Habitat for Humanity Homeowner Information Session
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm May 8, 2023
Join us for an information session at the Library to learn more about homeownership with Habitat for Humanity. Limited seating, pre-registration is required. 518-828-0892.
Read and Discussion Group: James Baldwin's America
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm May 10, 2023
Thanks to the generous support of Humanities NY, poet and Philmont resident Karen Schoemer will lead a reading and discussion group about the work of 20th century author James Baldwin. A novelist, essayist, poet and playwright, Baldwin is one of the most important American thinkers on the subject of race and democracy. His work continues to resonate through American literature, film, music and theater; his 1963 non-fiction book The Fire Next Time is a landmark of the civil rights movement.
The group will meet monthly, on second Wednesdays, in the Cultural Center at the Philmont Library from 7 – 8:30 pm. Copies of Baldwin’s Collected Essays and Early Novels and Stories will be available to borrow free of charge. The schedule is as follows: February 8, Introduction; March 8, Another Country; April 12, Nobody Knows My Name; May 10, Giovanni’s Room; June 14, The Fire Next Time. These sessions will allow participants to explore Baldwin's themes through their connection to our own lives. In addition to Baldwin’s works, Schoemer will bring in extracts of contemporary essays that show the pervasiveness of Baldwin’s influence.
Karen Schoemer is a poet, performer and author whose work has been widely published and anthologized. A former critic for the New York Times and Newsweek, she contributes words and vocals to the bands Sky Furrows, Jaded Azurites, and Ivan the Tolerable. Her non-fiction book Great Pretenders: My Strange Love Affair with ‘50s Pop Musicwas published by Free Press in 2006.
Help us prep the garden bed for the Library's pollinator garden! The first six volunteers will receive a pair of garden gloves. Tools will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own. Tasks include sod removal, tilling, edging, prepping soil, and mulching.
Maria Crespo is originally from the Mid-West but has been Philmont resident for the last 31 years. She has a degree in studio art but put painting aside to raise a family, work full-time and run a small business (asialuna.com). Now that she is an empty nester for the last few years, she has starting painting again. Maria thinks of herself as a colorist and says that “it’s been very therapeutic, and I’ve been fortunate enough to show my art locally these last three years."
Lace up your sneakers to support the Claverack Free Library and Philmont Public Library.
Registration: Adults $25, kids 18 and under $10. Day of the race: Adults $30, kids $15. Register by May 12th for a hat. Register in person or by mail (forms available at the libraries and library websites).
Join us at the Churchtown Fire Company, 2219 Rt 27, Hudson, NY (Churchtown)
The Story of Japanese-American Internment During World War II
6:15 pm – 7:15 pm May 30, 2023
Join Peter H. Irons, the lawyer who represented the Japanese-Americans whose interment convictions were overturned in the 1980s, for a discussion on one of the most disturbing events in U.S. history - the internment of American citizens of Japanese descent during World War II.
This free Zoom program is presented by the Columbia County Libraries Association. Email to register and receive the Zoom link: columbiacountylibraries@gmail.com