Quincy Library Hosts Great Events

Quincy Library Hosts Great Events
I found a wonderful plug for the Thomas Crane Library, including my upcoming poetry program this Saturday, on the blog for the Faxon Park Apartments. Thank you neighbors!

Meanwhile a special treat for me was that someone, a Friend I have yet to meet, sent a generous donation to the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library on their form "to acknowledge a special occasion." On the form they quoted from my profile and greeting in the new issue of the Friends' "Happenings" newsletter, where I had said, "Libraries...they're about people committed to working together to bring to fruition the promise and opportunities of life in the twenty-first century." This is one of the most flattering tributes I have ever received. I will do my best to live up to this donor's wonderful words: "I believe this about you Harry - you're one of us and we're glad to have you aboard." Wow!

Lisa Lamme Tells All

It's only a five minute walk from the Thomas Crane Public Library to 1241 Hancock Street in downtown Quincy. That's where Lisa Lamme operates The Gypsy Kitchen, a gourmet wine, food and cheese shop. But on Wednesday night you didn't even have to take that walk. Lisa came to the Library as the keynote speaker for the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library Social. My headline exaggerates; Lisa didn't tell "all," but she shared her years of struggle and dues-paying as a business woman, author, small business operator and culinary chemist. You cannot get venture capitalists to part with their capital without talking to a lot of them. You cannot concoct, perfect and manufacture a food product, not even a delectable hot sauce like "Gypsy Juice," without permission from a host of government bureaucrats. And don't try to publish a book, not even one as cool as The Gypsy Kitchen: Transform Almost Nothing Into Something Delicious With Not-So-Secret Ingredients, without mastering the computer. But the good news is, if you never, ever give up, and do "whatever it takes" for as long as it takes, you can make your dreams come true. The keys are in your hand. Lisa Lamme had a large audience eating out of her hand on Wednesday night. This was a great program. And of course Friends President Betty Molloy, Lisa herself, and I each made a pitch for renewing or initiating your membership in the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library.

Ten Thousand Readers! Poetry Event April 23rd

Ten Thousand Readers: Will you be one of them? April is National Poetry Month. MassPoetry.org, producer of the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, has an ambitious program to celebrate the fact that our state “has produced more poets than any other in the nation.” They are working with libraries, schools, colleges, book clubs and more to have 10,000 Massachusetts residents read seven poems by seven poets from Massachusetts. Many of those readers will be at the Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy. Will you be one of them? The program, “Common Threads: Seven Poets and a Wealth of Readers,” starts at 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 23, 2011 in the Main Library Community Meeting Room on the ground floor at 40 Washington Street, Quincy, Massachusetts, 02169. S. D. Mullaney, author of Follow the Wolf Moon and a candidate for an MFA in Poetry at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, is putting the program together. He says, “Each poem in its way tells a story of how something huge and momentous — death of a loved one, inheritance from a war-torn country, divorce or separation, marriage and love — comes to be lodged in our hearts and to shape our lives. These huge things express themselves in the smallest, most mundane details – everyday sights, sounds, touches, and smells many of us have experienced and can relate to.” The poems were selected to appeal to a diverse audience by connecting our unique experiences with the universal issues of love, loss, home, war and transcendence. The poems are * “In the Waiting Room” by Elizabeth Bishop * “The Lost Pilot” by James Tate * “Occupation” by Suji Kwock Kim * “Vita Nova” by Louise Glück * “New England Ode” by Kevin Young * “Samurai Song” by Robert Pinsky * “Love Song: I and Thou” by Alan Dugan The program in Quincy is not just for poetry lovers, but for everyone who loves life and the power of the written and spoken word to illuminate our common and our extraordinary experiences. All are welcome. Please come! For further information contact Harry R. Williams III, Library Director at (617) 376-1317 or email hwilliams@ocln.org.