Brookfield Library Shares April Schedule

From the Brookfield Library:

Passport to Connecticut Libraries: April 1-30
There are 194 public libraries in Connecticut. How many of them have you visited? Did you know you can use your home town library card in any public library in the state? If you use your Brookfield Library card to check out an item from New London Library, you can return it to Greenwich Library!

To celebrate National Library Week in April, the Connecticut Library Association's Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program invites you to visit any or all of the 123 participating public libraries in the state (some libraries have chosen not to participate). Enjoy each library's unique character and offerings, and check out books or other items while you're there.

Starting April 1, stop by The Brookfield Library to pick up your passport and a list of Passport libraries. At each visit to a participating library, show your library card, and the library will stamp your passport and give you a token gift.

If you visit at least five participating libraries and return your passport to a participating library by May 6, you'll be entered into a statewide drawing for a chance to win a $150 Visa gift card for adults (18+) or a $100 Visa gift card for children (under 18). Four winners will be selected: one adult and one child from a random drawing from all who visited at least five libraries, and one adult and and one child who visited the most libraries.
The Alturas Duo in ConcertSunday, April 17, 2016 @ 3:00 p.m.
The Duo blends a fiery mix of South American and classical music by bringing together an unusual combination -- guitar, viola, and charango. The concert will be held in the library's Community Room, and will be followed by free refreshments funded by The Friends of The Brookfield Library. This concert is co-sponsored by Hooker-McIntyre Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Danbury, CT. Registration is not required for this free concert.

Inside Emily Dickinson: Her Poetry & Her Life
An Interactive Performance Piece
created and performed by Ginger Grace
Thursday, April 14, 7:00 p.m.This inspiring biographical portrait is based on the letters, life stories and poems of Emily Dickinson. It combines performance with interactive audience participation. In the course of the show, Ms. Grace reaches out to the audience for ideas, words, and phrases, and with their input, creates new poems. The spirit of Emily Dickinson is celebrated not only with her story – filled with heart and humor – but with the immediate creativity taking place in the room! For adults and those in 6th grade and older. This program is funded by a Community Mini-Grant from The Brookfield Education Foundation. Please register for this free program.

Ginger Grace has worked extensively in New York and Regional Theater, playing lead roles in plays such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Doubt, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. She has also toured nationally opposite Rich Little in The Presidents, playing all the First Ladies from Jackie Kennedy to Hillary Clinton. Since 2002, she has been performing The Belle of Amherst for audiences throughout the county. In addition to workshops and residencies that Ms. Grace creates and conducts in association with The Belle of Amherst, she has taught acting and playwriting workshops with New York inner-city school students in the CASA/CenterStage program for six years. She is a great believer in the importance of freeing the creativity in each individual.

Parlons Francais! Let’s Speak French Discussion Group

Thursday, April 7, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., upstairs in Library
Tuesday, April 12, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the Community Room
Thursday, May 5, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., upstairs in Library

Whether you're just learning French or are a fluent speaker, you're welcome to join these informal discussions for an opportunity to practice and improve your French language skills. Colin Harrison, who learned to speak French while working at CERN in Geneva, will lead the discussion. He has been a Brookfield resident since 1982, and has maintained French and German fluency through his work and friends in Europe. These events are sponsored by Alliance Française of Northwestern Connecticut, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of the French language. Please register by clicking the date and time of the session you want to attend.

French Film Series Continues …
Cléo de 5 à 7
Sunday, April 3, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer (Corinne Marchand) set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, Cléo from 5 to 7 is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and cameos by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina. 89 minutes. Registration is not required.

Butterflies in My Backyard with Victor DeMasi

Tuesday, April 12, 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room
Lepidopterist Victor DeMasi will take you on a (virtual) sunny day walk through his butterfly meadow in Redding. We'll view some of the species, both rare and common, he has seen there in the past 40 years. Victor will explain life histories of some of our species and how a butterfly garden promotes a diversity of beautiful butterflies. Issues such as climate change and invasive plant species will be touched on, as well as the complex demise of the Monarch Butterfly. An impressive display of specimens from the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History will be on display.

Victor DeMasi is a wetland conservation officer in his home town of Redding and a research affiliate at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven. He busies himself with preserving open space in town and preserving butterflies in the museum. His field work with butterflies contributed almost a thousand citations to the recently published Connecticut Butterfly Atlas. He has been on multiple study trips to the Amazon forest, Guyana, Nicaragua with his wife, Roanna, a photographer, and studied the impact of climate change in California.
This free program is sponsored by the library. Please register so that we can plan seating.

Color Your World: Adult Coloring

Wednesday, April 6, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 28, 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

By now, you're probably aware that one of the latest crazes is coloring books for adults—you see them everywhere! Adult coloring books have more intricate designs and patterns than those designed for children. They offer a fun and unique way to unwind and express creativity. We have a large collection of books to choose from, and we supply pencils, gel pens, markers, and chalk for backgrounds. There is also a new opportunity to try your hand at grayscale coloring of vintage photographs and other artwork.

Please join us for an afternoon or evening of music, refreshments, relaxation and coloring. This free program is for “artists” age 18+, and we do appreciate registration so we can set up the room with enough tables/chairs before the event begins.

Maple Sugaring with Author David Leff Monday, April 18, 7:00 p.m.
Join David K. Leff, a former maple sugar maker and board member of the Connecticut Maple Syrup Producer’s Association, as he takes us on a journey into the very heart of New England’s character. He will explore the mysteries and mystique of maple sugaring as he talks about the dedicated and sometimes quirky people who make it. He explains how this unique and ancient northeastern North American product was discovered, and the high-tech techniques it takes to produce it today.

David K. Leff, lecturer, poet and essayist, is also a former deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. He is the author of Hidden in Plain Sight: A Deep Traveler Explores Connecticut and other books. His essays have appeared in the Hartford Courant, Appalachia, Yankee, Canoe & Kayak, and The Encyclopedia of New England. He lives in Collinsville, Connecticut.

David will have copies of his new book, Maple Sugaring: Keeping It Real in New England, for sale and signing. Please register so that we can plan seating. Regional Opioid Prevention Workgroup
April 7, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Stony Hill Fire Dept., 59 Stony Hill Road, BethelThis meeting of the Housatonic Valley Coalition Against Substance Abuse will discuss 2015/16 data and identify resources in our area. The meeting is open to the public. The group consists of prevention, treatment, and healthcare professionals, law enforcement, local officials, people in recovery from opioid addiction disorders, family members, and anyone interested in the topic. RSVP by 4/5/16 to 203-743-7741 or hvcasa@yahoo.com.

Tax Free in Retirement with Michael Alimo
Tuesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m.

Many Americans assume that their taxes in retirement will stay the same or go down, but unfortunately, this may not be the case. According to Michael Alimo of U.S.A. Financial and Tax Services, upon retirement, Social Security may be taxable as high as 85% to the recipient. Required minimum distributions from retirement accounts also can create substantial taxable income. Include pensions, rental property income, capital gains, and dividend and interest income, and you can see the picture is somewhat unclear on future taxes. Join us to learn about strategies that can help you get closer to a tax free retirement.

Michael Alimo is a Registered Investment Advisor who has worked for thirty years for various Wall Street Brokerage Houses, and has spent the past fifteen years focusing on retirement planning and risk management.
Please register for this free program.

Book Discussions
Copies of all books are available at the Reference/Information Desk.

Nonfiction Group: The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr
Tuesday, April 5, 6:30 p.m.
Pulitzer Prize Finalist and New York Times Bestseller. As we enjoy the Internet's bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply? Our brains, the historical and scientific evidence reveals, change in response to our experiences. The technologies we use to find, store, and share information can literally reroute our neural pathways.

Nonfiction in May:
The Finest Hours by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman
Tuesday, May 3 at 6:30 p.m.
In February of 1952, one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast struck New England, damaging an oil tanker off the coast of Cape Cod and literally ripping it in half. On a small lifeboat faced with frigid temperatures and 70-foot high waves, four members of the Coast Guard set out to rescue the more than 30 stranded sailors trapped aboard the rapidly-sinking vessel.

Brookfield Reads, Daytime Edition and Evening Edition: Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
Tuesday, April 19, 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Dovekeepers and The Museum of Extraordinary Things comes a story of forbidden love, set on the tropical island of St. Thomas, about the extraordinary woman who gave birth to painter Camille Pissarro, the Father of Impressionism, in the early 1800s.

Book ‘Em! Mystery Discussion: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
Monday, April 25, 12:30 p.m.
Career of Evil is the third in the highly-acclaimed series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, it is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives.

Computer Classes

Intro to Digital Photo Editing with Picasa series
April 11, 13, 18, 20, & 25
3:00 p.m. OR 6:30 p.m.

Picasa is free photo editing software available from Google. With Picasa, you can organize, edit and share your digital photos.

In this 5-session, hands-on course you will learn the basics of digital photography and use Picasa to:
a. Edit and enhance photos
b. Label and organize photos
c. Create photo albums, collages and slideshows
d. Learn how to share photos electronically

There is a $10.00 fee to cover the cost of the course book, which must be paid by Friday, April 8. You should have some experience with computers and the Windows operating system before attending this class. Space limited to 7 attendees. Register online, by phone, or at the Checkout Desk by April 8. You only need to register for the first session of this class to be signed up for all 5 sessions.
Register for the 3:00 p.m. series
Register for the 6:30 p.m. series

Intro to Windows 10 Class
Wednesday, April 27, 3:00 p.m. OR 6:30 p.m.
Windows 10 represents a new approach to computing between devices for Microsoft. This course will teach you the basics of this innovative Operating System (OS) including important settings, how to navigate and customize the Start menu and various screens, and how to find and install apps that you'll love to use.
Space for this free class is limited to 7 attendees. Please register by April 26.
Register for the 3:00 p.m. class
Register for the 6:30 p.m. class

Oscar Film Series: Free showings, popcorn & soda.
No registration is required.

The Big Short
Saturday, April 2, at 2:00 p.m.
Directed by Adam McKay and starring Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, and Marisa Tomei. Based on the book by Michael Lewis, the film depicts the financial meltdown from the perspective of a number of players: Michael Burry, a bizarre stock-picking genius, and first to realize that the market's housing boom is based on a "house of cards" sham; Mark Baum, whose firm picks up insider trading information from a wrong number phone call; Jarred Vennet, a smart-aleck broker who confirms the ominous suspicion; and Charles Gellar and James Shipley, small-time players who hit it big.

1 Oscar Win: Best Adapted Screenplay (Charles Randolph and Adam McKay). 4 Additional Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale), Best Director, and Film Editing. Rated R, 130 minutes

Out of Africa
Monday, April 5, at 1:00 p.m.
The two Brookfield Reads book groups just read Circling the Sun by Paula McLain, the story of the social circle of Out of Africa. Anyone is welcome to attend this film showing of the 1985 film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. In 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter. Rated PG, 161 minutes.

Concussion
Saturday, April 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Directed by Peter Landesman and starring Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The film is based on the true story of the doctor who discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in football players, and the uphill battle he faced in bringing the information to the public.

Will Smith was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture--Drama for his performance. Rated PG-13, 123 minutes.

The Lady in the Van
Thursday, April 21 at 2:00 p.m.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner and and starring Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings. The film tells the true story of the relationship between Alan Bennett and the singular Miss Shepherd, a woman of uncertain origins who "temporarily" parked her van in Bennett's London driveway and proceeded to live there for fifteen years. Rated PG-13, 104 minutes.

Teen Programs for Grades 6 - 12

Random Fandom - YouTubers
Wednesday, April 6, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Registration required
This month we celebrate all your favorite YouTubers. We'll show each attendee's favorite on the big screen. From vloggers to musicians, we'll have something for everyone.

Teen Crafternoon
Friday, April 15, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Registration Required
Are you working on a craft project? Bring it to the library and work on it! Don't have a project going? Use our supplies to get something started. Or just come and color!

Teen Writers Group
Wednesday, April 20, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Registration Required
Calling all teen writers! Come and work on a project, do writing exercises, and hear from other teen writers.

Programs for Kids

Reluctant Readers Can Read to Baci the Therapy Dog - Grades 1 and up

Tuesday, April 19, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Registration Required
What do you get when you bring children, dogs, and books together? You get happy, confident children who love to read! Each child will be able to read with Baci for 15 minutes.

Write On! Journaling Session for Grades 2-5

Thursday, April 7, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Registration Required
Journal keeping is a remarkably valuable activity for kids that hones language skills and allows opportunities for non-verbal expression. And it’s fun! Returning children are asked to bring the journals they received at our last session with them. Our “newbies” will be given a journal to take and make their own.

Science Explorers for Age 4 - Grade 2

Tuesday, April 5, 5:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Registration required.
Our book this month is Seeing Symmetry by Loreen Leedy. We’ll learn about different types of symmetry and apply this math concept to a work of art.

Brookfield Builders / Lego Club for Grades K-5

Saturday, April 9, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Registration Required
Show off your incredible imagination and building skills by tackling our monthly theme with the library’s Legos. Registration is required and limited to the first 24 registrants.

Fairy Tale Theater for Grades K-2
Tuesday, April 19, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Registration Required
Learn how to act out classic fairy tales in tableau, then work as a group to create an all new fairy tale!

Kid’s Improv Club for Grades 2-5

Monday, April 18, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Registration Required

Improvisation is the art of acting without a script. We will do a variety of theater games and exercise to get kids thinking on their feet and using their imaginations. Improv is often used for comedy, so come ready to be silly!

Kid’s Building Challenge for Grades 3-5
Thursday, April 21, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Registration required

Use the library’s collection of LEGO bricks to complete a series of building challenges.

Dinosaurology for Grades K-5

Monday, April 25, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Registration required
Join us for some dinosaur themed fun. Learn about the process of determining what dinosaurs looked like, hear some stories, and design a dino of your own!