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Home > Programs, Press, Exhibits & Classes > Calendar Archives > November 2005

Calendar of Events

NOVEMBER 2005
		1 Discovering What’s Next Talk, 7pm	2 Contemporary Books Group, 7:30pm	3 Artist's Reception, 7:30pm	4	5
6 Concert, 2pm	7 Community Forum, 5-6:30pm Children's Book Writers Group, 7pm	8 Poetry Series Event, 7pm Short Fiction Group, 7pm Great Books Discussion Group, 7:15pm	9 Author Talk, 7:30pm	10	11 Closed for Veterans' Day	12
13 Concert, 2pm	14 Author Talk, 7:30pm Newton Camera Club, 7:30pm Short Story Discussion Group, 7:30pm	15 Board of Trustees Meeting, 8:30am Wildlife Talk, 7pm	16 Sequences Group Meeting, 10am Alzheimer's Talk, 7:30pm African Literature Discussion Group, 7:30pm	17 Travelog, 10:30am Understanding Credit, 7:30pm	18	19 Writer's Voice Group, 10:30am Singing Group, 12-1:30pm
20 Concert, 2pm	21	22	23	24 Closed for Thanksgiving	25	26
27 Concert, 2pm	28 Immigrant Law, 4-5pm Energy Program, 7pm Newton Camera Club, 7:30pm	29 Author Talk, 7:30pm	30 Children's Book Writers Group, 7pm

For more information on any of the Library events,
please call the Library at (617) 796-1360

Unless noted otherwise, all events take place at the Library's Main Branch.
All events are free and open to the public.

The Library is handicapped accessible. For special assistance when attending programs, call 796-1410 during business hours and 796-1360 evenings and weekends.

To view a previous calendar, click here to view the Archives. (Available from October 2004.)

Art Exhibits

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 5:00pm
Sunday Noon to 5:00 pm

ART EXHIBITION INFORMATION

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.

GALLERY / NOVEMBER

Works on Paper by Ellen Berger and Peter McDonald November 2 - 29 Reception: Thursday, November 3, 7:30PM
	The printing process is a source of immense visual and tactile pleasure to these two monotype artists. As Berger says, “it is a wonderfully versatile and endlessly flexible medium.” Where she often adds collage elements to her print such as rice paper for its sensuous texture and visual impact, McDonald lets ink flowing from his palette mark the plate and often layers a few images onto the original one to add variety and depth.
	The feeling of not being in control of the final product is what makes the process exciting for him. Although he starts with an idea of shape, color and direction, his intuition takes over along with a sense of play. Soon the colorful works emerge with their round shapes and circular doodles, shadowy images adding weight and motion to the swirling dance. Berger, a child therapist as well as an artist, finds that personal experiences, moods and interpersonal exchanges can be represented through visual imagery. This has engaged her attention for some time, although to a casual viewer, her lovely abstract work gives little hint of the intention of the artist. Much of her work is composed of transparent blocks of color with
		Untitled - Peter McDonald
Imaginary Southwest Landscape - Ellen Berger	smudges or clearly delineated lines added. Berger finds the “changing interplay of contrasting configurations, textures and colors of importance,” but so is “the creation of something ‘beautiful.’”
Berger’s work is held in many private collections in the U.S. and Canada. She has participated in Cambridge Art Association shows, including the National Prize Show and has exhibited at Harvard University, School House Gallery in Truro and with the Provincetown Art Association. McDonald is a graphic designer. He studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and exhibits in their annual student shows.

MAIN HALL / NOVEMBER

Jane Maxwell: Doll Deconstruction Series November 2 - 29

Red Girls

Why are women so obsessed with having a thin, yet shapely figure? How have they internalized society’s/men’s expectations? Maxwell comments on this troubling issue in a series of thoughtful, sometimes humorous works of paper doll silhouettes, creatively using vintage doll cut-outs, wood, found papers, masking tape, staples, nails and beeswax.

“Paper doll cut-outs, with their perfect hourglass figures and form-fitting clothes send a message to girls (and future women) that being thin and perfectly dressed is the desired norm,” says the artist. What happens when women have a persistent, nagging worry about body image? These faceless female silhouettes are filled with exercise charts, weight-control tips, drawings of place settings and the like. In her latest works, vintage canned fruit and vegetable labels are layered and manipulated into female forms and intricate backgrounds. This could be a comment on women’s traditional place in the kitchen, an inescapable duty to prepare meals and/or an obsession with food and its effects on the figure.

The subtle force of sexual competition is explored in “Food for Thought,” a block installation of a line of women posing seductively. The format cuts/deconstructs the women’s figures in half. This, like another work, “Black Circles,” which features circled areas of the body, “punctuates women’s fixation on their flawed body parts,” says Maxwell. Other works are jigsaw puzzles, a “metaphor for the confounding issues related to control and perfectionism.”

Maxwell has exhibited at Clark Gallery in Lincoln, New Art Center in Newton, Baak Gallery in Cambridge, Somerville Museum, Cambridge Art Association, Newton Open Studios and won the Mixed-Media Prize at the Newburyport Art Association’s Annual Juried Show.

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Clubs

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.

	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: November 16: Seffi Atta’s Everything Good will Come. For further information, call 527-1072.
	Children's Book Writers Group
	Meetings are usually held on the first Monday or on 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 Jacqueline Davies at 781-455-8334 or Karen Day at 244-4830 for more info. Meeting Dates: Monday, November 7 or Wednesday, November 30.
	Contemporary Books Discussion Group
	Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month, 7:30PM, in Room A. Group coordinator: Marilyn Miller. Meeting Dates: November 2: Rules for Old Men Waiting by Peter Pouncey; December 7: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Contemporary Books Booklist
	Great Books Discussion Group
	Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:15PM in Meeting Room A. Members usually read books from the Great Books Foundation. Meeting Date: November 8: poetry by various authors.
	Newton Camera Club
	Meetings are held at 7:30PM on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at the Nonantum branch. Group coordinator: Amy Oppenheimer: amy.oppenh@verizon.net, www.newtoncameraclub.org. Meeting Dates: November 14: Steve Maka “The Creative Process;” November 28: Competition in Movement and Open categories, judged by Paul Smith.
	Sequences: Women Tell Our Stories Group
	In this women’s workshop, participants read, discuss and write about literature by women. The group usually meets the second Wednesday of each month from 10 - 11:30AM in Room A. Leader: Robin Mayer Stein. Meeting Date: November 16.
	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. Leader is Michael Kaufman. Pre-registration is required: call coordinator Dorian Kotsiopoulos at 781-821-4786. The group usually meets the first Tuesday of the month, 7:00PM. Meeting Date: November 8, this month in the café.
	Short Story Discussion Group
	Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month at 7:30PM in Room A. Group co-leaders: Mary Lanigan and Barbara McGinley. For further info., call 527-1505. Meeting Date: November 14: “Mudlavia” by Elizabeth Stuckey-French and “The Hurt Man” by Wendell Berry.
	Singing Group
	This group is for singers of all levels who enjoy singing classical and popular music. Conducted by Amelia LeClair, it meets monthly on Saturday afternoons, Noon – 1:30PM in Druker Auditorium. Meeting Date: November 19. Call coordinator Miriam Simen at 617-244-6705 for more information.
	Writer’s Voice Group
	A group to support beginning writers of the short story, novel, personal essay or memoir. 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: November 19.
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Concerts

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

Pianist Constantine Finehouse and Violinist Philip Ficsor Return to Library

The American Double, composed of pianist Constantine Finehouse and violinist Philip Ficsor, will perform works by Richard Strauss, William Bolcom, Debussy and Beethoven at the Library on Sunday, November 6, at 2:00PM. Seating is limited.

This past summer, the American Double presented concerts in Easthampton and Great Barrington. In 2004, it completed a highly successful tour of Hungary, giving Hungarian premiere performances of works by Bolcom. The Kiskunhalas Mirror praised their musicianship as “collaboration of an unbelievably high degree” and Bolcom himself has praised the duo as “first-rate musicians in every way, balancing style and taste impeccably.” Since its formation in 2001, the American Double has endeavored to perform works by American composers as well as the traditional repertoire.

Finehouse has been featured as a soloist in Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, at Symphony Hall in Boston and with the orchestras of Concord, Wellesley and Newton. He is a favorite of Library audiences. Ficsor has performed with the Boston Philharmonic, Boston Virtuosi and as Assistant Concertmaster with the Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston.

Reed Sisters Four-Hand Piano Duo to Perform

Elizabeth Ann Reed and Lydia Reed-Guertin, known as the Reed Sisters Piano Duo, will perform works for four-hand piano by Schumann/Brahms, Mozart, Schubert and Poulenc at the Library on Sunday, November 13, at 2:00PM.

The two sisters grew up in a musical family where playing and listening to music was a central part of their childhood, and have been performing together since 1983. As duo-pianists they have been featured artists in many concert series in the New England area, including First Night in Concord and Wolfboro, New Hampshire, the Piano Recital Series at the Concord Community Music School and the grand opening of the Concord City Auditorium in 1994. They have presented concerts sponsored by the Andover Memorial Library, Brookline Music School, the Belmont Council for the Arts and this Library. For several years they have collaborated with the dance group “Petit Papillon” in Concord, New Hampshire. They have released two recordings. Reed-Guertin teaches privately in Lexington and Reed teaches privately in Belmont and writes for the magazine Clavier.

Outrageous Fortune Makes Music

The vintage acoustic duo Outrageous Fortune will perform a concert of jazz, blues and folk music at the Library on Sunday, November 20 at 2:00PM. The duo features Chris Welles on guitar and lead vocals and Rod Thomas on harmonica and harmony vocals.

Welles studied jazz at Berklee College of Music and was inspired by Ry Cooder and Spider John Koerner who reinterpret roots material with “funky rhythmic energy and sophistication,” he says. He performed solo at many clubs in the 1980’s. Thomas started playing harmonica in high school, influenced by Sonny Terry and Magic Dick of the J. Geils

Band and later toured as a singer with an a cappella group. The duo has released the popular and appealing CD “Lazybones,” and has performed on WBUR-FM, at the Colonial Inn in Concord and at many area coffee houses.

Pianist Alexander Schwarzkopf to Perform

Pianist Alexander Schwarzkopf will return to the Library for a concert of Bach, Berg and Schumann on Sunday, November 27, at 2:00PM.

Schwarzkopf has been a featured performer at various societies and festivals such as the College Music Society National Convention, International Piano Institute in Santa Fe and the Chamber Music Society of Potomac. He has performed in Germany and Yugoslavia and given recitals throughout the United States. Among his awards is finalist status in the 2003 Silvio Bengalli International Piano Competition in Italy and First Prize winner at the Steinway & Sons competition in New Mexico.

As a composer, he has created works for solo instruments, chamber ensemble and orchestra which have been heard in concert halls from coast to coast.

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Lectures

Grand Opening of Discovering What's Next Hub featuring A Conversation with Paul La Camera
	Beginning November 1, the third floor of the Library behind the A/V collection will be home to a new community resource: the Discovering What's Next (DWN) Hub, for those exploring options for retirement or thinking about "what's next."
The DWN Hub will be staffed by Transition NavigatorsSM, trained volun-teers who are available at specified hours to help people access resources, explore options and connect with people and opportunities as they enter this new life stage. Join us Tuesday, November 1, at 7:00PM for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting by Mayor David Cohen and a special program, "Celebrating What's Next: A Conversation with Paul La Camera," General Manager of WBUR-FM. For more information on DWN, call 617-796-1419, e-mail dwnext@comcast.net or go to the Library website: www.newtonfreelibrary.net and click on the DWN logo.

Shape the Future of Your Library

The Library has embarked on an innovative Strategic Planning Initiative. The goal is to imagine and determine how the Library should evolve in response to the needs, interests and trends within the Newton community. Please join us at a community meeting on Monday, November 7, from 5 - 6:30PM. While munching on snacks, participants will be given the chance to voice their ideas about the future of the Library.

Poetry Series Features Steven Cramer, C.D. Collins, Tam Lin Neville - and Poetry Open Mike

The Library's Poetry Reading Series will present Steven Cramer, C. D. Collins and Tam Lin Neville on Tuesday, November 8, at 7:00PM, followed by an Open Mike with a one-poem per person limit.

Cramer is the author of four poetry collections: The Eye that Desires to Look Upward, The World Book, Dialogue for the Left and Right Hand and Goodbye to the Orchard, which was honored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book and the New England Poetry Club. His poems and criticism have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The Nation, The New Republic, The Paris Review, Partisan Review and Poetry; as well as in The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poets and The Poetry Anthology, 1912-2002. He has received a fellowship from the NEA and is director of an MFA Program in Creative Writing at Lesley University.

Poet/vocalist Collins has performed in various Boston area venues including the Charles Playhouse, Lansdowne Playhouse and Club Passim, as well as poetry venues and academic settings along the East Coast and in the South and Midwest. Her short fiction has appeared in StoryQuarterly, Pennsylvania Review, Imagine, South Dakota Review, Salamander and Phoebe, among others. Recently, she received two grants from the Somerville Arts Council, one in music, one in literature, and Cambridge Poetry Awards for Best Narrative Poem, Best Erotic Poem and Best Love Poem. She has just released her CD “Subtracting Down,” a compilation of post-modern mountain storytelling and song with her new band, Rockabetty. Collins is an active member of The Writers’ Room of Boston.

Neville uses striking imagery from nature to illuminate personal intimacy and the intricacies of the soul. Her poetry has appeared in such respected journals as American Poetry Review, The Massachusetts Review, Crazyhorse and others. She has also authored the poetry collection Journey Cake. Her chapbook, “Dreaming in Chinese,” won the Calypso Press’ first chapbook competition.

This series is coordinated by Doug Holder. The next reading will be held February 14.

Philip Hilts to Speak on Global Health Challenge

In the 20th century, the “vital revolution,” brought about a golden age of public health when vaccines were discovered, deadly diseases were eradicated and life expectancy rose by several years. However, in recent years, this formidable progress has started to reverse on itself, and developing countries have been hit the hardest. In association with the PBS produced prime-time series (airing locally on WGBH in early November), Philip J. Hilts examines the breadth of this worldwide health crisis in Rx For Survival: Why We Must Rise to the Global Health Challenge. He will speak on the subject at the Library on Wednesday, November 9, at 7:30PM, followed by a book signing.

Hilts takes his readers on a gripping journey to the hotspots of disease-fighting, visiting the sites of both the greatest disease peril and to places in which powerful new approaches are leading to success in combating deadly diseases. He maintains that leading nations and global organizations now have the necessary

knowledge and financial means to raise the level of health globally. Rx for Survival presents a strong call to action for all those concerned about this vital global challenge.

The author of five books, including Protecting America’s Health: The FDA, Business, and One Hundred Years of Regulation, Hilts has been a prize-winning health and science reporter for both the New York Times and The Washington Post. He has taught science journalism at Boston University and journalism at the University of Botswana.

Globe Photographer Bill Brett to Speak on “Boston, All One Family”
	Boston Globe society photographer Bill Brett has been taking pictures of Boston’s celebrities since the 1960s. Now, with his first book, Boston, All One Family, he shows the diverse, human face of Boston: business and cultural leaders, community activists and philanthropists, photographed in their homes, work environments and favorite haunts. Accompanied by Globe editor/writer Carol Beggy’s pithy descriptions, this stunning collection of 240 black and white portraits reveals our Hub as it stands now in the 21st century: culturally rich, ethnically diverse, a “city of champions” as photographer Stan Grossfeld puts it. Brett will speak at the Library on Monday, November 14, 7:30PM, followed by a booksigning. “This is not just a Who’s Who of the Hub....Brett has seen the essence and the soul of the city and brought it to life with his stunning portraits.” – Stan Grossfeld, Boston Globe Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer
"Reading this book will make you proud you're from Boston." - Boston Mayor Menino Brett started his news career hawking the Globe on the street corners of his native Dorchester; by 18, he was working as a part-time photographer at the newspaper. In 1977, he was named Chief Photographer and in 1999, Director of Photography. He retired in 2001 but continues to contribute his work to the paper. His weekly “Party Lines” column was the inspiration for this book.

Wildlife in Newton
	Newton Conservators will offer a lecture/slide show on Living with Wildlife in Newton by Marion Larson on Tuesday, November 15, at 7:00PM at the Library. Newton is a lot wilder than one would imagine as many creatures thought to be confined to more rural areas happily visit or make their home in the Garden City. A wild turkey harassing a postal worker in Newtonville, a moose chase in Newton Corner, a fisher stalking squirrels at a local conservation area and an otter cavorting in a swimming pool in West Newton, are just a few indicators that we share the city with diverse wildlife.
This lecture will review animal habits and provide tips on how to keep a respectful distance from our wild neighbors. Free fact sheets and other materials will be available. Larson is the Information and Education Biologist at the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. For more information on the Conservators, visit www.newtonconservators.org.

“Art and the Alzheimer's Mind”
	John Zeisel will give a presentation on Art and the Alzheimer’s Mind on Wednesday, November 16, at 7:30PM at the Library. Zeisel’s presentation will examine the relationship between art and Alzheimer’s disease and show how art has the ability to revive and utilize emotional memories. He will discuss ways in which the artistic experience, whether in creating or viewing art, can be used to foster a sense of self. Much of the discussion will revolve around the use of modern art as therapy for people with Alzheimer’s. Zeisel is founder of the Hearthstone Alzheimer’s Family Foundation and a founding member of Artists for Alzheimer’s. His background includes sociology and architecture; most recently he updated the text Inquiry by Design: Environment/Behavior/Neuroscience in Architecture, Interiors, Landscape, and Planning. Currently he is collaborating with the Museum of Modern Art in NYC on the design and implementation of a specialized Alzheimer’s museum tour.

Morning Travelog
	Join Julie Smith for a narrated slide show on England by river boat on Thursday, November 17, at 10:30AM at the Library. Smith took a Narrow Boat tour through the locks and along the canals, criss-crossing England at a leisurely pace. She'll share the highlights with the Library audience.

"Understanding Credit"
	Certified Credit Counselor Robert Currier will present a workshop on Understanding Credit at the Library on Thursday, November 17, at 7:30PM. Learn to understand the information on a credit report, how to dispute errors, what a FICO/Beacon score is and how to improve this credit score, the danger signals of pending financial problems and how to rebuild credit history. Currier is the Director of Education for American Consumer Credit Counseling, a non-profit organization.

Energy Action Plan for Newton

The Newton Citizens' Commission on Energy will present an Energy Action Plan for Newton on Monday, November 28, at 7:00PM at the Library. This is an opportunity for citizens to learn about and comment on the Plan developed by the Energy Commission, and to consider measures for its implementation. The forum will begin with opening remarks by Mayor David Cohen. Former Alderman Brooke Lipsitt will moderate a discussion.

Commission member Dr. Halina Brown will introduce the Plan and highlight ways that municipal, residential, commercial and institutional energy users can use less fossil fuel and reduce carbon emissions that contribute to global warming, saving financial and natural resources. The Plan proposes a strategy where our City government can take a strong lead in encouraging, assisting and promoting wise energy use throughout the City.

Brown is Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Clark University.

The program is co-sponsored by the Library, the League of Women Voters of Newton, the Green Decade Coalition and the City of Newton.

Legal Program on Immigrant Labor Law

The Library's Legal Series continues with an Immigrant Worker Outreach program on Monday, November 28, 4 - 5:00PM. The speaker will be from The Fair Labor and Business Practices Division of the Mass. Office of the Attorney General.

The program aims to educate immigrants about their legal rights and how the Office of the Attorney General protects those rights. It will include handouts and a powerpoint presentation which will cover rights, responsibilities and basic terminology.

Economist Benjamin Friedman to Speak on "The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth"

Economist Benjamin Friedman will speak on The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth at the Library on Tuesday, November 29, at 7:30PM, followed by a booksigning with books from New England Mobile Book Fair.

From the author of Day of Reckoning, the acclaimed critique of Reagan’s economic policy, comes this timely book: a persuasive, wide-ranging argument that broadly distributed economic growth provides benefits far beyond the material, creating and strengthening democratic institutions, establishing political stability and enhancing opportunity. This is a major contribution to the ongoing debate on the effects of economic growth and globalization.

“One extreme belief about economic growth is that it is self-evidently its own reward. The opposite extreme is the belief that economic growth is wasteful and dehumanizing. Along comes Ben Friedman to argue calmly, thoroughly and convincingly that rising incomes create an environment favorable to democracy, tolerance and solidarity, while stagnation does the reverse. But government policy matters for the actual outcome and understanding matters for the choice of policy. This is a strong case, and Friedman lays it out with a wealth of historical and international detail.” – Robert Solow, Nobel Prize winner

Friedman is the William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy and former chairman of the Department of Economics at Harvard University. Winner of the George S. Eccles Prize for Excellence in Economic Writing, he has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and New York Review of Books.

Computer Classes

Stop by a Reference Desk (or call 617-796-1380) to learn more about our free computer classes offered such as PC Basics, Internet, Travel Information and Genealogy.

Transition Navigators Wanted

Share the wisdom of your experience with adults age 50+ as they transition to and journey through retirement. Volunteer 6-8 hours/month for one year at the Discovering What's Next Hub (a resource and connection center) opening at the Library November 1. Training begins in late September. Call Jan Latorre-Stiller at SOAR at 617-969-5906, ext. 120 or dwnext@comcast.net.

Booklists Available

Looking for a good book to read or conducting research in a particular area? The Reference Department has compiled many booklists in a variety of subjects: African Americans in American Life, College Admissions, Books for Modern Parents, Buddhism, Day Trips, Gardening Guides, Rise and Fall of Saddam Hussein, Retirement and much more. Ask a Reference librarian at the YA Desk on the second floor for help in locating a list, or click here.

Garden City Cafe, Too!

Stop by our cheerful cafe off the art gallery for coffee, muffins, soups, salads, sandwiches and more, open Monday - Saturday.

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For Your Information

Consider a Gift to the Library

Please help supplement our municipal funding and contribute towards the purchase of books, audio/visual materials or equipment. Send your check, payable to the Trustees, to: Development Office, Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street, Newton, MA 02459. For further information, call 796-1400. Thank you.

To Our Concert Goers:

Please be considerate of the performer today as well as your fellow audience members and refrain from leaving the auditorium during a piece of music. If you have small children with you, please sit in the back rows. If you leave the auditorium between pieces, please close the door quietly behind you and wait to re-enter after a musical piece. Also, if you have a cellphone, please shut if off. Thank you.

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.