Hannah Cohoon, (1788-1864) Gift Drawing: The Tree of Light or Blazing Tree, 1845.
Hancock, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Ink, pencil, and gouache on paper American Folk Art Museum. Promised gift of Ralph Esmerian
The Friends of the Scoville Library are currently accepting donations of books for their ongoing book sales
All proceeds benefit the library's programs. Donated books should be:
- clean and in good condition so that they will be appealing to other readers
- relatively dust free, not discolored or written in
- structurally sound with intact binding and pages which are not ripped.
Please no textbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries or travel guides older than four years. Donations can be dropped off on Mondays between 10-Noon, or contact the Friends to make other arrangements.
Nature's Gifts and the Power of Awe
Presentation by Marilyn Anderson
June 4, 4:00-5:15,
Wardell Community Room, Scoville Library
Nature’s Gifts and the Power of Awe
- Marilyn Anderson
In this hour-long presentation we'll consider the various wonderful gifts we receive from the natural world, even when we may be oblivious to them. We’ll consider “Biophilia,” our collective appreciation of Nature and our desire to experience more of it. This includes our satisfaction from walking outdoors, gardening, birdwatching, and even forest bathing. We’ll also consider Nature’s many salutary effects on our bodies and our minds that have been demonstrated through scientific research. One of Nature’s gifts that anyone may experience in the natural world is awe. Like the other gifts of Nature, the emotion of awe also brings its own constellation of healthful benefits. And it doesn’t only come upon us outdoors; awe comes from all kinds of sources, including music, art, spirituality, and acts of moral beauty we see in other people. Where have we found awe, and how has it changed us?
We’ll draw from two recent books in this presentation:
The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, by Florence Williams, (New York: W. W. Norton & Company), 2017
Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life, by Dacher Keltner (New York: Penguin Press), 2023
Both books will be available in the Library.
Marilyn Anderson is a resident of Lakeville. She holds graduate university degrees in geological sciences and theology. She is a semi-retired Episcopal priest and full-on gardener.
REGISTER FOR IN PERSON SEATING HERE
Details for attendance via Zoom will follow
Meditation Walk
with Kathy Voldstad
Sunday, June 4, 5:15
A ten-minute walk to begin just outside SML, in the Pickles Garden, immediately following the talk on Nature's Gifts
A short meditation walk led by Kathy Voldstad
We will meet in the Pickles Garden just outside the Wardell Community Room
Walk-ins Welcome!
White Hart Speaker Series: Mary Beth Keane, THE HALF MOON
Presented by Oblong Books in partnership with The White Hart Inn & Scoville Memorial Library
Thursday June 8, 6:30
White Hart Inn
15 Undermountain Road, Salisbury
From the bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, a masterful novel about a couple in a small town who must navigate the complexities of marriage, family, and longing.
Award-winning author Mary Beth Keane’s new novel takes place over the course of one week when Malcolm learns shocking news about Jess, a patron of the bar goes missing, and a blizzard hits the town of Gillam, trapping everyone in place. With a deft eye and generous spirit, Keane explores the disappointments and unexpected consolations of midlife, the many forms forgiveness can take, the complicated intimacy of small-town living, and what it means to be a family.
Mary Beth Keane attended Barnard College and the University of Virginia, where she received an MFA. She was awarded a John S. Guggenheim fellowship for fiction writing and has received citations from the National Book Foundation, PEN America, and the Hemingway Society.
Current Fiction Group Led by Claudia Cayne
June 10, 4 p.m.
“Joan is Okay” by Weike Wang
Joan is a thirtysomething ICU doctor at a busy New York City hospital. The daughter of Chinese parents who came to the United States to secure the American dream for their children, Joan is intensely devoted to her work, happily solitary, successful. She does look up sometimes and wonder where her true roots lie: at the hospital, where her white coat makes her feel needed, or with her family, who try to shape her life by their own cultural and social expectations.
In person in the Oak Room for those who are vaccinated and comfortable.
Registration link – register once for all book groups
Introduction to Meditation
with Kathy Voldstad
Kathy Voldstad will lead an in-person "Introduction to Meditation" class on three consecutive Sunday afternoons: June 11, 18, and 25 at SML.
Registration is required for this after hours class to be held in person at 4 p.m. in the Scoville Memorial Library. One registration works for all three classes.
Ongoing Weeklies with SML
Meditation and Gentle Movement
with Kathy Voldstad
Meditation, Sundays 9:00 a.m.
Beginning now, probably lasting through the summer months, the meditation class will be held on Sundays only. It will not be held on Sunday May 21, and 28.
AND... Kathy Voldstad will guide a 10-minute outdoor meditation walk, open to all, on June 4th, at 5:15. This walking meditation immediately follows the talk by....The Rev. Marilyn Anderson, "Nature's Gifts and the Power of Awe," June 4, 4:00-5:15, Wardell Community Room.
Zoom link — password: "peace"
Bridge with John Dippel at SML
Classes meet on Wednesdays, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Local resident John Dippel is offering an ongoing bridge course. This intermediate-level course will run until the end of June. Starting in mid-September, the library will again host a bridge beginner group, Wednesdays, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Couples and singles interested in joining should contact Dippel at jvdippel@gmail.com. (Space limitations may require a cap of participation.) Please include your phone and email address, as well as the level of bridge you’re interested in. Couples and singles are both welcome. Dippel, a historian and author, returned to playing bridge when he moved to Salisbury 10 years ago and took a similar course. He has been playing regularly ever since.
NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE
OF THE SALISBURY REGION
Following Tim Binzen's recent talk on the indigenous heritage of the Salisbury Region, co-sponsored by The Salisbury Association Historical Society and SML, we're pleased to share Binzen's suggested bibliography and a video of the event held on May 6, 2023.
Bibliography:
Connecticut's Indigenous Peoples: What Archaeology, History, and Oral Traditions Teach Us About Their Communities and Cultures, by Lucianne Lavin
The Mohicans and Their Land: 1609-1730, by Shirley W. Dunn
The Mohicans of Stockbridge, by Patrick Frazier
Native People of Southern New England: 1500-1650, by Kathleen J. Bragdon
See our landing page at Oblong Books:
https://www.oblongbooks.com/scovillelibrary
Additionally, Tim’s thesis on the topic is available at the library and will be made available as a PDF on the library’s website soon.
