Thursday September 15th at 7:00 pm
Making Good from the Great War: The United States'
Entrance into World War I
One hundred years ago,
President Woodrow Wilson faced a monumental dilemma about how to respond to the
war in Europe, which had been raging for more than two years. In this illustrated talk, Kurk Dorsey,
Professor of History at UNH and a specialist on US foreign policy, will
describe how Wilson tried to make something good from the Great War, first by
trying to mediate a peace without victory and then by choosing to intervene in
the war on the Allied side. His
decisions continue to reverberate today, as the United States tries to figure
how to, among other things, make the world safe for democracy. Dr. Dorsey is
returning to the Hancock Town Library by popular demand as his lectures are
well-constructed, engaging and informative. Dr. Dorsey’s research interests
include US foreign policy, environmental history, and the history of Canada.
Free and open to all.
Tuesday September 20th at 7:00 pm
Join Dan Szczesny at the
Hancock Town Library for an evening of Pulp Fiction history and readings from
some of New England's finest short story writers. We'll look at the history of
pulp noir fiction, we'll talk about the new pulp newsroom anthology, Murder Ink, written by New England
authors and then we'll sit back and hear some great fiction from some
murderously good readers! Dan is a long
time journalist, author, editor and travel writer living in Manchester, NH.
He's written four books and is the editor of Murder Ink: Thirteen Tales of New England Newsroom Crime
(Plaidswede Books, 2016). Free and open to all.
Thursday September 22nd at 7:00 pm
The Hourglass Readers Perform Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People
The Hourglass Readers will
present a reading of the play An Enemy of
the People by Henrik Ibsen. Catherine Behrens will direct a cast of 11,
comprising Dan Patterson, Kim Dupuis, Clare Margand, Richard Behrens, Damien
Licata, James Duffy, Peter Eisenstadter, Don Wilmeth, Chris Pratt, Briauna
Clay, and Penelope Garcia. The play addresses social issues that are very
timely in this election season. Moral dilemmas, whistle-blowing, professional
responsibilities – this 1882 play by Ibsen is as relevant today as it was over
one hundred years ago. Henrik Ibsen
(1828-1906) was an iconoclast who attacked social conventions that he found
outdated and unsuited to modern democratic ideals. He was very controversial in
his day, but has since been recognized as one of our greatest dramatists and is
considered the father of realism. Shaw,
Wilde, Joyce, O’Neill and Arthur Miller, among others, were greatly influenced
by him. The Hourglass Readers was founded in 2006 by Catherine and Frank
Behrens. The group is dedicated to
performing readings of classical dramatic works in an abridged format, allowing
actors and audiences to explore works not often performed. Free and open to
all.
Tuesday September 27th at 7:00 pm
The Legacy of Macbeth: Shakespeare,
Verdi, and Raylynmor Opera with Ann McEntee
“Double, double
toil and trouble,
Fire burn, and
cauldron bubble.”
What comes to mind
when you read these words? Three crones
bent over a bubbling cauldron? Toads
jumping out of that cauldron? The
silhouette of a woman and a cat riding a broomstick across a moonlit sky? The
words of Macbeth’s weird sisters conjure up a world of witchcraft and
sorcery, a world in which “time is out of joint.” That world continues to fascinate us 410
years after Shakespeare first staged it.
This program will
cover our cultural fascination with witches and a world upended by political
ambition and treason while also examining how Shakespeare manipulated historic
documents to create the tragedy. It also
takes into account the sociopolitical climate of James’s first years as
England’s king and founder of the Stuart monarchy. Raylynmor Opera’s upcoming
production of Verdi’s Macbeth traverses time and space to the present-day
United States. Ben Robinson, the opera
company’s artistic director, has written a new English libretto based directly
upon Shakespeare’s text. Set during a
presidential election cycle, Robinson’s “Macbeth” transforms the Macbeths into
a candidate and his “first lady” and the wired sisters into television
reporters, talk show hosts, and print journalists. This contemporary staging encourages us to
consider how and to what extent the media manipulates our perceptions of
current events and individuals in the “news.”
It asks how the media has, and in particular social media, eroded the
line that separates the public and the private self? Like Verdi, and Shakespeare before him,
Robinson’s production reveals how a culture’s agent of disruption—in our
case—communication technologies—leads to the disintegration of the individual.
Raylynmor Opera is based out of Keene, NH and is the only opera entity in New
Hampshire devoted to providing a stage for the vocal and artistic talents of
artists from this region. Ann M. McEntee, PhD, is a small-college theatre and
communications professor who has written about Shakespeare and directed stage
productions of Shakespeare’s work. Free and open to all.
A Note from Miss Jenn
Congratulations to all our
Summer Readers! The kids team won! With a total of 1313 hrs read by our team
and 1,162 hrs by the adults we were only 25 hrs shy of our summer reading goal!
For those of you who did not yet see the video of Amy dressed as the peacock visit our facebook page!
September Art Series with Melody Russell
Melody Russell will be
teaching 3 classes this September. Each class is limited to 12 students so sign
up is required for each class.
September 13th @ 3:30 Friendship Bracelets
September 20th @ 3:30 Paperbeads
September 27th @ 3:30 Fimo Creations and Beads
September 14th 3:30pm-4:30 pm Tween/Teen
Advisory Board
Join us for the first meeting
of the Teen Advisory Board! We will be working together to find out what we
should to add to the Teen collection, what programs you want to see at the
library. This is your chance to have a say in how things work in the teen
section! This group is for ages 10-18 yrs old.
Saturday September 17th 11 am Paws to Read
with Toven
Come read to Toven, a gentle
Great Pyrenees dog! Toven, a registered reading therapy dog, comes to the
library once a month and loves when kids read to him. Reading to a therapy dog
is great for children who want to improve their out-loud reading skills. Come
meet Toven, you will love him!
Monday September 19th @ 3:30 pm Paws to
Read with Coffee
Come by the library and
practice your reading with Coffee the Chihuahua! Coffee, a registered reading
therapy dog, loves when kids practice their reading with him or tell him
stories. Also, if you bring 3 non-perishable items for the Food Pantry, you get
to choose a free stuffed animal graciously donated by Douglas Cuddle Toys!
Wednesdays Beginning September 28th - November 16th from 3:30-4:30 pm
Spanish Club for Middle School Students with Diane
Goodman
Are you interested in
speaking Spanish and learning about different cultures? Diane Goodman is a Spanish educator in the
Keene District and has been teaching Spanish for the past 20 years. She believes
in bridging gaps between people with music, language, art, poetry, games,
literature, and culture. We invite you to join us at the Hancock Library for an
8 week conversational Spanish session for the fall semester. This is open to
Middle School students from 5th through 8th grade and
beginners are welcome. There is a $125 per student fee payable to Ms. Goodman. A
minimum of ten students and a maximum of 15 are needed so please contact the
library to register for this wonderful opportunity to learn Spanish today!
525-4411 or hancocklibrary@comcast.net.
Every Thursday @ 10:30 Family Storytime
This storytime is open to all
ages. Come listen to some stories and dance with scarves!
Lego Club will return on October 4th at
3:30 pm!
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