available at the Check-Out Desk.Books Over Coffee
Wednesday, March 27 | noon | Lovell Room
HELLO BEAUTIFUL by Ann Napolitano
A story of family—the ones we’re born to, the ones we marry into, and the ones we make—and how despite pain and fractured relationships, hope can be found. An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, Little Women, Hello Beautiful is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.
Special for “Women’s History Month”!
Copies available at the Check-Out Desk.MOVIES:
Continue reading →
Monday Matinees: NYAD
Monday, March 11 | 12pm | Lovell Room
A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, NYAD recounts a riveting chapter in the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad.
Special for “Women’s History Month”!
Rated PG-13, 121 minutes
