Falmouth Reads Together Events Related to the title Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora

Friday, April 4^th at 7:00 PM in the Hermann Room: Documentary Screening

Join us on Friday, April 4^th at 7:00 PM for a Falmouth Reads Together screening of the 2019 documentary Change the Subject.  

The power of words is incalculable.  While researching immigration, a Dartmouth College student kept encountering the term “Illegal aliens” as a library subject heading. As a person who had grown up undocumented in Georgia, she was disturbed by this institutionalized form of a racial slur.  And so she did something about it: she and other students joined librarians in petitioning the Library of Congress to change its terminology.  Change the Subject tells the story of these students, whose singular effort at confronting an instance of anti-immigrant sentiment in their library catalog took them all the way from Baker-Berry Library to the halls of Congress.  This film shows how an instance of campus activism entered the national spotlight, and how a cataloging term became a flashpoint in the immigration debate on Capitol Hill.

Librarian Jill Baron and filmmaker Sawyer Broadley co-directed the film, with significant collaboration from co-producers Óscar Rubén Cornejo Cásares and Melissa Padilla.  While the narrative driving the film is of the activism of students and librarians around a Library of Congress subject heading, the film extends into a meditation on the ways that language is often weaponized to divide and dehumanize people.   

Falmouth Reads Together will host a screening of Change the Subject with a panel discussion afterwards with film director and Falmouth local, Sawyer Broadley and co-producer Óscar Rubén Cornejo Cásares.

We are excited to welcome Jon and Li Waterman to the Falmouth Public Library for a concert in the Hermann Room on Wednesday, April 2nd at 6:30 pm! Please register by clicking here to reserve your spot, or call us at 508-457-2555 x 7.  

“A Journey through the Roots of American Popular Music” is a program of songs and stories about the origins of American blues, rock and country music, presented by singer and songwriter Jon Waterman. Check out his website by clicking here! In the show, he joined by Li Waterman on bass. The program, which also features an accompanying slideshow, explores some of the fascinating characters and events that are part of the history and the role of music in our lives.

Musician and songwriter Jon Waterman has been performing his original throughout his life. His music is influenced by intriguing characters and stories from history, the roots of the music he loves, and the diversity of the human experience. His song “Sultana” which tells the story of the Civil  War steamboat disaster was selected to be featured at the Sultana museum in Marion,  AR. Waterman has presented his programs “A Journey Through the Roots of American  Popular Music” and “Cro-Magnon Blues: History and Legends Through Song” in venues  around the country, both in person and virtually. Li is a classically trained guitarist and singer who formerly fronted the Rhode Island band Alien Tesh.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Falmouth Cultural Council, a local council that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Learn more about the Falmouth Cultural Council by clicking here. 

We are excited to welcome Davis Bates to the Falmouth Public Library for a concert in the Hermann Room on Wednesday, March 19th at 3 pm! Please register on our online calendar by clicking here to reserve your spot, or call us at 508-457-2555 x 7.  Everyone ages 8 and up are welcome!

The Falmouth Public Library will celebrate St Patrick’s Day, Celtic culture and the impending arrival of spring with performance by Davis Bates.   The program will involve the audience in a variety of cultural traditions.  It will include traditional songs and tales from Ireland, Scotland & Wales, sea songs & chanteys, ghost stories and family tales.  There will also be plenty of sing-alongs, a short lesson in how to play music with spoons from a kitchen drawer, and an appearance by an Irish dancing wooden dog named Bingo. Learn more about Davis on his website by clicking here!

Pete and Toshi Seeger called Davis “thoughtful, creative, human, and a fantastic storyteller.”  Davis’ traditional and participatory performance style empowers and encourages audiences of all ages to join in the fun and to take the songs and stories home with them to share with others.  He also encourages listeners to remember and share stories and songs from their own family and cultural traditions.

Davis Bates has been singing and telling stories for over forty-six years, in schools, libraries, colleges and community settings around New England and across the country.  His recording of Family Stories won a Parents’ Choice Gold Award and was named one of the year’s best Audio Recordings by Booklist Magazine.  Davis has also served as director and consultant for several local and regional oral history and folk arts projects.  Davis lives in the village of Shelburne Falls, MA, and when he is not collecting or learning stories, he spends his time gardening and working with the Clapping Hands Farm Arts Camp in North Carolina and volunteering with the Family Table Collaborative on Cape Cod.

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

We are excited to welcome the Modernistics Trio (Ted Powers, vocals, tap-dance, and guitar, Peter H. Bloom, flute; and Dave Zox on double bass) back  to the Falmouth Public Library on Thursday, March 13th at 2 pm!  Please register on the calendar to reserve your spot! Click here to register. We thank the Board of Library Trustees for sponsoring this concert.

The Modernistics Trio will perform a festive show called “Gems by George and Ira Gershwin”! All of the arrangements are by The Modernistics Trio, treating the audience to unusual and captivating renditions of well-known tunes and seldom-heard treasures. Lots of variety! The Trio will celebrate George and Ira Gershwin with swinging songs, tap-dance numbers, and exuberant instrumentals. Among the many audience favorites are Nice Work If You Can Get It, I Got Rhythm, Love is Here to Stay, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off, Slap That Bass, and other great music by the Gershwin brothers.

Ted Powers, vocals, tap-dance, guitar, ukulele, and harmonica, has been entertaining audiences in the U.S. and abroad for over 30 years. His career in jazz, blues and pop includes several years as a solo performer in the south of France and tap dancing in the U.S. with Jimmy “Sir Slyde” Mitchell. Ted has performed with Billy Novick, Ray Santisi, and other notables. Acclaimed for his wide-ranging artistry and his mastery of the Great American Songbook, he performs extensively as a soloist, and with large and small ensembles across the Northeast.

Flutist Peter H. Bloom, praised for “exquisite melody” (JazzImprov) and “infectious brio” (The New York City Jazz Record), has performed in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, and is featured on 48 CDs. He has shared the stage with Sheila Jordan, Charles Neville, Jimmy Giuffre, Ricky Ford, Geri Allen, Jaki Byard, and other jazz legends, and is a veteran of the famed Aardvark Jazz Orchestra (51st season). Bloom’s latest CD, Exuberant Ellingtonia, has been hailed as “a treasure trove” (Textura Magazine, Ontario). His playing has been called “wonderfully smoky and mysterious” (EarRelevant), “brightly gorgeous” (Gapplegate Music Review), and “a revelation for unforced sweetness and strength” (The Boston Globe).

Bassist Dave Zox has performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Artie Shaw Band, Herb Reed and the Platters, Phil Woods, John Abercrombie, Kenny Werner, Garrison Fewell, and other illustrious artists. Dave played for many years with Boston’s legendary Al Vega Trio and with pianist Harvey Diamond. He serves on the faculties of Northeastern University, Phillips Academy in Andover, and the Ipswich Public Schools.

We have some great Zoom author talks coming up! Click the links after the title to register and get more details, and you will receive the Zoom link! Please note that these events are virtual only, and do not take place in the library. 

Monday, March 3rd at 7 pm, authors Karen Thompson Walker, click here for registration and details.

Tuesday, March 4th at 6 pm, Zoom talk and musical performance: Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement with Galen, click here for registration and details.

Tuesday, March 4th at 7 pm, author Kelley Armstrong, click here for registration and details.

Monday, April 7th at 7 pm, “Local Farms, MA-Produce, Meats, Dairy, Oh My! Click here for registration and details.

Monday, April 14th at 7 pm, “The Two Nerdy History Girls Ride Again!” Click here for registration and details.

Monday, April 28th at 7 pm, “No More Curse! A History of the Red Sox” with author and historian David Kruh. Click here for registration and details.

Neighborhood Falmouth and the Falmouth Public Library are jointly offering this program on Wednesday, February 26 at 1:30 pm, which is open to the public. Please register by clicking here if you would like to attend, or call the library at 508-457-2555 x 7.

February is Heart Awareness Month. Today’s topic is Healthy Hearts, Healthy Lives: Tips for Men and Women. Tom Sbarra, cardiologist and the founder of the Cardiac Exercise Rehab Program at Falmouth Hospital will be the speaker. How do you recognize heart attack warning signs? It is often subtler than the dramatic chest clutch seen in movies, varies between men and women, and knowing the signs can save your life.

Neighborhood Falmouth is part of a growing national movement to promote continuing community residence for older Americans.  Neighborhood Falmouth members, staff, and volunteers work together to help older Falmouth residents continue to enjoy our multi-generational community from the comfort of their own homes .They partner with other organizations in Falmouth that provide services for seniors. Learn more about them at neighborhoodfalmouth.org or call 508-564-7543.

The Falmouth Library is excited to present ShortsTV’s release of the 2025 Oscar-Nominated Short Films! Although the films are unrated, they target an adult audience. Enjoy complimentary popcorn during the screening.

Screenings will take place in the Hermann Room on three dates:

• Live Action shorts will be screened on Friday, February 14^th at 7:30 PM (120 minutes run time) (Registration for the Live Action shorts has closed, as the list and waitlist are full)
• Animated shorts will be screened on Friday, February 21^st at 7:30 PM (90 minutes run time)
• Documentary shorts will be screened on Saturday, March 1^st at 2:00 PM (150 minutes run time)

Please register via the library’s online event calendar.

Contact Information:
Adult Services
Falmouth Public Library
508-457-2555 x7
info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org

About the Oscar® Nominated Short Films:

Since 2006, ShortsTV has proudly brought the Oscar® Nominated Short Films to audiences across the globe.

This special release features the year’s most spectacular short films and is available to watch on the big screen for a limited time shortly after nominations are announced.

Each nominee is released in one of three distinct feature-length compilations according to their category of nomination: Live Action, Animation, or Documentary.

The theatrical release of the nominated short films is the world’s largest commercial release of short films, delighting audiences and giving filmmakers an unprecedented opportunity to entertain short film fans.

In recent years, the Oscar® Nominated Short Films have been released in over 700 theaters across the US and Canada, garnering reviews in every major news outlet, from The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Deadline to The New York Times. The films have also been released annually in a growing number of theaters around the world, including the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, India, South Africa, Mexico, Chile, China, and Australia, among others, making it a truly international release.

For more information: https://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/

Tuesday, February 25 at 6:30—7:30 PM
Hermann Foundation Meeting Room

From October 2024 to May 2025, The Arts & Justice Collective will hold various literary, art and social justice events and programs centering around Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen: An American Lyric.” The Big Read Cape Cod is in collaboration with a wide range of community partners, including libraries, cultural centers, social/racial justice organizations, theaters, literary and art organizations and local artists.  This program is possible because of funding and management from the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Midwest and the Falmouth Cultural Council. 

Join us for an in-person book discussion of Citizen by Claudia Rankine, a powerful exploration of race, identity, and belonging at the Falmouth Public Library.  Let us come together across Cape Cod to reflect, connect and spark conversations that matter. 

Facilitated by local poets, Ocean Eversley and Alice Kociemba.  Ocean Eversley is an African American and Native American Aspie woman whose ideals bend towards social justice, self-love and treating people and the environment with dignity and respect.  Alice Kociemba is the current chairperson of the Falmouth Cultural Council; Alice is a long-time advocate for community engagement through the arts.  A published poet and part-time potter, she curated a long-running series, Calliope Poetry that brought local, regional and national prize-winning poets to Falmouth.

Free books upon registration.  

Please register via the library’s online event calendar

Contact: Kristin Nelson 508 457 2555 knelson@falmouthpubliclibrary.org

During January and February, when the most sensible thing to do is curl up with a good book, we invite you to play Winter Reading Bingo with us at the Library!

It’s easy:

Pick up a Bingo Card at the North, East, or Main Branches of the Falmouth Public Library.

OR

Download and print out your own BINGO card.

Turn the card in to receive a small gift AND be entered into a random drawing to win a prize – a $50 gift card to Eight Cousins!