Multigenerational Civics Class
2025-06-09 10:15 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Who has power over us? What power do we have to create the world around us? The Vermont Village School welcomes villagers of all ages to participate in a people’s Civics class with us this spring at Brooks Memorial Library. We will be untangling the different institutions that exert power over us, past and present, official and unofficial, and brainstorming how we move forward together.

Join us Monday at 10:15am @ Brooks Memorial Library, Brattleboro. This will be the first of a series–we will plan future gatherings based on collective interest and energy.

Library Board of Trustees
2025-06-10 16:30 - 18:00, 2025-07-08 16:30 - 18:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Monthly meeting of the Brooks Memorial Library Board of Trustees. Citizen attendance and commentary welcome!
Board of Trustees

What's Cooking at Brooks?
2025-06-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library invite you to join us for a special after hours spring party where guests will explore the Library of Things collection by experiencing live cooking demonstrations and enjoying a grand selection of sweet and savory treats and refreshments.
The Library of Things is a collection of non-traditional items which can be borrowed from the library, such as kitchen and gardening tools, technology and electronics, memory kits, and even a telescope!
Take home some seeds for the garden and vote on new items to purchase for the Library of Things!
Admission is by donation. Everyone is welcome.

Brattleboro in Stitches
2025-06-14 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-06-21 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-06-28 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-07-05 13:00 - 16:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Bring a work in progress to sew, knit, crochet, embroider, or mend. Sewing machines, irons, and companionship will be provided.

Sci-Fi Reading Group
2025-06-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Meeting Room D – Quiet Reading Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
The Sci-Fi Reading Group will meet in the Quiet Reading Room from 7:00pm – 8:30pm to discuss The Resisters by Gish Jen!
The time: not so long from now. The place: AutoAmerica, a country surveilled by one “Aunt Nettie,” a Big Brother that is part artificial intelligence, part internet, and oddly human—even funny. The people: divided. The “angelfair” Netted have jobs and, what with the country half under water, literally occupy the high ground. The Surplus live on swampland if they’re lucky, on water if they’re not.
The story: To a Surplus couple—he once a professor, she still a lawyer—is born a girl, Gwen, with a golden arm. Her teens find her happily playing in an underground baseball league, but when AutoAmerica faces ChinRussia in the Olympics, Gwen finds herself in dangerous territory, playing ball with the Netted even as her mother battles this apartheid-like society in court.
The Sci-Fi Reading Group meets the third Monday of every month and is open to curious minds, whether or not they’ve read this month’s selection.

Exploring the Afterlife: Learning from Experts and Personal Experiences
2025-06-17 18:00 - 19:15, 2025-06-24 18:00 - 19:15, 2025-07-01 18:00 - 19:15, 2025-07-08 18:00 - 19:15 | Meeting Room D – Quiet Reading Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Have you had a near-death experience or communicated with a deceased loved one through a medium? Have you contemplated the possibility of reincarnation or had an experience about a past life? Do you wonder what awaits us in the afterlife? Western culture tends to dismiss or even disparage paranormal phenomena. But evidence is available to answer many questions about the afterlife.
In this five-part evening series on Tuesdays from June 17th to July 15th, we will do three things: 1) read books by experts on near-death experiences, scientific instruments and experiments in paranormal research, out-of-body experiences, and the work of reputable mediums; 2) raise questions and concerns about the evening’s topic; and 3) share personal experiences of paranormal phenomena in a safe environment. Each participant will choose a book from a provided list to report on. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend all sessions.
The group will be led by hospice chaplain and former social worker Diane Southard and Valerie Abrahamsen, author of Paranormal: A New Testament Scholar Looks at the Afterlife (2015).
Participants are encouraged to contact Valerie at www.wisdomwordsppf.org/contact/ as soon as possible to obtain the book list and additional information. Adults over 18 are invited!

SEVT Audubon Society
2025-06-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Join South Eastern Vermont’s Audubon Society on for a monthly program featuring nature and the environment.

Friends of the Library
2025-06-18 16:30 - 18:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Monthly meeting of the Friends of the Library. Community attendance and commentary is welcome!
Friends of the Library

Healthy Living for Brain & Body: Tips from the Latest Research
2025-06-18 18:30 - 19:30 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
June is Brain Health History Month! Join us for a presentation on lifestyle choices and their impact on the aging process. learn the latest research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity and social engagement to bolster brain health, stay connected, and age well.
This event is part of a collaborative program with the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and Brooks Memorial Library – and all are welcome.

LIBRARY CLOSED
2025-06-19 10:00 - 21:00 | Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
The library will be closed on June 19th in observation of Juneteenth.

Green Carnation Reading Group
2025-06-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Meeting Room D – Quiet Reading Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Discussions of books by and for queer people. For more information, please visit the Green Carnation Reading Group Facebook page.

Town Arts Committee
2025-06-24 17:00 - 19:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
The monthly meeting of the Town Arts Committee members invites guests and the public to discuss town arts!

POSTPONED Traces of the Trade Documentary Film - by Katrina Browne
2025-06-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
POSTPONED
This event will take place at a later time. Thank you for your understanding.
TRACE IT! FACE IT! LET’S HEAL OUR COMMUNITY!
First time filmmaker Katrina Browne makes a troubling discovery – her New England ancestors were the largest enslavement trading family in U.S. history. She and nine fellow descendants set off to retrace the Triangle Trade from the family’s historic hometown in Rhode Island to enslavement forts in Ghana to sugar plantation ruins in Cuba. Step-by-step, they answer the vast extent of northern complicity in slavery while also stumbling and stretching their way through the minefield of contemporary race relations.
The film aired nationally in 2008 on PBS’ acclaimed non-fiction series, POV, and is now serving as a catalyst for education, dialogue, and action throughout the U.S. and overseas. Beacon Press has published Tom De Wolfe’s memoir of the journey, Inheriting the Trade. Visit: www.tracesofthetrade.org and www.tracingcenter.org
In addition, all are welcome for an heart-to-heart dialogue on film and a community healing art activity on the following day, Wednesday June 25, from 12:30 – 3:30 PM in Brooks Memorial Library’s Community Room.
Facilitated by: Naima K Wade, Project Director, Teaching Artist of
Legacies: Reckoning+ Resilience Project ( LRRP)
For more event information, please contact: naimawade11@gmail.com

POSTPONED--Community Healing Arts Event
2025-06-25 13:00 - 15:30 | VT
This event has been postponed. Please check back for rescheduled time. Thank you for your understanding.
“Powerful is an inadequate word to describe the impact of the Traces of the Trade…
{This} clear- headed film represents an intense and searing call for a national
dialogue.” – Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
As part of the Legacies Project, this is the follow-up event to the viewing of the documentary, Traces of the Trade, in an effort to create a healing dialogue in our communities.
Facilitated by: Naima K. Wade, Project Director, Local Poet, Teaching Artist, Humanities Educator, Creator of Legacies: Reckoning+ Resilience Project (LRRP)
For more event information, please contact: naimawade11@gmail.com

Brattleboro 250 Planning Sessions
2025-06-25 18:00 - 20:00 | VT
Come and connect with others who are interested in working on plans to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026.
This monthly meeting space on the 4th Wednesdays is dedicated for those who would like the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and work on projects that align with Vermont’s 250th Anniversary Commission’s mission to “…inspire all Vermonters to learn from the history, legacy, and context of the past to build strong Vermont communities for the future.”
For the June gathering, special guest Breanna Sheehan, Administrative Director, Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs will be joining the discussion. Breanna is a 2016 graduate of Brattleboro Union High School. She will share her experience growing up as a Native person in/around Brattleboro.
The space is being hosted by Brooks Memorial Library, Vermont Independent Media (The Commons) and Windham World Affairs Council, with support from the Vermont Humanities Council. We are already working together on a collaboration entitled, ‘Examining American Identity and Leadership in a Changing World – and have have joined America 250, a national initiative asking communities to plan for how to commemorate the 250th year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Its mission is to provide opportunities for all Americans to pause and reflect on our nation’s past & present, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look to the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond.

LEGO-Palooza Summer Session
2025-06-26 13:00 - 17:00, 2025-07-03 13:00 - 17:00, 2025-07-10 13:00 - 17:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Join us for these SPECIAL SUMMER SESSIONS of LEGO-Palooza every Thursday this summer from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
Come build something fun with the library’s LEGOs and get a chance to see them on display. FREE!

LEGO-palooza happens from 3:00 to 5:00 pm on the first Thursday of the month with occasional special sessions during school breaks and the summer.
For more information, call 802-254-5290 ext. 1210

Vermont Butterfly Atlas Workshop & Butterfly Bioblitz
2025-06-28 11:00 - 15:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
The Brattleboro and Guilford Conservation Commissions, Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center (BEEC), and Brooks Memorial Library are presenting an exciting opportunity to participate in community science!
Join Dana Williams from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies for a fun-filled day of learning about the butterflies of Windham County and how you can contribute to the Vermont Butterfly Atlas. Volunteers are needed to help search fields and fens, mountains and meadows, and even their own backyards to document the status of Vermont’s butterflies. Your efforts will help scientists detect changes in butterfly populations and provide essential information to protect butterflies and preserve their habitat.
Vermont Butterfly Atlas Workshop
11am at Brooks Memorial Library
This indoor workshop will introduce the Vermont Butterfly Atlas and teach us how to observe and identify butterflies in the wild and report our sightings using eButterfly and iNaturalist. The Vermont Butterfly Atlas has already documented four species new or rediscovered in the state! Learn about community science field work and conservation efforts, and ask questions about the finer points of butterfly identification and natural history.
Butterfly Bioblitz
12:30pm at Hogle Wildlife Sanctuary (entrance at Eaton Avenue, Brattleboro)
Discover the fascinating world of butterflying by joining an expedition at our local wildlife sanctuary. This hands-on exploration will help us survey the butterfly and insect populations and identify host plants and anything interesting we encounter. We will investigate the trail and meadows for butterflies nectaring or using a host plant (egg-laying or caterpillars feeding). Searching for butterflies in the field is a great way to spend time with other nature lovers and get motivated to document the butterflies in the field.
For the bioblitz, please bring:

water and sun protection
a smartphone/camera or binoculars if you have them
your questions and curiosity!

These events are part of the Brooks Memorial Library’s “Summer of Community Science” Adult Summer Reading program.
No registration is required and you may attend one or both events. Free and open to all ages.
Butterflies prefer warm and sunny weather. There will be a rain date of Saturday, July 12th. Updates will be posted on the Brooks Memorial Library website and Facebook page.

Dana Williams is the Community Science Coordinator at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, where she helps community members contribute to conservation efforts across the state of Vermont. Previously, she worked in nature education for all ages as the programs director at Williamstown Rural Lands, a small land trust in Massachusetts. She holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she researched the social relationships of animals.

Mineralogical Society
2025-07-01 18:00 - 20:45 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Join the Brattleboro Mineralogical Society to discuss Minerals and other Geological topics!

LIBRARY CLOSED
2025-07-04 10:00 - 21:00 | Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
The library will be closed on July 4th in observation of Independence Day.

Speak up: Empowering Patients in Healthcare
2025-07-07 18:00 - 19:30 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Join us to explore the critical role of self-advocacy in the healthcare process, as well as strategies to enhance communication with medical providers. The workshop is free and open to the public.
This program is presented by The Center for Solace, formerly Brattleboro Area Hospice.

Brattleboro Great Books Group
2025-07-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Meeting Room D – Quiet Reading Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Monthly discussion of “Great Books”
