If you're making purchases on #CyberMonday, don't forget that you can designate that a portion of your sales go toward the Tolland Public Library Foundation through AmazonSmile.
www.surveymonkey.com
Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.Congratulations to Rochelle Cormier, a Tolland student, who won a Barnes and Noble Nook e-reader from the Tolland Public Library Foundation at its booth at the Celebrate Tolland festival in September.
In an unusual twist, this is the second year in a row that Rochelle won the Nook at the library foundation's drawing. Congrats to her on her good luck.
Thank you to Olivia Regen from the Journal Inquirer for writing about the new Hoopla service at the Tolland Public Library, which was funded with a grant from the Tolland Public Library Foundation.
Read all about it at:
www.journalinquirer.com/towns/tolland/tolland-library-offers-digital-media-service/article_61da10...
That’s awesome!
Library Launches Free Digital Media Service
Thanks to a grant from the Tolland Public Library Foundation, the Tolland Public Library is now offering the Hoopla digital media service that allows library card holders to borrow movies, TV shows and other media on a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week basis.
Library patrons can choose from thousands of titles and borrow movies, music, audiobooks, e-books, comics and TV shows and enjoy them on their computer, tablet, phone or even their TV. With no waiting, titles can be streamed immediately or downloaded to phones or tablets to be enjoyed offline later.
Before signing up, they can browse the choices, which include e-books by Joe Hill, Janet Evanovich and Alexander McCall Smith, and movies such as “Dumbo,” “Pet Sematary” and “Poms,” at www.midwesttape.com/hoopla.
To use Hoopla, visit tolland.org/library and click on the Hoopla icon. Patrons will be asked to create a Hoopla account. Once they have done so, they choose Tolland Public Library and then sign in with their active Tolland Public Library card number. Then they can browse the offerings, just as they would during a visit to the library, and start downloading or streaming content.
For free, Tolland library patrons can download or stream up to two digital media selections a month per active library card. Drop by the library and ask a staff member to show you how to use Hoopla or if you have questions, call the library at 860-871-3620.
It was a pleasure for the Tolland Public Library Foundation to host author and journalist Susan Campbell tonight for a talk about her new book, "Frog Hollow: Stories from an American Neighborhood." The audience of 40 included about a half dozen people who had grown up in the neighborhood in Hartford. They shared fond memories of their time there. Susan regaled us with tales from Frog Hollow, which she called 35 blocks that just won't give up.
Her book chronicles its ups and downs, including its heyday as an industrial powerhouse where sewing machines, bikes and even electric cars were made, as well as the years when violent gangs held sway on its streets. Susan called herself an accidental author who gets interested in a topic and then obsessed about it until she's able to write a book about it. She said she remains hopeful because she sees proof that the American Dream still exists in Frog Hollow.
Susan Campbell is a one-woman Broadway show.
Excellent presentation. Susan Campbell is a wonderful speaker as well as author.
Thank you so much for having me. What a great crowd and I loved the conversation.
Happy National Library Week! We know we appreciate Tolland Public Library Director Barbara Pettijohn and her staff for all they do to serve the residents of Tolland.
Here are some fun facts about librarians.
9 facts about librarians you probably didn't know
www.cnn.com
They preserve history. They can be very well paid. They even help spies. In honor of National Library Week, here are some facts about librarians that might surprise you.Four talented journalists regaled an enthusiastic crowd at the Tolland Public Library tonight with stories from their careers, encouraged the audience members to write op-ed pieces and emphasized the importance of a free press in our democracy.
They were James Herbert Smith, the editor, and columnists Jacqueline Smith, Maureen Croteau and Carolyn Lumsden, who were discussing their book, "Opinionated Women in the Land of Steady Habits."
Jacky Smith, from Hearst Connecticut Media, said in her columns, she seeks to write about universal truths from particular situations. Croteau, head of the University of Connecticut Journalism Department, described being one of the first female reporters at the Hartford Times in the early 1970s and being told she couldn't go out and cover a riot. She eventually convinced the editor to send her. "If you could do then the job then, you could do the job,'' she said.
In the first photo are Lumsden, the former editorial page editor of the Hartford Courant, at left, and Jacky Smith; second, Jacky and Jim Smith; third, Croteau; fourth, Croteau and Lumsden; fifth, Jacky Smith gives an autographed copy of the book to Marie K. Shanahan, an associate professor of journalism at UConn.
Two writers and the editor of a book of columns from 63 women journalists from Connecticut, “Opinionated Women in the Land of Steady Habits,” will discuss the book on April 4 at 7 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library at 21 Tolland Green.
Editor James Herbert Smith and Jacqueline Smith, Hearst Connecticut Media’s editorial page editor at The News-Times in Danbury and The Norwalk Hour, and Maureen Croteau, a professor of journalism and the longtime head of the University of Connecticut Journalism Department, will take part in the free talk sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation.
The talk is part of the foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
James Smith is a retired newspaper editor, past president of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors, a member of the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame and past president of the non-profit Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information.
In the book, he has included newspaper columns by women journalists published between the 1950s, with one flashback to 1828, and the present day. The columns cover topics from the #metoo movement to health care, fashion, sports, politics, art and nature, with history, clarity, honesty and humor.
Jacqueline Smith’s entries include a touching column for The News-Times about sending her first daughter off to college, a forceful call in The Meriden Record-Journal in 2000 for the Polish Elks club to stop holding a “stag” dinner and a powerful column about gun control in The News-Times in 2015.
The work of Croteau, who is a member of the Connecticut Journalism Hall of Fame, includes a moving 1987 column in The Day of New London about a condolence call on the widow of a neighbor. Her entertaining column about a man with a seemingly endless saga involving the state Department of Motor Vehicles, published in The Hartford Times in 1972, and her reaction to paparazzi as bounty hunters, not journalists, written in the Hartford Courant in 1997 after the death of Diana, princess of Wales, are also featured.
Other columnists featured are Maura Casey of The Day; Michele Jacklin, Karen Hunter, Gina Barreca, Jenifer Frank, Carolyn Lumsden, Helen Ubinas, Claire Smith and Susan Campbell of the Courant; the late Lisa Chedekel, Deb Waldman and Katherine Weber of the New Haven Register and Faith Vincent Middleton of the Journal Inquirer in Manchester.
Please register for the talk by calling the library at 860-871-3620 or online at tolland.org/library.
Pictured, left to right: James Herbert Smith, Jacqueline Smith and Maureen Croteau
He included also Marge Hoskin who's 85 and has written more than 1,000 "Quiet Corner Whispers" for the Norwich Bulletin. THANK YOU ALL, and thsnks Jim.
Attention parents of children in grades 2 to 5: do you want your children exposed to coding in a fun way with an adorable robot named Dash? The Tolland Public Library is now accepting registration for an event on April 16 at 11 a.m. for students to be introduced to coding with Dash. Space is limited, so register your child now by calling the library at 860-871-3620 or online at www.eventkeeper.com/mars/xpages/T/TOLLAND/ekp.cfm?curOrg=TOLLAND#5919623.
Dash and another robot named Dot were recently purchased using a grant from the Tolland Public Library Foundation as part of the Maker Space that it has outfitted in the library.
Did you know that the Tolland Public Library Foundation provided the funds for the 3D printer and other equipment in the library's Maker Space? These snowflakes are among the items that can be made on the printer. Just call the library at 860-871-3620 to set up an appointment for you and your family to try out the 3D printer.
Did you know that the Tolland Public Library Foundation provided the funds for the 3D printer and other equipment in the library's Maker Space? These snowflakes are among the items that can be made on the printer. Just call the library at 860-871-3620 to set up an appointment for you and your family to try out the 3D printer.
Congrats to Rochelle Cormier, 11, of Tolland, who recently won a drawing for a Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader that was sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation.
Rochelle stopped by the Foundation's booth and entered the drawing at the Celebrate Tolland festival in September.
To honor the service of the Tolland Public Library Foundation's founding president Betty-Lou Griffin, the Foundation board of directors recently donated funds for the installation of interactive wall games at the Tolland Public Library.
The Foundation thanks Betty-Lou for her many years of service, from 1996 at the Foundation's founding until 2017. The interactive games were selected as a way to honor Betty-Lou because of her longstanding interest in the arts and in children's programs at the library.
In addition to the games, she is also being honored with the establishment of the Betty-Lou Griffin Experience the Arts series, which will bring continuing arts programs to the library for Tolland residents and library patrons. Under her leadership, the Foundation had already offered workshops in anime, cartooning and zentangle. The series is being organized by volunteer Kristen Morgan. Though she stepped down from the board in 2017, Betty-Lou is continuing to serve as a volunteer, offering her advice to the board members.
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
You are awesome
👏
A wonderful way to honor Betty-Lou! Just so glad that people love these
Wonderful recognition! Thanks for your hard work Betty-Lou!
Very proud to call you my friend .
Oliver loves these Betty-Lou! Thanks!
Thanks, Georgiana. It’s hard to believe it’s been 21 years.
A wonderful article honoring the services you've provided to the library! Congratulations, Betty-Lou!
A fantastic way to honor someone who has done so much for our community. Thank you Betty-Lou S. Griffin!
Congratulations Betty-Lou! Tolland is lucky to have you!!
An enthusiastic crowd of 25 people gained insider knowledge on the world of traditional publishing from young adult author Dawn Metcalf at the Tolland Public Library tonight. Dawn covered such topics as finding other authors to critique your book, how to write a query letter to an agent and how best to use social media to promote your book. She recommends reading the acknowledgements in books to see which authors are represented by which agents and thoroughly researching an agent before writing them. "Write the book you know they will want to have on their shelf,'' she said.
"Getting Published" Talk set for Nov. 27 in Tolland
If you’ve ever thought of publishing a book, the Tolland Public Library Foundation has the perfect talk for you on Tuesday, Nov. 27 when young adult author Dawn Metcalf will share her advice on “Getting Published.”
Metcalf will discuss the world of traditional publishing, including “the terms, resources, methods and madness” for writers aged 13 to 103! The free talk will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the library at 21 Tolland Green in Tolland as part of the foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
Registration is required and can be done by calling the library at 860-871-3620 or by registering online at tolland.org/library.
Metcalf, of north-central Connecticut, is the author of “Luminous,” a paranormal fantasy, and “Indelible,” “Invisible,” “Insidious” and “Invincible,” books in her series about a fantasy world known as “the Twixt.”
The author series has brought Pulitzer Prize winners Dan Barry and Steven G. Smith to Tolland as well as writers Susan Campbell, Denis Horgan, Caragh O’Brien, Dom Amore, Jeff Goldberg, P.W. Catanese, Cindy Rodriguez, Susan Schoenberger, Jane Haddam and Lucy Anne Hurston.
Thank you to young adult author Steven Parlato for an entertaining and illuminating book talk tonight. He said many young adult books have dark themes, but that can be a safe way for teens to deal with issues or learn to be sympathetic toward others who are facing serious problems. He also read compelling chapters from his books, "The Namesake" and" The Precious Dreadful."
Young adult author Steven Parlato, who spoke at the Tolland Public Library about his first book in 2014, will return Thursday, Sept. 27 to discuss his second book, “The Precious Dreadful.”
Parlato is a published poet, author, artist and an associate professor of English at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, where he also lives. He will speak at the library at 21 Tolland Green at 6:30 p.m. The talk is sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation as part of its Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
Parlato won the 2011 Tassy Walden Award for Young Adult Manuscript from the Connecticut Shoreline Arts Alliance for his first novel, “The Namesake,” which was published in 2013.
His latest book follows teen protagonist Teddi Adler and unveils the romantic and dramatic consequences that unfold when she joins a library literary group called “SUMMERTEENS.”
Combining romance and humor with elements of the paranormal, the book’s been called a profound novel about one teenage girl’s decision to redefine her life in the wake of supernatural events. Parlato says the book is intended for teens 14 and up.
The talk is free, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register at tolland.org.library.
Since 2010, the EDK series has brought well-known authors to Tolland, including Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Dan Barry and Steven G. Smith, Jane Haddam, Dom Amore, Chris Knopf, Caragh O’Brien, Dawn Metcalf, Susan Campbell, Denis Horgan, Jeff Goldberg, Cindy Rodriguez, Susan Schoenberger and Lucy Anne Hurston.
Tolland Public Library Foundation updated their website address.
A knowledgeable crowd of 30 baseball fans turned out tonight for a terrific book talk by Dom Amore, author of "A Franchise on the Rise: The First Twenty Years of The New York Yankees."
In one touching moment, Louise Schott of Tolland showed Dom a tie that Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen had given to her brother, Frank Leja. Frank, a first baseman from Holyoke, played in 26 games for the Yankees in 1954-55. After the talk, Dom was able to identify some of her brother's teammates in a photo, and he promised to get back to Louise with the names of the other players that he didn't immediately recognize.
Author Dom Amore reports that his book on the first twenty years of the Yankees is selling so well that he won't have very many copies to sell at his free book talk this Thursday, July 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library.
It can be purchased online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Dom says if you can buy it before his talk, he'll sign it Thursday.
To attend, please register by calling the library at 860-871-3620 or online at tolland.org/library.
Sportswriter to discuss book on the first two decades of the New York Yankees in Tolland on July 26
Baseball fans won’t want to miss award-winning Hartford Courant sportswriter Dom Amore when he comes to the Tolland Public Library on July 26 to Tolland Public Library to discuss his book, “A Franchise on the Rise: The First Twenty Years of the New York Yankees.”
The talk will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the library at 21 Tolland Green as part of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.�
In its 115 years, the team has won a league-leading 27 world championships. Amore takes readers back in time to the era from 1903 to 1923, including the Yankees’ first ten years as the Highlanders, the move to Yankee Stadium and their first World Series in 1923.�
Amore vividly recounts the snowy night that Honus Wagner was offered twenty crisp $1,000 bills to join the new franchise in New York; the story behind the holes punched in the outfield fence to facilitate the stealing of signs in 1909, and why the team thought it may have had the next big superstar in a college football player named George Halas.
Amore is a twenty-year member of the Baseball Writers Association of America who has been writing about sports for Connecticut newspapers since 1982. He has written for the Courant since 1988, covering the Yankees, Major League Baseball and baseball at all levels for much of that time. He has been named Connecticut Sportswriter of the Year four times by the National Sports Media Association and has won more than thirty state, local and national journalism awards. �
The book includes a foreword by John Sterling, who has been the radio voice of the Yankees since 1989.
The talk is free, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
An appreciative crowd of about 40 people enjoyed a talk tonight by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Steven G. Smith of the UConn Journalism department. He showed some of his extraordinary photos from his book about Connecticut's Quiet Corner, "Under the Dark Sky: Life in the Thames River Basin." Smith also challenged members of the audience to do what they can to preserve the land and natural beauty of the region. The talk was sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation as part of its Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series. The book, which features 92 photos from southern Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut, is available on Amazon and from Wesleyan University Press. Steve thoughtfully donated one of his prints that will be hung in the library.
It was wonderful. What a gift to have. We can’t wait for your Yankee one. I’m so glad to sign up for author events like this. I go to some at Mark Twain where I volunteer occasionally and they are great. Great job
The Tolland Public Library Foundation still has seats available for photojournalist Steven G. Smith's free book talk this Wednesday, June 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library at 21 Tolland Green.
For a taste of his beautiful photography, here's a video he produced showing some of his images that are included in his book about eastern Connecticut: "Under the Dark Sky, Life in the Thames River Basin."
Registration is required. To register, please call the library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist's talk at the Tolland Public Library has been rescheduled to June 13
Steven G. Smith, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, will speak at the Tolland Public Library on June 13 about his new book, “Under the Dark Sky: Life in the Thames River Basin.”
Smith will speak at 6:30 p.m. at the library at 21 Tolland Green as part of the Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series, which is sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation.
The book, published by Wesleyan Press and containing 92 vivid color photos, tells the story of contemporary rural life in eastern Connecticut and southern Massachusetts.
Anyone who treasures Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner” will enjoy this book, which showcases the picturesque Thames River basin. This watershed area is considered to be the last place where dark night sky can be viewed between Washington, D.C. and the Boston metro area. It is often referred to as the “Last Green Valley.”
The book also contains a foreword by noted outdoor writer Steve Grant, who wrote extensively about nature and adventure travel while working as a journalist at the Hartford Courant for 29 years.
Smith is an associate professor of visual journalism at the University of Connecticut whose work has appeared in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, CNN and USA Today. He shared in a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of wildfires in Colorado in 2003 for the Rocky Mountain News.
The talk is free, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
The Tolland Public Library Foundation wishes Ginny Brousseau, the Tolland young adult/children's librarian, all the best as she retires this month.
Here she is, at left, with Library Director Barbara Pettijohn, center, and TPLF President Linda Byam. Photo by Betty-Lou Griffin
Thank you Ginny for all your years with the children of Tolland.
Due to the strong storm coming through Tolland right now, the Tolland Public Library Foundation is cancelling the book talked planned for tonight with photojournalist Steven G. Smith. We will let everyone know when we have a new date.
At the suggestion of Brandon Usher and his family, the Tolland Public Library Foundation provided a grant to the library to purchase a number of board games for all ages. The games are ready to be checked out with your library card.
When a few poets dropped out of the annual poetry slam Thursday, host James MacArthur turned the event into a lively conversation with our two poets, Sara Carey, a freshman at Tolland High School, and Abhay Kohli, an 8th grader at Tolland Middle School, about what inspires them. The poets then performed their work, and it turned into a special evening. The Tolland Public Library Foundation also took the opportunity to honor Ginny Brousseau, the young adult/children's librarian, who is retiring later this month. We thank her for her support of the poetry slam and other Foundation programs.
We have enough poets to hold the seventh annual Tolland Public Library Foundation poetry slam this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the library at 21 Tolland Green.
Thanks to the students who are participating, and thank you to everyone who helped spread the word about this event. We're looking forward to showcasing the work of these young writers.
The public is welcome to attend.
Photo of the 2017 poets by Betty-Lou S. Griffin
The Tolland Public Library Foundation was pleased to sponsor this program at the library that was organized by Ginny Brousseau, the young adult/children's librarian.
Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist to speak at the Tolland Library May 15
Steven G. Smith, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, will speak at the Tolland Public Library on May 15 about his new book, “Under the Dark Sky: Life in the Thames River Basin.”
Smith will speak at 6:30 p.m. at the library at 21 Tolland Green as part of the Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series, which is sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation.
The book, published by Wesleyan Press and containing 92 vivid color photos, tells the story of contemporary rural life in eastern Connecticut and southern Massachusetts.� Anyone who treasures Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner” will enjoy this book, which showcases the picturesque Thames River basin. This watershed area is considered to be the last place where dark night sky can be viewed between Washington, D.C. and the Boston metro area. It is often referred to as the “Last Green Valley.”� The book also contains a foreword by noted outdoor writer Steve Grant, who wrote extensively about nature and adventure travel while working as a journalist at the Hartford Courant for 29 years.
Smith is an associate professor of visual journalism at the University of Connecticut whose work has appeared in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, CNN and USA Today. He shared in a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of wildfires in Colorado in 2003 for the Rocky Mountain News.�
The talk is free, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
Since 2010, the EDK series has brought well-known authors to Tolland, including Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dan Barry, Chris Knopf, Caragh O’Brien, Dawn Metcalf, Susan Campbell, Denis Horgan, Jeff Goldberg, Cindy Rodriguez, Susan Schoenberger and Lucy Anne Hurston.�
Teen poets in Tolland and surrounding towns:
The Tolland Public Library Foundation is seeking poets in middle and high school, aged 12 to 18, to compete in its seventh annual teen poetry slam on Thursday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library at 21 Tolland Green.
Details and entry forms are available at tollandpubliclibraryfoundation.org, and completed forms and poems should be sent to katefarrish@gmail.com.
Here's a photo of the 2017 winner, Sara Carey of Tolland, with host James MacArthur, an English teacher at Tolland High School. Photo by Betty-Lou S. Griffin.
Did you know you can support the Tolland Public Library Foundation by designating it as your charity through AmazonSmile? From now through March 31, Amazon will triple the donation to the foundation to up to 1.5 percent on your first eligible purchase at smile.amazon.com.
Teen poets will compete in Tolland’s Seventh Annual Teen Poetry Slam April 5
TOLLAND – Teenaged writers will perform original poems and compete for prizes on Thursday, April 5 when the Tolland Public Library Foundation holds its seventh annual poetry slam.
In partnership with Tolland High School and Tolland Middle School, the Foundation and the Tolland Public Library are sponsoring the slam for middle and high school students ages 12 to 18 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the library at 21 Tolland Green.
Preference will be given to Tolland residents, but students from other towns can participate if space permits.
Poetry slams were born in Chicago in 1986 to encourage and celebrate the art of performance poetry.
Students will be performing two three-minute poems, which will be judged by a panel that will include THS Assistant Principal Margot Martello; a THS student, Ginny Brousseau, the Tolland Public Library’s young adult/children’s librarian; Foundation Board Vice President Dani Titterton and Foundation Board Member Mike Byam. A top prize of a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card and other prizes will be awarded.
Poets must be prepared to perform a third poem in case of a tie-breaker.
The slam will be hosted by Tolland High English teacher James MacArthur.
Entry forms are available at the public library, the high school library, from any THS English teacher or at TollandPublicLibraryFoundation.org. Students must return the forms to one of the same places and email three original poems to katefarrish@gmail.com by Monday, April 2.
The slam is free and open to the public, but audience members are asked to register for the event by calling the library at 860-871-3620 or visiting www.tolland.org/library.
Pictured: teens who took part in the 2017 poetry slam; 2017 winner Sara Carey with host James MacArthur. Photo credit: Betty-Lou Griffin
Please help spread the word to any teens who might want to take part.
The Tolland Library was filled with authors, artists, poets and technology in 2017 thanks to the Tolland Public Library Foundation
Thanks to grants from the Tolland Public Library Foundation in 2017, patrons of the Tolland Public Library could use a 3D printer, research their family tree, meet award-winning authors and learn how to start their own business.
All of these services and more were provided by $22,964 in grants the foundation made to the library in 2017, using income from its Eaton-Dimock-King Endowment.
The foundation’s largest grants came for technology as the library expanded into the old Hicks gym in town hall. They included $4,885 to purchase the projector and sound system for the new Library Program Room and $3,500 to buy a 3D printer, laptop, software, a light tracing box and media conversion equipment for the new library Maker Space.
Library Director Barbara Pettijohn urged library patrons to sign up for lessons on using the equipment and thanked the foundation for its support.
“As the library expansion was being finished in 2017, the foundation’s grants were essential in helping us to outfit the Program Room and Maker Space with technology that was not included in the project budget,’’ she said. “I truly appreciate the foundation’s support.”
Grants from the foundation also funded the Ancestry.com, JobNow and A to Z Database for residents to conduct research on their ancestors, on how to find a job and on companies nationwide, respectively.
A foundation grant is also funding a Tumblebooks subscription for the library. The online database includes 1,100 titles for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, including animated picture books and read-along chapter books.
The foundation also held its sixth annual Teen Poetry Slam in March with more than a dozen enthusiastic poets and is planning its seventh annual slam on April 5. Entry forms will be available soon at the library at 21 Tolland Green.
In 2017, foundation grants also brought authors P.W. Catanese and Caragh O’Brien to the library as well as author/illustrator David Biedryzycki as part of its Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series. The foundation also sponsored a zentangle workshop in which library patrons learned how to make drawings using repetitive art patterns.
Tolland residents hoping to start their own business also received useful advice from a lawyer and insurance executive, thanks to a foundation grant.
Linda Byam, president of the foundation board of directors, urged residents to attend its programs this year and to check out all of the offerings in the expanded library.
“Our library is a Tolland treasure, and the expansion is allowing it to truly become a community hub for residents of all ages,’’ she said.
For more information on the Maker Space and databases, call the library at 860-871-3620.
Pictured: teen poet Zoe Livingston of Tolland; the 3D printer in the library's Maker Space
Thanks to the generosity of Tolland residents, a recent matching drive to support the purchase of books and materials for the Tolland Public Library has raised $8,668.
Residents and library patrons donated a total of $4,334, which was matched by the Tolland Public Library Foundation during its drive from September to December. The Foundation had pledged to match up to $10,000 in tax-deductible donations.
The drive was held to support the purchase of books, magazine subscriptions, e-books, audio books, DVDs and other materials for the library. It was started following a cut to the materials budget, but even though the funds were restored in September, continued uncertainty over future state funding to the town convinced the Foundation board of directors to continue the matching drive.
Library Director Barbara Pettijohn said she was pleased to have the additional funding.
“Thank you very much to Tolland residents and library patrons who provided us with their generous support during this matching drive,’’ she said. “The library staff and I are grateful and will use the donations wisely.”
For more information on the library foundation, visit tollandpubliclibraryfoundation.org/ or like its Facebook page.
thank you for your efforts Tolland Library Foundation!!
Thank you very much to mystery writer Chris Knopf who gave a fascinating talk last night sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation about the genesis of his lead character, Sam Acquillo, and advised members of a writing group on how to get published in different genres. He was generous with his time, staying afterward to speak to fans, including one woman who came from Higganum to meet him who called him "her favorite American male mystery writer."
Tolland Library Foundation Receives Generous Bequest
The Tolland Public Library Foundation is pleased to announce that it has received a $36,000 bequest from the late Lois Barlow Cox Query, a beloved library patron and Tolland community activist.
The unrestricted gift will be used to support library initiatives and programs that are not covered by the town budget.
A small portion of the gift was used to purchase a commemorative clock in Ms. Query's name that is now mounted in the Tolland Public Library at 21 Tolland Green.
A plaque was recently unveiled by Library Director Barbara Pettijohn and Foundation President Linda Byam with Ms. Query's nephew and godson, George Schiebel of Vernon, present. He was joined by his wife, Kimberly, and their daughter-in-law to be Heaven Charpentier as well as Ms. Query's longtime friends Kathy Bach and her husband, Dr. Louis Bach.
Ms. Query, who died in 2014 at the age of 82, also lovingly left bequests to the Tolland Historical Society and her church, the United Congregational Church of Tolland. Ms. Query was a volunteer with the Tolland Library Association, a past moderator of the church and a past member of the Tolland Garden Paths garden club and the Tolland Conservation Commission.
"Lois left a legacy of strength, vision, service, good works and a commitment to the community that she loved,'' Kathy Bach said.
Pictured below are Ms. Query; left to right, Library Director Barbara Pettijohn, George Schiebel, Kimberly Schiebel, Heaven Charpentier, Kathy Bach, Dr. Louis Bach and Library Foundation President Linda Byam; memorial clock
Save the date: the Tolland Public Library Foundation will hold its 7th annual Teen Poetry Slam on Thursday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Tolland Public Library at 21 Tolland Green. Details and entry forms coming soon for 7th to 12th graders from Tolland and other towns who want to participate.
Mystery writer Chris Knopf of Avon, the author of more than a dozen books, will speak Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library as part of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
“Back Lash,” the 7th book in his Sam Acquillo Hamptons Mystery Series, was a finalist for the 2017 Connecticut Book Award. The 8th book in the series, “Tango Down,” is being released this month. Booklist has said that the series is known for its smooth prose style, brisk dialogue, well-drawn characters and keen sense of place.
“Tango Down” disrupts the illusion that the Hamptons on Long Island are safely immune from the struggles that enflame much of the world today. It is an examination of how fear of the unknown ignites prejudice and hate.
Knopf retired in 2017 as CEO of Mintz + Hoke, an Avon advertising agency. He is now co-publisher and editor of The Permanent Press, an independent book publishing company in Sag Harbor, New York.
The free book talk will be held in the Tolland Public Library program room at 21 Tolland Green in Tolland. Registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
Mystery writer’s talk cancelled
Due to unforeseen circumstances, mystery writer Chris Knopf has had to cancel the free book talk he had planned at the Tolland Public Library on Jan. 10.
The Tolland Public Library Foundation is working to reschedule with him and will alert library patrons and Tolland residents when it has a new date and time.
Free Book Talk with Mystery Writer Chris Knopf Set for Jan. 10
Mystery writer Chris Knopf of Avon, the author of more than a dozen books, will speak Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library as part of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
“Back Lash,” the 7th book in his Sam Acquillo Hamptons Mystery Series, was a finalist for the 2017 Connecticut Book Award. The 8th book in the series, “Tango Down,” is being released this month. Booklist has said that the series is known for its smooth prose style, brisk dialogue, well-drawn characters and keen sense of place.
“Tango Down” disrupts the illusion that the Hamptons on Long Island are safely immune from the struggles that enflame much of the world today. It is an examination of how fear of the unknown ignites prejudice and hate.
In 2013, his book featuring off-the-grid sleuth Arthur Cathcart, “Dead Anyway,” won the Nero Award and was named one of The Best Crime Novels of 2012 by The Boston Globe.
Knopf retired in 2017 as CEO of Mintz + Hoke, an Avon advertising agency. He is now co-publisher and editor of The Permanent Press, an independent book publishing company in Sag Harbor, New York.
The free book talk will be held in the Tolland Public Library program room at 21 Tolland Green in Tolland. Registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
Since 2010, the EDK series has brought well-known authors to Tolland, including Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Dan Barry, Caragh O’Brien, Dawn Metcalf, Susan Campbell, Denis Horgan, Jeff Goldberg, Cindy Rodriguez, Susan Schoenberger and Lucy Anne Hurston to town.
Tolland Public Library supporters: hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Now that you're thinking about shopping, the Tolland Public Library Foundation wanted you to know that a portion at Amazon Smile can go toward the Foundation. Simply, visit AmazonSmile.com and select the Tolland Public Library Foundation as your designated charity. Happy shopping.
To help support the purchase of books, magazine subscriptions, e-books, audio books, DVDs and other materials at the Tolland Public Library, the Tolland Public Library Foundation is holding a $10,000 matching fundraising drive.
More than $2,400 has already been donated to the library and is being matched dollar-for-dollar by the Foundation.
The drive ends Dec. 31 or at $10,000, whichever comes first!
Although funds were restored to the library's current books and materials budget, continued uncertainty about future state funding for the town convinced the Foundation board to continue the matching drive through the end of 2017.
Library patrons, Tolland residents and local businesses, please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any size to the library by the end of the year.
Donations can be made in person at the library at 21 Tolland Green or can be mailed to Tolland Public Library, 21 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT 06084. Checks should be made payable to the Tolland Public Library.
For more information about the Foundation or its matching drive, call President Linda Byam at 860-875-1446.
Have you ever wanted to try out a 3D printer? Here's your chance. The Tolland Public Library Foundation has outfitted the new Maker Space at the Tolland Public Library with the library's first 3D printer. Just call the library at 860-871-3620 to set up a time to get trained to use it. The Maker Space also has a 3D Doodle Pen, a light tracing box, a DVD recorder and a scanner to convert slides and negatives to digital files. Call or drop by the library for more details.
The Tolland Public Library Foundation apologizes to the public and town residents that it posted out-of-date information this week about cuts to the budget of the Tolland Public Library. Those funds were recently restored to the proposed 2017-2018 budget, but are frozen for the time being. The restoration took place after the Foundation launched its $10,000 matching drive on Sept. 16. The Foundation plans to continue its drive, matching any donations to the library up to a total of $10,000, because its ongoing mission is to make grants to the library that augment what is covered by the town budget. The Foundation regrets any confusion its announcement caused this week.
Event Cancelled.
The Tolland Public Library Foundation regrets the inconvenience for anyone who was planning to attend, but it has had to cancel Thursday's event: Put Your Business on Google's Map."
Watch this page for more events brought to you by the foundation to benefit Tolland library patrons and residents.
To help make up for a drastic reduction in the Tolland Public Library's books and materials budget, the Tolland Public Library Foundation has launched a $10,000 matching fundraising drive to encourage residents to make tax-deductible donations to the library.
The drive was launched Sept. 16 at the Celebrate Tolland festival. The town of Tolland is facing difficult funding decisions as its leaders and the state of Connecticut grapple with a budget crisis.
Due to the crisis, the library's budget to purchase new books, dozens of magazine and newspaper subscriptions, DVDs, e-books, CDs and audiobooks was sharply reduced this fiscal year.
The Library Foundation is asking library patrons, Tolland residents and local businesses to consider making a donation of any size to the library to support the purchase of these books and materials. The newly expanded library is heavily used by patrons and these materials are considered a key public service.
The Foundation will match, dollar-for-dollar, every donation up to a total of $10,000. It has already given the library the first installment, of more than $350, to match early donations made since Celebrate Tolland. No donation is too small.
Donations can be made in person at the library at 21 Tolland Green or by mailing them to Tolland Public Library, 21 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT 06084. Checks should be made payable to the Tolland Public Library.
For more information about the Foundation or its matching drive, call President Linda Byam at 860-875-1446.
Don’t forget that a lot of employers will match donations to nonprofits too! A $25 donation could actually be $75
Can they be used books? I have a couple i dont need anymore
Local business owners, we still have room for you at this Oct. 5 event: Put Your Business on Google’s Map!
The Tolland Public Library Foundation and Greater Hartford SCORE’s Small Business Academy will hold a free talk Oct. 5 on how businesses can claim and edit a Google listing.
Richard English, owner of Studio360.Pro in Barkhamsted, will present “Put Your Business On Google’s Map!” from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library at 21 Tolland Green in Tolland.
English is a web designer, an official Google Cities Partner and a Google Street View Trusted Photographer with more than 20 years of experience. The hands-on workshop will guide attendees in the process of claiming their Google business listing that appears on the right side of search results. It will also cover how to appear on Google Maps when people search for your business.
Businesses that have compete information online are twice as likely to be considered reputable by consumers.
Attendees should bring a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop and their Google user name and password. If they don’t have a Google account, they should create one ahead of the workshop.
Registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register at tolland.org/library.
The Foundation was founded in 1996 to provide grants to the Tolland library to augment what is provided by the town budget.
Greater Hartford SCORE was started in 1964 with the mission of matching the experience of seasoned business owners and managers with small business owners. Its Small Business Academy was organized in 2016 to provide workshops to those clients.
Young adult author Caragh M. O'Brien gave a fascinating talk Saturday about her book, "The Keep of Ages." She read a passage and then described the publication process, including showing the audience the rough sketch she had to draw herself of the map of Grisly Valley, an abandoned amusement park that her character, Rosie Sinclair, visits. Afterwards, she sold and signed books for her delighted fans.
Thank you to Caragh M. O'Brien for an excellent book talk today. She described how she lives the lives of her characters as she's writing and said she often does a dozen drafts before a book is published. Thank you, too, to the appreciative audience that included Tolland High School students Sarah Gorman and Lucas Knight-Vezina.
Congratulations to Ian Howe of Tolland, who won a Nook e-reader after entering our free drawing at Celebrate Tolland on Saturday. Thanks to everyone who dropped by our booth to enter and to learn more about our matching drive to match, dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000, any donations to the library to support the purchase of magazine and newspaper subscriptions. The library's materials budget recently sustained a drastic cut. Tax-Deductible donations can be made at the library or mailed to Tolland Public Library, 21 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT 06084. Checks should be made out to the library.
Put Your Business on Google’s Map
The Tolland Public Library Foundation and Greater Hartford SCORE’s Small Business Academy will hold a free talk Oct. 5 on how businesses can claim and edit a Google listing.
Richard English, owner of Studio360.Pro in Barkhamsted, will present “Put Your Business On Google’s Map!” from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library at 21 Tolland Green in Tolland.
English is a web designer, an official Google Cities Partner and a Google Street View Trusted Photographer with more than 20 years of experience. The hands-on workshop will guide attendees in the process of claiming their Google business listing that appears on the right side of search results. It will also cover how to appear on Google Maps when people search for your business.
Businesses that have compete information online are twice as likely to be considered reputable by consumers.
Attendees should bring a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop and their Google user name and password. If they don’t have a Google account, they should create one ahead of the workshop.
Registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register at tolland.org/library.
The Foundation was founded in 1996 to provide grants to the Tolland library to augment what is provided by the town budget.
Greater Hartford SCORE was started in 1964 with the mission of matching the experience of seasoned business owners and managers with small business owners. Its Small Business Academy was organized in 2016 to provide workshops to those clients.
We still have room for this exciting event. Register today!
Award-winning young adult author Caragh M. O’Brien will discuss, “The Keep of Ages,” the final book in her “Vault of Dreamers” trilogy, on Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Tolland Public Library.
O’Brien, a Mansfield resident and former English teacher at Tolland High School, will give the free talk at 1 p.m. to kick off the eighth year of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series. O’Brien was the inaugural speaker when the series began in 2010.
“The Keep of Ages” brings together a daring heroine and an imaginative plot in a story that Kirkus Reviews has called “psychologically and philosophically rich.”
The tale follows Rosie Sinclair from the prestigious Forge School to a defunct horror theme park, Grisly Valley, as she tries to rescue her parents and stop the sinister Dean Berg.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, O’Brien graduated from Williams College and earned a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. Her young adult fiction has been honored by the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, the Amelia Bloomer Award and the Junior Library Guild.
The talk is free, but registration is required. To register, call the Tolland Public Library at 860-871-3620 or sign up at tolland.org/library.
Nook E-Reader Drawing at Celebrate Tolland
Drop by the Tolland Public Library Foundation's booth at Celebrate Tolland tomorrow between 11 and 3 and enter a free drawing to win a Barnes & Noble Nook Glowlight Plus E-Reader.
The foundation is also launching a $10,000 matching fundraising drive tomorrow. The books and materials budget of the Tolland Public Library was recently drastically reduced, so the Foundation is encouraging residents to make a donation of any size to support the library. It will match gifts dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000. Donations will be accepted tomorrow or checks can be made out to Tolland Public Library and mailed to the library at 21 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT 06084, c/o of Library Director Barbara Pettijohn.
Put Your Business on Google’s Map
The Tolland Public Library Foundation and Greater Hartford SCORE’s Small Business Academy will hold a free talk Oct. 5 on how businesses can claim and edit a Google listing.
Richard English, owner of Studio360.Pro in Barkhamsted, will present “Put Your Business On Google’s Map!” from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library at 21 Tolland Green in Tolland.
English is a web designer, an official Google Cities Partner and a Google Street View Trusted Photographer with more than 20 years of experience. The hands-on workshop will guide attendees in the process of claiming their Google business listing that appears on the right side of search results. It will also cover how to appear on Google Maps when people search for your business.
Businesses that have compete information online are twice as likely to be considered reputable by consumers.
Attendees should bring a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop and their Google user name and password. If they don’t have a Google account, they should create one ahead of the workshop.
Registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register at tolland.org/library.
The Foundation was founded in 1996 to provide grants to the Tolland library to augment what is provided by the town budget.
Greater Hartford SCORE was started in 1964 with the mission of matching the experience of seasoned business owners and managers with small business owners. Its Small Business Academy was organized in 2016 to provide workshops to those clients.
Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series Resumes Sept. 23 with Caragh O'Brien Book Talk
Award-winning young adult author Caragh M. O’Brien will discuss, “The Keep of Ages,” the final book in her “Vault of Dreamers” trilogy, on Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Tolland Public Library.
O’Brien, a Mansfield resident and former English teacher at Tolland High School, will give the free talk at 1 p.m. to kick off the eighth year of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series. O’Brien was the inaugural speaker when the series began in 2010.
“The Keep of Ages” brings together a daring heroine and an imaginative plot in a story that Kirkus Reviews has called “psychologically and philosophically rich.”
The tale follows Rosie Sinclair from the prestigious Forge School to a defunct horror theme park, Grisly Valley, as she tries to rescue her parents and stop the sinister Dean Berg.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, O’Brien graduated from Williams College and earned a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. Her young adult fiction has been honored by the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, the Amelia Bloomer Award and the Junior Library Guild.
The Foundation’s author series has also brought writers Dan Barry, Dawn Metcalf, Susan Campbell, Denis Horgan, Jeff Goldberg, P.W. Catanese, Cindy Rodriguez, Susan Schoenberger and Lucy Anne Hurston to town.
The talk is free, but registration is required. To register, call the Tolland Public Library at 860-871-3620 or sign up at tolland.org/library.
About the Tolland Public Library Foundation
The Foundation was established in 1996 to receive donations to benefit the Tolland Public Library and to enhance library services beyond what the town budget provides. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to the Tolland Public Library Foundation, Inc., 21 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT 06084.
The Tolland Public Library will be showing the movie, "The Boss Baby," starring Alec Baldwin, on Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. in the library program room.
Admission is free and open to the public. The library now has a movie license, thanks to funding from the Tolland Public Library Foundation.
The foundation was established in 1996 to receive donations to benefit the Tolland Public Library and to enhance services beyond what the town budget provides.
For more information on the movie series, call the library at 860-871-3620.
Thanks to young adult author P.W. Catanese for an engaging book talk tonight about where he gets his inspiration, how he's published 10 young adult novels and why he set his last two books in the underworld. He had two valuable pieces of advice for young writers: if you have a creative idea, follow up on it and see where it takes you, and the essence of good writing is rewriting. Here he is with some fans, Jonathan and Joseph from Tolland; showing off some book covers and demonstrating how he makes his writing stronger by editing it closely.
Young adult author P.W. Catanese will discuss his latest book June 15
P.W. Catanese of Columbia, the author of ten young adult novels, will make a return appearance in Tolland on Thursday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his latest book, “Donny’s Inferno: Down in Flames.”
The free talk, to be held in Conference Room A of Tolland town hall at 21 Tolland Green, is part of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
This is the second in the Donny’s Inferno series that follows the adventures of Donny Taylor, a boy on the run who visits the underworld with a bewitching supernatural being named Angela Obscura. Catanese says this adventure is even bigger, better and funnier than in the first book. Souls have gone missing, and it’s Angela’s job to find out who’s taking them while Donny needs to survive capers that grow more dangerous by the day.
He says you don’t have to have read the first book to enjoy the second one.
A graduate of the University of Connecticut who works in advertising, Catanese has seen all of his books published by Simon and Schuster/Aladdin and several, including "The Thief and the Beanstalk," translated into other languages and published abroad.
Registration is required. To register or for more information, call the Tolland Public Library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
Have you ever wanted to try a 3D printer? Here's your chance. The Tolland Public Library Foundation has provided one for the Maker Space at the Tolland Public Library. Library patrons and families can use it after a training session with library staff member Valerie Kerr. Just call the library at 860-871-3620 to set up a session. In this video, Foundation volunteer Cliff Vachon shows how it works.
Edwin Siebesma
Shop at AmazonSmile and support the Tolland Public Library Foundation
Supporters of the Tolland Public Library Foundation can show their support by shopping at AmazonSmile and choosing the Foundation to receive a donation each time you make an eligible purchase.
Simply visit smile.amazon.com and select the Tolland Public Library Foundation as your designated charity. Each time you make a purchase of an eligible item through AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate .5% of the purchase price to the Foundation.
Your donation will be used to provide grants to the Tolland Public Library to augment the services and programs the town budget provides for the library. The Foundation was established in 1996 to accept donations and to make grants to the library. For more information, visit TollandPublicLibraryFoundation.org. For more information on AmazonSmile, visit www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201365360.
Young adult author P.W. Catanese will discuss his latest book June 15
P.W. Catanese of Columbia, the author of ten young adult novels, will make a return appearance in Tolland on Thursday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his latest book, “Donny’s Inferno: Down in Flames.”
The free talk, to be held in Conference Room A of Tolland town hall at 21 Tolland Green, is part of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
This is the second in the Donny’s Inferno series that follows the adventures of Donny Taylor, a boy on the run who visits the underworld with a bewitching supernatural being named Angela Obscura. Catanese says this adventure is even bigger, better and funnier than in the first book. Souls have gone missing, and it’s Angela’s job to find out who’s taking them while Donny needs to survive capers that grow more dangerous by the day.
He says you don’t have to have read the first book to enjoy the second one.
School Library Journal says Catanese writes with a “memorably dry, witty tone.” It says the latest book is a “satisfying sequel sure to please readers of the first book, in a series that appeals to fans of the tones struck by Rachel Renee Russell and Rick Riordan.”
A graduate of the University of Connecticut who works in advertising, Catanese has seen all of his books published by Simon and Schuster/Aladdin and several, including "The Thief and the Beanstalk," translated into other languages and published abroad. For details, visit pwcatanese.com.
He is making a return engagement in the EDK series, which has also brought writers as varied as Susan Campbell, Denis Horgan, Jeff Goldberg, Caragh O'Brien, Cindy Rodriguez, Susan Schoenberger and Lucy Anne Hurston to town.
The talk is free, but registration is required. To register or for more information, call the Tolland Public Library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
David Biedrzycki, children's author and illustrator, delighted a small group of children and parents at the May 25 Tolland Library presentation, sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation. Attendees described the event as "engaging" and were pleased to be able to meet and talk with the author in such an intimate setting. (Photos by Betty-Lou Griffin).
Young adult author P.W. Catanese will discuss his latest book June 15
P.W. Catanese of Columbia, the author of ten young adult novels, will make a return appearance in Tolland on Thursday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his latest book, “Donny’s Inferno: Down in Flames.”
The free talk, to be held in Conference Room A of Tolland town hall at 21 Tolland Green, is part of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
This is the second in the Donny’s Inferno series that follows the adventures of Donny Taylor, a boy on the run who visits the underworld with a bewitching supernatural being named Angela Obscura. Catanese says this adventure is even bigger, better and funnier than in the first book. Souls have gone missing, and it’s Angela’s job to find out who’s taking them while Donny needs to survive capers that grow more dangerous by the day.
He says you don’t have to have read the first book to enjoy the second one.
School Library Journal says Catanese writes with a “memorably dry, witty tone.” It says the latest book is a “satisfying sequel sure to please readers of the first book, in a series that appeals to fans of the tones struck by Rachel Renee Russell and Rick Riordan.”
A graduate of the University of Connecticut who works in advertising, Catanese has seen all of his books published by Simon and Schuster/Aladdin and several, including "The Thief and the Beanstalk," translated into other languages and published abroad. For details, visit pwcatanese.com.
He is making a return engagement in the EDK series, which has also brought writers as varied as Susan Campbell, Denis Horgan, Jeff Goldberg, Caragh O'Brien, Cindy Rodriguez, Susan Schoenberger and Lucy Anne Hurston to town.
The talk is free, but registration is required. To register or for more information, call the Tolland Public Library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
Attention parents of students in K-5: register today for this entertaining talk this Thursday:
Children’s author and illustrator David Biedrzycki, whose books include the Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective, series and “Me and My Dragon,” will give an interactive talk in Conference Room A of Tolland Town Hall on May 25.
The free talk by Biedrzycki, who gives 70 talks at schools and libraries each year, is sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation. It will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Biedrzycki’s program is geared to inspire students in Kindergarten through fifth grade and is technology-based. He will show the children how he creates stories and art on the computer and sometimes revises a story up to 30 times before it is done.
Biedrzycki will show how he uses shapes to create a beetle and beetle family and will get the children involved by having them learn about colors, symmetry and horizontal and vertical placement. He will leave a jpg file of the created art for students and parents to print up later.
The event is free, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
The Zentangle Workshop was a full house on Thursday evening as 27 people learned a new way to express their creativity using "tangles". The workshop was taught by Jamilah Zebarth, Certified Zentangle Teacher. Check out some samples of the artwork created.
Enter the colorful world of author/illustrator David Biedrzycki on May 25
Children’s author and illustrator David Biedrzycki, whose books include the Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective, series and “Me and My Dragon,” will give an interactive talk in Conference Room A of Tolland Town Hall on May 25.
The free talk by Biedrzycki, who gives 70 talks at schools and libraries each year, is sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation. It will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Biedrzycki’s program is geared to inspire students in Kindergarten through fifth grade and is technology-based. He will show the children how he creates stories and art on the computer and sometimes revises a story up to 30 times before it is done.
Biedrzycki will show how he uses shapes to create a beetle and beetle family and will get the children involved by having them learn about colors, symmetry and horizontal and vertical placement. He will leave a jpg file of the created art for students and parents to print up later.
The event is free, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620 or register online at tolland.org/library.
Young adult author P.W. Catanese will discuss his latest book June 15
P.W. Catanese of Columbia, the author of ten young adult novels, will make a return appearance in Tolland on Thursday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his latest book, “Donny’s Inferno: Down in Flames.”
The free talk, to be held in Conference Room A of Tolland town hall at 21 Tolland Green, is part of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
This is the second in the Donny’s Inferno series that follows the adventures of Donny Taylor, a boy on the run who visits the underworld with a bewitching supernatural being named Angela Obscura. Catanese says this adventure is even bigger, better and funnier than in the first book. Souls have gone missing, and it’s Angela’s job to find out who’s taking them while Donny needs to survive capers that grow more dangerous by the day.
He says you don’t have to have read the first book to enjoy the second one.
School Library Journal says Catanese writes with a “memorably dry, witty tone.” It says the latest book is a “satisfying sequel sure to please readers of the first book, in a series that appeals to fans of the tones struck by Rachel Renee Russell and Rick Riordan.”
A graduate of the University of Connecticut who works in advertising, Catanese has seen all of his books published by Simon and Schuster/Aladdin and several, including "The Thief and the Beanstalk," translated into other languages and published abroad. For details, visit pwcatanese.com.
He is making a return engagement in the EDK series, which has also brought writers as varied as Susan Campbell, Denis Horgan, Jeff Goldberg, Caragh O'Brien, Cindy Rodriguez, Susan Schoenberger and Lucy Anne Hurston to town.
The talk is free, but registration is required. To register or for more information, call the Tolland Public Library at 860-871-3620.
