Thomaston Public Library News

 

 

 

Intergenerational Book Club to Discuss

Townie by Andre Dubus III

On Tuesday, August 19th, at 2:30 PM, the Thomaston Public Library's Intergenerational Book Club will discuss the memoir Townie by Andre Dubus III.

After their parents divorced in the 1970s, Andre Dubus III and his three siblings grew up with their exhausted working mother in a depressed Massachusetts mill town saturated with drugs and crime. To protect himself and those he loved from street violence, Andre learned to use his fists so well that he was even scared of himself. He was on a fast track to getting killed--or killing someone else. He signed on as a boxer.

Nearby, his father, an eminent author, taught on a college campus and took the kids out on Sundays. The clash of worlds couldn't have been more stark--or more difficult for a son to communicate to a father. Only by becoming a writer himself could Andre begin to bridge the abyss and save himself. His memoir is a riveting, visceral, profound meditation on physical violence and the failures and triumphs of love.

On the third Tuesday of every month, the Intergenerational Book Club, a group of men and women of all ages, comes together to share their opinions and ideas about the book selection. Extra copies of the books are purchased by the Friends of the Thomaston Public Library from the Annual Appeal funds. We thank you for your donations. All are welcome at the Thomaston Library on August 19th at 2:30 p.m.

If you live in Thomaston and would like to attend but need a ride, please call the library at 354-2453 a week before the discussion date.

 

Library the Site for Thomaston Farmers' Market

Every Saturday 9 to 1

The Library is open on Saturdays from 9 AM to 1 PM, which is exactly when the Thomaston Farmers' Market happens -- right outside the library's back door. Visitors can browse the library's books and movies and also load up on the market's wonderful produce; fine, organic meats; deliciously-fresh desserts and baked goods; seedlings; herbs; candles and scents; coffee and kombucha (stop by to find out what kombucha is!); and a host of other great fare.

Fresh early greens and lettuces are a particular attraction just now, along with many other early-summer vegetables. Among the meats for sale are steaks, a variety of sausage flavors, lamb, chicken, and pork chops, all of the finest quality. The baked goods range from candy, muffins, and cookies to pies, whoopie pies, bars, and sweet quick breads. There's something for everyone.

The market's vendors are set up in the parking lot behind the Academy building. The library sets up a booth among them, so market shoppers can stop by for information on the library's upcoming events and choose among some of the Hallway Bookshop's sale books.

Don't miss this one-stop, book-and-food shopping opportunity every Saturday morning at the library.

 

Taijiquan (Tai Chi) Sessions Every Wednesday

Sessions of the Kennebec Taijiquan Association will be held at the Thomaston Public Library on Wednesday evenings at 7 PM.

These sessions provide participants the opportunity to learn a "T'ai C'hi" long form and to
practice it with others who enjoy taijiquan. Life can be a challenge and the long, slow practice of taijiquan, which deepens across the years, brings profound satisfaction and surprising benefits.

One begins by learning the form and then slowly adds the principles of practice to a daily effort of two long forms. For those who are social, these sessions provide the opportunity to meet others to practice with. For those who are dedicated, they provide the opportunity to learn how to deepen your practice.

Whether you are completely new to taijiquan or would like to share your practice with others, the Kennebec Taijiquan Association welcomes you.

Saltwater Film Society Screening of American Movie

On Thursday, August 21st, at 6:30 PM, the Thomaston Public Library will host the Saltwater Film Society screening of 1999's Australian documentary American Movie, directed by Chris Smith.

On the northwest side of Milwaukee, Mark Borchardt dreams the American dream: for him, it's making movies. Using relatives, local theater talent, slacker friends, his Mastercard, and $3,000 from his Uncle Bill, Mark strives over three years to finish "Coven," a short horror film. His own personal demons (alcohol, gambling, a dysfunctional family) plague him, but he desperately wants to overcome self-doubt and avoid failure. In moments of reflection, Mark sees his story as quintessentially American, and its the nature and nuance of his dream that this film explores.

The film was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. The New York Times named it one of the “1,000 Greatest Movies Ever Made.”

For more information about the Saltwater Film Society, please see their website, http://www.saltwaterfilmsociety.org/.


Library Hosts Evening of Literary Readings

Wednesday, August 27th, at 7 PM, Thomaston Public Library will host an evening of readings by poets and writers from Maine and New York.

The literary line-up will feature the following writers:

• Christopher Fahy of Thomaston will read from his new novel, Gone from the Game, in which a shell-shocked World War I veteran and former Red Sox pitcher attempts to kill Babe Ruth. Mr. Fahy is the author of seventeen books, including novels, short stories, and poetry collections. His poetry has appeared in Atlanta Review, The Beloit Poetry Journal, and other magazines.
• Martha Webster of Long Island took a thirty-year hiatus from poetry to raise a family and pursue a career in critical care and hospice nursing. Ms. Webster now spends as much time as possible in Manhattan and at the Frost Place in New Hampshire surrounded by all things poetry.
• Jane Brox of Brunswick, Maine, writes works of nonfiction. Her fourth book, Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light, was named one of the top ten nonfiction books of 2010 by Time magazine. Ms. Brox teaches nonfiction writing in Lesley University's MFA program.
• Martha Rhodes of New York is the author of four poetry collections, most recently The Beds. She teaches at Sarah Lawrence College and in the MFA program at Warren Wilson College and is the director of both the Frost Place Conference on Poetry and the literary publishing house Four Way Books.

The readings will take place in the main room of the library and light refreshments will be served.