What's new at the Portland Library!

Lunch and Learn
Tuesday, February 9th, 2016
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol and Henry is certain that it belongs to his childhood friend, Keiko.
Books will be available for borrowing prior to the
discussion. Registration appreciated!

Lunch and Learn
Tuesday, February 9th, 2016
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol and Henry is certain that it belongs to his childhood friend, Keiko.
Books will be available for borrowing prior to the
discussion. Registration appreciated!

Special programs
Thursday, February 18th, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.
All You Ever Wanted to Know about Your iPhone!
Max Rowe, Library Connection, Inc., will demonstrate how to use an iPhone!
Topics include how to make a call, add contacts, text, email, take photos, connect to WiFi, use the App store, use FaceTime, and learn how data plans work.
Reserve a spot for yourself at this free workshop!

Friday, March 11th, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.
The Art of Zentangle
Zentangle is drawing with simple patterns that are
combined in unique ways to form beautiful images while engaging the mind and relaxing the body! No art
experience required! Participants will be provided with all materials needed and additional materials may be
purchased to take home for those interested. This free workshop will be led by Kelley Kelly, Certified Zentangle Teacher She is a graduate of Smith College with a degree in music and who has studied Fine Art Photography in graduate school. Registration required for this free adult program.

Monday, March 21st, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.
Organizing: A Plan of Attack for Any Space
Learn proven steps for tackling any of life’s organizing challenges, the three main causes of clutter, the how to’s for simplifying your space, and the process of working with a Professional Organizer. See before and after
pictures! Sarah Soboleski, LCSW, is the owner of
Classically Organized, a professional organizing business serving homeowners in central Connecticut. Connect with her at www.ClassicallyOrganized.com.
In addition, she is a licensed clinical social worker and specializes in working with persons struggling with
mental illness and at-risk families. She is a member of The Connecticut Hoarding Working Group; a statewide force focused on hoarding disorder.
Registration required for this free adult program.

Monthly Book Discussion
All are welcome to attend. Titles are available to borrow; no reservations are necessary.
Thursday, February 4th at 6:30 p.m.
The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
Smithson “Smithy” Ide is an overweight, friendless, chain-smoking, forty-three-year-old drunk. By all accounts, especially his own, he’s a loser. Then, within one week, Smithy’s beloved parents are killed in a car crash, and his long-lost sister, Bethany, has turned up in a morgue. Unmoored by the loss of his entire family, Smithy rolls down the
driveway of his parents’ house on his old Raleigh bicycle into an epic journey that will take him clear across the country as he relives old memories and encounters humanity at its best and worst.
Thursday, March 3rd at 6:30 p.m.
The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen
All her life, Mary has been a slave to the wealthy Van Lew family of Richmond, Virginia until Bet, the willful Van Lew daughter decides to send Mary to Philadelphia to be educated. But with the nation edging towards war, Mary defies Virginia law to return home to care for her ailing father and to fight for emancipation. Posing as a slave in the Confederate White House in order to spy on President Jefferson Davis, Mary deceives even those who are closest to her to aid the Union command.

Movies in the Afternoon
Wednesday. February 10th, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.
Showing: Big Stone Gap
Starring: Ashley Judd, Patrick Wilson, Whoopi Goldberg, & John Benjamin Hickey; Universal; directed by Adriani Trigiani; PG-13, 2016, 103 minutes.
Ave Maria Mulligan, the town’s self-proclaimed spinster, works in her family’s pharmacy, delivers the prescriptions herself, and directs the town’s annual outdoor drama until one day she learns of a long-buried family secret that changes the course of her life forever.

Movies in the Evening
Monday, February 22nd, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.
Showing: Bridge of Spies
Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, & Alan Alda; Dreamworks; directed by Steven Spielberg; PG-13, 2015, 141 minutes.
During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
No reservations necessary! The Friends of Portland Library supports the Library’s DVD collection.

Presented by the Friends of the Portland Library ...
Learn About Community Supported Agriculture (Farm Share) Programs
Tuesday February 23, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.

Learn how to get a wide variety of locally grown
produce, meat, eggs and canned items for your family while supporting Connecticut farms. With a
Community Supported Agriculture program, the
consumer purchases a seasonal share of the farms’ products. There are more than 75 farms running CSA programs in Connecticut! Chris Bassette of Killam & Bassette Farmstead in South Glastonbury will lead the program. Refreshments will be served. Registration suggested!

Art on Display


The Art Guild of Middletown will be on exhibit at the Portland Library this month.

On Display
In February, the Library will have a display of newly arrived materials, romance novels and books featuring chocolate. Black History Month materials will also be on display.
From our special displays in February, check out DVDs and CDs ! Romance is in the air just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Technology Updates...
Transparent Language
Try the Library’s online language database, Transparent Language Online. For more information, ask at the Library’s Information Desk.

Fax Service
Portland Library has a fax transmission service. The library’s printer/copier now additionally serves as a fax machine. The cost is $2.00 for most transmissions; please pay at the Circulation or Information Desks. For more information or help sending a fax, please ask at the Information Desk.

Children’s Department Take Your Child to the Library Day

Life-Size

Kids old and young are invited to travel through the Lollipop Woods, Peppermint Forest, and Gumdrop Mountains in a life-size Candy Land game that will take place at the Portland Library on Saturday, February 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Come help us celebrate Take Your Child to the Library Day by navigating through all of the candy worlds in the Children’s Department and using your knowledge of counting and colors to reach Candy Castle! No registration is required for this free program.

Upcoming Programs

February Break: Bending Gravity
Tuesday, February 16 at 11:00 a.m.

Enjoy a one-of-a-kind breathtaking performance of object manipulation
choreographed to music. Eric Girardi is a performance artist with over 20 skills
including being a world-ranked yoyo player, a juggler of knives, a fire-eater, a stilt-walker and much more. Every show is unique! Registration is required. All ages are welcome.

Mr. Gym
Wednesday, February 24th at 6:30 p.m.

Families with children of all ages are welcome to join us for a music-based ‘Gym Class’ on the road with Chris Keithan (aka Mr. Gym). Mr. Gym connects with his young audience not only though fun games and activities but through his music! He strives to motivate children to lead a more healthy, active lifestyle through his songs and lyrics, all while having a great time! Don’t miss it! Registration is required.

Passport to Reading!
January 4—February 29
Our Winter Reading Club theme for 2016 is “Passport to Reading!” Even if the cold weather keeps you stuck indoors, you can travel to faraway and exotic (and WARM!) places through the books that you read. Everyone who participates will be given a “passport” to fill in; the more times you visit the library, the more stickers you earn to fill in your passport book. Visit the library to see our display of books on faraway (and not-so-faraway) places and pick up a flyer for more information on the Passport to Reading program.

Drop-In Arts and Crafts!

Grades preK-5, Thursdays at 3:30 p.m.
February 4, 11, 18 and 25
Kids in grades preschool-grade 5 are invited to join us EVERY Thursday afternoon from 3:30-4:30 in February for drop-in crafting. Each week, we will have a few ‘featured” crafts, as well as a general selection of supplies available for anyone who wants to go in their own direction. No registration is required!

Teen Library Lock-in: Game Night!
Friday, February 26 from 7:00—9:00 p.m.Teens in grades 6 and up! Don’t miss your chance to play life-size editions of Banana-grams, Jenga, Hungry, Hungry Hippos, and anything else our Teen Advisory Board can dream up!
Space is limited; registration is recommended.

For All Upcoming Events Visit: www.PortlandLibraryCT.org