FEATURED PROGRAMS
Library After Hours! THE ROOTS OF BLACK MUSIC IN AMERICA
Friday, May 3 | 7pm | Lovell Room
Producer, songwriter, teacher, and troubadour, Karlus Trapp presents his delightful, educational and entertaining presentation “The Roots of Black Music in America.” It is a 100 year journey back through time, and offers a fresh perspective through song, story, and history to learn about the music of America’s black musical giants.
Check out Karlus Trupp here: https://vimeo.com/473417345?share=copy
Talk: Adventures in Nepal
Sunday May 5 | 2pm | Lovell Room
Stratford resident Letitia Laberee will talk about her work with The Forgotten Sherpas of Nepal Trust which raises funds and builds medical clinics in remote areas. Letitia will share her stories and adventures while volunteering for the trust. Learn about life in Nepal, see beautiful photos, and hear inspiring stories.
Talk: THE BRITISH INVASION AND THE AMERICAN ANSWER – A MUSICAL JOURNEY
Tuesday, May 7 | 7pm | Lovell Room
Take a fun and nostalgic journey through the most iconic and greatest era of rock-and-roll history with author and pop culture historian Marty Gitlin. This presentation highlights performance videos of influential British Invasion superstars as well as American bands that provided a wonderful reply. The presentation will conclude with a question-and-answer period. This program is a lot of fun so join in!
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE – FOUR FOR A SONG
Friday, May 10 | 3pm | Lovell Room
A really special show with a quartet of singers led by soprano Brett Kroeger singing a variety of Opera arias, operetta duets and classic Broadway showtunes.
Sunday Afternoon Talks: THE STRATFORD DEVIL!
Sunday, May 19 | 2pm | Lovell Room
Welcome back author Claude Clayton Smith to Stratford and the Library to celebrate the 3rd edition of THE STRATFORD DEVIL, the story of recently exonerated Goody Bassett. Smith is a Stratford native, Bunnell grad, and author of the historical novel THE STRATFORD DEVIL.
Talks: THE FOOD NEUTRAL KITCHEN
Tuesday, May 21 | 6:30pm | Lovell Room
Join Food Explorers for a discussion about diet culture, food neutrality, and how to embrace a positive relationship with food. This discussion will prompt a deeper dive into your own relationship with food, how it formed and how much of an impact we can have on the future generation by using food neutral language.
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 May 14
Register HERE for May 23
CAREER COACH: Learn Microsoft Word
Monday, May 13 | 10am & 1pm | Career Coach on Main St, near Library entrance
Learn what you need to successfully use Microsoft Word! There will be time to practice what you learned at the end of the session.
This help session is offered in the morning from 10am-12pm and again in the afternoon from 1-3pm.
Sign up to reserve a space:
10am-12pm session
1-3pm session
BOOK DISCUSSIONS:
Monday Morning Buzz
Monday, May 6 | 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, May 8 | 11am | Lovell Room
MRS. SPRING FRAGRANCE by Sui Sin Far
This book is a rediscovered classic (originally published in 1912) and the author is considered to be among the first writers of Asian descent to publish fiction in the United States. In this “little gem” of short stories set in Seattle’s and San Francisco’s Chinatowns, ordinary people fall in love, experience tragedy, and grapple with the challenges of reconciling the old and the new in their lives.
Copies available at the Checkout Desk. Also downloadable through Hoopla.
Books Over Coffee
Wednesday, May 29 | noon | Lovell Room
NIGHT OF THE LIVING REZ by Morgan Talty
A Finalist for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Fiction, the Chautauqua Prize 2023, and Barnes & Noble Discover Book Prize
Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, NPR, Esquire, Oprah Daily, and more!
Set in a Native community in Maine, Night of the Living Rez is a riveting debut collection about what it means to be Penobscot in the twenty-first century and what it means to live, to survive, and to persevere after tragedy.
Copies available at the Check-Out Desk.
CREATE:
Coloring & Coffee
Monday, May 6 | 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, May 8 & 22 | 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:
Monday Matinees: THE HOLDOVERS
Monday, May 13 | 12pm | Lovell Room
From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, THE HOLDOVERS follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).
Rated R, 133 minutes