Book Launch and Author Talk with Isabel Tutaine
2024-09-24 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Abbott Room
Song of the Wooden Sparrow by Isabel Tutaine.
Join Isabel Tutaine in celebrating the release of her novel, Song of the Wooden Sparrow, from Golden Bridges Publishing with a talk about about the assumptions she disassembled while writing and publishing a novel in this climate and what happened after she published the novel.
Isabel Tutaine writes about ordinary people who summon the courage to take control of their lives. She is Cuban by birth, American by citizenship, Cuban-New Englander by culture. She lives in Stockton Springs where she listens to what the ocean has to say, then runs home to write it down.
Autographed copies of the book will be available to purchase at the event.

Knit2Together
2024-09-25 16:00, 2024-10-02 16:00, 2024-10-09 16:00, 2024-10-16 16:00 | Abbott Room
Knitters, crocheters, yarn enthusiasts of all experience levels are welcome to join us every Wednesday , from 4:00-5:30 pm in the Abbott Room.
This drop-in event is a chance for knitters- and crocheters too- of all ages and experience levels to chat, get tips, and learn from each other while working on their own projects. Library staff will have computers available to demonstrate how to use Ravelry.com and other websites to help find patterns and organize your work. Registration is not required. For more information please call 338-3884 ext.10
Contact bharrington@belfastlibrary.org to sign up to to join the knitting group.

Duct Tape Jewelry Making for Teens
2024-09-25 16:00 - 17:30 | Conference Room
~Come and learn how to make duct tape jewelry and then make a few of your own! All supplies will be provided! Snacks provided!
Date: September 25th
Time: 4:00 to 5:30
Location: The Conference Room of the Belfast Free Library

Water Quality and Climate Action in Waldo County
2024-10-01 18:00 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
Join us for a community meeting and panel discussion organized by members of the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition centered around our community’s watershed. This event will focus on water stewardship as a critical component of broader climate action efforts. We aim to increase understanding of the local watershed, spark discourse on sustainable ways forward, and encourage collective action through local initiatives.
Featured Speakers:
Joy Bowles, Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition Vice President, Watershed Quality Chair.
As the lead in Water Quality, Joy brings her expertise on water monitoring practices and how to protect and improve the health of the Belfast Bay Watershed.
Jill Howell, Upstream Watch and Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper
The Executive Director of Upstream Watch, which also functions as the Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper, Jill advocates for the health of our local rivers, enforcement of environmental regulations, and public education.
John Krueger, Friends of Harriet L. Hartley Board Member
John shares his long history of environmental health and advocacy, including as Director of the Maine State Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory. He has particular expertise and interest in the nitrogen levels and plastic pollution in the Belfast Bay Watershed.
Register for the Zoom link here.

This program is part of the “Finding Hope In Our Climate Crisis : A lecture series on Climate Change Solutions” brought to you in cooperation with the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition and the Belfast Free Library.

Art Reception for Narratives: Paintings by Sheep Jones
2024-10-08 17:30 - 19:00 | Kramer Gallery
Sheep Jones is the Official Belfast Poetry Festival Featured Artist for 2024. Join us for the opening reception for the exhibit in the Kramer Gallery.
Of her work, Sheep says, “I am a narrative painter, so books, movies, and best of all, other people’s tales, lend themselves as building blocks to create an interesting story in paint.” She continues, “My paintings begin with layers. I always am looking for the puzzle pieces to suggest a narrative. Disparate images finally come together and start to hint at some kind of sense. Often, people will look at one of my paintings and recognize in it their own story, their own past, their own dreams.”
Sheep was raised in Waterville, Maine and studied art at the University of Southern Maine. After years living out of state, Jones returned to Maine and now has a studio in Belfast. For more information about Sheep, visit her website here!
More information about the 2024 Belfast Poetry Festival is here.

Lexicon

Wire Sculpture for Teens
2024-10-09 16:00 - 17:30 | Conference Room
~Belfast Youth Services invites you to make a wire sculpture! We will be playing with minimalist wire sculpture technique, but anything goes! If you are feeling something take shape, I suggest you make it!
Date: October 9th
Time: 4:00 to 5:30
Location: The Conference Room of the Belfast Free Library

Entering Sheep Jones Art— Writing Ekphrastic Poems- a workshop with Judy Kaber
2024-10-11 14:30 - 16:00 | Abbott Room
Writing Ekphrastic Poetry with Judy Kaber, former Belfast poet laureate, using art from Sheep Jones’ exhibit in the Kramer Gallery.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: We will explore ekphrastic poetry which is poetry written in response to another art form with a particular emphasis on color. We will discuss different approaches to entering a work of art and study some examples of ekphrastic poems and the techniques used. Participants will then explore the current exhibit of Sheep Jones work at the library, choose a work that appeals to them, and take notes in preparation for writing a poem. We will then return to the workshop and each participant will complete a draft of a poem. At the end of the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to share their work. (They may also request feedback from the group members and instructor, if desired.)
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: Judy Kaber is an experienced teacher and writer as well as a previous poet laureate of Belfast. Her experience in writing ekphrastic poems includes participation in the Art Word program at the Portland Art Museum and the annual Art and Ekphrastic Poetry collaboration between the Page Gallery and the Poets Corner, as well as teaching ekphrastic poetry workshops. She has published in numerous journals including Poet Lore, Atlanta Review, Cafe Review, and Prairie Schooner. A Maine Literary Award Winner, her book, Landscape With Rocks, Sky, Nails, is forthcoming from Fernwood press in 2025.
For more information about the Belfast Poetry Festival and all of the events visit the website here.

Library Closed for Indigenous Peoples' Day
2024-10-14
The Library will be closed all day in recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Food Waste and Climate Change: What is the Connection? with Susanne Lee
2024-10-15 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
In the U.S. and Maine, 40% of the food that we produce is never eaten – wasting the money, energy, and other valuable resources that are used to produce that food. The results are rising food costs, hunger and nutrition issues, and environmental damage. The good news is that there are simple and effective food waste actions that can be taken to end this problem.
Join Susanne Lee as she shares these solutions to help reduce food waste in your home and community. She will also highlight Food Rescue MAINE’s food waste research projects where her team works with community and business partners to implement these solutions.
Susanne Lee is a faculty fellow with the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine. Susanne’s career as an entrepreneurial business executive saw her successfully creating, launching and operating multi-million-dollar consumer products brands and businesses with Fortune 100 companies as well as lean start-ups. She joined the Mitchell Center in fall 2021 where she leads a team working directly with state, business, and community stakeholders as well as national and global food waste experts to develop solutions to end food waste in Maine.
Register for the Zoom link here.

This program is part of the “Finding Hope In Our Climate Crisis : A lecture series on Climate Change Solutions” brought to you in cooperation with the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition, The UU Church Climate Action Team and the Belfast Free Library.

Genealogy group meeting
2024-10-16 14:00 - 16:00 | Abbott Room
Monthly meeting of the Wawenoc Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society.
All are welcome! These meetings are now in a hybrid format with the option to join in-person in the Abbott Room or to join online over Zoom. To receive the Zoom link or for more information, please email Sharon Pietryka at spietryka@belfastlibrary.org.

Peace & Justice Group of Waldo County Fall Forum
2024-10-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
Peace & Justice Group of Waldo County Fall Forum to show the film Where Olive Trees Weep
Filmed in 2022 in the West Bank, the film follows both Palestinian and Israeli journalists, healers and activists as it offers a glimpse into life under occupation and the commitment to freedom of the Palestinian people.
From the producers of the film: “Our interconnectedness compels us to bear witness, to speak out, to act in the face of injustice….And in the midst of this struggle, let us remember to keep finding beauty in the midst of grief…” Join us
~FMI: peace.and.justice.waldo@gmail.com

TWO WORLDS, ONE BREATH: A Haiku Workshop with Geoffrey Philp
2024-10-18 15:00 - 17:00 | Abbott Room
TWO WORLDS, ONE BREATH: A Haiku Workshop
with Geoffrey Philp
Explore the art of haiku in Belfast’s autumn landscape. Through discussions, outdoor experiences, and writing exercises, participants will learn about haiku’s history, aesthetics, and principles. We will practice mindful observation of the changing season and use haiku techniques to create meaningful poems reflecting our experiences.
Geoffrey Philp, a Silver Musgrave Medal recipient from Jamaica, is a versatile and accomplished author. His extensive work includes two short story collections, two novels, three children’s books, and eight poetry collections, with his latest, “Archipelagos,” published by Peepal Tree Press and longlisted for the Laurel Prize.
Free and open to all.
More information and the full schedule here
After the workshop join us for:

HAIKU DEATH MATCH!
with host Mattie Bamman and special guest appearance by The Exceptions
7:00 pm; Dreamland, The Colonial Theater
A fun, fast-paced spectator sport, featuring competing haikuists vying for the grand prize. The Exceptions (Kathryn Robyn, Lisa Leaverton, and Karin Spitfire), creative collaborators for nearly 50 years in poetry, cosmology, performance, and activism, will present a salty set of fun & cranky experimental retro-punk folk-jazz improv poetry, peppered with a good helping of audience participation.
More information here
