Newton Free Library


MARCH, 2002 / Archives

Gallery & Main Hall Hours Monday to Thursday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Friday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Sunday Noon to 5:00 pm Are you interested in exhibiting your artwork at the Library? Please click here for more information.
G A L L E R Y
March, 2 0 0 2
"AFRICA UNADORNED" BY RICHARD GOLDMAN Richard Goldman’s photographic exhibit "Africa Unadorned" will be displayed at the Newton Free Library Gallery March 2 – 28. For many years, Goldman’s work as an economist has taken him to Africa, Indonesia, Pakistan and many other countries. Over the past 20 years he has concentrated his time on East and Southern Africa where most of the images for this exhibit were taken. In contrast to the striking images of national parks often depicted in photography books and of newspaper photos of Africa’s famines and wars, his show will focus on portraits of people in everyday situations, the landscape as he came upon it, and of common objects found in patterns. The exhibit title is a play on words, referring to the book Africa Adorned by Angela Fisher and Carol Beckwith which shows the make-up and jewelry of African tribal ceremonies. "There is another face of Africa and Africans that is less strange and exotic, but no less beautiful," he says. In black and white, his photos show the life of the village: a mother nursing her baby, a girl eating a mango as she leans out over the windowsill of an adobe house, people talking on the street, holding umbrellas to shade themselves from the hot sun, a couple sitting on the road, waiting next to their broken-down truck. In many of the works, Goldman is interested in the background, the context, as much as the subjects: the truck, the stained adobe wall, the enormous mountain dwarfing the thatched-roof village, the big sky behind a lone Nyali tree. In others, his vision focuses on the shape of the head in a portrait, the look in the eyes, the feel of the skin. An open case of liquor bottles or the abstract pattern of stacked fertilizer bags sometimes arrests his attention, as well, each image contributing to his alluring vision of Africa. Goldman has exhibited at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College, the Global Health Council Conference in Washington, DC, the Taos Art Association and in a UNICEF and Alliance Francais sponsored show in Malawi. He recently completed a project about orphans and guardians in Africa which was used in a photo-essay he produced for DoubleTake magazine.
M A I N H A L L
March, 2 0 0 2
ELIANE MARKOFF’S "FLOWERS FOR HOPE" Eliane Markoff’s exhibit "Flowers for Hope" will be displayed in the Main Hall of the Newton Free Library, March 2 – 28, with a reception on Thursday, March 7, 6:30 – 8:30PM. Markoff’s joyful depictions of flowers fill her oil and watercolor paintings. In saturated colors, the vibrant flowers fill vases, spill out of bowls, sway gently in the breeze. The paintings evoke a sensuality with their lush backgrounds, rich colors and abundance of blooming flowers. Painting these "Flowers for Hope" is Markoff’s passion. She has exhibited works at the Wellesley Free Library, Boston Private Bank and Trust, Children’s Hospital, Page-Waterman Gallery in Wellesley and the main reception area of the Newton Wellesley Hospital among many other venues. Her commissioned 4’ x 5’ "Flowers for Hope" painting hangs in Equity Office’s corporate headquarters in Boston. In 2000, this signature painting was selected by the Two Collection, the annual televised auction of WGBH/Channel 2. Proceeds from the sales of Markoff’s paintings fund the Rachel Molly Markoff Foundation in memory of her daughter. The foundation is dedicated to helping families copes with childhood cancer and has supported Children’s Hospital and the Brain Tumor Society in the past.

Library groups meet at the Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street, Newton Centre, unless otherwise noted.
All meetings are free and open to the public.

March, 2 0 0 2

African Literatures Group
Led by Anne Serafin, this group explores the rich variety of writings from Africa. The group meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 7:30PM, in Meeting Room A. Meeting Date: March 20: Chira, a novel by Kenyan writer Marjorie O. MacGoye. For further information, call 552-7145.

Children's Book Writers Group
Meetings are held on the first Monday or the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:00PM, in Meeting Room A. This group is for writers who have work in progress. Pre-registration required. Please call Ruth Glass at 332-0835 or Karen Day at 244-4830 for more information. Meeting Dates: Monday, March 4 or Wednesday, March 27.

Current Fiction Discussion Group
Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month, 7:30PM in Meeting Room A. Participants should read works in advance. Group coordinator: Alice Simons. For information, call the Library at 552-7159. Meeting Dates: March 6: Willie Morris, Taps and April 3: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon.

Great Books Discussion Group
Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:15PM in Meeting Room A. Members read books from the Great Books Foundation (available at the Library). Meeting Date: March 12: Short stories by Chekhov: "Oysters," "Chameleon," "The Huntsman" and "A Living Chronology." For further information, call the Library at 552-7145.

Landscape of Aging
This group will not meet until April.

Newton Camera Club
Meetings are held at 7:30PM on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at the Nonantum Branch Library. Group coordinator: Elisif Brandon: (617) 243-0557. Meeting Dates: March 11: Gary Stanley will speak on "Finetuning your Photographs" plus tips on Digital Photography. March 25: Minishows and Techtips by members.

Playreading
Meetings are held at Newton Corner on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00PM. Preparation is not necessary. Meeting Date: March 5. For further information, please call the Library at 552-7145 or the branch at 552-7157.

Sequences: Women Tell Our Stories
In this women's workshop, participants read, discuss and write about literature by women. The group meets the second Wednesday of each month from 10 - 11:30AM in Meeting Room A. Leader: Robin Mayer Stein. Meeting Date: March 13. For further information, call 552-7145.

Short Fiction Writing Group
This workshop provides an atmosphere of expert support to polish short fiction. It is geared for published writers as well as those who are actively pursuing publication. Preregistration is required: 617-965-8835. The group meets the first Tuesday of each month, in Meeting Room A, 7:00PM. Meeting Date: March 5. Please bring 5 copies of work to the meeting. Coordinator is Halcyon Mancuso.

Short Story Discussion Group
Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month at 7:30PM in Meeting Room A. Group leader is Mary Lanigan. For further information, call 552-7145. Meeting Date: March 11: F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Babylon Revisited" and Katherine Anne Porter, "He."

All concerts are free and open to the public. For directions to the Library, click here.

March, 2 0 0 2

BSO TROMBONIST RON BARRON

Boston Symphony Orchestra principal trombonist Ronald Barron will return to the Newton Free Library for a concert on Sunday, March 24, 2:00PM. "The Voice of the Alto" will feature Barron, joined by the finest Boston area musicians: Fredrik Wanger, piano, Gregory Spiridopoulos and Unai Urrecho, tenor trombone, Mark Cantrell, bass trombone, Abigail Aronson, guitar, Valeria Kuchment and Nancy Bracken, violin, Robert Barnes, viola and Mihail Jojatu, cello. The program will include music by Albinoni, Hindemith, Saglietti, Hornoff and Meyer. Seating is limited.

Barron has been principal trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1975 and has played with the Boston Pops Orchestra for fifteen seasons. A soloist on many occasions with the Pops and regional New England orchestras, he has given recitals in the U.S., Europe and Japan. He has recorded with Canadian Brass, Empire Brass and Summit Brass and has seven solo recordings on the Boston Brass Series and Nonesuch labels. A member of the jury at the international competitions of Munich and Toulon, he teaches at Boston University, the New England Conservatory of Music and the Tanglewood Music Center.

Visit the BSO website at: www.bso.org

ALL RAVEL CONCERT

All Newton Music School will present pianist Atsuko Jozaki in an All-Ravel Concert at the Newton Free Library, Sunday, March 10, 2:00PM. A recent recipient of a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance degree at Boston University, Jozaki has performed solo and chamber music recitals in Madrid, Hiroshima, in California and Boston. She serves on the faculty of the All Newton Music School and Brookline Music School.

March, 2 0 0 2

LIBRARY SERIES FEATURES FATHER ROBERT DRINAN
AND M.I.T. PROFESSOR BARRY POSEN


Father Drinan	MIT Professor Barry Posen

The Newton Free Library will host a 2-part series on the War on Terrorism. Seating is limited.

On Wednesday, March 13, 7:00PM, Father Robert Drinan will present his "Reflections on America’s Response to the September 11 Attacks." The talk will consider the Geneva Accords and their applicability to the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, the USA Patriot Act and the restrictions it places on foreign students in America and what the U.S. should do to improve its perception in countries which are predominantly Muslim. This talk is co-sponsored by Newton Dialogues on Peace and War and the Library.

On Monday, March 18, 7:00PM, M.I.T. Political Science Professor Barry Posen will speak on "The Struggle against Terrorism: Toward a Grand Strategy." About his topic, he says: "The struggle against terrorism presents the U.S. with a very unusual adversary, which will require an innovative military strategy to combat. This strategy in turn would be facilitated by some subtle changes in U.S. foreign policy. I will review both the military and the political requirements of an effective war on terrorism."

Drinan is an ordained Jesuit priest, a professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center and a former dean of Boston College Law School. He has authored 10 books and is a regular contributor to the Boston Globe, London Tablet, America and Christian Century. From 1971 – 1981, he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Newton and the rest of Massachusetts’ 4^th Congressional District. An international human rights advocate, he spoke at the Library last spring on his book The Mobilization of Shame: A World View of Human Rights.

Posen is author of The Sources of Military Doctrine and Inadvertent Escalation. He has been an international affairs fellow with the Rockefeller Foundation and with the Council on Foreign Relations. A member of the faculty of the Security Studies Program at M.I.T., he specializes in comparative grand strategy and military doctrine, the relationship between nationalism and war and other topics. His article, "The Struggle Against Terrorism" was recently published in International Security (Winter 2001/ 02).

"Growing up with Churchill"

Join Derek Lamb for his nostalgic presentation, "Growing up with Winston Churchill: Songs and Personal Memories of World War II" on Sunday, March 3, 2:00PM at the Library.

Lamb is known for his charm, wit and insight displayed in his previous Library programs, one on his short films and the other on British Music Hall Songs. In this performance he'll relate stories and songs from his youth, growing up in London during the Blitz of World War II. Evacuated to the countryside, the young boy lay in bed at night, hearing the planes take off on their way to bombing raids over Europe. "On Saturday nights we'd hear American servicemen and British locals gathered in the nearby pub, laughing and singing 'We'll Meet Again,' 'Rum and Coca Cola' and 'Kiss Me Goodnight, Sergeant-Major.'" The current war on terrorism has reminded Lamb of the wartime sensibility when "the speeches, faith, confidence, humor and patriotism of Churchill and Roosevelt affected us all profoundly."

Lamb is best known for his animated openings for Mystery! on WGBH, created with Edward Gorey. He is also a composer, performer and filmmaker who has written songs for Sesame Street and created Oscar-winning films. His recordings include "She was Poor but She was Honest" on the Smithsonian label. This past year he sang on the soundtrack for the PBS special on Shackleton's antarctic expedition and performed at the St. Botolph Club, the Colonial Inn in Concord and the Natick Arts Center.

FORUM ON STEM CELL RESEARCH

Stem cell research has the potential of revolutionizing the practice of medicine, improving the quality of life and increasing longevity. It could lead to cures for such disabling or life-threatening conditions as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes and some forms of arthritis. It also raises ethical and religious issues particularly regarding the use of embryonic or fetal cells.

To explore these issues, the Newton Democratic City Committee and the Library are presenting a forum on Stem Cell Research: Science, Ethics and Politics on Wednesday, March 14, 7:00PM at the Library. Participants are Dr. Michael Grodin and Professor George Annas of Boston University and State Senator Cynthia Creem.

Grodin is Professor of Law, Psychiatry, Socio-Medical Sciences and Community Medicine and Director of the Law, Medicine and Ethics Program at the B.U. Schools of Medicine and Public Health. He is also Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Health Care Ethics at the School of Management.

Professor Annas is Edward R. Utley Professor of Health Law and Chair of the Department of Health Law at B.U. School of Public Health. His areas of interest are patient rights, genetics, health care regulation, health law, human experimentation, human rights and science and technology.

Senator Creem, who represents Newton, Brookline and part of Wellesley, has submitted legislation that would require the Department of Public Health to provide all maternity patients with enough information to enable them to decide if they wish to participate in umbilical cord blood banking for their

own or others’ use. Placental blood could be beneficial for such conditions as leukemia and solid cancers. A former member of the Massachusetts Governor’s Council, she also served as President of the Newton Board of Aldermen.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH TALK ON ERNESTINE ROSE

Paula Doress-Worters
Photo by Tim Morse

In honor of Women’s History Month, Paula Doress-Worters, one of the original authors of Our Bodies, Ourselves, will speak on the life of women’s rights advocate Ernestine Rose and her place in the 19^th century women’s rights movement. The talk will take place at the Newton Free Library on Thursday, March 21, 7:30PM.

Rose was one of the earliest women’s rights reformers in America. The daughter of a Polish rabbi, she refused an arranged marriage and left home at 16. After immigrating to America in 1836, she began her work when no organized women’s movement existed. By the 1850s, she was considered the best of the women orators, working with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and others who became better known over time while Rose’s legacy has been lost.

Newton resident Doress-Worters, a participant in the early days of the second wave of feminism in the 1960s/70s, is interested in the role of visionaries in the early stages of social movements. A Resident Scholar at the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University, she is editing the collected speeches of Ernestine Rose, a first wave feminist.

JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY PRESENTS LECTURE
ON "NORTHANGER ABBEY"

The Jane Austen Society of North America will present a talk on "Lopt and Cropt: Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey as an Audio Novel" by Dr. Joan Vredenburgh. The talk will take place at the Newton Free Library on Sunday, March 17, 2:00PM.

PESTICIDE EXPERT DR. BERNARD WEISS WILL SPEAK ON
THE EFFECTS OF PESTICIDE EXPOSURE ON CHILDREN
AT GREEN DECADE SPEAKER SERIES

March 2002 is Newton's Sixth Annual Alternatives to Pesticides Month. The Green Decade Coalition’s Environmental Speaker Series will present Dr. Bernard Weiss speaking on the Effects of Pesticide Exposure on Children on Monday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m. at the Newton Free Library.

Weiss will address the questions: "What are the effects of toxic chemicals on childhood development and on functioning throughout our life span? What are the ethics involved in using pesticides? What are the implications for government regulation and public policy? Are we doing enough to prevent asthma, behavioral and learning disorders and cancer?"

Bernard Weiss, Ph.D., is one of the nation's leading experts on the consequences of pesticide exposures, especially in children and the elderly. He is Professor of Environmental Medicine and

Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine. Weiss's articles have appeared in journals such as Environmental Health Perspectives, Neurotoxicology, and Toxicology and Industrial Health. He was co-editor of the June 2000 Environmental Health Perspectives Supplement focusing on the Developing Brain and the Environment.

Since 1994, GreenCAP (Green Decade’s Committee for Alternatives to Pesticides) has been a clearinghouse for information on Intelligent Pest Management, the common sense organic approach to

landscaping and pest control. For information on GreenCAP's resources, call (617) 965-1995 or go to www.greendecade.org

SLIDE/ LECTURE ON THE ALPS AT LIBRARY

When Hannibal traversed the Alps in 218 BC, he traveled with elephants. When Guenter and Maren Wehrmann hiked across the Alps from the southernmost part of Germany to the northernmost part of Italy 2200 years later, they brought a Siberian Husky along. Join Siberian Husky "King" and his two legged friends at a Newton Free Library travelog as they thread their way up high mountain passes, scramble across exposed ridges, traverse glaciers and enjoy the comfort of Alpine Club huts. The slide/ lecture will take place on Monday, March 11, 7:15PM.

Guenter Wehrmann studied photography at the International Center of Photography in New York City. He has given slide presentations in his native Germany, India and New York City. His work has been published by "Leica Photography International." The Wehrmanns moved from Bonn, Germany to Newton this summer, when Guenter was appointed Germany's Deputy Consul General for New England.\

LIBRARY HOSTS DISCUSSION OF DOROTHY DUNNETT’S WORKS

The recent death of Scottish historical novelist Dorothy Dunnett (November 9, 2001) was marked by long retrospectives in both the New York Times and the Boston Globe. For local readers who would like to revisit her works or become acquainted with this popular and respected writer, the Newton Free Library will host a discussion, led by Boston College English professor Judith Wilt, who knew and worked with Dunnett for many years. The talk will take place on Thursday, March 14, 7:30PM, in Meeting Room A.

Dunnett began writing a series of novels about the Renaissance Scottish hero Francis Crawford of Lymond in the early 1960s and brought the long story to a close with 1975s Checkmate. King Hereafter, a new version of the MacBeth story, followed in the 1980s, as did a new series, featuring a 15^th century merchant-adventurer named Nicholas De Fleury, which began with Niccolo Rising and finished with the publication in 2000 of Gemini. Dunnett also wrote a series of thrillers featuring the enigmatic spy Johnson Johnson.

Wilt has given talks at four Dorothy Dunnett Readers Conferences in Edinburgh, Scotland and at Boston College. She is known for her summary prefaces in the American editions of the "House of Niccolo" series. She has published many articles and reviews on other subjects and spoken to the Jane Austen Society at the Library.

Fly Tying Display and Demo

Join fly fishing enthusiasts Joe Mulvey and Ted Cannie for their Adventures in Fly Tying demonstration on Thursday, March 21, 7:00PM, in Meeting Room A at the Library. They'll show a number of fly tying techniques, speak about their own experiences in fly fishing and answer questions.

Throughout the month of March, the Library will show a wide variety of their flies in the display cases in the lobby.

Mulvey and Cannie tie their own flies, build their own rods and fish in different exotic places every year. Their annual demo and display are eagerly awaited each spring.

Computer Classes

The Library offers free, hands-on computer classes in Basic PC Skills, Internet, Setting up an E-mail Account and much more. Call 617-552-7152 or drop by a Reference desk next time you're at the Library to sign up.

For more information on the computer classes, please click here.

LIBRARY POETRY READING SERIES PRESENTS
STEVE ALMOND, ELLEN STEINBAUM AND IRWIN THOMPSON

Poet Steve Almond

The Newton Free Library Poetry Reading Series presents Steve Almond, Ellen Steinbaum and Irwin E. Thompson reading their poems on Tuesday, March 12, at 7:00PM. This free series is directed by Robert Johnson.

Almond’s stories, poems and reviews have been published in many magazines such as Playboy, Boston Magazine, Missouri Review, New England Review, Southern Review and Antioch Review. His poems are heard regularly on National Public Radio’s "Morning Edition." Twice a Pushcart Prize Nominee, he is a Literary Correspondent on WBUR’s "Here and Now" and teaches writing seminars and workshops at Emerson College and Boston College. His story "Hope Wood" was included in Best American Short Stories (2000).

Steinbaum recently published a collection of poems Afterwords; her poems have also appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Kalliope and Negative Capability. She has been a featured reader previously at the Library, at Cantab, Waterstone’s, Blackthorne’s Tavern, Institute of Contemporary Art as part of the Women’s Performance Festival and on BUR’s "Here and Now."

Thompson is an artist who often writes poems related to his paintings; these works were exhibited at the Nielsen Gallery and at the Holzwasser Gallery at the New Art Center. At present he is working on a manuscript with both art forms combined. He has read his poetry at the University of Glasgow and had them published in the Senior Times and on www.homestead.com. A member of Barbara Helfgott-Hyett’s Workshop for Publishing Poets, Thompson is a former physician and medical researcher. He lives in Newton.

Next in the series is the 29^th Annual Poetry Festival featuring Faye George, Ellie Mamber and Anna Warrock on April 9. For further information on this free series, please call the Library at 552-7145.

Newton History Series Program on Newton Lower Falls

The Library continues its Newton History series in the Special Collections Room with a short presentation by Beverly E. Hurney on the history of the village of Newton Lower Falls. The talk will take place on Thursday, March 14, at 7:00PM.

Hurney, a former Newton Free Library reference librarian, has been a resident of Newton Lower Falls for more than 40 years. The superintendent of St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lower Falls, she has written the book St. Mary’s Cemetery, Newton, Massachusetts: Epitaphs.

The Special Collections Room features the Newton Collection, an historical collection of Newton materials. Staff and volunteers are available in this room to assist patrons with research during regular Library hours.

Friends Booksale at Auburndale

Spring is on the way. It's time to get some new books to read, and what better place than the Friends' Booksale with its large, eclectic assortment of adult and children's books in every category. Come by the Auburndale Branch Saturday, March 16, 10:00AM - 3:00PM or Sunday, March 17, Noon - 3:00PM for the best bargains around. Proceeds benefit the Library.

For more information on the Friends of the Library, please click here.

Cinema Discussion Group

This group, led by Paulette Idelson, will discuss the classic film "To Kill a Mockingbird" on Tuesday, March 19, 7PM in Meeting Room A. Those who have not seen the film are encouraged to view it before the meeting.

Free Tax Help

If you have questions about filling out your tax return, now's the time to come to the Library for free tax assistance. An IRS-trained volunteer will teach you how to complete your tax return or answer questions Saturdays, 2 - 4:00PM, in Meeting Room A, starting February 9.

Morning Programs at the Library!

Book Review at Main Branch
At the Main Library, Reference Librarian Regina Clifton will offer a review of current biographies, fiction and non-fiction, filled with interesting anecdotes. This booktalk will take place Thursday, March 14, 10:30AM.

At WABAN, the book group will discuss When the Elephants Dance by Tess Holthe on Wednesday, March 27, 10:30AM.

NEWTON CORNER'S book group will discuss James Joyce's The Dead on Friday, March 22, 10:30AM at Heritage at Vernon Court in Newton Corner.

Both groups are open to new members at any time - just drop in!

Winnie the Pooh Project

"Eeyore" sculpture by Nancy Schon

In memory of Sarah Oliver, the Oliver family of Newton is raising money for a bronze statue of Winnie the Pooh and his "hunny pot" by renowned sculptor Nancy Schon. Pooh will keep the statue of Eeyore company where he stands on the Children's Patio outside the Library. Contributions may be made payable to the Newton Free Library, Sarah Oliver Memorial Fund and sent to the Library at 330 Homer Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459.

Antiques Appraisal Day

Mark your calendars now for Sunday, April 21, Noon - 4PM. That's when Skinner Auctioneers and Appraisers will be at War Memorial, City Hall to appraise your treasures. Bring up to three items for $30, purchase tea, coffee and pastries from a Victorian Cafe and help support the Library. Call 617-965-7702 for details.

Friends Book & Author Luncheon

The Friends' Annual Book & Author Luncheon at the Newton Marriott will feature Sue Miller speaking on The World Below and Marc Gopin speaking on Holy War, Holy Peace on Monday, May 6. Call 965-7627 for details on reserving a seat. Tickets are $25.