Virtual Branford Forum: Frederick Douglass in His Time and in Our Own
Sunday, April 11
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
The Branford Forum, a community organization that brings nationally renowned figures to the Shoreline, is returning to the Blackstone Library for a series of virtual conversations. All presentations are 2:00 to 3:30 Sundays. Professor Blight will explore the life and writings of Frederick Douglass with an eye for his legacies today. He will discuss how Douglass provides a template and a challenge for so many contemporary issues.
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event. Click here to register.
Intro to JobNow
Thursday, April 15
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Applying for a job but confused about where to start? Come to this class, where we’ll learn about a great resource the library has to offer — JobNow — where you can get free resume assistance, interview tips, live coaching and more. All you need is your library card. Click here to register.
After the Hunger: A Virtual Author Event
Saturday, April 17
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
The Blackstone Library is pleased to host author MaryEllen Beveridge for a discussion of her short story collection After the Hunger. Set mostly in New England, her stories explore the complexities of family life and their changing dynamics. You can read the full synopsis below:
The central figure in many of these stories is the psychically wounded World War II veteran who is absent. Here the definition of the family is changed, and its re-imagining remains problematic. Challenges are posed to characters’ ideas about self hood and their role as daughters, mothers, sisters, friends, wives and lovers. A major theme of the collection is the search for place—within the family, and within the larger context of the post-war, post-modern world. The search for place often involves a search for faith as well.
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event. Click here to register.
About the Author:
MaryEllen Beveridge is an honors graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her short stories have appeared in literary magazines including Pembroke Magazine, The Carolina Quarterly, Other Voices, Notre Dame Review, Cottonwood, Crab Orchard Review, Louisiana Literature, and War, Literature & the Arts. She is a two-time nominee for a Pushcart Prize. A previous short story collection was a finalist for the Flannery O Connor Award for Short Fiction, and another was a semi-finalist for the Iowa Short Fiction Award. MaryEllen is a former member of the faculty at Emerson College, where she taught fiction writing and literature.
Branford Beginnings: A Follow Up Q&A with the Branford Historical Society
Wednesday, April 21
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
How did our town of Branford come to be? Mr. Joseph Naylor is returning to once again review the settling of Branford in 1644 from the perspective of his ancestor, Mr. William Swaine, and take questions on the early history of Branford.
William Swaine led the group of Puritans that came down from Wethersfield to settle what is now our town and was a participant in many major historical events of the era. Learn how extraordinary events of the time, such as migration to New England by Puritans fleeing persecution by the English Monarchy and the Church of England, the English Civil War, the Pequot war of 1637, and a split among the Puritans into conservative and liberal factions all contributed to the founding of Branford.
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event. Click here to register.
House History Part I: Accessing Connecticut Land Records
Thursday, April 22
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Have you ever wondered about the history of your home? Now’s your chance to learn more! This two part series, presented by Bryna O’Sullivan of Charter Oak Genealogy, helps attendees trace the history of a historic home. The first session will guide participants through building a timeline of the home’s ownership. The second will help them discover the home’s story through maps, photos, local histories, and more.
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event. Click here to register for Part 1. If you are also interested in attending Part 2: Who’s Lived in Your House?, click here.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Blackstone Library
Best Seller Book Club: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Saturday, April 24
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres. This month we’re reading Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. Read the full synopsis below:
In 1580’s England, during the Black Plague a young Latin tutor falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman in this “exceptional historical novel” (The New Yorker) and best-selling winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Agnes is a wild creature who walks her family’s land with a falcon on her glove and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer, understanding plants and potions better than she does people. Once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose career on the London stage is taking off when his beloved young son succumbs to sudden fever.
A luminous portrait of a marriage, a shattering evocation of a family ravaged by grief and loss, and a tender and unforgettable re-imagining of a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, and whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays of all time, Hamnet is mesmerizing, seductive, impossible to put down—a magnificent leap forward from one of our most gifted novelists.
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event. Click here to register.
The Blackstone Library has a limited number of copies available for book club participants. If you are interested in obtaining a library copy, please call us at (203) 488-1441 ext. 318 or email programs@blackstonelibrary.org. Copies are first come, first served.
House History Part 2: Who’s lived in your house?
Thursday, April 29
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Have you ever wondered about the history of your home? Now’s your chance to learn more! This two part series, presented by Bryna O’Sullivan of Charter Oak Genealogy, helps attendees trace the history of a historic home. The first session will guide participants through building a timeline of the home’s ownership. The second will help them discover the home’s story through maps, photos, local histories, and more.
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event. Click here to register. If you are also interested in attending Part 1: Accessing Connecticut Land Records, click here.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Blackstone Library
The Midnight Call: A Virtual Author Event
Saturday, May 1
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
The Blackstone Library is pleased to host author Jodé Millman for a discussion of her book The Midnight Call, an exciting legal thriller featuring plenty of twists and turns! You can read the full synopsis below:
Late one August night, Jessie’s lifelong mentor and friend–and presently a popular, charismatic, and handsome high school teacher–Terrence Butterfield calls. He utters a startling admission: he’s killed someone. He pleads for Jessie’s help, so out of loyalty she rushes to his aid completely unaware that she’s risking her relationship, her career, and her life–and that of her unborn child–to help Terrence.
Does Jessie’s presence at Terrence’s home implicate her in the gruesome murder of the teenage boy found in the basement? Why does Terrence betray Jessie when he has a chance to exonerate her of any charges? Has he been a monster in disguise for all these years?
To reclaim her life and prove her innocence, Jessie must untangle the web of lies and reveal the shocking truths behind the homicide. This quest turns out to be the fight of her life: to preserve everything and everyone she holds dear.
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event. Click here to register.
About the Author:
Jodé Millman attended Syracuse University for her BA and JD degrees, and Eastern Michigan University to earn a MA in English Literature.
Her debut novel, THE MIDNIGHT CALL, won the 2020 American Fiction Award for Legal Thriller, a 2020 Bronze IPPY Award for Suspense, was shortlisted for the Clue Award and received a First Place Blue Ribbon for “Best Police Procedural.” The USA Today Network has called THE MIDNIGHT CALL a “must-read” and Jodé has also been featured in Suspense, The Big Thrill, and Books & Buzz Magazine.
In 2011, Jodé founded the Hudson Valley Fiction Writers Workshop to assist aspiring Hudson Valley authors. Since 2017, she’s been a regular contributor to Booktrib.com and the Sisters In Crime’s quarterly newsletter.
Virtual Game Night
Friday, May 7
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Join us for a night of silly online games with some fun, laid-back people, without having to leave the house! Get all the info you need and RSVP here on our Meetup page. Adults of all experience levels are welcome.
Cutting the Cord: Saying Goodbye to Cable
Thursday, May 13
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Dealing with cable can be a pain, but trying to find an alternative can be equally frustrating. If you’ve had enough of cable and need some guidance for making your next move, come to our class on cutting the cord! We’ll discuss all the most popular streaming services and devices so you can decide which one is right for you! Click here to register.
Virtual Branford Forum: The President and Immigration Law
Sunday, May 16
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
The Branford Forum, a community organization that brings nationally renowned figures to the Shoreline, is returning to the Blackstone Library for a series of virtual conversations. All presentations are 2:00 to 3:30 Sundays.
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event. Click here to register.
Birdscaping: Home Sweet Habitat
Saturday, May 22
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Looking to kickstart your spring gardening? This beautifully illustrated program explores the importance of creating welcoming habitats for birds through thoughtful landscape choices, including native plants vital for food and nesting sites. Learn about the benefits and joys of creating beautiful layered gardens designed to bring avian performers right into your own backyard.
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event. Click here to register.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Blackstone Library
Best Seller Book Club: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Saturday, May 29
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres. This month we’re reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Read the full synopsis below:
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event. Click here to register.
The Blackstone Library has a limited number of copies available for book club participants. If you are interested in obtaining a library copy, please call us at (203) 488-1441 ext. 318 or email programs@blackstonelibrary.org. Copies are first come, first served.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, June 26
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Branford Historical Society Event
Wednesday, July 21
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Description coming soon!
Registration is required to receive a link to this online event.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, July 31
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, August 28
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, September 25
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, October 30
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Library Closes at 5:00 pm Today
Wednesday, November 24
All Day
The library closes at 5:00 pm today for the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, November 27
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, December 25
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, January 29
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, February 26
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, March 26
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, April 30
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, May 28
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.
Best Seller Book Club
Saturday, June 25
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Have you ever thought about joining a book club? It’s a fun way to get connected, make new friends, and read more books! In the Best Seller Book Club, we’ll be reading and discussing newly released, highly rated books from a wide variety of genres.