Current Programs- In Person
Check out these programs coming in November. Click the links to register where necessary.
Drop-In Tech Help with WMA Students
Fridays, Nov. 1, 3, 15 & 22 from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Not available Nov. 29.
Need help setting up an email account, updating your phone, or figuring out a new device? Students from Wilbraham & Monson Academy (WMA) will be at the library to assist with technology-related questions. No registration required.
Assistance is available on a first come, first served basis. Please bring any relevant devices and log-in/password information.
Finger Loop Braiding
Saturday, Nov. 2 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Join the staff of Castle Nitor for a fun lesson on finger loop braiding. Learn to braid cords that can divide and go flat. Make a belt, bookmark, zipper pull, or more. Take home a new treasure that you made on your own!
Registration is required and space is limited. Sponsored by the Wilbraham Friends of the Library.
Handmade Style: Learn to Draft and Sew Your Own Morning Glory Top
Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Discover the art of mindful sewing in this hands-on workshop where you'll learn to draft and hand-sew your own Morning Glory top. Ideal for beginners and seasoned sewers looking to expand their skills, this session will guide you through creating a custom-fit paper pattern using your own measurements. You'll get familiar with essential sewing terms like French seams and practice basic hand-stitching techniques to bring your project to life.
All participants will leave this workshop with their own personalized Morning Glory top pattern, instructions, a hand sewing kit, and a small hand-sewn (by you) carry bag so you are ready to continue your sewing journey.
Note: The Morning Glory Top is a free open-source pattern designed by the very talented Sarah Kristen: https://sarkirsten.com/morning-glory-top
Registration is required as space is limited.
The O-Tones Concert
Wednesday, November 13 at 6:00 p.m.
Join us for a concert by the O-Tones, a hot Swing, Blues, & Soul/Motown band, that appeals to all ages. With lots of soul, they’ll melt your hearts & get your feet dancing. Performing across New England since 1990, their setlists include Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone and many more. This performance features John Caban on guitar & vocals, Mary Witt as vocals & bass, and Ben Kohn on piano.
Sponsored in part by a grant from the Wilbraham Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency and the Wilbraham Friends of the Library.
Registration is encouraged but not required. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
Current Programs- Virtual
Check out these programs coming in November. Click the links to register where necessary.
Author & Historian Toni Mount Discusses How to Survive in Tudor England
Saturday, Nov. 2 from 10:00 - 11:15 a.m.
Imagine you're transported back to Tudor England and had to start a new life there, without smartphones or social media. How will you know where you are or where to go? Where will you live and where will you work? And who can you turn to if you fall ill, or God forbid if you upset the king? In a period when execution by beheading was the fate of thousands, how can you keep your head in Tudor England? We're thrilled to welcome author and historian, Toni Mount, as she discusses how it was done and what we would need to do if time travel ever became a thing and we had an opportunity to travel back. This is going to be a fascinating conversation!
RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.
Presented in partnership with the Ashland Public Library.About How to Survive in Tudor England:
Embark on a journey to Tudor England with this self-help guide that offers engaging tips and insights for navigating the challenges of the 16th century.
Imagine you were transported back in time to Tudor England and had to start a new life there, without smartphones, internet, or social media. When transport means walking or, if you’re lucky, horseback, how will you know where you are or where to go? Where will you live and where will you work? What will you eat and what shall you wear? And who can you turn to if you fall ill or are mugged in the street, or God forbid if you upset the king? In a period when execution by beheading was the fate of thousands how can you keep your head in Tudor England?
All these questions and many more are answered in this new guidebook for time-travellers: How to Survive in Tudor England. A handy self-help guide with tips and suggestions to make your visit to the 16th century much more fun, this lively and engaging book will help the reader deal with the new experiences they may encounter and the problems that might occur.
Banking During the Holidays: What You Need to Know To Keep Your Money Safe
Monday, Nov. 4 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Representatives of Needham Bank will discuss how to get through the holidays with your money and sanity intact! We'll be chatting about topics ranging from protecting your credit and debit cards, saving for the holidays, strategies to budget for the holiday season and not overspend, and watching out for holiday scams. Whether you are familiar with Needham Bank or not, they'll be sharing tips and tricks to make sure you come out of the holidays with less stress and more joy. There is something for everyone and every age so we hope you can join us for this important conversation and Q&A.
RECORDING NOTE: This program will NOT be recorded.
Presented in partnership with the Ashland Public Library.
Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction
Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Author Jerry Brotton will discuss his book, Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction. As we head into the busy holiday travels, don't you wonder about where you are going and why? How did the four directions— North, South, East, and West— come to be? Whether you are directionally challenged or savvy, this program is for you! Jerry will be answering these and so many other directional questions.
RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.
Presented in partnership with the Ashland Public Library.
About the Book: From the New York Times bestselling author of A History of the World in 12 Maps, this is the revelatory history of the four cardinal directions that have oriented and defined our place on the globe for millennia.
North, south, east, and west: almost all societies use these four cardinal directions to orientate themselves and to understand who they are by projecting where they are. For millennia, these four directions have been foundational to our travel, navigation, and exploration, and are central to the imaginative, moral, and political geography of virtually every culture in the world. Yet they are far more subjective—and sometimes contradictory—than we might realize.
Four Points of the Compass takes us on a journey of directional discovery. Societies have understood and defined directions in very different ways based on their locations in time and space. Historian Jerry Brotton reveals why Hebrew culture privileges east; why Renaissance Europeans began drawing north at the top of their maps; why early Islam revered the south; why the Aztecs used five color-coded cardinal directions; and why no societies, primitive or modern, have ever orientated themselves westwards. In doing so, politically-loaded but widely used terms such as the “Middle East,” the “Global South,” the “West Indies,” the “Orient,” and even the “western world” take on new meanings. Who decided on these terms and what do they mean for geopolitics? How have directions like “east” and “west” taken on the status of cultural identities—or more accurately stereotypes?