Puzzle Maps, Fabric Paintings & Other
Recent Work by Chuck Plaisted, December 4-30

African Literatures Discussion Group, led by Anne Serafin, explores the rich variety of writings from Africa. The group usually meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 7:30 pm in room A. Next meeting: Wednesday, December 19 at 7:30 pm in Room A to discuss: I Think of You – a collection of stories by Ahdaf Soueif from Egypt. Info call: 617-527-1072.

Children’s Book Writer’s Groups are for writers who have work in progress. Pre-registration required. Maria Gianferrari (781-891-0153) leads the group that meets on the first Monday of the month at 7:00 pm in Room A. Next meeting: December 3. Karen Day (617-244-4830) leads the group that meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm in Room A. Next meeting: December 26.

Commonwealth Book Club focuses on books from the U. K. and former colonies. Next meeting: Tuesday, December 18, at 7:30 pm in Room B to discuss Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones. Info contact:
Chris Wangler at cwangler@minlib.net or 781-588-0149.

Contemporary Books Discussion Group

Contemporary Books Discussion Group holds meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at 7:30 in Room A. Info call: Marilyn Miller 617-332-4225. Next meeting: Wednesday, December 5, 7:15 pm to discuss Restless by William Boyd.


Contemporary Books 2007 - 2008 Reading List

Great Books Discussion Group meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:15 in Room A. Members read and discuss books or selected excerpts, some published by the Great Books Foundation. Some are available at the Library. Next meeting: Tuesday, December 11 to discuss, Barn Burning by Faulkner. Info call: Ruth Greene at 617-527-4143.

Newton Camera Club meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7:30 pm at the Nonantum Branch (September through May) to share and discuss photography. The programs include a range of highly-regarded outside speakers, club member presentations, and competitions. For more information, visit www.newtoncameraclub.org.

Sequences: Women Tell Our Stories, a supportive, creative group, meets in a congenial atmosphere to read fiction, essays or poetry and discuss and write responses to the material. Led by Robin Mayer Stein, poet and journalist, the group meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 10:00 am in room A. Next meeting: December 12.

Short Fiction Writing Group is a workshop geared for published writers and those actively pursuing publication. Pre-registration is required, call 617-332-3347. The group meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm in Room A. Next meeting: December 4.

Short Story Discussion Group usually holds its meetings on the 2nd Monday of the month at 7:30 pm in Room A. Group co-leaders are Mary Lanigan (617-527-1505) and Barbara McGinley. Next meeting: December 10 to discuss Summer With Twins by Rebecca Curtis from the O. Henry Prize Stories 2007 and What Feels Like the World by Richard Bausch from The Best American Short Stories.

Singing Group is for singers of all levels who enjoy singing classical and popular music. It meets monthly on Saturday afternoons, Noon – 1:30 pm in the Druker Auditorium. They will not meet in December. Info call: Miriam Simen at 617-244-6705.

Women in Career Transition. Led by career counselor Joyce Picard, this group, in its third year, provides sharing and information for women in career transition. It focuses on goals, allowing time to share concerns and gain support. For more information call 617-332-7600. The group regularly meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm in room A. Next meeting: Tuesday, December 18.

Join violinist Katherine Winterstein and pianist Inessa Zartesky for an afternoon of Beethoven on Sunday, December 9 at 2:00 pm at the Library.

Violinist Katherine Winterstein enjoys a wide range of musical endeavors, as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, soloist, and teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Eastman School and a Master’s from Boston University’s School for the Arts. Ms. Winterstein is the concertmaster of the Vermont Symphony, the assistant concertmaster of the Portland Symphony, and she performs regularly with the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. She has performed in numerous music series from Washington DC to Boston, Virginia and beyond.

Born in Russia, Inessa Zaretsky began her piano training at age six at the Gnesin Music School and went on to the Moscow Conservatory College. At the age of nine, she was first prize winner in the Moscow Young Artists Piano Competition.

After immigrating to the United States, she went to Mannes College, where she completed her Master’s and was the winner of the Mannes Concerto Competition. She has performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Israel, Mexico and Canada. Also a composer, she is the recipient of the coveted “Commission: USA - 2000” grant from the “Meet the Composer” Foundation. Ms. Zaretsky is on the piano faculty of the Mannes College of Music.

Colleen Katsuki, piano and Frank Graves, violin will give a concert of Franz Schubert, Ludvig von Beethoven and Cesar Franck at the Newton Free Library on Sunday, December 16 at 2:00 pm.

Frank Graves studied violin in Vienna, Austria under Guenter Pichler, the former concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic, Harry Farbman and Jean Piguet. He was a member of the National Symphony Orchestra in 1976-77 under Mstislav Rostropovich. He has appeared in recitals at the Longy School of Music and the Gardner Museum. He is an active freelance player in the Boston area.

Colleen Katsuki has delighted audiences throughout New England and New York as a collaborative pianist. She has performed with numerous violinists, pianists and clarinetists as well as with the New England Philharmonic and the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra. A student of Mary Sauer, pianist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she also studied with the renowned Hungarian coach, Dusi Mura and with Anthony di Bonaventrua at Boston University.

 

Mirlande Butler’s seductive and enthralling voice has won over many hearts. Originally from Haiti, she often represented her town at national talent shows and went on to appear in various concerts in France, Brazil and the United States. She will give a concert at the Newton Free Library on Tuesday, December 18 at 7:00 pm.

Mirlande recently produced a delightful recording, with 13 tuneful and notable songs made famous by internationally known stars such as Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour. She is the founder of Eritaj, a non-profit community foundation, based in Framingham and Port au Prince, Haiti which is dedicated to promoting education and human development in Haiti through research and advocacy. Proceeds from CD sales benefit the foundation. Information on Eritaj Foundation will be on display in the second floor cases at the library throughout December.

The Ibis Camerata was formed under the auspices of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in 2001 and has garnered much attention with audiences and critics in the U. S. and around the world. They command a varied repertoire and perform rarely heard classical masterpieces, works by contemporary composers and non-conventional pieces such as tango and jazz. They have been recognized as one of North America’s premier young ensembles. and have given critically acclaimed performances in festivals and cities worldwide. A duo from the Camerata will perform at the Newton Free Library on Sunday, December 30 at 2:00 pm.

Biljana Milovanovic, piano and harpsichord, is a native of Belgrade, Serbia and is a founding member of Ibis Camerata. She holds numerous first prizes from international competitions and has performed both as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe and the United States. Her performances can be heard on many public radio stations in the United States, as well as on TV and radio in Europe.

Christopher Graham, clarinet holds B.M. and D.M.A. degrees from the University of Miami and a M.M. from the Royal Academy of Music in London. In Boston, he has performed at Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall and Sanders Theater at Harvard. He has participated in numerous summer festivals including the Tanglewood Institute and has performed with orchestras in the U. S and beyond. He is on the faculty of the New World School of the Arts in Miami.

The Trustees of the Newton Free Library will hold an Open House on Sunday, December 2, 2007, 4:30 – 6:30 pm, at the library, to thank Kathy Glick-Weil for her fourteen years of service as Director. A festive tribute, open to the public, is planned. The main lobby of the library will be named in her honor. Kathy is retiring in January, 2008, and relocating to Pennsylvania with her husband, Gordon Weil. Contributions to honor Kathy can be made to the Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street, Newton, MA 02459. For more information, contact the Development Office at 617-796-1407.

Join Newton resident Maryann O’Connor, a QuickBooks® Certified ProAdvisor who has been working with small businesses for almost 25 years, for a program entitled, Introduction to Quickbooks on Monday, December 3 at 7:00 pm. Ms. O’Connor holds an MBA from Bentley College and has worn many hats over the course of her career.

QuickBooks® is one of the most popular accounting software programs available to small business owners. It provides an easy way to track sales and expenses so that you will be better organized come tax time. This introductory course will help you:

•decide which version of QuickBooks® is best for your business
•set up accounts, items, customers, and vendors
•understand the basic steps of paying bills and invoicing customers, and
•reconcile your monthly bank statements

ACCION USA is a private, nonprofit organization that provides microloans and other financial services to low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs that are unable to access bank credit for their businesses. With economic opportunity these entrepreneurs, primarily minorities and women, can build assets, better provide for their families, and strengthen their communities. Join ACCION USA's staff to test your personal financial literacy and learn more about the work that ACCION USA is doing to foster economic development in New England in a program at the Newton Free Library on Tuesday, December 4 at 7:00 pm.

Join Marc Songini for a talk on his new book, The Lost Fleet, on Wednesday, December 5 at 7:00 pm. A book signing will follow with books provided by New England Mobile Book Fair.

Marc Songini is a Boston-area journalist whose work has appeared in the Boston Book Review, the Boston Herald, and the Boston Globe. In The Lost Fleet Songini explores the life of one of the most fascinating men in maritime history, Connecticut native Captain Thomas William Williams.

Captain Williams' adventures on the high seas—with his wife and infant children—are the stuff of legends. The Lost Fleet's thrilling narrative recounts Williams' startling career, including a daring escape from the Confederate privateer Alabama and a daring rescue and salvage of lost ships off Alaska's coast. A family saga, this book is a true narrative of adventure and death on the high seas and a detailed and well-researched look at the demise of Yankee whaling; an historical masterpiece.

On Thursday, December 6 at 7:00 pm facilitator Jim Rose will explain how you can achieve greater efficiency and productivity in the workplace while at the same time developing more peaceful relationships and peace of mind. Jim brings 35 years of experience in Human Resources management, employee development and conflict resolution to this talk. Mr. Rose travels the world explaining techniques and approaches for improving performance, relieving stress and managing conflict through meditation. These techniques are effective tools for both one's professional and personal life. Mr. Rose holds an M Ed., from Rutgers University and is a retired executive of Johnson & Johnson.

Robert Kuttner has established himself as one of our most lucid economic and political critics in his books, BusinessWeek, The Boston Globe and The American Prospect. Now, with his new release, The Squandering of America, he delves deeper, illuminating how the elite domination of American politics makes society less democratic and prosperous, and our economic system more vulnerable to serious shocks. Kuttner will speak at the Newton Free Library on Monday, December 10 at 7:00 pm. A book signing will follow with books provided by New England Mobile Book Fair.

In the The Squandering of America, Kuttner presents an articulate and powerfully persuasive argument that flies in the face of the political and financial establishments. He explains how our deregulated economy, dominated by financial engineers, not only leaves individuals and families less secure, but places the whole system at greater risk. Kuttner shows that supposed economic hazards such as the costs of Social Security and Medicare actually have straightforward remedies, while the more serious risks of an ever more speculative private economy are widely ignored. Returning to politics, Kuttner points the way to a very different path for citizens to Kuttner points the way to a very different path for citizens to reclaim an economy of broad, secure prosperity.

Photo: Carolina Manero

Photo: Doug Sahlin

Robert Gussin is CEO of Oceanview Publishing. Their mission is to provide writers with the ‘small publisher’ size allowing the author and publisher to work closely together, coupled with a larger publisher approach of providing significant marketing, publicity and advertising support for their books. On Tuesday, December 11 at 7:00 pm in a talk entitled, Everything You Wanted to Know About Publishing (But Didn't Know Who To Ask), Bob and his wife Pat Gussin will share tips, advice and insights for aspiring writers.

Pat Gussin is the author of Shadow of Death, which was nominated for Best First Novel in the International Thriller Writers “Thriller” awards.

Robert Gussin has authored a number of scientific publications and has contributed several chapters to academic textbooks.

 

In their new book, THE FAITH BETWEEN US: A Jew and a Catholic Search for the Meaning of God, failed Jewish mystic Peter Bebergal and former wannabe Catholic priest Scott Korb seek to answer the question: How real is faith? The program will be held on Wednesday, December 12 at 7:30 pm and will be followed by a book signing with books provided by New England Mobile Book Fair.

In THE FAITH BETWEEN US, the authors discuss finding religious meaning in the world around them, the moral implications of decisions both personal and political, their different religious cultures, and how their lives have been shaped by the pursuit of an authentic, livable faith.

Peter Bebergal graduated from Brandeis University and the Harvard Divinity School. He teaches writing at Simmons College.

Scott Korb is a graduate of Union Seminary and Columbia University. He has written for Harper’s, Gastronomica, the Revealer, and Commonweal.

 

The awareness of crystals as tools and allies for self-healing and the expansion of consciousness, which began in the early 1980s, has reached deeper levels of understanding in the expanded edition of the best-selling, pictorial encyclopedia by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian, The Book of Stones: Who They Are and What They Teach. The book's first edition was the winner of the 2006 COVR award and a finalist of the ForeWord Book of the Year and the IPPY awards. Robert Simmons will give a special presentation followed by a book signing on Thursday, December 13 at 7:00 pm.

In his talk, Robert will touch on the similarity of Moldavite to the fabled Stone of the Holy Grail, and the resonance of the high vibration stones such as Azeztulite with the legendary Philosopher’s Stone of Alchemy. There will be special meditative exercises, an opportunity to discuss the qualities of stones and crystals, and to learn about their correspondences with the chakras, their lore and history, and capacity to facilitate spiritual, emotional and physical healing.

Robert Simmons and his wife Kathy Warner are co-founders of The Crystal Conference, an annual teaching seminar that brings together the leading teachers, practitioners and crystal healers from around the world.