Author Archives: Kate Farrish

Library Foundation to Host Author Steven Parlato on Jan. 7

Author Steven Parlato

TOLLAND – Young Adult author Steven Parlato will speak Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at town hall as part of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s popular Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
Parlato is a published poet, an artist, occasional actor and an award-winning assistant professor of English at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury.
His debut novel, “The Namesake,” has been described as the searching story of a boy’s too-early coming of age. It tells the tale of 15-year-old Evan Galloway, who searches for his family’s secrets after his father commits suicide. It is intended for readers who are 14 and over.
The novel won a 2011 Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in Children’s Literature from the Connecticut Shoreline Arts Alliance.
Parlato, who lives in Waterbury, will speak and sell and sign copies of his book in Conference Room A at Tolland Town Hall at 21 Tolland Green.
The free talk is open to the public, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620.
The series, funded by the Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth C. King Eaton Endowment, has previously brought writers Dan Barry, Denis Horgan, Susan Schoenberger, Jeff Goldberg, Lucy Anne Hurston, Jane Haddam, Ken Davis, P.W. Catanese and Dawn Metcalf to town.

Tolland Audience Came to Its Senses with Author Dawn Metcalf

An appreciative audience of 16 people from as far away as Stonington sampled various scents and jotted down their memories in an evocative writing workshop on Oct. 29 with young adult author Dawn Metcalf entitled “Come to Your Senses.”
The crowd included several teens fans of Metcalf’s books “Luminous” and “Indelible.”
Metcalf passed out the scents in film canisters and had the audience members sniff then, the scribble down the scenes, memories and people they evoked. The intent was to show the audience that by tapping in all of their senses, they can enrich their writing.
The talk was sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation as part of its Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.

Dawn Metcalf

Dawn Metcalf hands a film canister with a scent to an audience member

Dawn Metcalf and a fan, Annchi Li of Tolland

Dawn Metcalf and another fan of her books, Rachel Smithline of Somers

Library to Hold Unique Sensory Workshop for Adult and Teens Writers

Author Dawn Metcalf

TOLLAND – Young Adult author Dawn Metcalf will lead “Come to Your Senses: A Unique Sensory Writing Workshop for Adults and Teens” on Oct. 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Conference Room A at town hall.
Her workshop is aimed at teens and adults who want to improve their creative writing by becoming aware of sensory details, the thing that makes writing – all kinds of writing – come alive on the page.
“So often the things that strike us as most memorable about our favorite books are the sensory details that linger: the exotic foods, the dazzling sights, the strange sounds, the telltale scents,” Metcalf said. “This unique sensory workshop will awaken our senses in order to enhance our creative writing and deepen our craft.”
A Chicago native who now lives in northern Connecticut, Metcalf is the author of “Luminous” (Dutton, 2011) and “Indelible,” (Harlequin Teen, 2013.)
The event is sponsored by the Tolland Public Library and the Tolland Public Library Foundation as part of its popular Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
The free workshop is open to the public, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620. Participants should bring a pen and a notebook to the workshop.
The series, funded by the Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth C. King Eaton Endowment, has previously brought Metcalf and writers Denis Horgan, Susan Schoenberger, Jeff Goldberg, Lucy Anne Hurston, Jane Haddam, Ken Davis and P.W. Catanese to town.
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.

Foundation board of directors endorses the library expansion project

On Nov. 5, Tolland voters have the chance to make a positive decision that will expand the Tolland Public Library in a practical and affordable way. The Tolland Public Library Foundation’s board of directors is urging everyone to vote yes for this modest, worthwhile project.
Voters are being asked to approve a $2.6 million project that would increase the size of the library by 43 percent and expand it into the vacant Hicks gym. Town officials are applying for grants of up to $1.9 million that will reduce the impact of the project on local taxpayers. The officials have said that whether the grants are obtained or not, the project will have a minimal impact on Tolland’s debt burden.
At 13,348 square feet, Tolland’s library is significantly undersized for a town our size, with a population of 15,052 residents. By comparison, Ellington’s library is 28,000 square feet for a town of 15,602.
By adding 43 percent more space, the project would enable the library to evolve into a 21^st-century digital learning center and community gathering space for all ages. Additional space for technology would enable patrons to more comfortably access both hard-wired computers and the library’s wireless capabilities.
More Tolland residents are attending library programs these days as well as demanding a range of materials from books to multimedia. Each day, the library’s public computers are used by people of all ages for reading, to find a job, conduct research or use many of the free databases, such as Ancestry.com, provided by the Foundation.
The project would increase the adult book stack space by 20 percent. It would also provide much-needed separate meeting rooms to better serve parents and young children, civic groups and students and their tutors.
The current program room is too small for many events, and the layout of the library makes it difficult to hold multiple programs at the same time without disruption.
The Foundation directors urge Tolland residents to vote yes on Nov. 5 to give our town a library it deserves.
Tolland Public Library Foundation
Board of Directors
President Linda Byam
Vice President Mary Jo Leahy
Treasurer Pauline Sardo
Secretary Kate Farrish
Founding President Betty-Lou Griffin
Members James Gifford and Dani Titterton

Denis Horgan Enthralled the Crowd Sept. 12

Veteran journalist and author Denis Horgan entertained a crowd of 18 people at the Tolland Public Library on Sept. 12 with tales from his memoir, “The Bangkok World.”
Horgan’s appearance was part of the Foundation’s Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series, which brings popular authors of all genres to the library. Horgan had previously been a part of the series in 2011.
Before going on to an impressive career as a journalist at The Boston Globe, Washington Star and Hartford Courant, Horgan worked as editor and publisher at The Bangkok World newspaper in Thailand at the age of 26.
TPLF founding president Betty-Lou Griffin took these photos from Denis’ talk.

Denis Horgan signed books for his fans.

Denis Horgan

Denis Horgan at Tolland Public Library on Sept. 12, 2013

A young Denis Horgan shakes hands with the Thai foreign minister.