Upcoming Programs!

The library is looking forward to hosting Humanities to Go programs in the upcoming months. These free programs will be presented via Zoom. 

January 28 at 7 p.m., Meg Mott of Marlboro College will present: The First Amendment

The First Amendment to the Constitution describes the process of becoming an actualized citizen. It begins with the freedom to follow a higher moral standard (freedom of religion) and ends with political protest (freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances). This Zoom talk will consider how the Framers understood these First Freedoms and how we might think about them in the context of our current racial reckoning. Why does the First Amendment make it so hard to curtail offensive speech?
Mott’s award-winning series Debating Our Rights on the first ten amendments brings civil discussions on contentious issues to public libraries and colleges.

Topic: The First Amendment: A Talk by Meg Mott
Time: Jan 28, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89934576699?pwd=ekxwOWYvM3htbzEvcHBqaXVIbi9uUT09

Meeting ID: 899 3457 6699
Passcode: 628253

To give feedback on the program, follow this link: https://app.surveymethods.com/EndUser.aspx?FFDBB7A8FEBBAFA5F9

Description:Feb. 10  from 7-8 p.m. join Jo Radner for: 

Wit and Wisdom: Humor in 19th Century New England

Whatever did New Englanders do on long winter evenings before cable, satellite and the internet? In the decades before and after the Civil War, our rural ancestors used to create neighborhood events to improve their minds. Community members male and female would compose and read aloud homegrown, handwritten literary "newspapers" full of keen verbal wit. Sometimes serious, sometimes sentimental but mostly very funny, these "newspapers" were common in villages across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and revealed the hopes, fears, humor and surprisingly daring behavior of our forebears. Jo Radner shares excerpts from her forthcoming book about hundreds of these "newspapers" and provides examples from villages in your region.

Dr. Radner is a past president of the American Folklore Society and the National Storytelling Network. 

To attend, click on this Zoom link: 

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84051191993?pwd=WXljSkQxTmlLaFpGblo0aENReG9zUT09

March 26 at 7 p.m. author Michael Tougias presents: 

The Finest Hours: The True Story Behind the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue

On February 18, 1952, an astonishing maritime event began when a ferocious nor'easter split in half a 500-foot long oil tanker, the Pendleton, approximately one mile off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Incredibly, just twenty miles away, a second oil tanker, the Fort Mercer, also split in half. On both tankers men were trapped on the severed bows and sterns, and all four sections were sinking in 60-foot seas. Thus began a life and death drama of survival, heroism, and a series of tragic mistakes. Of the 84 seamen aboard the tankers, 70 would be rescued and 14 would lose their lives. 

Michael Tougias, co-author of the book and soon-to-be Disney movie The Finest Hours, uses slides to illustrate the harrowing tale of the rescue efforts amidst towering waves and blinding snow in one of the most dangerous shoals in the world.

Topic: The Finest Hours: The True Story Behind the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue
Time: Mar 26, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88173428263?pwd=ZUNncVpDSUtrZ3lSWlF6Y2pDdUlLdz09

Meeting ID: 881 7342 8263
Passcode: 471049

Curbside Service Update

Hello everyone! While the library has decided to curtail our face-to-face activities, we miss the in-person interaction with our patrons and volunteers. Although we are still closed, we welcome patrons for curbside service and single-user visits by appointment. In order to make it easier for patrons to access the library, we have expanded our curbside service hours. To request books: Request books online through the library catalog on our website. - Call the library. - Email us. Books can be picked up six days a week: Monday 10-5 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10-6 Friday 10-5 Saturday 11-1. See you soon!

Kendel Currier featured in the Paris Review

Our own Kendel Currier, who, for many years, worked as an assistant in the library, is the focus of a recent article by poet Wesley McNair. Kendel served as amanuensis to Donald Hall (right) from 1994 until his death. (read article)

Pandemic Policy

https://mailchi.mp/46b6eba6c814/pandemic-policies-wilmot-library

Calendar