Library Events for November 2010

From the Library…

Monday November 1st at 7:00 pm
Composing a Further Life: The Age of Active Wisdom with Mary Catherine Bateson

Hancock resident Mary Catherine Bateson will talk about her new book, Composing a Further Life: The Age of Active Wisdom. Bateson has long argued that increased longevity is not a matter of addition but of multiplication, so increases in life expectancy involve changes in the entire life cycle. One fundamental change is that we have shifted from a three generation society to a four generation society, one with lots of active grandparents who are mobile and active, while the pattern of "long memories and short walks" has shifted to the great grandparents, present in large number for the first time in history. Bateson has coined the term "active wisdom" to describe the potential of older adults. She has argued that a new era of consciousness-raising is needed as older adults rid themselves of out of date stereotypes of aging and discover the kinds of engagement that will complete the composition of their lives. Mary Catherine Bateson is a writer and cultural anthropologist who divides her time between New Hampshire and Massachusetts. She has written and co-authored many books and articles, and lectures across the country and abroad and has taught at Harvard, Northeastern University, Amherst College, Spelman College and abroad in the Philippines and in Iran. This program is free and open to all.


Tuesday November 2nd at 7:00 pm
First Tuesday Book Club

Join us as we discuss the book What Are Old People For? How Elders Will Save the World by William H. Thomas, M.D. All are welcome.


Thursday November 4th at 7:00 pm
Local Dublin Author Walt Schnabel

Local Dublin, NH author Walt Schnabel will discuss his book Blood Club, a supernatural thriller that employs the mythological structure defined by Joseph Campbell in his book “Hero With A Thousand Faces”. Campbell studied the storytelling traditions of indigenous people from around the world and identified elements that all of these stories have in common. These constantly repeating characters, who appear in dreams and the myths of all cultures are referred to as “archetypes”, a term coined by psychologist Carl Jung, who believed the human race shares a belief system that is embedded in the human psyche known as the collective unconscious. Stories constructed using this mythological structure are psychologically valid and resonate with humans on a deeper level. Blood Club is a modern day myth or hero’s journey that has the main character, with the help of a Native American medicine man, battling the forces of darkness –without and within.
Walt Schnabel graduated from Glassboro State College with a degree in education. He has taught English to regular class and learning disabled students. His lifelong passion for horror cinema and literature has been incorporated into his writing.



Friday November 12th from 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Drop off donations for our military personnel in Afghanistan at the Hancock Town Library!

Calling all Hancock residents! Josh Moreen is a Hancock native currently serving in Afghanistan. Let’s send Josh and other soldiers care packages to help them through the holidays. Bring the following items to the library on Friday November 12th between 5:30 & 7:30 pm and we will make sure they get sent on to Afghanistan (thanks to the American Legion Post 11 in Jaffrey who will be packaging these items on Sat. Nov. 13th). Items needed: HOME MADE BAKED GOODS (ie cookies)! The American Legion will put them in vacuum-sealed packaging so that they arrive in good shape. Also needed: pocket-sized Gold Bond Powder, foot creams, dental floss, individual Kleenex packets, chapstick, disposable razors, toothpaste & toothbrushes, sunblock, deodorant, Q-tips, eye drops & saline nasal spray. Food donations may also include: high protein snacks and power bars, beef jerky, sardines, dried/canned/foil vegetables & fruits, hard candy, canned/foil tuna and chicken. For a more complete list please visit the library. And consider a cash donation to help pay to ship all these items – we have a donation can at the library. Please help spread the word! For more information, call Amy at the library: 525-4411.


Saturday November 13th at 7:00 pm
TRIVIA NIGHT for Grown-ups!

Help us celebrate our 150th birthday by joining us for Trivia Night at the library! Get a team of four (max) together for a fabulous evening of local and international trivia! Win valuable prizes!! Test your knowledge of our special categories: local lore, literature, love & death, losers & winners, and more! Entry fee is $15 per person or $50 per team of four. Bring extra cash to back up your brilliance with bonus questions for bonus points! We’ll have drinks and snacks and Charlie Ingalls as our Trivia Guru and Emcee Extraordinaire. Don’t miss this evening of fun at the library! Sign up today by visiting or calling the library (525-4411). Or email us at hancocklibrary@comcast.net. This program is appropriate for the grown-ups in your family!

Coming this winter…

Shakespeare for Snowy Days ~
Thursdays from January 13 – March 10 from 1:30 – 4 pm

Autumn again, and as the leaves fall it is time to be thinking of Shakespeare. The past two years we have worked our way through English History, from the Plantagenets to the Tudors. It is time for a change. How about Shakespeare and Love? Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Antony and Cleopatra.
Check your bookshelves. If you need a title, please order the Folger edition from the Toadstool. Do this in early December or earlier to give them time to fill your order around the Christmas rush. As always, space is limited, so please sign up for this class with the library (525-4411).


From the Children’s Room…

Friday, October 29 at 7 pm
Spooky Stories Night with Gregory Pratt

Gregory Pratt will return this year for our annual evening around the campfire! With a catalog of thousands of tales, most of which are his own invention, Greg has established a reputation as a master storyteller and has proven adept at telling stories to crowds of all ages. Come if you dare! Rain or shine.

Every Tuesday at 1:30
Story & Craft Time for Preschoolers and Kindergartners (Note new day and time!)

Join Britton in the Children's Room for some favorite stories and a simple art project or craft.

Tuesday November 2 from 3:15 to 4:00
Lego Club for Elementary School Students

Drop by and build something! A snack is provided.

Wednesday, November 3 from 3 to 4 pm
Little Baby Hour

Babies and their caregivers are invited to the Children's Room for social time. Drop in to play with toys, browse new books, and meet other babies in town.

Saturday November 13th 10-11:30 am
Second Saturday Arts with Melody Zahn Russell

This month’s project will be potato printing! As always, space is limited so please sign up at the library. Cost is $15.