Join us for a reading, presentation, and Q&A with Lincoln’s Lawrence Buell about his forthcoming book Henry David Thoreau: Thinking Disobediently, the first concise account of Thoreau’s life, thought, and impact in more than half a century. Buell is the Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature Emeritus at Harvard University and has written and lectured worldwide on Transcendentalism, American studies, and the environmental humanities. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a wine and cheese reception. The book will be available for purchase at the event (address provided upon registration).
Don’t put your costume away just yet! deCordova is celebrating Halloween with a wild, quirky, outrageous Gay Christmas Dance Party inside the museum for both the LGBTQ+ community and enthusiastic allies. Featuring music by DJ Dayglow, a costume contest with prizes, a cash bar, and spotlight performances by a circus and drag artists. Open to all 21+. Creative and fabulous costumes encouraged, but not required. Click here for details and registration.
Do you need holiday gift book suggestions for the young readers in your life? Join the children’s librarians as they review their favorite new books of the year as well as some perennial favorites. The event is open to all adults. Email dleopold@minlib.net for the Zoom invite.
Join Friends of the Lincoln Library for free hot apple cider, cookies, and the gently used cookbook sale. All proceeds will go towards supporting programs and services at the library. Part of Winter Carnival 2024.
On Thursday, March 7 from 7–8 p.m. on Zoom, author and adventurer Alison O’Leary discusses a variety of adventurous weekend trips in New Hampshire, Vermont, and the Berkshires with doses of humor, history, and peeks inside historic inns from her book Inns and Adventures. Sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library. Click here to register.
The Youth Programs Committee at the First Parish in Lincoln is hosting an interfaith candlelight vigil on Wednesday, March 20 from 6–7 p.m. at the white church for all children lost in both the Palestinian and Israeli communities. Children can bring a bird they’ve made for a specific child (see Birds of Gaza for ideas) or for children more broadly. Craft kits with various art supplies to create birds are still available outside the side door of the Stone Church. Birds can be fashioned out of any medium you choose (clay, paper, your own materials, etc.). A short prayer will be offered at the vigil that is appropriate for all ages.
Author Linda Booth Sweeney will read The Noisy Puddle: A Vernal Pool Through the Seasons to everyone and conduct a movement activity while teaching about vernal pools. No registration necessary. Best for families with children ages 4 and up.
A memorial for the late Susan Sugar will take place on Sunday, April 6 at 2 p.m. in the First Parish Church across from the library, with a reception to follow. Sugar died on Nov. 7, 2023 at the age of 90 (click here for her obituary).
Real estate team Jeannine Taylor and Jessica Packineau invite residents to an opening event for their own office on Friday, April 26 from 4–7 p.m. at 152 Lincoln Rd. Explore the renovated space and get your burning real estate questions answered while enjoying music by Casey Murray (banjo, guitar, cello) and Molly Tucker (fiddle) and artwork by Lincoln’s Pauline Curtiss.
What’s something you always wanted to do but weren’t able? Author Emily Falcon was held back by her heart condition until she was 35, but now she can run races. Her memoir, From the Sidelines to the Finish Line: A Chronic Illness Survivor’s Challenges and Everyday Triumphs is a story of survival and how her physical situation shaped and limited her. She intends this story to be a helpful resource to families, caregivers, and physicians who want to gain insight into a patient’s point of view.
Join us for a poetry reading with Lincln resident Linda Lamenza, a poet and literacy specialist for Lincoln Public Schools. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, and her chapbook, Left-Handed Poetry, was a finalist for Hunger Mountain’s May Day Mountain Chapbook Series. Feast of the Seven Fishes, her first full-length book, is forthcoming.
Join Ministry Associate Sarah Klockowski and the Racial Justice Advocates for a special screening of “The Law and the Prophets” (2023), a compelling and thorough documentary exposing the systems of oppression that Palestinians face in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel. This film features interviews with eight individuals, both Palestinian and Israeli, who explain the laws and policies of the occupation. On her recent solidarity trip to the West Bank, Sarah met four of these modern prophets.
After the screening, we will be joined via Zoom by the filmmaker, Rev. Dr. Joshua Vis, and Rev. Chris DeBlaay. Josh and Chris are peace activists working to educate Americans on the realities of the occupation of Palestine. They lead tours to the region and, along with Sarah, were part of the 23-member delegation that traveled to the West Bank and East Jerusalem in late February. They will present material connected to their recent visit to the West Bank as well as insights from historians, activists, and other thought leaders.
If you will be joining us virtually, please Click here to register in advance for this meeting.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join.
First Parish in Lincoln is hosting international Buddhist teacher Shantum Seth on Tuesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. Seth was ordained as a Dharmacharya (Dharma Teacher) by the renowned Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) in 2001. He teaches in India and across the world, and leads pilgrimages, called “In the Footsteps of the Buddha” and other multifaith and transformative journeys. He is actively involved in social, environmental and educational programs, including cultivating mindfulness in society with educators, law enforcement, and socially responsible corporations.
Seth will speak about “The Path of the Buddha… Peace in Oneself, Peace in the World.” He will lead a guided meditation in Thay’s tradition, share his experiences walking with Thay in the footsteps of the Buddha, and discuss a new community to realize Thay’s vision in India: Plum Village II.
Author Bev Stohl ran the office of renowned linguist and social critic Noam Chomsky for nearly two and a half decades. Chomsky and Me: A Memoir is her account of those years, working next to a man described by the New York Times as “arguably the most important intellectual alive today.” There will be time for Q&A.
Hear author Caitlin Cass discuss her book, Suffrage Song: The Haunted History of Gender, Race and Voting Rights in the U.S. Part graphic novel, part map of the suffrage movement, this book tells the story of the fight for the right to vote by women from the very beginning. Click here to register.
Children are invited to the library for balloon sculpting (balloons for ages 3+), crafts and other fun, ice cream, and a magic show by Ed Popielarczyk at 4 p.m. Learn about the library’s summer reading program and pick up reading challenge forms. The Friends of the Lincoln Library (FOLL) will also be holding a sale of used children’s books for kids ag 5-12 priced from 50 cents to $2.00.
No registration required. The event will move indoors in the event of inclement weather. Funding provided by FOLL.
The transformative power of books helps us connect with those around us. Author Lucy Gilmore discusses her book The Library of Borrowed Hearts, the follow-up to The Lonely Hearts Book Club. We’ll be chatting about these heartwarming novels about some of our favorite things: friendship, books, and how important it is to find the family you were always meant to have. Register here.