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Director's Update, August 3, 2020

caution sign The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 3 years ago.

Boudreau Branch Library
Dear Patrons,
 
Remembering Representative John Lewis
 
Last week the Country honored the life of Civil Rights leader and U.S. Representative John Lewis. CPL Archivist Alyssa Pacy did some research and found many accounts of Representative Lewis visiting Cambridge.
 
Kids Books to Go at the Valente Branch
 
The next Kids Books to Go pop-up event will take place at the Valente Branch Library, 826 Cambridge Street on Saturday, August 8 from 1-4 p.m.
 
At Kids Books to Go pop-up events, youth and families can borrow bags of library books for kids and teens without having to make an appointment or place catalog requests. Title selections are curated by Cambridge Public Library Youth Services librarians. Bins will also be available at each location for library returns during these events.
 
Community Yoga, Sundays in August
 
Mindfulness and yoga teacher Cap Aguilar will lead a virtual community yoga class every Sunday in August, where you can practice yoga from the comfort of your own home. Class continues Sunday, August 9 at 10 a.m. Cap will provide various options and information to support your unique expression of yoga and to honor yoga’s Black and Brown roots. This series welcomes all bodies, ages, abilities, backgrounds, hopes, and dreams. Registration is required to participate in this program.
 
Join us for Story Times
 
Children and your grownups, join us for our final Cambridge Book Bike Virtual Story Time of the summer on Tuesday, August 4 at 11 a.m. Plan to join in, sing along, and move around! Registration is required to participate in this event
 
The next Virtual STEAM Story Time: DIY Sidewalk Chalk will be on Wednesday, August 5 at 11 a.m. Children and their grownups can join us for 20-25 minutes of stories and hands-on activities to explore STEAM. Please gather activity materials before the event if you plan to participate. This week, you will need cornstarch, water, food coloring, mixing bowls, paint brushes and a small plastic bowl or muffin tin. Registration is required to participate in this event.
 
CPL will host Virtual Family Story Time on Thursday, August 6 at 11 a.m. Caregivers are asked to participate in the program with their children. Registration is required to participate in this program.

Upcoming Summer Reading Programs
 
Summer Reading programs for kids offered this week include: Storytelling with Motoko, Brazilian Beats by Grooversity, Sciencetellers, Wee the People and Pineapple Project.
 
You can also begin registering for these youth programs, which are happening next week: Hip Hop Dance with Illstyle & Peace, Dinoman Presents Dinosaurs, Jenny the Juggler and Storytelling with Tony Toledo.
 
Crafting at the CPL
 
We will offer Natural Dyeing - Turn Around Your Textiles with Lisa Purdy on Thursday, August 13 at 6 p.m. Natural dyeing is a rewarding way to creatively upcycle! There are numerous dyes to explore right in your own kitchen, from the pale pink created by dyeing with avocado pits, to the golden yellow of turmeric. Local artist and curator Lisa Purdy will teach you how to naturally dye at home, demonstrating how to turnaround an item of clothing (or other textiles!) using natural dye sources. Registration is required to participate in this program.
 
Danez Smith Presents Homie
 
We are excited to host Danez Smith on Monday, August 17 from 7-8 p.m. Danez Smith (they/them) is a Black, Queer, Poz writer & performer from St. Paul, MN. Danez is the author of Don’t Call Us Dead (Graywolf Press, 2017), a finalist for the National Book Award, and, most recently, Homie (Graywolf Press, 2020). Danez is the winner of the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award, the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. Homie is Danez Smith’s magnificent anthem about the saving grace of friendship. Rooted in the loss of one of Smith’s close friends, this book comes out of the search for joy and intimacy within a nation where both can seem scarce and getting scarcer. In poems of rare power and generosity, Smith acknowledges that in a country overrun by violence, xenophobia, and disparity, and in a body defined by race, queerness, and diagnosis, it can be hard to survive, even harder to remember reasons for living. Registration is required to participate in this event.
 
What Makes a Good Writing Group? Learn more from the Chunky Monkeys
 
So you want to start a writing group, or perhaps improve how your existing group is working. What are some excellent tips and tricks? On Monday, August 24 from 7-8:30 p.m., join authors Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, Celeste Ng, Christopher Castellani, Jennifer De Leon, Adam Stumacher, Whitney Scharer, Calvin Hennick, Grace Talusan, Chip Cheek, Becky Tuch, and Sonya Larson as they discuss what they've learned from their own writing group, the Chunky Monkeys, over the last 7+ years. Registration is required to participate in this program.

Stay Connected
 
To stay connected to what’s happening at the Library, please subscribe to our email list, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and visit our website.
 
All best,
 
Dr. Maria McCauley, Director of Libraries
 
Page was posted on 8/3/2020 9:01 PM
Page was last modified on 7/25/2023 5:53 AM
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