Newton Free Library Events

Are you interested in exhibiting your artwork at the Library? The Newton Free Library presents monthly exhibits by regional artists in the Gallery and Main Hall of the main library, a state-of-the-art facility which 11,000 people visit weekly. Please click here for more information.

G A L L E R Y

SELECTED WORKS: PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS BY MARNE RIZIKA

North Dakota Landscape, 1995
Oil on canvas, 44" x 54"
© Marne Rizika

Marne Rizika’s “Selected Works: Paintings and Drawings” will be exhibited in the Newton Free Library Gallery June 3 – 29. Pulsing with the life force, Rizika’s oil paintings and drawings reach out with a rich, sensual physicality. With a background in architecture as well as art, she explores the structure of her subject in charcoal, later expanding and interpreting the scene in paint. For her, color is “active rather than descriptive - a driving force.”
Many of her works combine landscape with still life, but these are not dainty domestic scenes. Enamored of large machines and construction sites (one of her series focuses on the Big Dig), she paints red tractors, blue pick-ups and stained workmen’s sinks in bold, bright colors from interesting perspectives. Some are painted in a cartoon style, emphasizing the shapes and solid colors while others such as “Falling Water” show the delicate texture of flowing water from the bathtub faucet and myriad reflections in the metal fixtures and pale green tile.
Along with her emphasis on animating, sometimes contrasting, color is a sense of tension in her composition as our focus is pulled in opposite directions. In “Clothesline, Serumgard Farm, ND” white dresses hang from a clothesline while a sky massed with clouds draws our gaze far up and beyond them. Even more provocative are some of her North Dakota landscapes with the interior of a blue truck in the foreground, offering a point of departure into the landscape of yellow fields below. There is so much to look at: steering wheel, dashboard with all its knobs, sun reflecting in the mirrors, a little red truck in the distance - the play of bright color and swirling brushstrokes is almost dizzying as it fascinates. This “distorted sense of scale and perspective” is her way of “translating the grand sense of space” and challenging us to see the world around us as dynamic.
Rizika has exhibited in Switzerland, New Jersey, Virginia, Stockbridge, MA and locally at Judi Rotenberg Gallery, Francesca Anderson Gallery, the Boston Architectural Center, Boston Center for Adult Education, Cambridge Art Association, Society of Mechanical Engineers in Cambridge, Art in the Park in Charlestown and many other locations.

M A I N H A L L

“RETURN TO NORMANDY” BY DAVID GREENFIELD

American Cemetery
© David Greenfield

David Greenfield’s “Return to Normandy” photography exhibit will be on display in the Main Hall of the Newton Free Library June 3 - 29 with an opening reception, Monday, June 9, 7:00PM.
59 years ago this June 6, the Allied Normandy Invasion began, marking the beginning of the end of the war in Europe. Newton photographer Greenfield found himself drawn to the drama of D-Day since the 50th anniversary commemorations, and two years ago went to “witness Normandy to get a better grasp of the immense struggle that took place there,” he says. This exhibit is the visual and narrative expression of his experience standing on the sands of Omaha Beach, looking across the English Channel at sunrise on the 57th anniversary of D-Day.
His sepia-toned photos have a feeling of quiet reverence for past courage and sacrifice: young French soldiers in uniform standing solemnly on the beach (dressed for the annual reenactments of the battles); row upon row of white crosses and Stars of David at the American Cemetery at Colville sur Mer; a long, empty stretch of beach as the fog lifts at sunrise.
Greenfield’s stark images capture the indifference of nature – flat sea, wet, rippled sand and big sky – and give plenty of room for emotions to collect as the impact of the scope of the dedication and sacrifices made by the soldiers hits home.
Greenfield’s photography has received recognition by the National Audubon Society, the Boston Public Library, Boston Museum of Science, French Library, ARTSWorcester Gallery and other venues. The Library has exhibited his shows: “Journey to Poland” and “European Wanderings,” two other narrative presentations which poignantly reflected his experiences abroad.

| Top of page |

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.

JUNE, 2 0 0 3
	African Literatures Discussion 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: June 18: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, a novel set in Botswana by Alexander McCall Smith. For further information, call 796-1360.
	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, June 2 or Wednesday, June 25.
	Cinema Discussion Group
	This group will resume meeting in the fall.
	Contemporary Books 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: Marilyn Miller. For information, call the Library at 796-1360. Meeting Date: June 4: The Color of Water, James McBride.
	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: June 10: “Of Justice and Injustice” philosophy by Hume. For further information, call the Library at 796-1360.
	Newton Camera Club
	This group will resume meeting in the fall.
	Sequences: Women Tell Our Stories Group
	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: June 11. For further information, call 796-1360.
	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. Pre-registration is required: 617-965-8835. The group meets the first Tuesday of each month, in Meeting Room A, 7:00PM. Meeting Date: June 3. Please bring 5 copies of work to the meeting. Coordinator is Halcyon Mancuso.
	Short Story Discussion Group
	Meetings are usually held on the second Monday of the month at 7:30PM this month in Room B. Group co-leaders are Mary Lanigan and Barbara McGinley. For further information, call 796-1360. Meeting Date: June 16: Jess Row, “The Secrets of Bats” and Vikram Chandra, “Dharma.”
	Singing Group
	This group is for singers of any ability who enjoy singing classical and popular music. Led by librarian Nien Lung Tai, it meets monthly on Saturday afternoons, Noon – 1:30PM in Druker Auditorium. Meeting Date: June 21. Call coordinator Ruth Gootkin at 527-1230 for more information.
	The Writer's Voice Group
	This writing group combines support and time for practice, reading samples and receiving feedback. Led by Tom Yee, the group meets on the third Saturday of the month, 10:30 – Noon in Meeting Room A. Pre-registration required: Call 630-0742. Meeting Date: June 21.

| Top of page |

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

JUNE, 2 0 0 3

Suzuki School Concert

The Suzuki School of Newton will present a concert by advanced students (9 - 14 years of age), accompanied by the faculty orchestra, at the Library on Thursday, June 12, 7:00PM. The program will feature selected movements from Bach's Double Violin Concerto, Telemann's Double Viola Concerto, Vivaldi's Double Violin Concerto and Haydn's Cello Concerto in C. Faculty members Bekka Schellenberg, Ben Peterson, San-Yi Lin and School Director Sachiko Isihara will perform Stravinsky's Suite Italienne and Monti's Csardas.
The Suzuki School was founded in 1986 with the mission of promoting early childhood cultural, intellectual and character development. Their program integrates individual and group instrument instruction, music theory training, parent-child interaction and community performance experience.

Spanish and French Music Concert

Violist Loren Pearson and pianist Kevin McGinty will give a recital of French and Spanish music including tangos and works by Ravel, Marais, Villa-Lobos and DeFalla. The concert will take place at the Library on Sunday, June 15, 2:00PM.

Both a violist and violinist, Pearson has performed with many orchestras in Boston, the Masterworks Chorale, Worcester Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Hartford Symphony and the Opera Company of Boston. She has performed and toured extensively throughout Europe with such well-known orchestras as the Sudwest Deutsches Kammerorchester, the Nurnberger Symphoniker and the Rheinische Philharmonie. She often performs with husband McGinty, including previous appearances at the Library. Pearson serves on the faculty of Milton Academy.
McGinty has performed in numerous concert halls as a recitalist, accompanist and chamber musician including concerti with the Boston Pops, Brookline Symphony Orchestra, Arlington Philharmonic, Hillsdale (Michigan) Orchestra and Central Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra at Worcester’s Mechanics Hall. He has performed with Pearson on WGBH and on WICN and WCUW in Worcester. He teaches piano privately as well as at All Newton Music School, M.I.T. and Milton Academy.

BSO Flutist Elizabeth Ostling and Others to Perform

Boston Symphony Orchestra flutist Elizabeth Ostling, cellist Emily Yang and violinist Jane McRae will present a concert of works by Haydn, Rachmaninoff and others at the Library on Sunday, June 8, 2PM. Seating is limited.

Ostling is Associate Principal Flute with the Boston Symphony and Principal Flute with the Boston Pops. A frequent performer in solo and chamber recitals, she has appeared locally with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players and the Boston Artists Ensemble.

Yang has performed in solo and chamber music ensembles in many Boston venues including the Tsai Performance Center, Boston Conservatory, Harvard University and previously at the Library. The author of “Supplemental Material for the Suzuki Cello Repertoire,” she has been teaching cello, group cello and chamber music for many years in the Boston area at All Newton Music School, Boston Conservatory and other schools as well as privately.
McRae has performed at the Gardner Museum, Jordan Hall, Harvard Musical Association among other places in the Boston area and teaches in the Brookline Public Schools. Her orchestra experience includes the Atlanta Symphony Pops Orchestra, the New World Symphony and the Charleston Symphony.

Viola, Clarinet, Piano Trio to Play Bruch, Mozart & Schumann

The Breitner-Leonard-Tuttle Trio will present Mozart’s “Kegelstatt” Trio, selections from Bruch’s Eight Pieces and Schumann’s Fairy Tales in a concert at the Library, Sunday, June 22, 2:00PM. Seating is limited. The trio is composed of violist Bina Breitner, clarinetist Rebecca Leonard and pianist Margaret Cheng Tuttle.
Breitner has performed with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Emmanuel Music, Alea III, Boston Academy of Music and other organizations in the Greater Boston area. She chairs the Mind/ Body Department at the Longy School of Music where she has taught viola and chamber music since 1986. She plays a 1610 Brescian viola made by Francesco da Salo.
Leonard has performed extensively throughout the New England area as a clarinetist and bass clarinetist. She performs regularly with several New England symphony orchestras. As a member of the Ariel Quintet, she has performed in school presentations, live radio broadcasts and performing arts series. She can be heard on the Koch International, CRI, Pickwick and Albany labels. She is an adjunct professor at UMass/ Lowell and teaches privately.
Tuttle is active as a performer and teacher in Boston and in the Midwest. Locally her appearances include Jordan Hall, Berklee College and Harvard University. In 2001, she gave a recital in Taiwan. She has performed as a concerto soloist with the symphony orchestras of Omaha, New England Conservatory and Rocky Ridge Music Center in Colorado. She has made a CD of piano music by Harry Chalmiers, some of which was heard in her last concert at the Library. She teaches piano at Rivers Music School in Weston and at M.I.T.

Violist Ed Gazouleas & Pianist Jonathan Bass Give Concert

Boston Symphony Orchestra violist Edward Gazouleas and pianist Jonathan Bass will return to the Library to perform works by Bach, Vieuxtemps and Bergsma on Sunday, June 1, 2:00PM. Seating is limited.

The Corelli Consort

The Corelli Consort, composed of Barbara Englesberg and Elizabeth Abbate, Baroque violin, Judith Glixon, Baroque cello and Peter Lehman, lute will perform a concert of early Italian trio sonatas at the Library on Sunday, June 29, at 2:00PM. Seating is limited.
Abbate performs with several musical organizations including Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Modern Orchestra Project and the Handel & Hadyn Society. She is also a member of the Leonora Quartet. She teaches at the New England Conservatory and at Boston Conservatory.
Glixon performed with the National Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall and was a member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (AZ). She has been a frequent soloist with orchestras in North Carolina. Regional appearances include Boston Ballet, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Prism Opera and Music at Eden’s Edge. She is also a member of The New Piano Quartet and the Iridian String Quartet.
Lehman plays Renaissance lutes, 19th century guitar, Baroque continuo and solo music for theorbo. He has performed at Castle Hill Festival, Baroque Music Beside the Grange, with Tafelmusik Choir, Ensemble Soleil and recorded on the EBS label.
Englesberg is Assistant Concertmaster and a founding member of Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, as well as a member of the Handel & Haydn Society Orchestra. She has performed with the Boston Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera and many other organizations in the New England area as well as at the 92nd St. “Y” in New York City and the Scarlatti Festival in Italy. She teaches at All -Newton Music School, Northeastern University, the New School of Music and coaches chamber music. The Library welcomes her annual appearances.

| Top of page |

JUNE, 2 0 0 3

Lyme Disease Author Dr. Jonathan Edlow

Newton author Dr. Jonathan Edlow will speak on his new book Bull’s Eye: Unraveling the Medical Mystery of Lyme Disease on Tuesday, June 10, 7:30PM. Illustrated with slides, the talk will take place at the Newton Free Library.
This riveting account of the medical sleuthing that led to the discovery of Lyme disease spans centuries and continents. In the process, Bull’s Eye provides the latest information about the disease and its treatment as well as insight into the medical realm: how physicians make a diagnosis and test its accuracy, how new diseases are pinpointed and how scientific inquiry is influenced by cultural factors.
Edlow is vice chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He frequently lectures on Lyme disease and has written many medical detective stories for such magazines as Boston Magazine and Family Circle.

Sportswriter Dan Shaughnessy

Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy will speak on his new book Spring Training: Baseball’s Early Season Wednesday, June 18, 7:30PM at the Library, followed by a booksigning with books provided by New England Mobile Book Fair.
Fans around the nation look forward to spring training as the longed-for end of winter and beginning of the baseball season. It is a magical time when every player could be the next superstar and every team is poised for victory. Spring Training takes readers on a guided tour through the ballfields, around the locker rooms, and into the stands from Florida’s Alligator Alley to Arizona’s Cactus Way. The book is illustrated with Pulitzer-Prize winner Stan Grossfeld’s stunning photographs and affectionately written with the liveliness and style that have made Shaughnessy a favorite of baseball fans everywhere.
Shaughnessy is the author of several books including the baseball classic The Curse of the Bambino and the best-selling Fenway (with Stan Grossfeld), on which he’s spoken at the Library previously. He has been named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year seven times, and seven times has been voted one of America’s top ten sports columnists by Associated Press Sports Editors.

CAPE COD AUTHOR TALK

Just in time for summer vacation, author James O’Connell will speak on his new book , Becoming Cape Cod: Creating a Seaside Resort at the Newton Free Library on Tuesday, June 24, 7:30PM. The talk will be illustrated with slides of historic postcards from his own collection and followed by a booksigning.
The first comprehensive account of the tourist trade on Cape Cod, the book traces the Cape’s resort history from its discovery by Henry David Thoreau before the Civil War up to the present day. Drawing upon his experiences as economic development officer at the Cape Cod Commission, O’Connell also presents the history of preservation efforts on the Cape, including the creation of the Commission, the Cape Cod National Seashore and the Old King's Highway Historic District.
The book focuses on three time periods: 1870-1920, when summer colonies were established; 1920-1950, when the impact of the automobile created a tourist region with common marketing, a plethora of attractions and a strong heritage appeal; 1950-2000, when measures were taken to preserve the Cape in the face of overdevelopment.
Cape Cod's greatest challenge has been preserving the natural environment, historic
buildings and cultural traditions that have shaped its sense of place. Part social history, part cautionary tale, Becoming Cape Cod meditates upon how to preserve authentic places against continuing growth pressures.
O’Connell currently works as a planner for the Boston Support Office of the National Park Service and has written numerous books and articles on New England History and urban/regional planning.

Friends Booksale

Stock up for summer reading at the Friends Booksale at the Auburndale Branch. There will be all kinds of adult and children's books at very low prices. The sale takes place Saturday, June 7, 10AM - 3PM and Sunday, June 8, Noon - 3PM. Proceeds benefit the Library.

Nicaragua Sister City Project Presenation

This winter, Newton families from Union Church in Waban traveled to Newton's sister city, San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua, to create a fresh water system for the inhabitants of a small, rural neighborhood. On Wednesday, June 11, 7:00PM, their story, illustrated by striking slides, will be presented at the Library by these families, Sister City Project leaders Margaret and David Gullette and Rodney Barker, former alderman and co-founder of the Sister City Project.
San Juan del Sur suffers extreme poverty amidst exceptional natural beauty. The villagers had to walk to wells to carry home buckets of water and wash their clothes in nearby rivers until this winter when the Sister City Project participants arrived. This small group of adults and teenagers dug ditches and laid 830 meters of pipe, bringing fresh running water to the village in less than two weeks. The school supplies they brought were sorely needed as well. Amidst the hard work, they still had time to enjoy their gorgeous surroundings as well as the friendly hospitality of their hosts - all of which will be related at the talk.

Environmental Legislation Update by Green Decade

The Green Decade Coalition will present its annual Update on Environmental Legislation on Monday, June 16, 7:00PM at the Library. Invited panelists are Mayor Cohen, State Senator Cynthia Creem and State Representatives Ruth B. Balser, Kay Khan, Peter Koutoujian and Rachel Kaprelian. Some of the topics to be addressed are pending bills on Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals, Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and the Use of Non-Toxic Pest Management and Corporate Accountability.
This discussion will be followed by the Green Decade Environmental Leadership Awards presentation.

“Bing and Bob in Hollywood”

Musicologist Roger Hall will present “Thanks for the Memories: Bing and Bob in Hollywood” at the Library on Thursday, June 12, 10:30AM. In celebration of the centennial anniversaries of the births of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, this program will highlight their years making Hollywood movies, both separately and together, from the 1930s to the 1950s. Many movie tunes, including all six of their Oscar-winning songs, will be featured.
Hall’s book, A Guide to Film Music: Songs and Scores, will be available for purchase after the program.
Hall is a music preservationist, lecturer, composer and performer. He is the former historian of the Old Stoughton Musical Society, the founder and president of the Tune Lovers Society and has been a music consultant for the National Geographic Society in Washington, the Paul Revere House in Boston and other institutions.

Children's Author Jack Gantos to Speak

Hear Jack Gantos, the award-winning author of the Rotten Ralph and the Joey Pigza books, speak on his career as a writer in this Library talk for families on Wed., June 4, 6:30PM.

MORNING PROGRAMS AT THE LIBRARY

	Newton Corner's book group will discuss The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan (306.45 Pollan 2001) on Friday, June 27, 10:30AM at Heritage at Vernon Court, Newton Corner.
	At the Waban branch, the book group will discuss Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Child-hood by Alexandra Fuller (968.91 Fuller 2001) on Wed., June 25, 10:30AM.
	Roger Hall will give an audio/visual lecture at the Main Library on Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in Hollywood Thursday, June 12 at 10:30am. Please click here for more information.

Get Ready for New Online Catalog and Circulation System

A new, improved online catalog and circulation system will be launched by the Minuteman Library Network in July. It will allow:

* More precise searching
* Improved display
* Ability to create your own lists
* Online capability to update PINS and email

Transition in June

June 1: No requests from other libraries may be placed.
June 19: No requests for items owned by this Library may be placed.
June 23: Minuteman Library cards are required at all libraries to borrow items during the transition period.
Please note: Loan periods will be extended since materials cannot be renewed after June 23.

The new system should be in place and all services restored. PINS must be reset - either at the Library or online.

Questions?

Ask Library staff for assistance. For information updates as available, visit: http://www.mln.lib.ma.us

Overdue Fines Increase

Beginning July 1, fines for overdue adult materials will increase to 15¢ per day and fines for overdue children's materials will increase to 10¢ per day. Adult and children’s video fines will remain at 50¢ per day.
All extra money will be used to pur chase more book and audio-visual titles.

Library closed on Sundays during July and August

Please remember that starting on Sunday, July 6, 2003 the Library will be closed on Sundays for July and August.

One Newton, One Book Selects The Quiet American

This year's community-wide reading event, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, will feature The Quiet American, the intriguing classic by Graham Greene. Pick up the book to read this summer and be ready to share your thoughts in book discussions and to participate in related happenings during the week of October 20 at the Library.
The One Newton, One Book committee is also asking Newton book clubs to consider choosing The Quiet American for discussion this summer or early fall and then to partner with the Library in this community–wide event. Please direct any questions to: onenewton_onebook@yahoo.com

Tooting our own Horn

The Library won several awards recently. The Massachusetts Library Association awarded us First Prize for a Media Presentation for our cable television show "At the Library," Second Prize for the Library newsletter and Honorable Mention for our Children's website.
NewTV, Newton's cable access station, awarded the Library Best Host for a Municipal Production. The show features interviews with upcoming writers and other Library presenters and is updated monthly. The schedule is printed in the TAB and on our website.

Help Support Your Library

Please consider a donation to the Library for the purchase of books, audio/ visual materials or technical equipment. Send your check, payable to the Trustees, to: Development Office, Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street, Newton 02459. For more information, call 617-796-1407.

Please Don't Save Seats!

When attending a Sunday afternoon concert, please do not save more than one seat as this deprives others of attending the concert. The rule is first come, first served.

| Library home | Top of page |

© 2002. Newton Free Library. Last updated May 31, 2003. Website design by D. Kim. If you have comments or questions about this website, please click here to email the webmaster. This website is best viewed in Internet Explorer.