Brooks Memorial Library - Brattleboro VT

First Wednesdays: Daisy Turner's Kin -via Zoom
2021-10-06 19:00 (America/New_York) | Online, VT
Folklorist Jane Beck shares the story of the Turner family, a saga that spans four generations and two centuries. This rare account of the Black experience in New England covers capture in Africa, the middle passage, two generations of enslavement, escape from bondage, and eventually a family farm on a Vermont hilltop.
About Jane Beck
Jane Beck is the founder of the Vermont Folklife Center and is the author of Daisy Turner’s Kin, an African American Family Saga, which is based on sixty interviews with Turner, the daughter of enslaved people.
Registration is required for this free event. To find out more and to register visit:
https://www.vermonthumanities.org/event/digital-daisy-turners-kin/

Teen Writing Workshop Returns!
2021-10-07 18:30 - 20:30 | Spicy Lime Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
The Teen Advisory Board invites you to join us on Thursday October 7th from 6:30-8:30pm for a (in person!) writing workshop. Teen Writing Workshops will occur every other month (for the time being). We’ll conduct a rotating selection of writing games and exercises (both collaborative and solo). Sharing is encouraged but not mandatory. Beginners welcome!
Keep an eye on the Teen page or the Events page for future events.
Hosted by the Teen Advisory Board. “Teens Only” events are open to people in grades 7-12.

Remembering and Reckoning with Eugenics: Then and Now, a talk and Q+A with Abenaki elder Judy Dow
2021-10-09 14:00 | 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Throughout her 35-year career as an educator, Judy Dow has braided in to her work the core concepts of the Wabanaki people of New England: Respect, Reciprocity, Relationships, Responsibility, and Reverence. Judy was the recipient of Vermont Governor’s Heritage Award for Outstanding Educator in 2004. She has taught students from pre-k to university and worked in community settings, reservations, prisons, and assisted living centers. Over the past few years she has taught in Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Quebec, California, Illinois and many other places. Her, current focus is reclaiming historical Indigenous stories, and mapping these stories to provide youth with another perspective of history, science and math. These tools will assist them in making meaning of their own lives.
Learn more about the Witness Tree tapestry created by Judy Dow, the subject of her recent presentation for Dismantling Eugenics, in which she joined with an interdisciplinary network of scholars, organizers, cultural workers and to understand and bring awareness to the continuing legacies and harm of eugenicist ideologies.

40th Annual (Take Home) Design-a-Plate Workshop Final Day
2021-10-13 | Children’s Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
The 40th Annual (Take Home) Design-a-Plate Workshop ends TODAY!
Please return your packet and payment to the library at any point up to 8pm TODAY Wednesday, October 13th.
Design-A-Plate is a Pay-What-You-Can event; Suggested cost is $6 per item.
See our FAQ for details

Scrabble
2021-10-13 17:00 - 19:00, 2021-10-20 17:00 - 19:00, 2021-10-27 17:00 - 19:00, 2021-11-03 17:00 - 19:00, 2021-11-10 17:00 - 19:00, 2021-11-17 17:00 - 19:00, 2021-12-01 17:00 - 19:00, 2021-12-08 17:00 - 19:00 | 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Come join the fun! Everybody welcome. Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00 on the mezzanine.

An Examination of The Ninth Amendment with Meg Mott
2021-10-13 19:00 | 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Meg Mott, professor of politics, will lead a discussion on the 9th Amendment on October 13th at 7PM at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St in Brattleboro. Unlike the first eight Amendments, which lay out specific protections such as free speech, free press, and the right to remain silent, the Ninth Amendment protects rights that the Constitution has not enumerated. The Ninth Amendment reminds us that the People’s Rights are bigger than anything the Constitution has said.
“When it comes to constitutional issues, citizens leave the Big Questions to the experts on the Supreme Court,” explains Mott. “The Ninth Amendment throws the Biggest Question back to the people. There are no well-worn judicial decisions, no established parameters of the debate. That’s liberating and terrifying. But that doesn’t mean the Court has been silent on what those unenumerated rights are. The one place where the Court carved out some definition is with the Roe v. Wade decision. Part of the work of this presentation is to think through the ambiguities of the Ninth Amendment in a way that lets different moral frameworks co-exist.”
The program is free, open to the public and accessible to people in wheelchairs. Because it will be held indoors, all attendees, including the presenter, are required to wear masks by order of the Town. For more information call (802) 254-5290.

Brattleboro Literary Festival Day 1
2021-10-14 | Online, VT
Day one: plan your online itinerary for the
20th Anniversary Festival
October 14-17, 2021

Brattleboro Literary Festival Day 2
2021-10-15 | Online, VT
Day two: Poetry Fiction, Non-fiction, and special panels. For details and a full schedule of free online events, visit the site:
20th Anniversary Festival

Brattleboro Literary Festival Day 3
2021-10-16 | Online, VT
Day three: Poetry Fiction, Non-fiction, and special panels. For details and a full schedule of free online events, visit the site:
20th Anniversary Festival

Brattleboro Literary Festival Day 4
2021-10-17 | Online, VT
Day four: Poetry Fiction, Non-fiction, Print Town, Why Black Books Matter, Are we Having a Moment?
For details and a full schedule of free online events, visit the site:
20th Anniversary Festival

Brattleboro Literary Festival Special Event
2021-10-19 11:00 | Online, VT
The Brattleboro Words Trail is collaborating with community partners to host an official unveiling of a state historic marker recognizing the achievements of Lucy Terry Prince, considered the nation’s first African American poet, and her husband Abijah Prince, early Black Vermont landowners in Guilford and Sunderland and advocates for civil rights.
A drummer and special speakers will commemorate the placement of the sign in the parking lot of the Guilford Welcome Center (Interstate 91 near Exit 1) Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 11:00 am.

The event, hosted by the Brattleboro Words Trail and the Town of Guilford, will feature reflections from author Gretchen Gerzina, poet and artist Shanta Lee Gander, and executive director of Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity Curtiss Reed, Jr. The event will be called with traditional African drumming by Sayan Camara.
Brattleboro Words Trail (http://brattleborowords.org/)
Contact: brattleborowords@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrattleboroWords
Event Link: https://fb.me/e/2Dgoiolp7

A Deep Presence: 13,000 Years of Native American History
2021-10-26 18:30 - 20:00 | Main Reading Room
Join us at Brooks Memorial Library – October 26th from 6:30-8:00 pm, 224 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301 – for a presentation from Dr. Robert Goodby about his life’s work affirming Indigenous relationships in this landscape. His new book will be available for purchase and you will be delighted to learn these lasting stories, all the more needed as we look toward what is ahead.
Almost 13,000 years ago, small groups of Paleoindians endured frigid winters on the edge of a river in what would become Keene, New Hampshire. This begins the remarkable story of Native Americans in the Monadnock region of southwestern New Hampshire, part of the traditional homeland of the Abenaki people.
Typically neglected or denied by conventional history, the long presence of Native people in southwestern New Hampshire is revealed by archaeological evidence for their deep, enduring connections to the land and the complex social worlds they inhabited. From the Tenant Swamp Site in Keene, with the remains of the oldest known dwellings in New England, to the 4,000-year-old Swanzey Fish Dam still visible in the Ashuelot River, A Deep Presence tells their story in a narrative fashion, drawing on the author’s thirty years of fieldwork and presenting compelling evidence from archaeology, written history, and the living traditions of today’s Abenaki people.
Robert Goodby is Professor of Anthropology at Franklin Pierce University. He earned his PhD in anthropology from Brown University and has over thirty years of experience excavating Native American archaeological sites in New England. He is a past president of the New Hampshire Archeological Society, a former Trustee of the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum, and served on the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs. He has directed over three hundred archaeological studies authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act and his work has appeared in anthropological journals and in anthologies published by the Smithsonian Institution Press and University Press of New England. He has presented more than one hundred talks on his archaeological research for the New Hampshire “Humanities to Go” program, and every fall speaks to students at the Keene Middle School about the Paleoindian Tenant Swamp Site. Visit his website at http://www.monadarch.com.

Halloween Outdoor Movie Night: "Beetlejuice"
2021-10-29 20:00 - 22:00 | Parking Lot, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Celebrate Halloween in the library parking lot for a Teens Only outdoor movie night.
We will watch “Beetlejuice”. The movie will start at 8pm and has a 1 hour and 32 minute run time.
Bring your own seating! Spooky Snacks Provided.

Hosted by the Teen Advisory Board.
“Teens Only” events are open to people in grades 7-12.

1st Wednesdays- Philanthropy and Civil Society in Challenging Times
2021-11-03 19:00 | Online, VT
The pandemic year of 2020 challenged every aspect of modern community, including our visions of equality, civility, health, and democracy. Stuart Comstock-Gay, former president of the Vermont Community Foundation, discusses how civic engagement can help us rebuild our communities and reclaim our dreams.
About Stuart Comstock-Gay
Stuart Comstock-Gay is president of the Delaware Community Foundation, and former president of the Vermont Community Foundation (2009 to 2016). He has spent his career addressing issues of community, democracy and civil rights, in philanthropy and civil rights organizations – at national and statewide organizations in Maryland, Boston, New York and New Hampshire. While in Vermont, he was adjunct faculty in nonprofit leadership at Marlboro College. He serves on numerous boards addressing philanthropic issues. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bucknell University.

https://www.vermonthumanities.org/event/digital-philanthropy-and-civil-society-in-challenging-times/

Teen Book Club: Dumplin'
2021-11-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Join us on Thursday November 4th from 7pm-8pm to discuss a YA book with the Teen Advisory Board!
The book we’ll be discussing this month is “Dumplin'” by Julie Murphy. Grab yourself a copy, read it, and come discuss it with us.
Pizza and snacks provided! We’ll be in the Community Meeting Room, masked except when eating.
Hosted by the Teen Advisory Board. “Teens Only” events are open to people in grades 7-12.

Award-Winning author Katherine Paterson at Centre Congregational Church
2021-11-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Centre Congregational Church, 196 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Brooks Memorial Library will host a presentation by Katherine Paterson, two-time winner of the prestigious Newbery Award and the National Book Award, at Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main St. in Brattleboro on Friday, November 12 at 7pm. In conversation with Youth Services Librarian Lindsay Bellville, Paterson will speak about her recent novel for young people, Birdie’s Bargain, in honor of Veteran’s Day.
Birdie’s father is returning for another tour of duty in Iraq, so to save money Birdie and her family move from Brattleboro to live with her Gran up north. As if she didn’t have enough to worry about, the move brings a new school and a puzzling new acquaintance, which gives Birdie both concern and a cause. Readers of all faiths and backgrounds, especially children of military families, will identify with and root for the unforgettable Birdie, given inimitable voice by this master storyteller.
Katherine Paterson has written more than thirty books for young people, including Bridge to Terabithia and My Brigadista Year. She is a recipient of the Hans Christian Anderson Award, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and is a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, an honor bestowed by the Library of Congress.
Books will be available for sale and signing. The program is free, open to the public and accessible to people in wheelchairs. Because it will be held indoors, all attendees are required to wear masks. For more information call (802) 254-5290. Sponsored by the Friends of Brooks Memorial Library in partnership with Centre Congregational Church, Brattleboro Literary Festival, Candlewick Press, and Everyone’s Books.

Know the Signs: Grooming Tactics of Sexual Offenders
2021-11-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Online, VT
The Women’s Freedom Center will be facilitating a program on recognizing the signs of predatory grooming on Thursday November 18th from 6-7:30 pm via Zoom.
This free community forum is open to parents and all adults and will focus on spotting red flags in schools, at work, and beyond.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84159760861?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 841 5976 0861
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Teen Game Night
2021-11-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Meeting Room A – Community Meeting Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Join us on Friday November 19th from 7pm-9pm to play games with the Teen Advisory Board!
We will have a selection of board and card games to play with as well as an Oculus to try out.
Pizza and snacks provided! We’ll be in the Community Meeting Room.
Hosted by the Teen Advisory Board. “Teens Only” events are open to people in grades 7-12.

Meet Brattleboro's New Town Manager: Afternoon Reception
2021-11-29 13:00 - 14:30 | Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Come meet Brattleboro’s new Town Manager, Yoshi Manale! All are welcome to drop by between 1:00-2:30 on Monday, Nov. 29th, on the first floor of the Library at 224 Main Street in Brattleboro.
Yoshi will also visit the Library on Thursday, Dec. 2nd, 5:00-6:30. Please choose the best time for your schedule. See you there!

First Wednesdays: *DIGITAL* Learning Hidden History with Picture books and Graphic Novels (via Zoom)
2021-12-01 19:00 | Online, VT
The current renaissance of picture books and graphic novels written by and about marginalized communities provides new ways to engage with history. Latinx scholar Laura Jiménez describes how contemporary authors and illustrators use visual literature to center narratives previously unseen in mainstream publishing.
About Dr. Laura Jiménez
Dr. Laura Jiménez is Department Chair for Language and Literacy Education at Boston University. She studies literature and literacy through a social justice lens. Her book reviews and calls for social justice in children’s literature can be found on her blog, booktoss.org, and on Twitter @booktoss.
Registration is required for this free event. To find out more and to register visit:
https://www.vermonthumanities.org/event/digital-learning-hidden-history-with-picture-books-and-graphic-novels/
Sponsored by Friends of Brooks Memorial Library

Meet Brattleboro's New Town Manager: Early Evening Reception
2021-12-02 17:00 - 18:30 | Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
Come meet Brattleboro’s new Town Manager, Yoshi Manale! All are welcome to drop by between 5:00-6:30 on Thursday, Dec. 2nd, on the first floor of the Library at 224 Main Street in Brattleboro.

Teen Writing Workshop
2021-12-02 18:30 - 20:30 | Spicy Lime Room, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, United States
The Teen Advisory Board invites you to join us on Thursday December 2nd from 6:30-8:30pm for a (in person! masked!) writing workshop. Teen Writing Workshops will occur every other month (for the time being). We’ll conduct a rotating selection of writing games and exercises (both collaborative and solo). Sharing is encouraged but not mandatory. Beginners welcome!
Keep an eye on the Teen page or the Events page for future events.
Hosted by the Teen Advisory Board. “Teens Only” events are open to people in grades 7-12.

An Evening with Nowell Sing We Clear
2021-12-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Online, VT
Online event sponsored by the Brooks Memorial Library, Brattleboro, VT
Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00 pm
YouTube Live: https://youtu.be/ADYTSopNouI
Tony Barrand, Fred Breunig, Andy Davis and John Roberts sing and tell stories drawn from their repertoire and adventures over decades of performing their Pageant of Mid-Winter Carols.
Visit nowellsingweclear.com for information on our book, Nowell Sing We Clear: Songs & Carols of Midwinter and Christmastide, access to our six CDs – and free content, as well.
For forty years, Nowell Sing We Clear presented its seasonal concert in Brattleboro, across New England and beyond. Based on traditional Anglo-American songs and carols, the show always featured two aspects of the season: the familiar Christmas story as recounted in the New Testament, and the visiting customs involving gift-giving, performing dances and plays, and sharing food and drink with neighbors and family.
Join us for this free online event with songs, stories and recollections of our touring days!
