Garden expo to cat café: Tiverton Library’s April events lineup

For the past year, every month, we’ve been sharing what’s happening at the Community Libraries of Providence. We are now expanding this monthly segment to highlight what’s going on at different libraries across Rhode Island and the South Coast. This time we’re putting the spotlight on Tiverton Public Library.

This free event will feature free seeds, soil testing, and advice from URI Master Gardeners, gardening books for sale, a raffle to benefit outdoor library programming, family activities, as well as representatives from organizations around New England.

Fred Zilian will give a talk that addresses the lives of Major General Nathanael Greene and his wife, Catharine (“Caty”). Nathanael of Coventry, RI, quickly rose to the rank of brigadier general at the outset of the Revolutionary War and eventually became one of General Washington’s top generals. The talk will begin with their early lives and marriage. It will then examine how they endured the hardships, separations, and other challenges of the Revolutionary War period. It will then consider Caty’s life after the early death of Nathanael, her second marriage, the many men that wanted her hand, the challenges she faced, and finally her later life. This is the annual John Fitzgerald History Program, hosted by the Friends of Tiverton Libraries.

In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQia+ stories – triggering sweeping book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work – the librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale. Popcorn and drinks will be provided.

Meet fellow cat fiction lovers in the cat room at Bajah’s Cat Café for a discussion of The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa. Copies of the book are available at the Tiverton Public Library.

This is a drop-in, prompt-driven writing group that supports writers of all levels. Membership is free, open to the public, and is appropriate for writers aged 18 and older.

This month, we will watch and discuss Becoming Jane (2007; Rated PG; 2 hours). A biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman. Popcorn and drinks will be provided. Presented in partnership with the Tiverton Arts Council.

What happened on May 4th in 1908? Why is the figure on top of the Rhode Island State House called “The Independent Man?” What was the “lively experiment” of 1663? Come find out the answers to these and other questions you might have about the smallest state in the United States of America. Susan Anderson from the Tiverton Historical Society will give a presentation on “Rhode Island Independence Day.”

All events (aside from Bajah’s Book Club) are at the Tiverton Public Library, 34 Roosevelt Ave, Tiverton, RI.