Marblehead Racial Justice Team Will Be Hosting A New Conversations on Race Event This Monday, November 16th!

In the past, Abbot Public Library has teamed up with the Marblehead Racial Justice Team to bring our patrons a series of events, and we’re pleased to announce we’ve added a program, to take place Monday, November 17th, starting at 7:00 pm: Continuing Conversations on Race: What does it mean to “Do the Work?” 

You will be able to access the event on Zoom by clicking this link or by dialing +1 929 205 6099 from the New York Time Zone (for other time zones, click here to find the right number to dial) and enter the following Meeting ID: 463 613 7679. 

Find out more about the program in the description below!

Over the last few months there have been more and louder calls for us to “Do the Work.” But what is the work we can personally undertake? Our conversation will begin with a general discussion of the current state of racial justice in Marblehead and in Massachusetts and what work needs to be done. We will consider work to address systemic racism, both in our society and in ourselves.

Then, in smaller groups, we will discuss what our personal vision for racial justice is, and some actions we will take to advance that vision. To conclude, we will share our visions and actions, and perhaps we will hear some ideas that will prompt us to add a few more to our own lists.

Please join us for an invigorating conversation and some ideas to start “Doing the Work” for racial justice.

These ongoing conversations are a safe and welcoming place in which we explore our own privilege and biases, our questions, and continue to learn and grow by hearing each other’s stories so that we can best make a difference. It is a place for listening, conversation, and engagement.

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Discuss the Poetry of Rita Dove This Sunday At APL’s Virtual Poetry Salon!

Join Marblehead poet Claire Keyes on Zoom this Sunday, November 15^th, from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm for a friendly conversation about the poetry of Rita Dove, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. The first African-American U.S. Poet Laureate, Dove was also the first woman to fill the position, and the youngest at 41. She is known not only for the layered eloquence of her language and ideas but also for portraying the black experience, both on a personal and collective front.

Access the Zoom event at 2:00 pm on Sunday, November 15^th by clicking this link or by dialing +1-929-205-6099 from the New York Time Zone (if you’re in a different time zone, find out what number to call here) and entering the following information: 

Meeting ID: 960 3810 8180

Passcode: 497729

Dove’s book, On the Bus with Rosa Parks, will be the primary focus of Sunday’s Salon, which we have in print format to reserve for Curbside Pickup (please carefully read these instructions if you’re new to our Curbside Pickup Service). This event is free and open to the public. We hope to see (or hear) you there!

Register Now For Our Virtual Pastel Painting Workshop!

“Snail Mail” by Janet Schwartz

You can now register for our limited virtual workshop, Fearless Pastel Painting with Janet Schwartz! Eight participants will be led by the presenter on Friday, November 20th through a two-hour workshop from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm using provided pastels. 

Register online here or by calling 781-631-1481, Ext. 201 during Curbside Pickup Hours (Mon-Fri 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm and Sat 9:30 am – Noon & 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm). If you call in, please make sure you speak directly to a staff person so we cannot guarantee you a spot! After you register, you will receive information about how to pick up your free! pastel kit in our Curbside Pickup location, as well as how to access the event via Zoom (you will need a computer or iPad in order to participate). 

This program is funded by the generous support of the Marblehead Cultural Council. 

Read the full description of our event on our website or join the Facebook event!

Coming in November – Abbot Public LIbrary’s Virtual Events Continue!

Thank you to those who have joined us online via Zoom, YouTube, or the Teen Discord for our October programs. We are happy to provide you with a safe alternative to enjoy some of the events we used to offer in the library before the pandemic. 

This coming month, we will continue many of the programs we’ve offered virtually in the past few months, as well as a new adult art workshop! The workshop will be limited to 8 participants. Registration will begin after the building reopens to staff on November 2, who will be able to sign patrons up via phone during our Curbside Pickup hours. Stay tuned for more details! 

Childrens’ programs and the Teen Reads video remain online on our YouTube channel if you’d like a glimpse of what to expect in November. Our weekly children’s programs will be offered once a month now, and the Teen Librarian will be posting another Teen Reads video in November. 

Read the full descriptions of November events on our website. 

Join Us On Zoom This Sunday To Discuss The Poetry Of Major Jackson!

Join us this weekend on Sunday, October 18th from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm for this month’s Poetry Salon with Claire Keyes, featuring the poetry of Major Jackson! 

You can access this program on Zoom at 2:00 pm on Sunday, October 18th by clicking this link or by calling +1 929 205 6099 for the US (New York) time zone and entering the following:

Meeting ID: 945 9526 6387

Passcode: 636815

Please note: though we are offering an online program on this date, the Abbot Public Library remains CLOSED for Curbside Service on Sundays. Below is the full description of the program. We hope you can join us! 

On Sunday, October 18th, the Poetry Salon will convene in a Zoom session to discuss the poetry of Major Jackson, part of a series of discussions led by Claire Keyes on Black poetry in America. Major Jackson “makes poems that rumble and rock,” says Dorianne Laux. He also makes poems that are quietly beautiful. While he has published five collections of poems, the Salon will focus on Roll Deep (2015), which you can reserve in print from the library catalog for Curbside Pickup.

Jackson was born and raised in Philadelphia and earned degrees from Temple University and the University of Oregon.  He is a professor of English at the University of Vermont and a graduate faculty member of the New York University Creative Writing Program.  Jackson serves as the Poetry Editor of the Harvard Review and has won numerous prizes and awards for his poetry, including a Guggenheim Fellowship. Afaa Weaver asserts that “Jackson knows the truth of black magic. It is a magic as simple as the belief in humanity that subverts racism, or the esoteric and mystical magic of making jazz, the music of hope and love.” Please join Claire Keyes and the Salon from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm on Zoom to discover more about this fascinating poet.

Join Us For Medicare 101 Online Tomorrow! RSVP For Access Details

Please join us tomorrow online for a free program co-sponsored by Abbot Public Library, Swampscott Public Library, and JCCNS.

Medicare 101 is a free educational program designed to help those turning 65 looking to add Medicare coverage, as well as those already utilizing Medicare, to have a better understanding of the program and their options. This will be a short overview of the Medicare system so that, after attending, you will be better able to understand:

• What is covered and what is not
• Changes for 2020
• Costs of the various options
• Options for coverage
• Dates to be aware of
• Penalties to avoid
• Low Income Assistance

Per Medicare (CMS) guidelines, this is an educational event and no specific carrier plan details will be presented.

Please RSVP to sewing@jccns.com for details on how to access this program on Zoom.

Teen Advisory Group Resumes Online Tomorrow – Register Now!

Marblehead teens are invited to join our weekly Teen Advisory Group (TAG), which will continue online starting tomorrow, on Tuesday, October 6th!

Help the Teen Librarian create virtual programs and build the teen collection! Chat and collaborate with other teen patrons of Abbot Public Library through Discord! Sign up once through Assabet, our registration software, and receive your email invitation to join the Abbot Library Teens Discord Server the next business day. And be sure to login to the server at the scheduled time and dates to be a part of the future of the library’s teen department. This month, TAG will be on Tuesdays, October 6th, 13th, 20th, & 27th , 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

You will need a library card with your birth date listed to register for the program. If you do not have a library card in your name, email the Teen Librarian at marteen@noblenet.org or call her at 781-631-1481, Ext. 218 to find out how to get one.

Books, Movies, Magazines, and More for National Yoga Month!

Did you know September is National Yoga Month? Even though today’s the last day, you can continue this healthy routine all year round. Abbot Public Library has hundreds of yoga items to reserve for Curbside Pickup or check out online via our various services, which can help teach poses and routines you can use every day. Starting last month, we even resumed our monthly children’s program Story Time Yoga with Lindsey Kravitz on our new YouTube Channel, which you may have read about on our previous blog post. Watch last month’s video below!

Kids have plenty of yoga-related items to choose from through the library catalog, Overdrive/the Libby app, and hoopla. Back in April, we discussed a few children’s selections in our Continuing Yoga for Kids at Home post from before we continued our yoga story time program online. Some physical books on the way to the shelves which you can reserve in advance for Curbside Pickup include:

The Three Little Yogis and the Wolf Who Lost His Breath: a Fairy Tale to Help You Feel Better by Susan Verde, art by Jay Fleck (available now on hoopla)

Dinos Don’t Do Yoga: A Tale of the New Dinosaur on the Block by Catherine Bailey; illustrations by Alex Willmore 

Teach Your Child Yoga: Fun & Easy Yoga Poses for Happier, Healthier Kids by Lisa Roberts

Yoga for Kids written by Susannah Hoffman; foreword by Patricia Arquette (available now on hoopla)

While you’re waiting for these to come in, there are plenty of other titles to choose from which will be available sooner. Doreen Cronin’s and Scott Menchin’s Stretch is a rhyming book that describes different ways of stretching. Kids will be mimicking plants, animals, and objects with the poses in Thia Luby’s Children’s Book of Yoga. These children’s yoga DVDs currently don’t have a checkout fee. Get a whole family workout from Yoga for Families, a dinosaur-themed routine from Yoga for Kids: Dino-Mite Adventure, and learn stellar practices from Yoga for Kids: Outer Space Blast-Off. Don’t want to wait? Everything on hoopla can be checked out right away! Stretch in the shape of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet with Alef-Bet Yoga For Kids by Bill and Ruth Goldeen or get a magical workout with Unicorn Yoga. You can even watch movies and Read-alongs!

Kids aren’t the only ones who can enjoy borrowing yoga books, movies, and more from the library. Yoga For Everyone: 50 Poses For Every Type of Body by Dianne Bondy has customized routines based on body type. Learn to sleep better and longer with Yoga for Better Sleep: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science–Postures, Breathing Exercises, and Mindfulness Practices For All Ages by Mark Stephens. Wake up with Waking Energy: 7 Timeless Practices Designed to Reboot Your Body and Unleash Your Potential by Jennifer Kries.

Yoga At Home: Inspiration for Creating Your Own Home Practice by Linda Sparrowe will teach you yoga practices from leading experts of Yoga Journal, accompanied by Sarah Keough’s photography. You can reserve print copies of Yoga Journal magazine through your online account, or check them out online through Overdrive/Libby. For a little humor, check out Dan Borris’s Yoga Dogs which teaches poses through the hilarious imagery of canines posing.  

Peruse through more yoga items for all ages in the library catalog or online through Overdrive/Libby and hoopla. There’s even a How To Do Yoga Great Course video series which you can stream through our RB Digital service. 

Check Out Our Lineup of Virtual Programs for October 2020!

In case you missed it on the Abbot Public Library’s website or Facebook page, our October 2020 calendar of virtual events has been revealed! This month, you can look forward to the continuation of many of our regular events, including the monthly Poetry Salon (this month featuring Major Jackson) and Story Time Yoga with Lindsey Kravitz; the weekly Songs with Spencer and Story Time A-Go-Go (see the latest video of each below); and the bi-monthly Music with Dara!

In October, you can also look forward to the return of the Teen Advisory Group, for teens in grades 7-12, which will continue on Discord! Teens will need their own library card to register for this program through our online registration service. If you do not have a library card in your name, email the Teen Librarian at marteen@noblenet.org or call her at 781-631-1481, Ext. 218 to find out how to get one. On the afternoon of Monday, October 19th, you’ll also be able to hear the Teen Librarian give reading suggestions on YouTube for ya books to enjoy this fall!

We’ll also be working with the Swampscott Public Library and JCCNS to bring Medicare 101, presented by Scott Maibor, to Zoom! This free program will help those turning 65 to better understand the Medicare system.

All the programs are free, so please join us! Read more details about them on our website, where you will find the PDF version of the print calendar we will have available in the Curbside Pickup area.

Our Monthly Poetry Salon Program Continues Online!

Many of Abbot Public Library’s programs are returning online, including our monthly Poetry Salon with Claire Keyes! Though we will be closed for Curbside Services on the day it is held, you can join us on Sunday, September 20th from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm and participate in a live discussion via a Zoom conference. Instructions for accessing the event can be found on our website.

We are pleased to be able to continue our long-running monthly Poetry Salon as a virtual program via Zoom. This year, the Poetry Salon at the Abbot Public Library will feature Black poets. Some of the poetry may be revolutionary, while some may take place at home, watching a child play or smelling some flowers! When we gather at 2:00 pm on Sunday, September 20th, 2020, Marblehead poet Claire Keyes will lead a virtual discussion by means of Zoom. The Salon will focus on the American poet and educator, Terrance Hayes, in particular his latest book, American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin, which you can reserve in print for Curbside Pickup, or listen to the audiobook with no wait on hoopla!

Hayes has published seven poetry collections. His 2010 collection, Lighthead, won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2010.  In September 2014, he was a recipient of the prestigious MacArthur fellowship awarded to individuals who show outstanding creativity in their work. Hayes is a poet who reflects on race, gender, and family in works marked by formal dexterity and a reverence for history and the artistry of crafting verse. Employing an almost improvisational approach to writing, Hayes conjoins fluid, often humorous wordplay with references to popular culture, both past and present, in his subversion of canonical poetic forms.

Join us at 2:00 pm on Sunday, September 20th on Zoom! Details for accessing this event will be posted on our website.