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| SPRINGFIELD The City Library has announced the following programs. *** The Mason Square Branch Library offers a book discussion group on the first Friday of the month. August's selection is The Color of Water by James McBride. Come join the discussion on Friday, August 4, from 10 to 11:30, and meet others who also enjoy reading. Upcoming selections include Promises to Keep by Gloria Mallette, to be discussed on September 1. New members are always welcome, and extra copies of the books are available at the Mason Square Branch Library, located at 765 State Street in Springfield. To get a copy of the books or for more information, call 263-6853 or check out the Mason Square Branch Library web page at: http://www.springfieldlibrary.org/branches/ms.html. *** The Noon Hour Book Group meets at the Central Branch of the Springfield City Library, 220 State Street, in the Community Room on the second Tuesday of each month from noon to 1:00 p.m. Newcomers are always welcome! Upcoming selections to be discussed are: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, on August 8; Frida by Barbara Mujica, on September 12; Deception by Denise Mina, on October 10; Life of Pi by Yann Martel, on November 14; and Every Thing is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, on December 12. To get an advance copy of the book or for more information, please contact Linda at 413-263-6828, ext. 221 or email Lgrodofsky@springfieldlibrary.org. *** "Cinema at Central," a film series, continues at the Springfield City Library's main branch, located at 220 State Street. The series features a wide variety of award-winning foreign and independent films. On August 7 at 6 p.m., watch Campfire / Medurat Hashevet, an Israeli production directed by Joseph Cedar. Rachel Gerlik, a 42 year-old widowed mother of two beautiful teenage daughters, wants to join the founding group of a new religious settlement in the West Bank. The problem is that the settlement's acceptance committee won't approve her unless she remarries and demonstrates that she and her daughters can meet the group's religious and ideological standards. When Tami, her youngest daughter, is accused of seducing some boys from her youth movement, Rachel is forced to weigh her allegiances. Only Yossi, a 50 year-old bachelor and the new man in Rachel's life, can show Rachel that living as an outcast is not as bad as it seems. The film, in Hebrew with English subtitles, won the Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, 2004 awards of the Israeli Film Academy. Then, on August 26 at 2 p.m., watch the defiantly non-PC road movie Aaltra, directed by, and starring Benoît Delépine and Gustave de Kervern. The Belgian production is about two neighbors who come to blows one day on a farm and get tangled up in an agricultural tractor, leaving them both paralyzed, wheelchair-bound, and simmering with spite. But rather than feel sorry for themselves, the embittered paraplegics decide to seek revenge against the tractor's manufacturer. They take to the road, redirecting their frustrations with their plights towards the people they meet on the way to Helsinki. For details and more information about the featured films, visit the film series website, http://www.springfieldlibrary.org/cinemacentral.html, or call the library's reference desk at 263-6828, ext. 213. The films will be shown in the Central Library's Community Room. Seating is limited for this free program, and will be available on a first come, first served basis. Snacks will be provided. This film series is made possible by state funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. *** Teens are invited to play Dance Dance Revolution, or DDR, at the library on July 29 from 11:30 to 12:30. DDR is a video game wildly popular with teens, and unlike traditional video games, DDR is a dancing game where players try to match steps and moves with what they see on a screen in order to score points. This free program will be held at the Forest Park Branch Library, 380 Belmont Avenue. To sign up for this program or for more information, call 263-6843 or drop by the library. The Summer Reading Club is sponsored by the Friends of the Springfield Library, Inc., The Service League Foundation, the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. *** Tired of sitting along the side of the road while everybody else is speeding down the information highway? Sign up for a free introductory computer class at the Springfield City Library by stopping by the Reference Desk in Wellman Hall at the Central Library, 220 State Street, or by calling 263-6828, ext. 213. All classes will be held in the Central Library's computer lab, conveniently located on the ground level near the State Street entrance. August's classes are Keyboard Creations with Microsoft WORD and Internet 101 Welcome to the Web. Keyboard Creations will show you how to create a word processing document, including how to edit, format, cut and paste, save to disc, and print. These are great skills for typing letters, school papers, resumés, poetry, menus, and flyers. Sign up for a class on August 9, at 6 p.m., or August 10, at 10 a.m. The Internet 101 class is for people with little or no computer experience, just a willingness to learn about the Internet in the library's state-of-the-art computer lab. Topics include how to log on to the library's website, how to use a browser, and how to efficiently search for specific websites on the World Wide Web. Participants have two options for the Internet 101 class: August 16, at 6 p.m., or August 17, at 10 a.m. For more information or to register, please call Anna at 263-6828, ext. 426. *** Poetry lovers, rejoice! Read, recite, and listen to poems when the Springfield City Library hosts an open microphone event on the Quadrangle, behind the Central Library, 220 State Street, on August 19 at 12 noon. Advance sign-ups are recommended to read, but audience members just need to bring a lunch and something to sit on for this free program. Poetry readings can be in any language. All ages are welcome, and readings should be "family-friendly." Local poet and songwriter Crystal Senter Brown hosts the events. The open mic event follows up on the great interest in the Library's poetry contest, which drew over 600 entries. For more information or to sign up to read, call Anna at 263-6828, ext. 426, or email poetry@SpringfieldLibrary.org. |