The Centerbrook Architects Lecture Series Presents Stephen Schreiber, FAIA, “Engaged Design”

Friday, December 7th at 7 p.m. at the Essex Town Hall

Stephen Schreiber is the Director of the new Architecture+Design Program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The program is an interdisciplinary, collaborative program that embraces spirited, socially progressive, and environmentally responsive design. He is a graduate of Old Saybrook High School, Dartmouth College (BA) and Harvard University (M.Arch) and the story hours at the Essex Library.

His talk, ‘Engaged Design’, will provide a window into the future of architecture and those who will be shaping our cities and towns. As in all professions, teachers of young architects endeavor to give their students the tools they need to flourish in their careers. As such, educators are in the front line of interpreting and predicting the future in order to train their students. Stephen will talk about the approaches that are being used to teach young architects how to contribute more effectively to communities now and in the coming years. Click here to read more about the unique Architecture+Design Program at UMass|Amherst.

Save the date: our next speaker is John Morris Dixon, FAIA on January 11, 2013.

Click here to see the Centerbrook Architects Lecture Series 2012 – 2013 as well as the 2011 -2012 Lecture Series.

Young Adult Pizza Taste Off

October 7th from 4-5 p.m.  6th grade and up at the Essex Library.
Come place your vote for the best local pizza! We’ll have mystery pies from all over the area and their donating restaurants are hoping you’ll vote! Winners will be announced and a raffle prize will go to a lucky winner. Register today by calling 860 767-1560 or emailing Jessica at jbranciforte@essexlib.org.

Huzzah! Celebrate Patriot Week With The Essex Library April 12-17th

Join us for a week’s worth of spring break events, classes, and more, for kids, families, and adults. We’ll feature:

Felicity: An American Girl Adventure, this film, about two girls whose parents are on opposite sides of the conflict, will be shown on Monday, April 12th at 2 p.m.

Colonial Crafts with the Essex Historical Society’s Carol Young on Tuesday, April 13th at 10 a.m. For children in grades K-3.

Colonial Games and Toys with the CT River Museum’s Jennifer White-Dobbs, Wednesday, April 14th at 3:30 p.m. For children in grades K-5.

Fife and Drumming Workshop Thursday, April 15th at 3:30 p.m. with the Deep River Junior Ancients for ages 7-15.

Johnny Tremain, this film about an adolescent in Boston describes how he is drawn into the Revolutionary War and becomes a patriot figh will be shown Friday, April 16th at 10 a.m. For everyone grade 5 and older.

Wesleyan Professor and author/historian Richard Buel will screen the film Mary Silliman’s War, Friday, April 16th at 3 p.m. Based on his and the late Joy Day Buel’s book “The Way of Duty: A Woman and Her Family in Revolutionary America”, followed by a discussion on women’s lives in the Revolutionary period. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

The 5th Connecticut Regiment, historical re-enactors, will set up a military camp Saturday, April 17th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the meadows behind Pratt House, complete with military exercises and demonstrations of cooking, spinning, metal smithing, medicine, music, and more. It’s a mini-Williamsburg – and it’s FREE! for people of all ages. Adults can get a preview of the 5th on Friday night, April 16th starting at 8 p.m. at the Griswold Inn’s taproom, when the 5th’s musicians and singers will provide spirited period entertainment.

Library Book Clubs News

The Essex Library currently hosts six adult book clubs and one teen book club. The clubs cover a variety of genres such as mystery, American history, adventure, Shakespeare and general literature. All clubs are open and anyone may join at any time–even if you haven’t read the book! The meeting dates and books for September are listed below. To put a hold on a book club book, click on the link and the Library catalog page wll open, have your Library card handy, click Request/Hold and follow the instructions. We also have extra copies of the books at the Library. Give us a call, 767-1560, and we’ll set one aside for you. Book Club news is always available on the Library’s website on our Book Clubs page.

We’re also considering offering an online book club. If you’re interested in participating, please let us know. Email Ann Thompson and just write “I’d like to try an online book club” in your message. If you have a specific genre you’d like to discuss, please let us know about that as well.

First Tuesday (Formerly Second Monday) Book Club
This book club meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. in the Essex Library Program Room. The group will meet on September 1st to discuss Flannery by Brad Gooch. The group’s book selection for October will be Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

Mystery Readers Book Talk
Clue readers into your favorite books, old or new, by sharing the lowdown on a recently read Action Adventure, Detective, Espionage, Police Procedural, Thriller or True Crime novel. This group will meet on the second Thursday of every month with the next meeting on September 10th from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Lighthouse by P. D. James will be discussed.

The American History Book Club meets every other month to discuss a book, primarily non-fiction, that deals with a topic, time-period or biographical work related to the rich history of the United States . The group is moderated by Library Director Richard Conroy. Selections are based on suggestions from club members and from trusted, critical book review sources. The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 15th at 7:00 p.m. The group will be discussing Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power by Robert Dallek.

Third Wednesday Book Club
This book club, open to all, meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 10:30 a.m. at Essex Meadows. Their next meeting will be on September 16th when The Best And The Brightest by David Halberstam will be discussed. Library Director Richard Conroy will moderate the discussion.

The Shakespeare Play Reading Group
Join Jenny Tripp for a lively discussion of Shakespeare plays. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. Twelfth Night is the play that will be discussed. There are lots of copies of the play available at the Library as well as DVDs of the Kenneth Brannagh film version.

The Adventure Book Club meets on alternating months (with the American History Book Club) on the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Essex Library. The group’s nest meeting is on October 19th and Endurance by Alfred Lansing will be discussed.

Twilight Book Club
All ages are welcome on Tuesday, September 22nd at 6 p.m. for the first of the four Twilight Book Club meetings. They will discuss the first novel of the series (Twilight), watch clips from the film and compare the two. They will check out Stephenie Meyer’s designated “book soundtrack” and the official soundtrack from the film. Snacks will be served and prizes given out. If you haven’t read the book yet, visit the library and check one out today. Call to register for a spot for yourself and your friends or email Jessica.

Twilight Book Club Meeting #1

Tuesday September 22 from 6-7pm (All ages welcome)

We will be discussing the first novel of the series, watching clips from the movie and comparing two. We’ll be checking out Stephanie Meyer’s designated “book soundtrack” and the official soundtrack from the film. Snacks will be served and prizes will be given!! Haven’t read the books yet? Visit us and check one out today! Call to register a spot for yourself and your friends: 767-1650 or email Jessica at jbranciforte@essexlib.org.

College Prep In November

Our College Prep series returns on Monday, November 10th from 7-8p.m. with How to Pay Less for College! This workshop lists colleges that pay you to attend!

Come to a workshop hosted by the Essex Library and Sam Rosensohn, founder of College Planning Partnership.  As personal finances weaken and lenders get tough, learn which colleges will pay you to attend their schools. Discover how to identify the schools that are offering merit money (money not based on need but based on academic accomplishment) and how to qualify for merit money.  Merit scholarships can be helpful in financing your college education. In contrast to need-based grants or scholarships, merit scholarships are awarded to students based on grades, accomplishments or other personal characteristics rather than financial need.  Sam, author of the newspaper column College 101, will share with parents and students how to identify the schools that offer merit academic awards and honors programs that they can acquire.  Sam will offer school lists, web sites and tips on how to prepare, starting in the ninth grade, for merit money and honors programs.

Most students do not actively seek merit awards because they do not know about this pool of money. They learn about merit money once they’ve been accepted to college. Come to this workshop and get ahead of the curve.

Please contact the Essex Library at 767-1560 or jmccann@essexlib.org to register for this important informational evening.

Teen Gaming Party

If you like gaming and you’re a high-school-aged teen, then join us on Tuesday, August 26th from 6:30-8p.m. for a gaming party. We’ll have the Wii, DDR, Guitar Hero, various board games and backgammon sets available. And come hungry because there’ll also be pizza and snacks!

The Last Lecture At The Library

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
~~ Randy Pausch

The Essex Library is proud to feature a special showing of Randy Pausch’s phenomenal “The Last Lecture”, on Wednesday, August 27th at 7p.m. Admission is free.

At Carnegie Mellon University’s “Last Lecture” series, professors are asked to share with the audience what wisdom they’d choose to impart to the world, if they knew it was their last chance. When computer science professor Randy Pausch was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine. He had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

But the lecture he gave–”Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”–wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was about living. Funny, incisive, surprising, “The Last Lecture” has been viewed over six million times on the Internet. It has spawned an international best-seller that’s on the summer reading list for high schools across the country. Its author has been featured on Oprah and in a Diane Sawyer television special. Don’t miss this opportunity to see and discuss “The Last Lecture” with someone who matters to you. Call the Essex Library at 767-1560 for reservations.

Our College Prep Series Continues

On Tuesday, November 13th from 7-8p.m., local columnist Sam Rosensohn will present “Should You Take The SAT Or The ACT and How To Ace Them.” Young adults in grades 9-11 and their parents are invited to attend this important informational meeting. College preparation is a lengthy process and the earlier you begin to think about it, the better prepared you’ll be.