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 session
COMPUTER 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 21
CREATE:
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 HERE
Knit 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:
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