All College Book Club:
The May/June selection for our All College Book Club is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable.
Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now… –Goodreads
Pick up a copy at either library and join us on 6/13 in the Library conference room in Randolph or Williston.
Contact Bonnie (bonnie.lord@vtc.edu) for details about joining us online. Interested in more information and reminders about the book club? Need a copy sent to your site? Email Veronica: vgolden@vtc.edu
Hartness West Gallery:
Hitting the Mat
Hartness Library is proud to present, in collaboration with the Vermont Folk Life Center: Hitting the Mat.
By day, the men and women of Slam All-Star Wrestling are carpenters, roofers and office workers, but by night they are a brotherhood of giants, heroes and villains. A misfit bunch clad in spandex, feather boas and studded leather, the members of this small professional wrestling community entertain screaming crowds once a month on a humble stage at the Moose Lodge, St. Albans, VT.
Documentary-style photos, audio, and film by Emily McManamy offer a diverse invitation to join the crowd, enter the ring, or even sneak behind-the-scenes of this unique gathering. “Hitting the Mat” was produced in partnership with the Vermont Folklife Center and is made possible by the Center’s Vision & Voice Gallery touring exhibits program.
Hartness East Gallery:
Joan Curtis: Eyes that Watch
In a collection of paintings, collages, and drawings, artist Joan Curtis depicts our fellow creatures on this planet as magical, ephemeral beings, who shrink from contact with their thoughtless neighbors. We continue to expand our indulgent way of living as the animal world watches us warily from afar, peering from the shadows.
With playful imagery conjured up from idle daydreams, Curtis shows this other world as a mystical place: creatures both plain and exotic – many perhaps doomed to extinction – now hidden throughout our forests, deserts, jungles, and oceans.
Joan Curtis grew up in New Jersey just outside of New York City, where she later lived for twenty years. Her schooling took place at the Rhode Island School of Design, Chicago Art Institute, and New York University. In the 1970s she was picture editor on art books in the College division of Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Although a life-long artist, it was in 1980 upon moving to Vermont that she first began to display her work steadily throughout New England and in invitationals elsewhere. Her art is part of numerous collections, both private and public. She is known especially for her colorful mixed-media sculptures; also colored pencil drawings, collage work, and acrylic paintings.
Currently Joan maintains a studio in Brandon, Vermont and enjoys a close connection to an active art community in both Brandon and Rutland.
Art Under Glass Series:
Will Jeffries
Will Jeffries grew up in West Topsham, Vermont, where he was home-schooled and raised working on his family’s farm. Although he learned a great deal from the mechanical and construction projects that were his specialty, this situation did not provide the support he needed to attend college at the traditional age. At 23 he made a new start for himself and soon found employment as an assembly-line welder working at Woodstock Soapstone Stoves in West Lebanon.
Jeffries also says that “The balance that I have found here of work, school, and other interests makes life a rich tapestry of experience and has led to opportunities that I had never expected, including an unforgettable engineering internship at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia this summer.”
He encourages all his fellow classmates to be passionate and engaged with the wider world outside of classes as well, “I make sure to find time outside of work and school for friends, community, and a variety of interests. I love hiking, swimming, and simply exploring new places to find the hidden gems out there in the world; driving to Burlington or Montreal for a weekend. One passion that follows me in most of my travels is a love for social dances of all kinds; Swing, Contra-Dance, Blues, Fusion, and Argentine Tango to name a few.”
For more information about Will, click here. For more information about the Navajo dual-fuel stove, click here.
Ongoing Events:
Contact the library with any questions or for more details on any of these events.
