Support the library with a wine & cheese pack from Provisions

The Friends of Forbes Library and Provisions have put together a delicious selection of two awesome local wines from Glendale Ridge Vineyard and two fabulous cheeses from local cheesemaker, Round Table Farm! All profits go to the library.

Everyone who buys a wine and cheese pack will be invited to a Zoom with the library, the winery, and the cheesemakers to learn a little more about how important this support is and about the wine and cheese from the makers themselves! The Zoom link will be sent out the day before the event.

These are available for purchase up until the day of the event, and pick-up of the packs will be from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29. If these dates create a conflict but you still want to buy a pack to support the library, please email [email protected] to schedule an alternate pick-up date!

National Library Week Raffle 

April 23-29 is National Library Week, and the Friends of Forbes have put together an amazing basket of literary treats -- including an autographed copy of Tracy Kidder's new book Rough Sleepers, Forbes Library swag, and delicious snacks -- to recognize this week. Tickets are Tickets are 2 for $5.00, 5 for $10.00 and 12 for $20.00.

Celebrate Pride with Forbes!

Hampshire Pride returns this year on Saturday, May 6, 2023. This year's parade begins at 11 am at Old Ferry Road and Route 9 and marches to the Armory Street lot behind Thornes. We'll see you there!

More information about volunteering, floats, and performances available on Hampshire Pride's website.  

Library Programs

Visit our online calendar to see a complete list of library events. Filter using the category "VIRTUAL" to find events that can be attended remotely.

VIRTUAL: Author Louise Gray discusses "Avocado Anxiety and Other Stories about Where Your Food Comes From"
Saturday, April 22, 2023, 10 am

Please register to attend this virtual program. 

Have you ever wondered who picked your Fairtrade banana? Or why we can buy British strawberries in April? How far do you think your green beans travelled to get to your plate? And where do all the wonky carrots go? Above all, how do we stop worrying about our food choices and start making decisions that make a difference? In an effort to make sense of the complex food system we are all part of, Louise Gray decides to track the stories of our five-a-day, from farm to fruit bowl, and discover the impact that growing fruits and vegetables has on the planet. Join us for this very important discussion as we celebrate Earth Day 2023!

We're thrilled to be collaborating with the Ashland Public Library to bring this program to our communities. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library. 

Forbes Library Tour

Thursday, April 27, 2023, 2 pm

Forbes Library offers a wide range of services and collections spread over four floors in a grand Victorian building. Join us for a guided tour of the library where we will be presenting a brief introduction to the library's history and an overview of what awaits you on each floor. You will have the opportunity register for a library card after the tour.

Preregistration is appreciated but not required. Meet us in the library's front lobby. Masks are recommended. For more information contact Mary in Borrower Services at 413-587-1011 ext. 4522 or by email at [email protected]. For questions concerning access or to request accommodations, please contact 413-587-1017 or [email protected]

Viking Runestone 5th Anniversary Reading

Thursday, April 27, 2023, 6-7:30 pm

Viking Runestone, literary magazine of Smith Vocational High School, is celebrating their 5th anniversary with a reading at Forbes in partnership with Straw Dog Writers Guild. 

Straw Dog Writers Guild is proud to collaborate with the staff of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School to shine a light on the creative energy of these talented students.

Light refreshments offered.

Ordinary Grace: Author Talk with William Kent Krueger
Thursday, April 27, 2023, 8 pm

Register to attend this virtual author talk. 

You are in for a riveting hour online with New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger! Join us as he discusses his newest book in the Cork O’Connor series Fox Creek and his other works! 

Fox Creek follows Cork O'Connor in a race against time to save his wife, a mysterious stranger, and an Ojibwe healer from bloodthirsty mercenaries. The ancient Ojibwe healer Henry Meloux has had a vision of his death. As he walks the Northwoods in solitude, he tries to prepare himself peacefully for the end of his long life. But peace is destined to elude him as hunters fill the woods seeking a woman named Dolores Morriseau, a stranger who had come to the healer for shelter and the gift of his wisdom. Meloux guides this stranger and his great niece, Cork O’Connor’s wife, to safety deep into the Boundary Waters, his home for more than a century. Meanwhile, in Aurora, Cork works feverishly to identify the hunters and the reason for their relentless pursuit, but he has little to go on. He knows only too well that with each passing hour time is running out. But his fiercest enemy in this deadly game of cat and mouse may well be his own deep self-doubt about his ability to save those he loves.

Tween Art Studio 

Monday, May 1, 2023, 4:30 pm

Join us in the Community Room to make art! This program is for ages 9-12 and meets the first Monday of the month at 4:30. For May we're sewing mini animals! Choose to make a penguin, bunny, fox, sloth, and more! We'll have all the supplies needed to make an adorable mini animal. 

Straw Dog Writers Guild Writers Night Out
Tuesday, May 2, 2023, 6 pm

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month at Forbes Library for Writers Night Out with a featured writer, Simon Hart. This event is organized by Straw Dog Writers Guild.

No registration required. 

Raising Anti-Racist Children: Author Talk with Britt Hawthorne
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 1 pm

Register to attend this virtual author talk. 

Are you committed to building an antiracist family environment for your children? Raising antiracist children is a noble goal for any parent, caregiver, or educator, but it can be hard to know where to start. Let Britt Hawthorne—a nationally recognized teacher and advocate—be your guide. Raising Antiracist Children acts as an interactive guide for strategically incorporating the tools of inclusivity into everyday life and parenting.

Special Storytime and Craft with Author Vivienne Chang!
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 4 pm

Join us for a storytime and arts & crafts (make your own book) with author Vivienne Chang as she shares her debut picture book, This is Not My Home! A powerful reverse immigration story about a Taiwanese American girl, Lily, who moves to Taiwan, and how she turns this place into her home. This event is great for all ages. 

With support from the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations’ Public Intellectuals Program, which is generously funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Book Talk with Michael Miller
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 6:30 pm

Book talk with local author Michael Miller and his new novel, High Bridge that tells the intertwined stories of a future President, Grover Cleveland, and a suffragist, Matilda Joslyn Gage, set in mid nineteenth century Fayetteville, New York.   

Join us in person in the Coolidge Museum or watch the livestream.

Virtual Teen Book Club: Chaos & Flame By Tessa Gratton And Justina Ireland
Thursday, May 4, 2023, 4:30 pm

Join us for a chat and pick next month's read! This meeting is for teens only and will take place via Zoom; contact [email protected] for the meeting link.

This month, we will be reading Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland.

HYBRID: Waking up to Antisemitism: The Long Life of a Teaching Moment
Thursday, May 4, 2023, 6 pm

This talk and discussion by Paula Ressler will focus on a special teaching and learning moment that occurred in a Holocaust literature course. The moment was initiated when a student told an important personal story linking historical antisemitism to its repercussions in the world today, demonstrating their courage and resilience. This story helped a teacher shape their pedagogy and inspired them to write the book Meaningful Encounters: Preparing Educators to Teach Holocaust Literature (Rowman & Littlefield 2019). The presentation is a way for this teacher to express gratitude toward their student and all who see the world as needing repair and engage in efforts for social change even when this work cannot be completed in their lifetimes.

Join us in person or via Zoom!

In the Hosmer Gallery

Monoprint Collage: New one-of-a-kind works by Betsy Feick, Kate Jenkins, Lynn Peterfreund and Rich Turnbull

April 1-29, 2023

Monoprints are one-of-a-kind prints, sometimes made in series, usually but not always on paper, and often showing an immediacy of thought and gesture. In this collection of monoprint collages the artists have further increased the power and visual appeal of the print with cutting, tearing, pasting, layering, combining and sometimes making drawn or painted additions. Subjects for this exhibit range from real to abstract to whimsical. All four printmakers are affiliated with Zea Mays Printmaking in Northampton.