Author: Sue

What Is Autism Anyway? An introduction for Parents and Grandparents

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We are happy to welcome Falmouth resident Lisa Jo Rudy to the Falmouth Public Library on Tuesday evening, September 5th, at 6:30 p.m., for an introductory talk on autism. Registration is appreciated-click here or call us at 508-457-2555 x 7!

If you have an autistic family member, you’re not alone!  The number of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has exploded — as has the quantity of misinformation and confusion about what autism is, why it seems to be everywhere all of a sudden, and what to do when a loved one is diagnosed. Learn a little bit about the strange history of autism in America, what it really means to be autistic today, and how parents and grandparents can help an autistic child to grow and thrive.

 Lisa Jo Rudy is the mother of Tom Cook, a young adult on the autism spectrum. She began writing about autism in 2006, as the About.com Guide to Autism, and, for several years, was of the top bloggers on the topic. In 2008 she founded an inclusive summer camp program in Ambler, Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the local YMCA.  Lisa is the author of Get out, Explore, and Have Fun!: How Families of Children with Autism or Asperger Syndrome Can Get the Most out of Community Activities, published by Jessica Kingsley Press, and her works on autism have appeared in multiple publications including the New York Times and Museum News.  Lisa is currently a consultant on autism and inclusion and has worked with numerous museums and community organizations to set up and support inclusion programs. She is currently serving as lead advisor on a National Science Foundation-funded autism inclusion project in the Phoenix Arizona area.

Enjoy some virtual lectures from other Massachusetts libraries this month!

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These are Zoom lectures put on by other libraries, who have shared the registration links with us, so our patrons can attend!

There are two at the same time on Tuesday night, August 1st at 7 pm:

White House By The Sea — A Century Of The Kennedys At Hyannis Port, offered by the Tewksbury Public Library-click here for more details and registration! You will also receive a link to the recording after the event.

“Author Kate Storey will discuss her brand new book, “White House by the Sea: A Century of the Kennedys at Hyannis Port,” in this ZOOM webinar. The book provides a sweeping history of an American dynasty that has left an indelible mark on our nation’s politics and culture.”

7 Scientific Reasons to Meditate Now, by the Shrewsbury Public Library-click here to register on their site!

“Join the Shrewsbury Public Library with Manish Saggar, PhD and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, for a virtual presentation of data from recent neuroscientific studies on how regular meditation practices improve our physical, mental, and emotional health. He will also discuss how, by focusing one’s attention during meditation, we can gain happiness and harmony.”

Later in the month, on Monday, August 28th at 7 pm:

An Evening with Bestselling Authors Lisa Jackson & Nancy Bush, also from Tewksbury Library; click here for details and registration!

“Bestselling authors (and sisters!) Lisa Jackson and and Nancy Bush will discuss their latest books in this ZOOM webinar. Jackson will discuss The Last Sinner, a gripping novel of suspense featuring two veteran homicide detectives matching wits with a twisted serial killer lurking in the shadows of New Orleans. Bush will discuss The Camp, a chilling novel of suspense where a diabolical modern twist on Friday the 13th meets Yellowjackets at a summer sleepaway camp isolated in the woods of Oregon.”

 

 

Live Outdoor Music with Matt York-Johnny Cash Songs!

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We are excited to welcome back longtime New England musician/author for another live, outdoor acoustical performance on the lawn on Wednesday evening, August 30th, from 5:30-7 pm (rescheduled from Aug 15th). Bring your chair or blanket! The concert will be canceled in the event of rain.

 Matt will perform the songs of Johnny Cash and tell stories about Cash’s career spanning from the 1950’s to his passing in 2003. He’ll discuss Cash’s emergence as a groundbreaking artist in the 1950’s, his marriage to June Carter and many other career highlights. He’ll also perform some songs by the many artists Cash collaborated with during his career. 

In 2022, he was nominated for the Boston Music Award for Best Country Artist and his album Gently Used was just named one of Worcester Magazine’s best albums of 2022. He has four albums and a recent single. Matt’s music explores a cross-section of everything from straight-up rock and roll to hints of country. Check out his site at mattyorkmusic.com!

The Boston Globe named his album “Bruisable Heart” on of their top albums of 2019, and he has been nominated twice as Best Male Artist by the New England Music Awards.  The Boston Herald said of his album, “Boston, Texas”, that the singer-songwriter uses basic building blocks-Buddy Holly’s chords, Hank Williams’ swagger, Steve Earle’s boozy wisdom, Paul Westerberg’s straight-up drunk wisdom-to construct an album of beauty, optimism and heartbreak”.

We thank the Trustees of the Falmouth Public Library for sponsoring this concert.

Author Sarah DiGregorio, Taking Care

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Come hear Falmouth native Sarah DiGregorio discuss her new work, Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and Its Power to Change Our World, on Tuesday evening, August 8th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Hermann Room.  She will read from her book and take questions from the audience-light refreshments will be served! The book will be available to buy from Eight Cousins Books. Registration is requested-click here!

From the New York Times: “The author explores the history, culture and crucial importance of nurses…DiGregorio’s storytelling is pitch-perfect ….this is a brilliant book, and DiGregorio is a beautiful writer. Taking Care deserves to be on the reading list for nursing and medical schools, and on the bedside table of all politicians.” 

 Sarah grew up in Falmouth, and her mother was a children’s librarian at Falmouth Public Library! She is also the author of Adventures in Slow Cooking: 120 Slow-Cooker Recipes for People Who Love Food and Early: An Intimate History of Premature Birth and What It Teaches Us about Being Human.  She is a journalist who has written on health care and other topics for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Slate and Insider, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her daughter and husband. For more information, click here for her website.

This event is free.  Registration is requested; go to falmouthpubliclibrary.org/events or call the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7.

Jazz Guitarist Abe Ovadia, live on the lawn!

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We are excited to welcome Abe Ovadia for a live, outdoor performance on the lawn on Tuesday afternoon, August 1st, from 1-2 (he will play inside in case of rain).  Bring your chair or blanket!

Abe has been hailed by Musicvox Guitars as a “jazz virtuoso” and “one of the most innovative guitarists of our time.” His reputation as one of New York City’s premier jazz guitarists has been cemented by Times Square NYC, who lauds him as a reliable purveyor of world-class jazz. Click here for his website, to learn more about Abe and watch concert videos!

Abe holds a bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music and a master’s degree from New York University’s prestigious jazz performance program. His dedication to honing his craft and pursuing excellence in his musical pursuits has earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious title of Best Guitarist of 2016, as awarded by Hot House Jazz Magazine.

We thank the Board of Library Trustees for sponsoring this concert!

George Gritzbach Band – Concert on the Lawn

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We are excited to welcome Falmouth’s longtime favorite roots and blues legend, George Gritzbach and his band for a live, outdoor performance on the lawn on Tuesday evening, July 25th, from 6-8, (canceled for rain). Bring your chair or blanket!

George is known for his innovative original songs. The Boston Globe called him a “sizzling hot, no-holds barred electric bluesman” and “one of the finest guitar players in America.” 

The band now includes a seasoned rhythm section including Scott Lariviere on bass and backing vocals, Johnny Menezes on keyboards and Christian McCarthy on drums, percussion and backing vocals, and is rounded out by Peter Murray on the sax! They have opened for such musical greats at B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Dr. John, John Lee Hooker, and played in a variety venues: nightclubs, performing arts centers, festivals, and more. They continue to be in demand as a high-energy R&B dance band strongly rooted in blues, funk and New Orleans styles.

We thank the Board of Library Trustees for sponsoring this concert!

Entomologist Larry Dapsis: 2 Upcoming Talks!

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We are thrilled to have Larry back for not one, but TWO, informative talks on things many of us need to know!

On Thursday afternoon, July 20th at 1:30 PM, he will present “Ticks: Educate and Protect Yourself” (click here to register).

Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in Massachusetts, and is now considered a public health crisis.  In addition to Lyme, deer ticks can carry the pathogens that cause other illnesses. 

This program will review the basic life cycle and ecology of deer, dog and lone star ticks. He will present a three-point protection plan:  Protect Yourself, Protect Your Yard and Protect your Pet.  Tick-Borne diseases are preventable! An update on a new invasive species, Asian Longhorn Tick will be provided as well as information about a candidate Lyme vaccine. 

On Wednesday morning, July 26th at 11 AM, the talk will be “The Good, the Bad and the Bugly” (click here to register).

Gardening can be quite a challenge. Not every insect in a garden is a potential pest. We will review the common pests of fruits and vegetables, in addition to the fascinating natural enemy complex that helps keep them in check!

Larry Dapsis has been an entomologist since age 5.  He has a B.S. in Environmental Science & Biology from Fitchburg State University and an M.S. in entomology from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.  He has forty years of professional pest management experience, for vegetables, cranberries and households.  He joined Cape Cod Cooperative Extension in 2011 as the Deer Tick Project Coordinator and Entomologist.

These events are free and appropriate for adults and teens.  Please register by clicking the links above, or call the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7.

A Day in the Life of a Whaler

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We are excited to welcome 2 docents from the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Captain Michael HM Taylor and Nancy Gentile, on Wednesday, May 24th at 2 pm, for a talk at the Falmouth Public Library! Register by clicking here. 

They will present “A Day in the Life of a Whaler” – with in depth descriptions of life onboard a typical New Bedford whaler, captain and crew, the whale hunt, whale processing and intrepid wives who accompanied their husbands. Added features will include a real baleen and spermaceti candle demonstration!

Mr. Taylor spent the first half of his career in the British Merchant Navy, starting as Apprentice in 1958 and rising to Ships Master. He has sailed in all classes of vessels and to ports all over the world. In 1978, he came to the United States to manage vessels trading with project cargoes to N. Africa and the Middle East. Later he was a Vice President at Maritime International New Bedford, with responsibility for sales and developing refrigerated ocean cargoes. After retiring, he farmed in S. America before returning to Massachusetts where he now volunteers as a docent at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Nancy Gentile spent 39 years as a research librarian in various capacities in private and public libraries. After stints at the Newton Public Library and Millipore Corporation, her longest tenure was as Head of Adult Services at the Robbins Library in Arlington, Ma. She also managed the Robbins Print Collection. Nancy has been a docent at the New Bedford Whaling Museum since 2017. She enjoys giving tours to student groups and to visiting adults weekly. Nancy resides in Mattapoisett with her husband Mark.

This event is free and sponsor by the Library Trustees.  Please register by clicking here, or contact the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7 or info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org.

The Power of the Protest Song

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The Power of the Protest Song

 We are excited to welcome Pamela Means on Wednesday, May 10th at 6:00 pm, for a concert at the Falmouth Public Library! You can register by clicking here, or contact us at 508-457-2555 x 7 or info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org.

 Equal parts performance and mini-presentation, this family-friendly concert will explore the origin stories and lineages of protest songs, how their meanings and effects continue to transform through time and space, and how they continue to inspire movements and cultural shifts within the realms of racial and social justice. Pamela will perform an assortment of original songs and select, recognizable covers to show how grounding, unifying, and mobilizing protest songs can be, and share her own journey as a biracial, queer, feminist, political songwriter. 

Pamela Means is an Easthampton MA-based artist whose unique guitar style and punchy provocative songs have won her acclaim. Her razor wit, “stark, defiant songs” (New York Times), timing, engaging presence, elegant poetry, and irresistible charm have set the status quo and the stage afire.

Pamela relocated to Boston in earlier years, busked in the city subway and Harvard Square, founded her own record label and began touring. She has performed on three continents, gaining fans and rave reviews, breaking albums sales records at national festivals. She has shared stages with Pete Seeger, Neil Young, Joan Baez, Holly Near and the Violent Femmes. She has received several nominations and music awards in multiple categories. Learn more about her, and listen to her music, at pamelameans.com!

This program is free, supported in part by a grant from Falmouth Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. 

Dancemeditation

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We are pleased to welcome back Woods Hole native and resident Dunya Dianne McPherson, for a Dancemeditation session on Thursday morning, March 30th at 10:30 AM. “Dancemeditation™ is a unique moving meditation system for self-discovery, healing, & evolution. It helps us be present in our body in the Moment. We use a wide variety of breathing and movement techniques to quiet an over-active, distracted mind identity and invite intuitive, inspired embodiment.” Click here to register!

Dunya has published two books, Skin of Glass: Finding Spirit in the Flesh and Sojourn the Inner Heaven: Movement Meditations for Awakening.  She received her early dance training with Falmouth dance legend Klara Koenig, and moved to New York City in 1972 to attend the Juilliard School. After graduation, she became a critically acclaimed dancer and choreographer, lauded by the New York Times, the Village Voice and Dance Magazine. The National Endowment for the Arts named her a Choreography Fellow, and she received numerous grants and commissions while holding academic positions at Barnard, Swarthmore, Hunter, Oberlin, and Princeton.

A decade later, healing from a serious injury, she turned away from her time as a dance educator and retreated to a monastic mountaintop community directed by an Iraqi Sufi Master, where she trained in movement meditation and Whirling. This two decades-long journey opened a new inner world, and an understanding of dance as moving prayer. Her path became Dancemeditation. Dunya has presented Dancemeditation workshops at major healing arts centers, including Kripalu as well as universities and institutes across the US and abroad.

Come join us for Dancemeditation!