Posts by Kristy, Adult Librarian

Remembering 9/11 Writing Workshop

Remembering 9/11 Writing Workshop

Tuesdays July 13th through September 14th* 7:00-8:30 p.m. Click here to register. *Class will not be held on August 24th. In this workshop, we will explore memories of and around the events of September 11th, 2001. Around the country, twisted bits of metal from the Twin Towers are displayed in memorials with the words “Never Forget.” But what exactly do we want to remember about that day? What should we remember? Join us for a deep but gentle dive into our memories around the tragedy, and how we’ve grappled with it in the twenty years since. You will be given
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June 30, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: 9/11, creative writing, September 11th, writing, and writing workshop.

Presentation on Coach Vince Lombardi

Presentation on Coach Vince Lombardi

TOLERANCE: Coach Vince Lombardi's Winning Formula Sunday, June 20th 2:00–3:00 p.m. Click here to register. One of the greatest coaches in pro football, Vince Lombardi's leadership skills resulted in ten winning seasons and five championships. The Super Bowl trophy is appropriately named after him. His management keys of diversity, tolerance and attacking bigotry proved well in Green Bay. Lombardi broke down barriers for athletes of color in Wisconsin's NFL outpost. It should be no surprise Lombardi employed the same successful tactics in changing the Washington Football Team's culture for gay players. John Vorperian, a published sports historian & host of
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June 9, 2021 12:37 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: history, library events, library programs, sports, sports events, and vince lombardi.

Sunrise Scimitar with Joe Rao

Sunrise Scimitar with Joe Rao

Sunday, June 6th 2:00–3:00 p.m. Click here to register. On the morning of June 10th, early risers in the Northeast US  will – weather conditions permitting – be treated to the most unusual sunrise of their lives, for we will not see a yellow-orange circle of light, but a large solar eclipse which will transform the Sun into a fiery scimitar! From the Tri-State Area, sunrise is at 5:24 a.m. and maximum eclipse comes nine minutes later. Eighty percent of the Sun’s diameter will be obscured. Such a circumstance is very rare, having occurred only twice in the past 150
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June 3, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: astronomy, events, Joe Rao, meterology, science, and weather.

Metaliteracy & Disinformation Workshop

Metaliteracy & Disinformation Workshop

Truth Vs. Disinformation: Turning the Tide Against Social Media Manipulation Monday, May 24th 7:00–8:00 p.m. Click here to register. Professor Tom Palmer will provide metaliteracy tools that attendees can use to help friends and family examine information shared online. Professor Palmer will introduce metaliteracy principles for observing and detecting the origin of disinformation and how it expands through social media channels via unsuspecting citizens. As a media critic and news deconstructionist, Palmer's experience with multimodal forensics draws upon three-decades of news editing, photojournalism, picture editing and design directing in the news industry. His research and writing also focus on text-image
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May 10, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: disinformation, events, fake news, library events, metaliteracy, and social media.

May Gardening Events

May Gardening Events

Spring is here and if you are struggling with starting a garden, you might want to think about attending one of our upcoming events with Master Gardener Jacqui Bergonzi or Co-Founder of Fruition Seeds Petra Page-Mann. Vegetables Love Flowers Wednesday, May 12th 11:00–11:45 a.m. Click here to register. Jacqui Bergonzi, Master Gardener, will discuss how vegetables and pollinators thrive when vegetable gardens are abundant with beautiful flowers. This mutually beneficial relationship must be understood within the context of what goes on below the ground where billions of microorganisms feed and care for plant roots. This presentation will cover tips on
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April 28, 2021 11:08 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: container gardening, events, gardening, library programs, and seeds.

Reading to End Racism Book Group

Reading to End Racism Book Group

Continuing on the theme of courageous conversations, the YWCA has partnered with the White Plains Public Library for the Reading to End Racism book club. For details on upcoming discussions, see below: In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende April 22nd, 6:00 p.m. Click here for information on attending. Library Catalog: Print / CD audiobook OverDrive & Libby During the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory, Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor in his sixties, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, and what at first seems an inconvenience takes a more serious turn
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April 6, 2021 11:50 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: Antiracism, book discussion, book group, Common Ground, Racism, reading against racism, Stand Against Racism, and YWCA.

Meet Authors Laurie Ruettimann and Lindsey Pollak

Meet Authors Laurie Ruettimann and Lindsey Pollak

Authors Laurie Ruettimann & Lindsey Pollak in Conversation Thursday, April 22nd 7:00–8:00 p.m. Click here to register for this virtual event. White Plains Public Library, Bedford Hills Free Library, Harrison Public Library, and Book YaYa present: CNN's top business coach Laurie Ruettimann, author of Betting on You: How to Put Yourself First and Take Control of Your Career, in conversation with New York Times bestselling writer and leading business expert Lindsey Pollak, author of Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through the Changing World of Work. Betting On You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career (Library
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March 28, 2021 9:33 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: author event, book discussion, Book Ya Ya, business, career panel, Laurie Ruettimann, Lindsey Pollak, and meet the author.

Black History Month Events

Black History Month Events

This February we're celebrating Black History Month with a variety of events for all ages. Below is a chronological list of events and various resources and reading lists. To see a full list of our February events, please check our online calendar. Through February 28th Film Screening: Black Ballerina Black Ballerina is a story of passion, opportunity, heartbreak and triumph of the human spirit. Set in the overwhelmingly white world of classical dance, it tells the stories of several black women from different generations who fell in love with ballet. Sixty years ago, while pursuing their dreams of careers in
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February 15, 2021 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: Black History, black history month, book discussion, book groups, civil rights, Jackie Robinson, jazz, library events, mamie johnsonson, Observances and Celebrations, Project Lit, Project Lit Community, satchel paige, STEAM, STEAM activities, STEAM at home, and storywalk.

Jackie Robinson: More Than a Ballplayer

Jackie Robinson: More Than a Ballplayer

Thursday, February 11th at 6:30 p.m. Some historians make the mistake of placing a historical figure in a box and not presenting a fuller picture of the individual. Robinson also wrote a nationally syndicated column, founded a bank, appeared frequently on FACE THE NATION, served as a sports team's general manager and league commissioner, was an influencer of Presidents, Governors, and Senators as an informal Civil Rights activist. It's time to hear more about #42 beyond his Brooklyn Dodger exploits. In this presentation John Vorperian, President of the White Plains Historical Society, will discuss Jackie Robinson's accomplishments in addition to
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January 28, 2021 11:26 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: baseball, black history month, Jackie Robinson, library events, and sports.

De-cluttering Event with Jamie Novak

De-cluttering Event with Jamie Novak

Sorting Through Sentimental Stuff & What To Never Toss When De-Cluttering Sunday, February 28th, at 2:00 p.m. If you have trouble letting go of stuff then this is the virtual program for you. Log on for author and organizer Jamie Novak’s humorous take on how to part with those things. Overcome common obstacles to getting organized like keeping clothes you think you’ll wear, holding onto treasures, and saving items “just in case,” plus you'll learn what to KEEP when de-cluttering. Log off the program with lots of helpful hints and resources. Click here to register.
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January 11, 2021 2:23 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Authors & Books and Library News.
Tags: clutter, decluttering, hoarding, Jamie Novak, and organization.

JazzFest 2020

JazzFest 2020

For its ninth year, JazzFest White Plains is going virtual! Beginning on September 8 with the ArtsBash Virtual Mixology Party and continuing with a series of online JazzFest events running through September 11, prepare to celebrate established Jazz greats, meet its rising stars, and learn more about this wonderful musical genre. The Library is partnering on two events, find out more below: Tuesday, September 8th – 8:00 p.m. | Westchester Jazz: Then and Now Presented by the White Plains Public Library and ArtsWestchester Broadcast on Zoom and Facebook Live Show your Westchester pride by tuning in to this program that
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August 31, 2020 2:35 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.
Tags: Art Bennett, ArtsWestchester, Jazz Fest, Jazz Fest 2020, music, and White Plains Jazz Fest.

Documenting COVID-19: Uplifting Rocks

Documenting COVID-19: Uplifting Rocks

Photo and text submitted by Ro Munns on May 30, 2020. An anonymous White Plains resident painted “uplifting rocks” and sprinkled them around WP neighborhoods. When people were out walking they could see and enjoy them. I saw this one on Mamaroneck Ave not far from my home. It certainly helped to put things back into perspective! Submit your own experience.
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July 24, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: community art, covid-19, COVID19, Documenting COVID-19, photo, and white plains.

Documenting COVID-19: Houses of Worship

Documenting COVID-19: Houses of Worship

Below is a compilation of submissions from local houses of worship. Bethel Baptist Church eLights of Hope newsletter (PDF), March–May 2020, Volume 1. Submitted June 3, 2020. St. Matthew's Lutheran Church Submitted by Leah Warncke, Administrative Assistant, on June 9, 2020: Attached you will find a brief paragraph about our church during this time of COVID 19 shutdown and pictures/videos of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in White Plains gathering for worship virtually. Blessings Rev. Jonathan J. Recabarren St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church has served the people in the city of White Plains for 125 years. As we gather as one body to enrich
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July 16, 2020 1:10 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19 and Library News.
Tags: covid-19, COVID19, Documenting COVID-19, Religious Organizations, and white plains.

Documenting COVID-19: PBA Volunteers

Documenting COVID-19: PBA Volunteers

Photo and text submitted by Paul Schwarz, MOWWP Board President. In March, at the beginning of the pandemic crisis, we had a knock at the door of our office at Meals on Wheels of White Plains. We were surprised to find two members of the White Plains police force. “Don't worry,” they said. “We're here as the PBA and we want to know if you need help.” Weeks later, as more and more of our volunteers declined to go out, we took them up on their offer. At the height of the crisis, for several weeks in May, members of
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July 10, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: covid-19, COVID19, Documenting COVID-19, Meals on Wheels, PBA, and white plains.

Documenting COVID-19: County Courthouse Flags

Documenting COVID-19: County Courthouse Flags

Photos and text submitted by Helen Jonsen, Director of Public Information, Westchester County District Attorney's Office. April 15, 2020–On a clear windy day, flags few at half-staff in White Plains to salute those who have died of Covid-19 in New York State. Photos were taken on the plaza of the Richard J. Daronco Westchester County Courthouse. Also on the plaza is a memorial to police officers who have died in the line of duty. At one angle, it looked like the statue was joining the flags in remembrance. There was silence save for the pinging of the hooks on the
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July 3, 2020 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.
Tags: covid-19, COVID19, Documenting COVID-19, photo, Westchester County Courthouse, and white plains.

Documenting COVID-19:
Garbage Truck Story

Documenting COVID-19: <br />Garbage Truck Story

Story and photo submitted by Robin Cohen. During the 2020 pandemic my daughter, her husband, and two young sons moved out of the city to live with me. Every morning the seven year old has school at nine. I take the under two grandson for long walks. On our walks one of his favorite things to see is garbage trucks. Every time we pass one, the driver honks and the sanitation workers wave. It really feels like a connection. The attached picture is of a sweater I knit for him to always remember this. Submit your own experience.
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May 21, 2020 11:20 am | by | No Comments
Categories: COVID-19, Homepage, Homepage Kids, Kids, and Library News.
Tags: covid-19, COVID19, Documenting COVID-19, photo, and white plains.