Virtual Author Event Monday May 8th

Virtual: Lioness of Boston -- The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner
Monday, May 8th, 7:00—8:00 PM

Vineyard Haven Library patrons are invited to attend this virtual event hosted by the Tewksbury Public Library!  Author Emily Franklin will discuss her brand new novel, The Lioness of Boston, in conversation with author Dawn Tripp, in this ZOOM webinar. The Lioness of Boston is a deeply evocative novel of the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner, a daring visionary who created an inimitable legacy in American art and transformed the city of Boston itself.

About The Book: By the time Isabella Stewart Gardner opened her Italian palazzo-style home as a museum in 1903 to showcase her collection of old masters, antiques, and objects d’art, she was already well-known for scandalizing Boston’s polite society. But when Isabella first arrived in Boston in 1861, she was twenty years old, newly married to a wealthy trader, and unsure of herself. Puzzled by the frosty reception she received from stuffy bluebloods, she strived to fit in. After two devastating tragedies and rejection from upper-society, Isabella discovered her spirit and cast off expectations.

Freed by travel, Isabella explores the world of art, ideas, and letters, meeting and befriending such kindred spirits as Henry James and Oscar Wilde. From London and Paris to Egypt and Asia, she develops a keen eye for paintings and objects, and meets feminists ready to transform nineteenth century thinking in the twentieth century. Isabella becomes an eccentric trailblazer, painted by John Singer Sargent in a portrait of daring décolletage, and fond of such stunts as walking a pair of lions in the Boston Public Garden.

The Lioness of Boston is a portrait of what society expected a woman’s life to be, shattered by a courageous soul who rebelled and determined to live on her own terms.

About Emily: Emily Franklin is the author of more than twenty novels and a poetry collection, Tell Me How You Got Here. Her award-winning work has appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Guernica, JAMA, and numerous literary magazines as well as featured and read aloud on NPR and named notable by the Association of Jewish Libraries. A lifelong visitor to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, she lives outside of Boston with her family including two dogs large enough to be lions.

About Dawn: Dawn Tripp’s fourth novel Georgia was a national bestseller, finalist for the New England Book Award, and winner of the Mary Lynn Kotz Award for Art in Literature. She is the author of three previous novels: Game of Secrets, Moon Tide, and The Season of Open Water, which won the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction. Her essays and poems have appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Harvard Review, AGNI, Conjunctions, and NPR, among others. She graduated magna *** laude from Harvard and lives in Massachusetts with her family. 

Please register for this exciting event at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3516824411264/WN_DxcNatedTT6oDwfqVtyXig

Sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Public Library.

Library Capital Campaign Update

On April 25th, 2023, Tisbury Town Meeting voters approved an $800,000 article to fund repairs and renovation of the existing library building in 2024.

In order to include the meeting room addition in the renovation project, the Library Building Fund is working to raise an additional $500,000 by the end of this year.

Gifts made to the Building Fund now will allow the addition and renovation to be done as a single project, that will limit interruptions to library services for the public, as well as achieve significant cost savings.

The renovation and addition will include environmental upgrades for sustainability, much needed storage, and flexible meeting facilities that will position the library to deliver optimal services to our community for years to come.

Visit our website to learn how you can support this project!
www.vhlibrarybuildingfund.org/donate.html

In-Person Programs for Children

REGULAR WEEKLY PROGRAMS:
All programs subject to change, please visit our events calender for the most up-to-date information.

Traditional Storytime Tuesdays at 10:30 am (Monday Storytime returns May 8th!)
Join us at the library for weekly story times on Tuesdays at 10:30am! Storytime is now indoors in the downstairs meeting room. No registration is necessary, contact Emily our Children's Librarian for more information!  

Drop-in Lego Club Wednesdays at 3:00 pm!
Come join Emily for an afternoon of creative lego building! Drop-in anytime from 3:00-5:00! No registration required. 

Kids Crafts Thursdays at 3:30 pm!
Join Jennifer for crafts on Thursdays at 3:30pm. Materials are provided and registration is not required, but attendance will be limited to first arrivals, while supplies last.  Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Saturday Storytime is now "Tumble Time"!
Toddler Tumble Time is back! Come join Emily on Saturdays in February to shake your sillies out! Join us at 10:30 for stories and fun!

Friends of the Library Museum & Beach Passes

The Friends of the Library's Beach & Museum Pass Program provides free or discounted access to the Martha's Vineyard Museum, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and for Trustee's properties including Long Point and Mytoi on MV.

Join the Friends

Upcoming Programs for Adults

To register for online events or for more information, contact our Program Coordinator Anne McDonough at [email protected]. 

[Online] 9 am Tuesday May 2nd
Conversation en Francais
Join our weekly French conversation group. All levels are welcome. For more language learning support try Mango Languages, an online language-learning system available to library cardholders.

[In-person or streaming] 6 pm Tuesday May 2nd
The 30% Climate Solution: Forest conservation and management in NE
Join us for a presentation by Bob Perschel, Executive Director of the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF), which is executing an exciting forest restoration initiative that has the potential to offset 30% of our regional climate mitigation needs. NEFF’s climate program was featured on Chronicle TV Magazine and recently awarded a $30 million grant from United States Department of Agriculture to pilot this innovative approach. Co-sponsored with the MV Commission's upcoming Climate Action Day (Sunday May 7th at Ag Hall).
Attend in-person at the library, or live stream the May 2nd event at  https://vimeo.com/event/2886385

[Online] 6:30 pm Wednesday, May 3rd
Spark Joy® Program with Shannon Huneycutt, Certified KonMari® Consultant
Shannon will be bringing the life-changing magic of tidying to you through her Spark Joy® program.  You will learn the KonMari® philosophy and guiding principles needed to tidy once and for all. Be sure to have available a standard t-shirt and a pair of pants to learn the famous KonMari® folding technique. Shannon is also sharing her  tidying checklist.checklist for you to use on your tidying journey! Sponsored by CLAMS Libraries. Please register through the Brewster Library Event Calendar

[Online] 11 am Sunday, May 7th
Summer of Drawing Replay with Elizabeth Whelan
On Sundays January through March 2023, the Library will replay videos from 2022's "Summer of Drawing" series with artist Elizabeth R. Whelan. This series concentrates on overall technique, composition, skills, and concepts. Join your hosts Elizabeth Whelan and Anne McDonough on Zoom as we revisit all that great classes from last year!  Register

[In-person] 2 pm Sunday May 7th
Cube MV : Speed Cubing, All Ages
The time is right to start a casual MV cubing club, (Cube MV)  where cubers can gather to exchange ideas, strategies, helpful websites and other cube-solving hints and tricks.  Whether you've never solved a cube before or you've been solving for years, we are open to everybody. Come join us! For a quick dabble into cube solving, please visit: https://www.speedsolving.com/ or https://rubikssolver.com/.

[In-person] 3 pm Sunday, May 7th
Adult Crafts: Custom Iron-ons
Using an eclectic cutting machine and heat transfer vinyl we'll make custom iron-ons. Tote bags will be provided but feel free to bring your own items to embellish. Registration is not required, but attendance will be limited to first arrivals, while supplies last. For adults and teens age 12 and up. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

[In-person] 11:15 am Monday May 8th
Yoga with Kat : Chair Yoga for Arthritis
Chair Yoga is one of the most gentle forms of yoga. This class is perfect for students recovering from injury or illness, and anyone who wants to experience the many benefits of yoga without having to get up and down from the floor. These sessions will focus on yoga for people who are seeking relief from arthritis. In-person in the basement meeting room.

[In-Person] 1 pm pm Tuesday May 9th
Leave Your Legacy, with Paul Gentile of Senior2Senior
This workshop led by Senior2Senior instructor Paul Gentile will encompass preparing, protecting, and passing on one of your most important possessions: your digital legacy. Topics will include protecting your digital (online) assets, organizing, protecting, and sharing your irreplaceable photos, and creating and preserving our wishes, values, history, and beliefs (memory books and legacy letters.)  Sponsored by the Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, West Tisbury, and Chilmark Public Libraries.

[In-person, Outdoors] 3 pm Wednesday May 9th
Wednesday Walk the Chop
Walk and Talk Book Club has become ''Walk the Chop'. We will meet every Wednesday at the Library and walk/run or any combination the West Chop loop. Course is not hilly and is just over 3 miles. No sign up necessary. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions. Sponsored by Vineyard Haven Library and BeWell-MV.

[Online] 6 pm Tuesday May 9th
Vineyard Voices with Linsey Lee
It is the people of Martha's Vineyard who give voice to the Vineyard "sense of place." Here, in their own words excerpted from interviews with oral historian Linsey Lee, chronicling a way of life that has continued for generations and is fast disappearing. Linsey Lee is the oral history curator at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. She has conducted interviews with people on the Vineyard for more than 30 years and has a significant collection of stories connected to the Island.

[In-person or online] 2 pm Wednesday May 10th
Songwriting with Peter Halperin SESSION 4 of 4
This exciting songwriting opportunity wil be led by Peter Halperin, who brought down the house at the Chilmark Jam last November. This program will run both in person and via Zoom, but will not be recorded.   Contact the library for more info and to register.

[Online] 6 pm Wednesday May 10th
Memoir Writing with Caroline Joy Adams
We know you have a story to tell. Whether you are currently working on your memoir project or just starting, Caroline Joy Adams will help you find focus and set you on your path.  

[Online] 6 pm Tuesday, May 16th
Stories From the Studebaker and Other Cars We Have Loved
Todd Goodwin tells stories of growing up with memorable cars, and the road trips he shared with his brothers in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. He then invites you to remember and share your favorite car stories! Sponsored by Friends of the Vineyard Haven and Chilmark Public Libraries.

[In-person or online] 2 pm Thursday May 18th
Library Book Group
Come enjoy a lively discussion in a casual "hybrid" format--both in person at the Library and on Zoom. Book club selections include contemporary fiction and the occasional memoir or non-fiction. Everyone is invited to join us. This month's selection is the WW2 historical novel "The Paris Library" by Janet Skeslien Charles. Copies of the book are available at the library main desk.  contact [email protected] for Zoom access, or attend in-person. 

[In-person] 2pm - 4pm Sunday May 21st
Cape Light Compact: No-Cost Energy Assessments
Cape Light Compact representatives will provide information and assistance in signing up for your no-cost energy assessment. Want to learn how to make your home or business more energy efficient? Would you like Vineyard Power and your Mass Save® Sponsors picking up 75% to 100% of the cost of recommended upgrades? All we need is you and your latest electric bill (or electric account number). 

[Online] 6 pm May 30th
Vineyard Haven Library Spice Club
A new take on a cookbook group, Spice Club meets virtually one Tuesday a month. Registration comes with a sample pack of the spice of the month and a little history about it. You prepare a recipe and then come and discuss your opinions, experiences, and love (or like less!). This month: dried lemongrass. 

"Standing Orders" for Popular Authors

Join Vineyard Haven Library's "Standing Order" program to automatically order forthcoming books from your favorite popular authors. Just fill out our online form, and library staff will add you to the advance hold list for any future books by the authors you select, then contact you as items become available. This program helps the library know how many books to order, and places our patrons higher on the waiting list since holds are placed prior to publication.

If you've been enrolled in the program in the past, you can use the form to update your selection -- we now have more than 200 authors to choose from. Sign up for Standing Orders here: https://forms.gle/RCqwheVUm8ndimJ46

Click Here to view the Vineyard Haven Public Library This Week - May 2, 2023