UPCOMING PROGRAMS for ADULTS & TEENS
CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP & LOVED ONES LIVING WITH DEMENTIA PROGRAM
With Cate DiBlasi & Jeannie Jacobs, with support from Mary Bates
Friday, June 6th (First Friday of the month.)
9-10 AM
For those living with Dementia and their Caregivers
This is an opportunity for caregivers to meet and share about their experiences, share some ideas and strategies, provide some understanding, support, and connection with other caregivers, and connect with Jeannie and Mary. Separately, loved ones will enjoy a program with Cate to stimulate their minds and move their bodies.
CIVICS EDUCATION with Caleb Murphy
June Topic: To Be Determined
Thursday, June 19th (Third Thursday of the month.)
6:30-7:30 PM
Open to adults & teens
Sign-up Requested: https://forms.gle/uM2WJpupQkcLdn1s6
Caleb Murphy, a CIVICS teacher at White Mountain Regional High School, will lead monthly discussions around CIVICS centered topics, such as Civil Discourse, Access to State Government Resources, Legal Cases that Lead to Constitutional Amendments, etc. These topics may be inspired by participant interests, current affairs, or Civics Basics.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS for ALL AGES
CERAMICS PAINTING with Sue High
Saturday, June 21
10:00 AM - 12 Noon
For all ages
$3-$5 per piece
Sign-up Required: email Sue by April 13th at: workforpeace14@gmail.com
Use acrylic paints to carefully paint selected ceramic figures. Select 1-3 items when you register, and Sue will bring everything you need. To register, email Sue by June 13th at: workforpeace14@gmail.com. Include your name and the date of the class you are attending. Please put LIBRARY in the subject line. She will send you photos and a price list of available items. There will be at least 20 items to choose from that are under $5. Payment will be due at the beginning of class.
AUTHOR TALK with ABI MAXWELL
"One day I'll grow up and be a beautiful woman," A Mother's Story
Saturday, June 28th
1:00 PM
Open to adults & teens
Registration Requested: https://forms.gle/JBgDzSyfuXy8QFraA
To attend remotely, sign up is required. Borrow a copy of the book at the library.
Abi Maxwell will appear via Zoom to talk about her book, One day I'll grow up and be a beautiful woman, a memoir about her family’s experience in Guilford, NH as they navigated the firestorm that raged after their child, who was known to the community as a boy, announced that she was a girl.
Abi Maxwell, a New Hampshire native, is the author of the novels Lake People and The Den. After graduating from the writing program at the University of Montana, she spent many years working in public libraries, and she now works as a high school librarian. She and her family now live in California.
Abi Maxwell grew up in rural New Hampshire, one of eight kids in a poor town abutting a wealthier lakeside village. She met her husband in Montana and when they became pregnant, they knew they wanted to raise their child near the mountains and lake of Abi’s youth, so they moved to New Hampshire. When their six-year-old asked to wear pink sneakers, to be a witch for Halloween, and to wear a girl’s dance costume, Abi worried about how their small community would react. But when that child changed her name, grew her hair long, and announced that she was a girl, a firestorm engulfed the family.
Weaving together the story of her own youth, marked by long afternoons skiing the mountains, a cottage on the lake, and a proud gay brother, but also by neglect and bullying that pushed her brother to the brink, Abi Maxwell contends with the rural America where she was raised and, years later, where she is now raising her daughter, as lawmakers nationwide push to erase the very existence of trans youth. Intimate and stirring, this book is essential reading for this moment in our history.
“Abi Maxwell’s searing and tender memoir is the best kind of narrative for right now—deeply engaged in a place not all Americans might know, fiercely engaged in reminding readers that love is love, blood is blood, family is family, and for so many of us women and mothers, the intricate web of loyalty is what truly matters.” — Susan Straight, author of In the Country of Women
REGULAR WEEKLY PROGRAMS
PRE-K STORIES & PLAY
9:30-10:30 AM
Tuesdays & Thursdays
Preschool & Kindergarten age children & their caregivers
Program Room
Join us for stories and activities, including games, songs, movement, and crafts.
TODDLER TALES & TUNES
11-11:30 AM
Thursdays
Program Room
Join us for stories, songs, and movement.
Program Newsletter
May 2025
Good morning, Friends,
Green grass is sprouting and spring flowers are blooming all over the place, bringing pops of color and brightness. Soon the gardens will be planted for a fruitful summer and fall harvest.
May is MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS month. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website states:
"If you have a mental health condition, you’re not alone. One in every 5 American adults experience some form of mental illness in any given year. And across the population, One in every 20 adults is living with a serious mental health condition such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or long-term recurring major depression."
"As with other serious illnesses, mental illness is not your fault or that of the people around you, but widespread misunderstandings about mental illness remain. Many people don’t seek treatment or remain unaware that their symptoms could be connected to a mental health condition. People may expect a person with serious mental illness to look visibly different from others, and they may tell someone who doesn’t “look ill” to “get over it” through willpower. These misperceptions add to the challenges of living with a mental health condition." https://www.nami.org/your-journey/individuals-with-mental-illness/
Do you or a loved one live with a mental health condition? Would you like to learn more about mental health conditions, how they impact one's life, how to support a loved one living with a mental health condition, and/or how to overcome the challenges of living with a mental illness? Check out our book display dedicated to mental health awareness.
May is also ALZHEIMER'S AWARENESS month. Are you caring for a loved one with memory loss? Would you like some guidance on understanding what is happening with your loved one, how to support them, and how to find and seek support for yourself? Our collection of books on dementia and Alzheimer's Disease will be displayed with the Mental Health Awareness books.
For some fiery fun, check out our May display on DRAGONS and dragon books, and escape into some audacious adventures featuring these fantastical flying creatures. Go on a dragon hunt to see how many dragons you can spy hidden throughout the children's room.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS for ADULTS & TEENS
DANCE IT OUT with SUZY
6:30-7:30 PM Weekly on Tuesdays (pausing from May 20 through June 17)
at the United Methodist Church
Open to adults & teens
Suzy Colt is offering line dancing that is not your typical line dancing. It is what she likes to call “ballroom line dancing.” The music and dance steps will vary from urban, jazz, rock & roll, disco, country, Latin, hustle, and smooth styles. No experience required. Just the urge to move to the music and let it take you away from your everyday activities. Dancing recharges your soul!
CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP & LOVED ONES LIVING WITH DEMENTIA PROGRAM
With Cate DiBlasi & Jeannie Jacobs, with support from Mary Bates
Friday, May 2nd (First Friday of the month.)
9-10 AM
For those living with Dementia and their Caregivers
This is an opportunity for caregivers to meet and share about their experiences, share some ideas and strategies, provide some understanding, support, and connection with other caregivers, and connect with Jeannie and Mary. Separately, loved ones will enjoy a program with Cate to stimulate their minds and move their bodies.
CERAMICS PAINTING, which was scheduled for May 3, is POSTPONED to JUNE 21
WOLF BOOK BAG DESIGN COMPETITION UNVEILING
Wednesday, May 7th
4:00 PM
Whitefield's Official Library Friends (WOLF) is hosting a bookbag design competition and is excited to reveal that there are 16 participants signed up for their book bag design competition. The winners will be announced at an event at the Whitefield Public Library, at which the public is invited to attend to see an exhibition of all the designs submitted.
BOOK GROUP
Wednesday, May 14th
6:30-7:30 PM
Open to adults & teens
Pick up a copy of this month's book, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Demon Copperhead is a 2022 novel by Barbara Kingsolver. It was a co-recipient of the 2023
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and won the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction. Kingsolver was inspired by the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield. Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenage single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.
NH Fish and Game: THE SURVIVAL STORY OF MOOSE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
by NH Fish and Wildlife steward Jack Varin
Saturday, May 10th
1:30 PM
For adults & teens
Sign-up Requested: https://forms.gle/5B9mHESJu2vGki2D8
You're invited to join us as a New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife Steward shares information about moose in the state. Learn about the natural history of moose, where they are most likely to be found in the state, and about how climate change is impacting their survival in New Hampshire. You'll learn that moose are skilled swimmers, how parasites decrease moose survival, what their current population numbers are in the state, and what you can do to help the largest member of the deer family. New Hampshire Fish and Game is working to better understand the issues facing moose and developing strategies to save this large icon of the New Hampshire north. Also, hear about the amazing federal funding mechanism that supports long-term research and is largely responsible for our country's abundant fish and wildlife.
CIVICS EDUCATION with Caleb Murphy
May Topic: Organizing at the Community Level
Thursday, May 22nd
6:30-7:30 PM
Open to adults & teens
Sign-up Requested: https://forms.gle/DPCrNr8qwPWJ3MdL7
Caleb Murphy, a CIVICS teacher at White Mountain Regional High School, will lead monthly discussions around CIVICS centered topics, such as Civil Discourse, Access to State Government Resources, Legal Cases that Lead to Constitutional Amendments, etc. These topics may be inspired by participant interests, current affairs, or Civics Basics.
WAIT UNTIL 8th with Heather Buteau
Saturday, May 17th
10-11 AM
For adults Child care provided for those who request it - (This will be organized by Heather)
Sign-up Requested: https://forms.gle/DTCBnRgRGqyhAkCbA
Parents, caregivers and community members are invited to a morning focused on raising happier, healthier kids by delaying smartphone access and encouraging independent play. We’ll look at resources such as the Wait Until 8th movement and talk about strategies mentioned in The Anxious Generation and Free-Range Kids. Come ready to connect and leave with actionable steps to create change at home and in the community.For those who will be bringing children, we request registration by May 10th to help us prepare.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS for YOUTH
CERAMICS PAINTING with Sue High
Wednesday, April 30
10:00 AM - 12 Noon
For children ages 4+ (and parents if desired)
$3-$5 per piece
Sign-up Required: email Sue by April 21st at: workforpeace14@gmail.com
Enjoy a fun vacation week activity with your child. Use acrylic paints to carefully paint selected ceramic figures. Select 1-3 items when you register, and Sue will bring everything you need.
To register, email Sue by April 21st at: workforpeace14@gmail.com. Include your name and the date of the class you are attending. Please put LIBRARY in the subject line. She will send you photos and a price list of available items. There will be at least 20 items to choose from that are under $5. Payment will be due at the beginning of class.
HEALTHY SCIENCE
Thursdays, May 8, 15, & 22
3-4 PM
For children ages 4+
Sign-up Required: https://forms.gle/3eXn14Pps6fB2xMY6
Come explore the science of being HEALTHY! This may sound a bit boring, but it will be a fun-packed introduction to the science of cleanliness and good health through experiments, explorations, stories, and discussions. What is the best way to clean the plaque off our teeth and why do we want to do that? What are the ingredients in toothpaste, and what do they do? Why do we wash our hands, bodies, and hair? How does soap get rid of germs? What is going on inside our gut and how do the foods we eat nourish and fuel our bodies?
REGULAR WEEKLY PROGRAMS
PRE-K STORIES & PLAY
9:30-10:30 AM
Tuesdays & Thursdays
Preschool & Kindergarten age children & their caregivers
Program Room
Join us for stories and activities, including games, songs, movement, and crafts.
LINE DANCING with SUZY (see details above)
6:30-7:30 PM
Tuesdays
Trinity United Methodist Church
TODDLER TALES & TUNES
11-11:30 AM Thursdays
Program Room
Join us for stories, songs, and movement.
KNITTING, CROCHETING & HANDCRAFTS GROUP
Fridays (may be intermittent, so call ahead 837-2030)
To be added to the email list for this group, please email Lyn at whitefieldpubliclibrary2@gmail.com
1:00-3:00
Front Reading Room
Teens & Adults
Are you a seasoned handicraft person? Do you want to learn? Do you have a project in the works or something you have dreamed of creating? Adults & Teens of all skill levels are welcome to join others while you knit, crochet, needlepoint, sew, etc. Please call first in case a session has been canceled if you plan to participate for the first time – (603) 837-2030.
Check us out on our website at https://whitefieldpubliclibrary.org/ and on Facebook.
We hope to see you at Whitefield Public Library soon.
Cheers,
Lyn
