Extra, extra! Read all about it! Baxter Memorial Library will begin providing curbside pickup again on May 18th (coinciding with the upcoming, amazing Baxter Show-Off Show)! Get those requests ready, library friends, and I’ll provide more info in the coming days.

Today, though, I have some fun and intriguing resources for both word aficionados and science buffs.  The first resource is such a wonderful idea for lonely book lovers that it makes my heart sing just thinking about it.  For those of us who are natural introverts but who are still weary after being stuck at home for weeks on end without any meaningful social contact, this may be just the ticket.  Most Zoom meetings, for me at least, still require a hefty amount of emotional preparation, but a reading party hits the sweet spot – a feeling of being around others while still being able to relax.  Simply put, I don’t have to be on. 

WordGeek Series: Silent Reading Party
On Thursday, May 14th from 7-8pm, The Space On Main is hosting its first Silent Reading Party! Make yourself a snack, pour yourself a drink, and read whatever you feel like reading silently to yourself. Relax as musicians Don Sinclair and Jenn Grossi (D&J Music, Summer Street Music) delight your ears with acoustic music. It’s an excellent excuse for you to make time for you, take a break from your day-to-day, and feel a little less lonely while inside the comfort of your own home. This event is by donation. Proceeds will be split between The Space On Main and our guest musicians. Tips to the musicians are encouraged. If this is a hit, they’re thinking about making it a weekly event with a different musician each week!

Have you been taking time to write during the quarantine?  Check out this free interactive writing class sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council!

Writing Class with Melanie Finn
Join novelist Melanie Finn in three online sessions via Zoom starting on Wednesday, May 20 at 4pm. Participants will write a short story set in the Northeast Kingdom, based on a local newspaper story of their choice, and will evolve their work over the sessions. The workshop will include one-on-one feedback, group discussions, and required “homework.” The subsequent workshop sessions will meet on Saturday, May 23 and Saturday, May 30 at 4pm.  Register via the online form by Monday, May 18.

And now for some science-y resources:

VT Ecostudies – Loon Behavior and Rescues
Wednedsday, May 20 at 9am, Eric Hanson will present a webinar focused on the life and conservation of loons. Loons are unique in that we can watch these interactions during every daylight hour. He’ll go over results of 25 years of banding research in Wisconsin by Dr. Walter Piper detailing what is happening during loon territorial interactions, when and where chicks return to, and other stories. In addition, he’ll share some rescue stories, some successful, some not, but always interesting.

FourScienceVT
VINS, ECHO, Fairbanks and Montshire museums have come together to offer science- and STEM-based resources to Vermont kids.  There’s a LOT to delve into.  Create giant bubbles or learn to sprout seeds with Montshire’s video tutorials, inflate a balloon with baking soda or try your hand at an engineering design challenge at ECHO, take a virtual visit to the Fairbanks planetarium, or learn about the descendants of dinosaurs at VINS – and much, MUCH more!

And remember to take photos of your experiments and send them to me so I can post them during Baxter’s Show-Off Show, May 18-22!

Stay well!
Shana