The library will be closed on Monday, February 20, 2023 for Presidents' Day. We will reopen with usual hours on Tuesday, February 21 at 10 am.
Toiletries Drive To Benefit Friends of Hampshire County Homeless Individuals, Inc.
Throughout the month of February, Forbes Library is collecting toiletries to support local residents who are experiencing homelessness. The following supplies are needed: deodorant, shampoo, shaving materials, lip balm, small bar soap, hand or foot warmers, men’s underwear (new in package), small packages of tissues, small packages of Bandaids, snack bars, and insulated water bottles with tight seals.
Friends of Forbes Library RAFFLE! We are holding a Valentine’s Day Raffle! Check out this lovely basket filled with jams, nuts, pasta, biscuits and other treats on display in the library. Tickets may be purchased at the main desk. Tickets are 2 for $5.00, 6 for $10.00 and 15 for $20.00. A winner will be drawn on Valentine’s Day. All proceeds benefit the library.
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.
Listening with the Heart in Alabama Saturday, February 11, 2023, 3 pm Join Yael Petretti who traveled to Alabama in October with her fellow Compassionate Listeners to listen and learn about Alabama's history, civil rights struggles, creative collaborations and visions for a better future.
So here’s the BIG QUESTION: What should I eat? We’ll dive into the recommendations of leading scientists and nutritionists on eating for longevity (hint: Mediterranean diet), and what that looks like on a practical level (as in, “OK, so what should I have for breakfast?”). We’ll talk about supplements that have been shown to boost our “longevity genes,” dig into why you might want to try intermittent fasting, and how to do it.
Are you curious about how to get started on a family tree or use census records to explore the history of your neighborhood or house? Book an appointment with Brian Tabor, recently retired Forbes Library circulation manager and genealogist, and learn how to research using resources such as Ancestry, Heritage Quest and American Ancestors databases.
Have you applied for Fuel Assistance but haven't heard back from them yet this year? Would you like someone to do your taxes for free? If you answered YES to either of those questions, please come to Dane's Open Office Hours at the library. February 15, 1-3pm.
Come on down and see if she can help you!
Dane Kuttler, she/her/hers, is the Hampshire County Collaborations Coordinator for Community Action Pioneer Valley.
Far Out Film Discussion will meet in the Community room at 6:30 to talk about the 2018 Chilean stop motion animated horror film The Wolf House directed by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña.
The trailer for The Wolf House can be viewed here.
You’re invited to an insightful chat with award-winning author Grace M. Cho as she discusses her memoir, Tastes Like War:
Grace M. Cho grew up as the daughter of a white American merchant marine and the Korean bar hostess he met abroad. When Grace was fifteen, her dynamic mother experienced the onset of schizophrenia, a condition that would continue and evolve for the rest of her life.
Part food memoir, part sociological investigation, Tastes Like War is a hybrid text about a daughter’s search through intimate and global history for the roots of her mother’s schizophrenia. In her mother’s final years, Grace learned to cook dishes from her mother’s childhood in order to invite the past into the present, and to hold space for her mother’s multiple voices at the table. And through careful listening over these shared meals, Grace discovered not only the things that broke the brilliant, complicated woman who raised her—but also the things that kept her alive.
This month's book is Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. You can request a copy of the book from the library catalog.
About the book:
In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother's death and her hidden past--a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake. Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.
This is a hybrid meeting -- so you can either join us on Zoom or in the Watson Room this month!
Free Diapers
The Northampton Public Schools Early Childhood Center distributes free diapers to families in need. Please contact Mandy Gerry at mgerry@northampton-k12.us or call the Northampton Public Schools Early Childhood Center office at 413-587-1471 to learn more. Diapers are provided by the United Way Diaper Bank of Hampshire/Franklin County.
In the Hosmer Gallery
Paintings and Digital Art by Sunny Allis, Ella N. Alkiewicz, and Jay Smith
In addition to this newsletter, we have several other lists you can sign up for to receive news about film programs at the library, new and bestselling books, local history events, and more.
Forbes Library 20 West St Northampton, Massachusetts 01060 (413) 587-1011www.forbeslibrary.org