Please note: All Library locations will close at 2 pm Tuesday, December 24 for Christmas Eve and will be closed Wednesday, December 25 for Christmas.

All Library locations will close at 5pm Tuesday December 31 for New Year's Eve and will be closed Wednesday January 1 for New Year's Day.

Playful Tradition: Traditional Russian Clay Figurines and Toys

Posted on by Lily Weitzman

Clay figurines and toys can be found in many culturea and traditions. They go back thousands of years and often had ceremonial or mystical functions. Some of these  figurines represented fertility and harvest symbols, or they depicted scenes from daily life and work. Many are in the shape of a whistle to keep away evil spirits. Still others are simply bright and playful and were used to decorate homes and entertain children.

Irene and Alex Belozersky first discovered this folk art in their travels in Russia at the end of 1970s. They were enchanted by the beauty and expressiveness of these figurines. They were fortunate to collect traditional works of true folk artisans from different corners of the former Soviet Union. This art form has been fast disappearing, and the present collection is quite unique.

Apart from their rarity, these objects are colorful, playful and beautiful. We hope they will bring you joy.

Morgan’s Rock Collection and Harper’s Dinosaur Collection

Posted on by Carrie Zuttermeister

Check out the collections on display in the Children’s Room!

In our flat case, Morgan is displaying her rock and gem collection, which even has a piece of petrified wood!

In our wall case, Harper is displaying his collection of dinosaurs.

Stop by the Brookline Village Children’s Room to see these amazing collections! And sign up for a slot in our display cases here!

Upcoming Poets: May

Posted on by Kaden
MAY FEATURE
 
Alan Shapiro has published 14 poetry collections (including Proceed to Check Out, Against Translation, Reel to Reel, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and Night of the Republic, finalist for both the National Book Award and the International Griffin Prize). Winner of the Kingsley Tufts Award, LA Times Book Prize, and an award in literature from The American Academy of Arts and Letters, he is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His new book of poems, By and By, was published by Waywiser Press in October, 2023.
MAY OPENER
Cammy Thomas’s chapbook, Odysseus’ Daughter, is just out from Parkman Press. She has three full-length collections published by Four Way Books: Cathedral of Wish received the Norma Farber First Book Award from the Poetry Society of America. Tremors received 2022 Poetry Honors from the Mass Book Awards. A fellowship from the Ragdale Foundation helped her complete Inscriptions. Her poem, “Far Past War,” was set to music by her sister, composer Augusta Read Thomas, and premiered with the Cathedral Choral Society in 2022. She teaches literature to adults, and lives in Bolton, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.cammythomas.com.

Upcoming Poets: April

Posted on by Kaden
APRIL FEATURE
 

Mark Wunderlich is the author of four books of poems, the most recent of which is God of Nothingness. His other books include The Earth Avails, which received the Rilke Prize, Voluntary Servitude, and The Anchorage, which received the Lambda Literary Award.  He is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the NEA, Civitella Ranieri Foundation and the Amy Lowell Trust, among others, and he has published recent poems in the New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Poetry, The Paris Review, The New Republic, and in the Best American Poetry.  He serves as Executive Director of the Bennington Writing Seminars and lives in Catskill, New York.  For more information, go to http://www.markwunderlich.com/.

APRIL OPENER

Nadia Colburn is the author of the poetry books I Say the Sky and The High Shelf, and her poetry and prose have appeared in more than eighty publications, including The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, The Kenyon Review, Spirituality & Health, Lion’s Roar, and the The Yale Review. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Columbia University, is a yoga teacher and serious student of Thich Nhat Hanh and is the founder of Align Your Story Writing School, which brings traditional literary and creative writing studies together with mindfulness, embodied practices, and social and environmental engagement. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and two children. Find her at nadiacolburn.com, where she offers meditations and free resources for writers.

Get Ready for the April 8 Solar Eclipse!

Posted on by Macy Davis

On April 8, 2024, the United States will experience a Total Solar Eclipse! While Brookline won’t be in the the path of totality, we will experience approximately 92% obscuration. The eclipse will begin at approximately 2:20 PM with maximum obscuration of 92% occurring at 3:30 PM and then the partial eclipse will conclude around 4:30 PM.

The Public Library of Brookline wants to help you safely experience the upcoming eclipse because there won’t be another total solar eclipse in the lower-48 states until 2044. We hope you’ll join us for a slate of eclipse themed programming at our Library locations.

  • Kids ideaSPACE: Eclipse Exploration
    • Join us on Wednesday, March 6 at 3 PM in Hunneman Hall at the Brookline Village Library to learn about what causes a solar eclipe, create an eclipse-themed craft, and safely view the sun. This program is for kids ages 5-9.
  • Eclipse Exploration for Everyone
    • Join us at the Brookline Village Library in Hunneman Hall on Saturday, March 9 at 2 PM to learn about the Eclipse, participate in Eclipse themed activities, and safely view the sun. This program is for all ages!
  • Tween ideaSPACE: Eclipse Projectors
    • Tweens in grades 5-7 should join us to make do-it-yourself eclipse projectors on Wednesday, March 13 at 3 PM in the Rabbit Hole at the Brookline Village Library. You’ll also get the chance to use a solar telescope and sunoculars to (safely) view the sun. Limited to the first 12 participants.
  • Eclipse Exploration at Putterham
    • Join us at 11 AM on Saturday, March 16 at the Putterham Library to start preparing for the upcoming eclipse! We’ll learn about Eclipse conditions, safely view the sun, and decorate (and eat!) a planetary cookie. Weather permitting, the first half of this program will take place outside. This program is for kids ages 7+ and supplies my be limited.
  • Solar Eclipses: Tracking the Shadows of the Moon!
    • Join Jim Zebrowski, president of the Aldrich Astronomical Society for a family friend talk about solar eclipses. This program is at 3:30 PM on Thursday, March 21 at the Putterham Library.
  • Let’s Go to the Moon! With Benadette Manning
    • NASA Solar System Ambassador Benadette Manning will join us at the Brookline Village Library on Monday, March 25 at 7PM to talk about the moon and give a hands on demonstration of how an eclipse works. This program is for all ages!
  • Kids ideaSPACE: Eclipse Viewers
    • Eclipse glasses aren’t the only way to safely view the eclipse! Kids ages 3-9 are invited to drop by the Rabbit Hole at the Brookline Village Library on Wednesday, April 3 between 2 and 3:30 PM to make their own solar eclipse viewer using our ideaSPACE tools and materials.

Limited quantities of eclipse glasses will be available at programs for program attendees only. For more information on suppliers of eclipse glasses, visit the American Astronomical Society. 

Becoming

Posted on by Lily Weitzman

Part of Gateway Arts’ 50th Anniversary series, Art of the Possible, this exhibit celebrates the diversity of our current cohort of artists.

Vinfen’s Gateway Arts provides professional development for adults with disabilities who have talent in fine art and hand crafts. Artists pursue unique and individualized careers, learn and develop new skills with the support of a professional staff of artists, and receive local and international recognition through Gateway Arts’ onsite and online store and gallery.

Making Democracy Work

Posted on by Lily Weitzman
This month, displays by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Brookline feature information about voting–how to register to vote and the 2024 elections calendar–as well as highlights of suffrage history and voting rights today. Books for young people about our democracy, government, and the voting process will also be featured.

The League of Women Voters of Brookline celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020, the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment certifying women’s right to vote in the United States. It remains important today to work to ensure equal access to the polls for all citizens.

Upcoming Poets: March

Posted on by Bryan Kreusch

Eileen Cleary (she/her) (left) is the author of Wild Pack of the Living (Nixes Mate, 2024), 2 a.m. with Keats (Nixes Mate, 2021) and Child Ward of the Commonwealth (Main Street Rag Press, 2019), which received an honorable mention for the Sheila Margaret Motton Book Prize. She co-edited the anthology ‘ Voices Amidst the Virus’ which was the featured text at the 2021 MSU Filmetry Festival. Cleary founded and edits the Lily Poetry Review and Lily Poetry Review Books, and curates the Lily Poetry Salon. A multi-Pushcart nominee, her work is published widely in journals and anthologies.

Maureen McElroy (right) grew up in Boston as one of seven children. She attended Boston University and holds an MFA from Emerson College.  She is the author of For Crying Out Loud (Kelsay Books 2024). Her chapbook Car Poems (Finishing Line Press) came out in March of 2020. Her work has appeared in numerous literary magazines, including Nixes Mate, Mothers Always Write, Trampset, Fickle Muses, Literary Hatchet, and Io. She is a committee member of the reading series Rozzie Reads Poetry sponsored by the Roslindale Public Library. She taught English and Latin for a number of years before entering a career in real estate. She owns Jamaica Hill Realty in Jamaica Plain. She lives in Milton, MA with her husband and son.

Bella, Gracie, and Max’s Hip-Stitch Collection and Alexa’s Shopkins

Posted on by Carrie Zuttermeister

Check out the collections on display in the Children’s Room!

In our flat case, Bella, Gracie, and Max are displaying their Hip-Stitch creations.

In our wall case, Alexa is displaying her Shopkins.

Stop by the Brookline Village Children’s Room to see these amazing collections! And sign up for a slot in our display cases here!

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