For our monthly look at what’s happening at local libraries, afternoon host and arts and culture reporter Mareva Lindo talked with Barrington Public Library Community Engagement Librarian Siobhan Egan about some of the events worth checking out over the next few weeks — including a book chat that’s definitely not a book club.
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Event highlights:
Documentary & Discussion: Not Going Quietly
November 15 at 1 p.m. and November 18 at 6:30 p.m.
Siobhan Egan: This is the story of Ady Barkan, who was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 32. He was so concerned about his rising healthcare costs for his young family that he became an accidental activist and went to Washington to fight for healthcare rights for not only himself but also for others with chronic and terminal illnesses. There will be two showings of this film. Sunday, November 15 at 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday, November 18 at 6:30 p.m.
Registration is recommended but not required.
Ocean State Clarinet Choir
November 22 at 2 p.m.
Egan: We're really lucky at our library because on our second floor we have this beautiful Salem Family Auditorium, which seats up to 105 people, and we use it for lectures, movies, plays, concerts. We try to hold one concert a month, and this will be the third time we're welcoming back the Ocean State Clarinet Choir. It's a really talented group of 25 musicians, conducted by Nicholas Marinacchio and Stephen Toro. They change up (the program) every year. It's a lot of classical music, but one year they also did some renditions of Queen songs, which was really fun. So they always try to bring in something kind of a little bit more contemporary. The concert is always a big draw for us, and it always sells out. It is free, but we ask people to register ahead of time so they can save their seat.
Marine Weaving Demonstration & Hands-On
Workshop with Artist Elaine Alder
November 24 at 6:30 p.m.
Egan: We have a local artist, Elena Alder, who's coming to run the demonstration, and she specializes in making these really cool giant sculptures out of marine debris, including fishing rope, plastic found in the ocean, worn-out tires (and) steel. She actually has some sculptures on display in New Bedford called "The Water We're Swimming In." That's the exhibit, and she uses those materials to depict these life-size whales looking like they're diving in and out of the water, but it's just grass. It's a really cool display if you're able to see it. And so she's going to be visiting our library to talk about that installation and do a demonstration of how she actually creates her sculptures. And then after her demonstration, people who attend will get to actually try their hand at doing that kind of weaving with the same materials that Elaine uses in their art.
Free and open to all ages.
Monthly adult book chat
First Wednesday of the month at 11 a.m. on Zoom (unless otherwise noted). Next date: December 2
Egan: The idea is that you get to bring your own book and get to choose what you read for this book club. So you know, bring the book you're currently enjoying or have recently finished, and share your thoughts about it, whether you liked it, whether you didn't like it, and then the best part is that you get to leave with some other book recommendations from other readers. So it's a really great no-pressure book club for those kinds of people who don't like to be told what to read. It's a really great opportunity to still be in community with other readers and get to share your love for reading.
Registration is required for the Zoom link and email reminders.
Ida Lewis: Lighthouse Keeper
November 17 at 6:30 p.m.
From the Barrington Library website: Join Astrid Drew from the Steamship Historical Society of America on Tuesday, November 17 at 6:30 p.m., for an informative presentation on Ida Lewis, one of five female lighthouse keepers in Rhode Island. Ida Lewis became famous for her daring rescues from Lime Rock Light, near Newport, Rhode Island, where she was lighthouse keeper from 1879 to 1911. For centuries, lighthouses were key to shipping and safety at sea, and were also among the few places where women in the Victorian era could earn a wage. She wasn't the only woman lighthouse keeper in Rhode Island, but she nonetheless stood apart, becoming the highest-paid lighthouse keeper in the US. Learn about the famous Idawalley Zorada Lewis and how she became known as "the bravest woman in America."
Free and open to all.
