The Greenbush Bookmark for Adults  
May 2021
 
In this Issue: Pen to Pandemic Winners, May Events, 
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, & More
 
We are thrilled to share the winners of the Pen to Pandemic short story contest! Word from the judges is that they were impressed by the range of offerings and had a hard time narrowing down to the winners. 
 
Keep an eye out for information about a reception and story-reading event to be held in June.
 
In May we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage. See our reading and viewing recommendations below.
 
Enjoy yoga? Trivia? Cooking? Talking about books? Visiting museums? We've got you covered with some great May programs and events.
 
Please note that we've added some additional morning hours: the library now opens at 9 a.m. on Mondays and 10 a.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Come visit!
 
Best wishes from your Adult Services Librarians,        
~ Elizabeth, Catherine, Jody, Barbara, & Lauren       
 
 
Congratulations, Story Contest Winners!
Pen to Pandemic Image
 
At the East Greenbush Community Library, we love our local authors! In support of our home-grown talent, the Library, in partnership with the Town of East Greenbush and the Hart Cluett Museum, hosted a short story competition in March 2021. The theme, “Pen to Pandemic," enticed over 40 writers to submit their unpublished, original works of fiction set in Rensselaer County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Stories were judged anonymously by a joint committee which included Roberta (Bobbie) Reno, East Greenbush Town Historian, Kathy T. Sheehan, County & City Historian at the Hart Cluett Museum, and Frankie Y. Bailey, Professor at the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Albany (SUNY) and published author. 
 
We thank everyone who participated. This was a very hard decision for the judges to make. All the eligible entrees told a tale of survival of the COVID 19 Pandemic in Rensselaer County. The stories showed our area has many talented writers.
 
Two winners and two runners-up were chosen (one from each age group; 18-49 and 50+). Winners will present their stories at a reception in their honor and will be included in the publication New Authors Journal. 
 

1st Place Winners
Eva Dacier 18-49 Category: "When Maddie Met Hazel"
James Chicoine 50+ Category: "Things Have Gone Crazy in the Manor"
 
Runners-Up
Kelly Gallagher 18-49: "The Falls"
Julie Lomoe 50+: "The Zumba Barn"
 
 
 
 
May Programs
Virtual Armchair Traveler: NYS Museum
Friday, May 7 | 1 pm
Online | Register now
Virtual Morning Yoga with Lisa
Tuesday, May 11 | 9 am
Online | Register now
 
Virtual Trivia Night
Wednesday, May 12 | 7 pm
Online | Register now
 
Monday Night Book Chat
Every Monday | 7-9 pm
Online | Facebook
Monday Book Discussions (AM or PM)
Register: May 17 | 10 am
Register: May 17 | 7 pm
"All-Star" Virtual Cooking Class
Thursday, May 20 | 6:30 pm
Online | Register now
Friends of the Library Grab-and-Go
Book Sale
Saturday, May 22 | 11-1
More information
Virtual Armchair Traveler:
Fenimore Museum
Friday, June 4 | 1 pm
Online | Register now
 
Weekly Farmers' Market begins on June 9!
Wednesdays | 4 - 7 pm
More information
 
From Our Partner Organizations
Let's Get to Work Workshop Series
Multiple dates, Spring 2021
Online
Career and tech classes from the Upper Hudson Library System.
  • May 13 | 7 pm | Introduction to Excel
  • May 27 | 7 pm | Introduction to Windows 10 
  • June 10 | 7 pm | Survey Says! Polling, Quizzing, Signups and More with Google Forms
  • Register here
AARP Driver Safety
 
AARP Smart Driver Course is available online. No in-person courses are currently scheduled. Get a 25% discount by using discount code: DRIVINGSKILLS. More info.
 
Mental Health Awareness Month Webinars
May | Online
 
The Mental Health Association in New York invites you to join them for these free webinars during Mental Health Awareness Month in May.
  • May 5 | 12 pm | Mental Health & Wellness 101
  • May 13 | 2 pm | The Practice of Self-Compassion for Mental Health
  • May 26 | 12 pm | Cultivating Resiliency
  • See the full webinar calendar and register
 
3 Word Book Reviews
Book cover: The Kaiser's Web
Book cover: Klara and the Sun
book cover: Opal & Nev
Find more #3WordBookReviews on Instagram
 
Staff Picks Reading Recommendations
Recent reads that we really enjoyed. We hope you will, too!
 
A Bookshop in Berlin: The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman's Harrowing Escape from the Nazis
by Françoise Frenkel

Recounts the author's experiences as a French bookshop owner in Berlin in the years preceding the second World War, discussing her story of survival and resilience as she traveled through Europe evading Nazi persecution
 
Recommended by Marianne | Also available on Overdrive
Moonflower Murders: A Novel
by Anthony Horowitz

Helping run her boyfriend’s small Greek island hotel, a homesick London editor is irresistibly drawn to the story of a murder on the Suffolk coast and the wrongful incarceration of an innocent immigrant.
 
Recommended by Roseann | Also available on Overdrive 
The Porpoise: A Novel
by Mark Haddon

When a young man attempts to rescue the daughter of a wealthy man who is imprisoned on her father's estate, the attempt goes awry, sending him off on a fantastical sea voyage.
 
Recommended by Elizabeth | Also available on Overdrive
Trace of Evil
by Alice Blanchard

A rookie detective in a small New York community investigates the whereabouts of nine missing transients while navigating painful memories about her sister’s unsolved murder years earlier. 
 
Recommended by Marion
We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year
by Charles J. Wheelan
 
What would happen if you quit your life for a year? The Wheelan family decided to find out, leaving behind work, school, and even the family dogs to travel the world on a modest budget. Equal parts "how-to" and "how-not-to," We Came, We Saw, We Left is the insightful and often hilarious account of one family's gap-year experiment across six continents with three teenagers. What could go wrong?
 
Recommended by Catherine | Also available on Overdrive
Find More Reading Recommendations
  • East Greenbush Community Library Staff Picks
  • NoveList reading recommendations  (requires valid East Greenbush/Schodack library card)
  • Library Reads: Top 10 books published each month as voted on by librarians 
  • Personalized Recommendation Service for Readers (requires valid East Greenbush/Schodack library card)
 
 
Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Looking for ways to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month? Try these resources.
 
Overdrive's Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month Collection of ebooks and audiobooks
 
The National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Web Site offers events, images, exhibits, collections, audio and video resources
 
NY State Virtual Town Hall and Listening Sessions for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, May 13
 
PBS Programs and Video for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
 
 
Helpful-to-Know Info
Libraries have a long history of connecting people to the information they seek. A modern twist on this tradition, now necessary in our age of information overload, has libraries sifting through the information noise to find and highlight the best material. Here's our most Helpful-to-Know Info for May.
 
New York State Camping Guide 2021
 
camping guide cover imageCraving more outdoors?
 
The 2021 New York State Camping Guide, digital version has just been released. This helpful online tool to explore the120 campgrounds operated by New York State Parks and the Department of Environmental Conservation.
 
This accessible digital flip-book version features photos, amenities, information on how to reserve a stay, a statewide map, and more!
 
 
 
Emergency Broadband Benefit Enrollment Begins May 12
 
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is a Federal Communications Commission program to provide temporary assistance to households who do not have or cannot afford high speed broadband in their place of residence. Eligible households will be able to receive up to a $50/month discount on an eligible internet service plan. Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) participating in this program are also offering discount on the purchase of certain devices.

Emergency Broadband Benefit Fact Sheet.
  
Beginning on May 12 households can apply in three ways: 
Emergency broadband benefit logo
1.  Contact your preferred participating broadband provider directly to learn about their application process.  
2.  Go to GetEmergencyBroadband.org to apply and find participating providers near you. 
3.  Call 833-511-0311 for a mail-in application.
 
Claim Your Stimulus Payment by May 17th 
 
Dollar signs
American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) Economic Impact Payments are currently being distributed through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to eligible recipients. But there are still millions of people who haven’t received the first or second payments and may not receive the third because the IRS does not have their account information or address. If you haven’t received one or multiple payments, you still have an opportunity to claim the financial relief you’re eligible for, but you must take action by filing a tax return or filing for an extension by May 17, 2021.
 
See the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's complete guide to the COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) for answers to these and other questions:
  • How much could I receive?
  • How do I know if I’m eligible?
  • What can I do if I haven’t received my payment or if I’m eligible to receive more?
  • How do I check the status of my payment?
 

 
 E-Resource Roundup
Novelist logo with linkNoveList Plus
Book database and reading recommendations
*Requires an East Greenbush/Schodack card 
Overdrive logo with link Overdrive & Libby
Ebooks, audiobooks,  magazines
Hoopla logo with link
 Hoopla
Ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music, comics
*Requires an East Greenbush/Schodack card
Tech Talk logo with linkTech-Talk
Learn technology skills!
User & PW: eglibrary
Webucator graphic with link 
 
Webucator
Self-paced tech classes. Call the library for access code.
 
Research and articles graphic with linkResearch Databases
Search for journal, magazine, encyclopedia, and newspaper articles
Ancestry from Home
 
Ancestry logo with link
Good news! Remote access to Ancestry has been extended for East Greenbush/Schodack residents. Not a resident? Devices connected to the library's Wi-Fi network can also access content at https://ancestrylibrary.com. And for all New York State residents, portions of Ancestry content are available from home with a free Ancestry.com New York account.
 
 
Library Contact / Hours of Operation
Open Hours
30-Minute Library Browsing
Mon 9 am - 4 pm
Tu, Th, Fri 10 am - 6 pm
Wed 10 am - 7 pm
Sat 10 am - 4 pm
 
Item Returns
 
Items may be returned
to the bin in the
library entryway during
open hours.
 
 
Drive-Thru
Holds Pick-Up
 
You may choose to pick up your holds at the drive-thru window or inside at the circulation desk during library hours. 
See details
 Call
(518) 477-7476
  
Our phones are
answered during the library's open hours. 
 
Other times, leave a
message and we'll
return your call.
 Email
eglibraryinfo@eglibrary.org
 
Email us anytime.
We will reply on weekdays within 24 hours.
Online
https://eglibrary.org
 
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East Greenbush Community Library
10 Community Way
East Greenbush, New York 12061
518-477-7476
eglibrary.org