“That old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air ... Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year's mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.”
— Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose

Our new Head of Youth Services, Jenna Bivona, joined us on August 15. We asked Ms. Jenna to share a little about herself:

- Favorite reading genre? Mystery/Thriller

- Currently reading?  The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barn

- Favorite childhood author? Margaret Wise Brown

- What inspired you to work in libraries?  I love working to create a place where people of all ages feel welcome and look forward to visiting

- Favorite things to do in September in CT?  Hike with my dog, Mac.

- Anything else to share?  When not at the library, I like to: kayak, go to the beach, read outside, and spend time with friends and family.

Stop in to meet Ms. Jenna next time you are at the library!

A Note from the Library Director, Chris Johnson
As the calendar turns to September, another summer is coming to an end. Thank you to everyone who participated in our Read Beyond the Beaten Path summer reading programs. Below in the newsletter are some more details on participation. The CT State Library supports our summer reading efforts via marketing tools and training; in return, they ask that we provide them with survey data. Please take a few minutes to complete these very short surveys for our Children’s & Teen programs or for our Adult summer reading program.

Thanks also to those who joined us for our Thursday evening Sunset Cinema family films and Friday evening al fresco performances. Next summer, we are going to be switching it up by moving our outdoor concerts to Thursday evenings and our family films to Friday evenings.

If you have been watching the news, you likely have seen that, once thought to be nearly eradicated, polio is unfortunately making a comeback globally and in the U.S. This year’s One Book One Region (OBOR) author Judith Heumann was struck with polio before vaccines were available. If you have not yet read her compelling biography, Being Heumann, I urge you to do so.

Waterford library patrons are invited to attend two regional OBOR events in September:

- On Thursday, September 8, there will be a free screening at the Mystic Luxury Cinemas of the award-winning documentary film Crip Camp about Camp Jened where Judy began her advocacy for disability rights as a teenager.

- On Thursday, September 22, the author will be sharing her story in a live presentation in Palmer Auditorium on the Connecticut College campus.

- Seating for both events is on a first come, first served basis. Full details on both events are provided below and on the OBOR website.

Our other big news at the library is that Ms. Jenna has joined us as our new Head of Youth Services. We are thrilled to have her on our team. She brings many years of experience as a youth services librarian and is already planning fun and educational activities for families for the coming months.

See you in September at the library!

Change in Library Hours

Monday, September 5: LABOR DAY, LIBRARY CLOSED

Starting September 10:
Monday - Thursday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

Featured Programs!

Teens, ages 12-18, are invited to join Mrs. Marshall each month to create a different project.  On Thursday, September 1 at 6 p.m., you will create a painted canvas that lights up! Paint your Zodiac constellation and see it come to life.

Registration is required.  All materials are provided. Register separately each month.

Saturday, September 10
3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
The Railroad in Southeastern CT

Join us for a talk on the railroad in southeastern Connecticut. From New London and Waterford to the Lymes and then up to the Connecticut River, this presentation takes us from the trains’ entry to the state of Connecticut from Rhode Island through the interesting historical railroad aspects of the towns westward to the Connecticut River.   

Register for the event at this link.

Dr. Keith Barker’s career of over 50 years in higher education covers 18 years at the University of Sheffield in England teaching Electrical Engineering before he came to the University of Connecticut Computer Science & Engineering Department in 1983.

Saturday, September 24  

ONLINE 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Winterizing Your Garden

Learn how to prep your garden for next spring by taking steps this fall. This Zoom presentation will cover fall soil test, remineralization, cover crops, regenerative soil primer, garden amendments to feed the microbiology and beneficial insects for winter.  Please click here to register in advance. 

Our presenter is Craig Floyd, Coogan Farm Manager, Mystic.  

This program is hosted by the Mystic & Noank Library and Ledyard Public Library and co-sponsored by the Bill Memorial, Groton Public, Public Library of New London, Waterford Public, and Wheeler Libraries, as well as the Eastern Connecticut Community Gardens Association.

Thursday, September 29
ONLINE 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Why Do We Dream and How Can Dreams be Used?

Why do we dream?  
"Dreams are stories and images that our minds create while we sleep. They can be entertaining, fun, romantic, disturbing, frightening, and sometimes bizarre."  (Medical News Today, 2018)  

We welcome Dr. Daniel Bendor, a clinical psychiatrist with a practice in Waterford, CT.  

Please register in advance for this Zoom event.

Visit the Charter Oak website for more details on the matching gift program. Visit our library's website for more information on the library's annual fund or to make a donation. Thank you for supporting your Waterford Public Library.

Adult Programming Highlights

Read Beyond the Beaten Path

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Adult Summer Reading Program. We received 43 entries for our two drawings representing 195 books read over the 8 weeks of the program!

Please use this link to complete a 10 question online survey and provide your feedback on our summer reading program for adults. Thank you!

Thank you to Filomena's, Q Nails & Spa, and The Shack for sponsoring this year's Summer Reading prizes.

FINAL ALL AGES COVID VACCINE CLINIC
Thursday, September 1
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

In partnership with Ledge Light Health District and Griffin Health, the library is hosting a free COVID-19 vaccine clinics for the public. 1st, 2nd and booster doses of Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Pediatric Pfizer will be available for all members of the public, ages 6 months and up. No appointment or insurance is required.
For more information about COVID vaccines, visit the Ledge Light website.

Thursday, September 8, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
ONLINE Author Talk with Dr. Michele Borba

Please register here for this virtual talk.  

Join us in conversation with bestselling author and expert in child development, Dr. Michele Borba, as she discusses her book, Thrivers: Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine.

Data shows that today’s youth are the loneliest, most stressed, and risk-averse on record. Though well-educated, they are failing to launch in real life. So how can we teach them to be mentally strong and more successful? Dr. Michele Borba empowers educators and parents to help kids thrive in today’s fast-paced, digital-driven, often uncertain world. Through her research, she found the difference between those who struggle and those who succeed comes down to the personal traits that set Thrivers apart and set them up for happiness and a greater potential later in life. She offers practical, actionable ways to develop these Thrivers traits for kids and shows you how to teach them to cope today so that they can flourish tomorrow in school and life. These are lessons that will last a lifetime.  

About the author: Michele Borba, Ed. D., the author of UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World, is an internationally renowned educational psychologist and expert in parenting, bullying, and character development. She has spoken to over one million participants on five continents. She has been a regular NBC contributor who regularly appears on Today and has been featured as an expert on Dateline, The View, Dr. Phil, NBC Nightly News, Fox & Friends, Dr. Oz, The Early Show, and many others.

Thursday, September 8, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Community Movie: Crip Camp, a Disability Revolution

This free screening will be held at the Mystic Luxury Cinemas. 

The One Book One Region Committee (OBOR) is pleased to present Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. This 2020 American documentary film directed, written and co-produced by Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht features this year's OBOR author, Judith Heumann.  Barack and Michelle Obama serve as executive producers under their Higher Ground Productions banner.  Crip Camp had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2020, where it won the Audience Award. It was released on March 25, 2020, by Netflix and received acclaim from critics. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.

Crip Camp starts in 1971 at Camp Jened, a summer camp in New York described as a "loose, free-spirited camp designed for teens with disabilities". Starring Larry Allison, Judith Heumann, James LeBrecht, Denise Sherer Jacobson, and Stephen Hofmann, the film focuses on those campers who turned themselves into activists for the disability rights movement and follows their fight for accessibility legislation.

Thursday, September 8, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Author Talk with Lisa Hall Brownell

We are pleased to host Waterford native Lisa Hall Brownell, author of the new historical novel Gallows Road (2022). Combining fact and fiction, the book was inspired by events in colonial New London. Brownell will share a slide presentation that highlights her research and local landmarks, including the area of today's Gallows Lane, now part of Waterford. The plot of Gallows Road centers on the life of an indentured servant, a young woman who is condemned to death for a crime that she swears she didn't commit. 

Brownell grew up in Waterford, graduated from Brown University, and earned an M.A. in English with a concentration in creative writing from San Francisco State University. Formerly the media director for Mystic Seaport Museum and director of publications/editor for Connecticut College, she lives in Ledyard. 

Co-Sponsored with the Waterford Historical Society.

Begins Saturday, September 10

Adult Grab and Go Craft - Hemp Bracelet

This month you'll make a simple hemp bracelet.  All supplies included. 

Stop by the Information Desk to pick up your free kit while supplies last. 

(Image and idea courtesy of Happy Hour Projects.)

Wednesday, September 14
6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Your Pipeline to Success: Eastern CT Workforce Initiative

Register for the event at this link.

This presentation is an overview of the Eastern CT Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative provides no-cost training to address the hiring needs of Electric Boat (EB), members of the Eastern Advanced Manufacturing Alliance (EAMA), and other manufacturers. This presentation is for jobseekers, it provides several options: short-term classroom training; online manufacturing training; job search assistance & more. 

Our speaker is Amanda Murphy, Project Coodinator, Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board.  The Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board (EWIB) is a non-profit agency mandated through the Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. The EWIB oversees a network of workforce-related programs funded from a variety of sources including the operations of the region's American Job Centers.?

Tuesday, September 20
2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
ONLINE Author Talk with Simon Winchester

Join us for a conversation with prolific British-American writer, journalist, and consummate adventurer Simon Winchester.

This author talk will cover many aspects of his work across myriad fields of history, technology, and geology as well as the author's personal expeditions, including his path to becoming the acclaimed best selling author he is today.  A master storyteller, Winchester’s narrative is like a journey through time. His keen intellect and ability to precisely and expertly weave everyday life into historical examination leaves his readers feeling awestruck at the world surrounding them.  Winchester is a New York Times Bestselling author with an omnibus of more than 30 titles, including The Professor and the Madman, Pacific, The Perfectionists, and most recently, Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World. Beginning his writing career in journalism, Winchester has found renowned success in the world of non-fiction and now works almost exclusively as an author.  Please register here in advance.  

Thursday, September 22
7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
One Book One Region Finale

We welcome author and disability rights activist Judith Heumann in person to the new Athey Center at the Palmer Auditorium at Connecticut College. One of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her personal story of fighting for the right to receive an education, have a job, and just be human. 

Her book Being Heumann: an unrepentant memoir of a disability rights activist is the One Book One Region 2022 selection.  

Please join us!

Monday, September 26
6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Writing Crime Fiction: Lessons Learned

Our speaker is Barbara Fagan Speake. She has written ten crime novels, nine of these in the Scottish Detective Annie Macpherson series, all of which take place in Connecticut. Her first two Annie novels, Primed By The Past and Programmed To Kill, jointly won first place in a 2013 UK book award for self-published authors. In 2011 her debut novel, Secrets Only Sleep, came third in the same award. Primed By The Past was one of four novels shortlisted for a national award in 2012. In addition to her novels, she writes short stories and flash fiction and ran a crime writing group for several years. All her books are available as e-books on Amazon.    

Barbara was born in Connecticut, moving to England in the early 1970s, following her marriage. She had a varied career as a research psychologist and a clinical psychologist, as well as holding various management positions in the NHS. She and her husband, Terry, have two grown-up children.

Registration is suggested for this in-person presentation.

Tuesday, September 27
4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
ONLINE Author Talk with Hernan Diaz

Join us for an afternoon with Pulitzer Prize finalist and PEN/Faulkner Award winner Hernan  Diaz, author of In the Distance and Trust. Diaz holds a Ph.D. from NYU and edits, the Spanish-language journal Revista Hispánica Moderna, at Columbia University.  Diaz’s new book, Trust, is set during the roar of the 1920s around the Wall Street tycoon Benjamin Rask and his wife, Helen. Together, they have risen to the top of the world of seemingly endless wealth–all as a decade of excess and speculation draws to an end. But at what cost have they acquired their immense fortune? This is the mystery at the center of Bonds, a successful 1937 novel that all of New York seems to have read. Yet there are other versions of this tale of privilege and deceit.  Hernan Diaz’s Trust elegantly puts these competing narratives into conversation with one another—and in tension with the perspective of one woman bent on disentangling fact from fiction. The result is a novel that spans over a century and becomes more exhilarating with each new revelation.

Please click here to register for this online presentation.

Our new Head of Youth Services, Jenna Bivona, reports that we had enthusiastic participation in our youth summer reading program, with 60 readers ages birth to 5, 181 readers ages 6 to 11, and 9 readers ages 12 – 18.
We also had 52 participants complete our interactive BINGO card, which encouraged both literacy based challenges and attendance at various library programs.

In total, our rock star youth readers recorded over 110,000 minutes of reading this summer! Thank you and great job to all the families that participated.

If you have not yet done so, please use this link to complete a 10 question online survey and provide your feedback on our summer reading program for children & teens. Thank you!

Family Story Time!                              
Mondays at 10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
September 12, 19, 26

Get ready to read and get your wiggles out! Join Ms. Jenna at the library for some fun stories, songs, and dancing. Recommended for ages birth to five years old with a caregiver.

In the lower level Meeting Room.
No registration is required.

Saturday September 24
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Meet the CT Kid Governor!

Join us for a meet and greet with 2022 Connecticut’s Kid Governor Makhi Ettienne-Modeste! Students, parents, teachers, and the general public are invited to stop by to meet Kid Governor Makhi, learn about his platform and how you can support it, hear about his exciting term in office, and participate in an interactive activity.
Makhi will also share how his 5th-grade constituents can participate in this fall’s election for the 2023 Connecticut’s Kid Governor. 

Visit the CT Kid Governor website to learn more about this program.

Major funding and partnership support for the 2022 Connecticut’s Kid Governor Library Circuit has been provided by CT Humanities.

Open to all ages, no registration is required.

For 2022, the library will feature an activity-packed monthly calendar to support early literacy skills based on the Every Child Ready to Read® practices of reading, writing, singing, talking, playing -- and now counting!  This resource contains twelve months of learning activities, book lists, nursery rhymes, and more. On one side is a calendar with a fun skills-building activity for each day and the other contains supplementary content like nursery rhymes, early literacy tips, song lyrics, or suggested reading material.  Available in both English and Spanish on our website and in print at the library!  Click here to access this new calendar resource. Content is provided by the Public Library Association.

September Artist: Christine Anderson

The show is dedicated to Alvin Loving, my first art instructor at Eastern Michigan University (1965), without whose encouragement I might not have pursued the joy of work and pastime in the field.
“Amistad: Safe Harbor”

If you are considering a career in art, “Go for it!”

What does it mean to have a career-- in art? How much fun can you have?

I worked on Block Island during college years, doing dishes and running a bicycle rental—selling my  watercolor paintings at Ballard’s Inn. I studied to become a teacher, graduating with a BS in Fine Art with a major equivalent hours in English Literature. At the time, there were few teaching jobs open in my field, but a year-long stint in the creative department at Apex Department Store in Pawtucket, RI led to five years working in graphic design at The Providence Journal in Rhode Island. Then my husband and I moved to Massachusetts to start our family and a small advertising services company. We had the great luck to work with the newly formed Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce-- and assist in presenting their story to win the first ever multi-city/regional All America Cities Award in Houston, TX.

While working from home in the years following, we designed and wrote for large and small companies nearby while learning every day-- from generous folks in their fields--what was required as we all moved from original drawings, layouts, paste-ups and photographic film-- to fully digitized, 4-color publishing. In the midst of work and family, we had the flexibility to be active in environmental causes (e.g., making signs and fighting a proposed landfill above lakes and reservoirs on the Douglas and Webster town lines). Later, under a 4-year long grant from the John H. Chaffee Blackstone River Valley Heritage Corridor,  we designed, published , and helped distribute The River Valley Current, the area’s first 4-color newsprint magazine, circulated in the 23 towns of the bi-state Blackstone River Valley. During this time, we exhibited photos and paintings, a portion of sales which benefited a regional program for people with disabilities, then later helped lead a small art gallery, Douglas Arts Common.

In 2008 we moved to Waterford, happily among great neighbors-- and with artists and galleries in abundance.

I hope you enjoy the show-- as much as I have had living it!

-- Christine Anderson, Waterford

Stretch your dollar by using your library card!

You've heard of "cutting the cord" -- turning to streaming services in order to reduce your monthly cable bill. But did you know that you can save money in other ways?

Stream movies and television for free by using your library card and one of our on-demand streaming video options:

Kanopy offers critically-acclaimed movies, foreign films, and documentaries - including many PBS series. 

Try hoopla for all things British -- BBC, AcornTV - as well as popular movies.

The library also has an extensive DVD collection for all ages, including Great Courses. Both Kanopy & hoopla also include many of the Great Courses as well.

Not sure what to watch? Try one of our binge bags of themed DVD movies (popcorn included!).

Want to keep up with the latest titles? Download our monthly New Arrivals list from the library's website!

Borrow A Museum Pass!

September is a great time to visit the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence. The library's zoo  pass admits 4 people at $3 off each admission.

Regular Admission:
$19.95 Adult - $16.95 Senior (62+)
$13.95 Child (Ages 2-12)
Children 1 and under free

Check availability here! Check-out for two days with your library card.

A sampling from our monthly contributors to Staff Picks.  To see what else they recommend, click here!

Book Discussions & Writers' Group Meeting

Monday, September 12
7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
ONLINE
Speculative Fiction Book Discussion Group

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (1993)  For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.

But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin—barely of age herself—finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours.

Please register in advance for this Zoom discussion.

Pam Bedore, Associate Professor of English, UConn at Avery Point, leads our discussions.

Friday, September 23
1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Friday Afternoon Book Group

Our September title is Euphoria by Lily King (2014).  From New England Book Award winner Lily King comes a breathtaking novel about three young anthropologists of the ‘30’s caught in a passionate love triangle that threatens their bonds, their careers, and, ultimately, their lives.  Set between two World Wars and inspired by events in the life of revolutionary anthropologist Margaret Mead, Euphoria is an enthralling story of passion, possession, exploration, and sacrifice from accomplished author Lily King. Multiple copies of this title are available in the library for check out.  

Our facilitator for this discussion is Diane Barcelo. She is an adjunct instructor at Mitchell College.   

Wednesday, September 28 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

ONLINE Write Night

Our writing group meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month.  A night of discussion on the creative art of writing and a space for inspiration, creativity and growth. Bring your ideas, journals, works in progress and a desire to express yourself through the written word. 

Please register in advance for this Zoom discussion. 

Gwen Mariani, author of The Growing Tree, facilitates this group.