Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Tea & Conversation with Author Amy Ferris

Join us for tea and conversation as Julie Maloney, Director of WOMEN READING ALOUD, conducts an up-close and personal interview with the charismatic writer and speaker Amy Ferris at Bernardsville Public Library on Sunday, October 17 at 2:00 pm. Ms. Ferris is the author of Marrying George Clooney: Confessions of a Midlife Crisis, a book which explores her life and the range of emotions she experiences through this life-altering period. At the library, audience members will have a rare opportunity to ask questions about what it takes to write the "hysterical, the heartbreaking and the unflinchingly honest truth." A short reading and book signing will follow the interview.

Amy Ferris is a writer and playwright from New York City and rural Pennsylvania. She is working on the adaptation of her successful memoir for an upcoming off-Broadway show. She is also on the Advisory Board of The Women's Media Center (founded by Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, and Robin Morgan), serves on the Executive Board of Directors at Peters Valley Art, Education, and Crafts Center, and is a member of New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT).

Marcia Yermen of the Huffington Post wrote of Marrying George Clooney, "Amy Ferris has successfully combined a rip-roaringly funny page-turner, with an unvarnished account of the personal history that formed her. This gut-wrenching look at intimate relationships will resonate with readers because of the universality of its raw emotion, clarity of vision, and self-revealing courage."

Interviewer Julie Maloney has worked in the arts as a performer and educator her entire life. She is a poet and writer, photographer and teacher who has taught writing on both the high school and college levels. She is founder and director of Women Reading Aloud (WRA), a not-for-profit organization that promotes women writers in New Jersey and beyond. WRA holds special events, weekend writing retreats, conferences and on-going writing workshops in spring and fall during which women writers of all genres hone their work in a salon type setting.
Amy Ferris is an author, screenwriter and editor. She is on the Advisory Board of The Women's Media Center (founded by Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, and Robin Morgan), she serves on the Executive Board of Directors at Peters Valley Art, Education, and Crafts Center, and is a member of New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT). She primarily writes about all things women. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her husband.

There is no charge to attend the program at the library, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Saturday Samplers Book Group to Meet


Bernardsville Library’s book discussion group, Saturday Samplers, will meet on Saturday, October 2 at 3:30 pm to discuss Interpreter of Maladies: Stories (1999) by Jhumpa Lahiri. [The author will not be present.]

The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award in the year 2000 and has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. It was also chosen as The New Yorker's Best Debut of the Year and appears on Oprah Winfrey's Top Ten Book List. Nine wonderful stories cover a range of maladies both accurately diagnosed and misinterpreted, matters both temporary and life changing, relationships in flux and unshakeable, unexpected blessings, sudden calamities, and the powers of survival.

Jhumpa Lahiri was born in London and grew up in Rhode Island. She has traveled several times to India, where both her parents were born and raised, and where a number of her stories are set. Lahiri received her B.A. from Barnard College; she received an M.A. in English, and M.A. in Creative Writing, an M.A. in Comparative Studies in Literature and the Arts, and a Ph.D. in Renaissance Studies from Boston University. She has taught creative writing at Boston University and the Rhode Island School of Design and has been a fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Led by Readers’ Services Assistant, Evelyn Fischel, Saturday Samplers is a book discussion group dedicated to sampling various kinds of literature, including short stories, nonfiction, new and old novels, and even teen fiction. Its goal is to search out interesting, noteworthy, and sometimes overlooked books. Readers can find information about the group and about the books and authors on the reading list at http://saturdaysamplers.blogspot.com/. No sign-up is needed to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.###Library contact:Madelyn EnglishBernardsville Public Library1 Anderson Hill RoadBernardsville, NJ 07924908-766-0118menglish@bernardsvillelibrary.org

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Where Does My Resume Go? - An Inside View of the Corporate Hiring Process

Where does your resume go when you click the “Submit” button? Find out at a free workshop for job seekers which is designed to provide insight and tips for navigating today’s tight job market. Bernardsville Library is pleased to present this program on September 30 at 10:30 am and again on October 13 at 7:00 pm.

In this interactive presentation, Tiffany Elliott, SPHR, MBA, will share insight gained from 15 years of human resources leadership at global 500 corporations. Her program will include an overview of the typical hiring process, what applicants should expect at each stage, and suggested preparation tips and strategies to help get noticed in the sea of competition. It is designed for job seekers in every phase of their careers—new college graduates, people entering the workforce after raising a family, and current working professionals looking for their next assignment or desiring a career change.

Ms. Elliott’s career has included extensive experience across a spectrum of industries including pharmaceutical, global commerce, telecommunications, electronics manufacturing, healthcare and aerospace. This year she established her own consulting firm to focus her experience and interest in the area of career coaching.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Preserve Now – Protect Forever: Art Exhibit Honoring The Land Conservancy of New Jersey

The land preservation work of The Land Conservancy of New Jersey is being honored in October with an innovative art exhibition highlighting some of the state’s most beautiful landscapes. Preserve Now - Protect Forever, An Artistic Perspective will feature the artwork of fourteen selected artists who have spent the past year creating a variety of paintings of land preserved by the Conservancy.

This exhibition of landscape paintings will run from September 29th through October 29th in two locations: Bernardsville Public Library (1 Anderson Hill Road) and Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery (5 Morristown Road) in Bernardsville. The Studio 7 portion of the show will be featured in the monthly Bernardsville Art Walk on October 1st from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. The library show will be on view during regular library hours unless a meeting is in progress.

The exhibition was the brainchild of artist Gerry Heydt, who has long been aware of the importance of preserving New Jersey’s landscape heritage. She paints landscapes outdoors and in her studio from sources found in natural areas, preserved farms, rivers, and streams of New Jersey. The bulk of her work, and that of many artists she knows, is derived through public access to preserved land. In May 2009, Ms. Heydt contacted The Land Conservancy of New Jersey with the idea of dedicating an exhibition to their efforts, showing artists’ work inspired by properties preserved with their assistance. A spectrum of fourteen New Jersey artists, with work embodying an affinity for the landscape, were invited to paint landscapes from a group of properties, largely with public access, preserved through the office of the Conservancy.

“I depend almost entirely upon open space with public access for my landscape painting work in New Jersey,” said Ms. Heydt. “Without public land I would be setting up my easel on sidewalks, the shoulders of country roads, or on private property with permission from the owner, severely limiting my access to New Jersey’s beautiful natural, coastal and rural landscapes. The work of The Land Conservancy of New Jersey directly benefits me and other landscape painters in New Jersey by furnishing access—a small side benefit to the procurement and preservation of open space, but not inconsequential to sustaining a recognized segment of New Jersey’s arts community.”

Some of the locations that will be represented include a 13-acre stretch of the Pequest River in Green Township; Dower Farm, a scenic 47 acres overlooking the Sourland Mountains in Peapack-Gladstone; Camp Hudsonia, an 82-acre former Girl Scout camp in Rockaway Township; and the Craigmeur Cliffs, a 61-acre property with striking views of the Green Pond Valley located in Rockaway Township. In addition to Heydt, the artists who will show their work in the show are Jared Clackner, Denise Fleming Deutschman, Tim Gaydos, Diana Gibson, Gary Godbee, Donna Grande, Seth Ruggles Hiler, Dannielle Mick, Robert Pillsbury, Joel Popadics, Edward Sprafkin, John Reilly, and Alana Van Rensselaer.

The Land Conservancy of New Jersey is an accredited land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting New Jersey’s vital natural lands and water resources. The organization has been working for the past 29 years to inspire and empower individuals and communities to take action to save the land that is so important to our state. The Conservancy has preserved over 17,000 acres of land and helped towns receive $202 million in grants to purchase and protect land throughout New Jersey. The Conservancy has worked with more than 76 municipalities in 13 counties, impacting over half of New Jersey’s counties and benefiting millions of residents throughout the state.

For further information about the show, call Bernardsville Public Library at 908-766-0118 or Kathleen Palmer at Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery at 908-963-0365.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Book Signing: Saul Cooperman to Speak @ Bernardsville Library


Bernardsville resident Dr. Saul Cooperman will speak about and sign copies of his new book, Eddie and Me: A Story of Friendship, at Bernardsville Public Library on Wednesday, September 29 at 7:00 pm.

In his book, Dr. Cooperman, a former New Jersey Commissioner of Education under Governor Tom Kean, chronicles his 14-year mentoring relationship with an inner city African American boy named Eddie. Cooperman was a sixty-year-old grandfather and Eddie an 8-year-old child when they first met through the 10,000 Mentors program which Cooperman had founded in 1995. The two existed in two completely different worlds, driven by different cultures and different beliefs, and it took them a while to get to know and trust each other. This book portrays their real life together in all its unpredictable, funny and frustratingly dysfunctional moments as Cooperman attempts to step into Eddie’s world. Former U.S. Senator and Pro Basketball Hall of Fame player Bill Bradley described the book as “a touching story of hope and joy finding common ground.”

At the library, Dr. Cooperman will speak about his experiences with Eddie and how he came to write the book. There will be copies available for purchase and signing. There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at http://www.bernardsvillelibrary.org/ and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Memoirs & Coffee Book Discussion Group to Meet

The next meeting of Bernardsville Library’s book discussion group, Memoirs and Coffee, will be held on Tuesday, September 28 at 10:30 am in the library’s Community Room. Pat Kennedy-Grant, Readers’ Services Coordinator for the library, will lead the discussion of A Mountain of Crumbs: A Memoir (2010) by Mary Gorokhova. [The author will not be present.]

In A Mountain of Crumbs, Gorokhova re-creates a world that both oppressed and inspired her. Readers learn about Russia in the second half of the 20th century as well as the personal story of one rebellious citizen whose love of a foreign language (English) finally transported her to a new world. The author grew up in St. Petersburg, Russian (formerly Leningrad). At the age of 24, she married an American and came to the United States with one small suitcase to start a new life. She now lives in New Jersey. Frank McCourt wrote about Gorokhova’s book, “This is a rich experience—a personal journey paralleled by huge national changes and ending in a deeply satisfying portrait of peace in America.”

There is no charge to attend the book discussion, and no sign-up is needed. For further information, call the library at 908-766-0118.

Basics of Estate Administration in Surrogate’s Court

Is your will in order? Are you familiar with what should be included in an estate plan? To answer these questions, Somerset County Surrogate Frank Bruno will speak at Bernardsville Public Library on Tuesday, September 28 at 7:00 pm. He will give an overview of issues that are important to know, particularly what to expect when probating a will in Somerset County.

Mr. Bruno has been Somerset County Surrogate since 2001. The Surrogate is Judge of the Surrogate’s Court, and the many duties include the probate of wills; appointment of estate administrators; appointment of guardians of minors; acting as Deputy Clerk to the Superior Court of New Jersey in contested probate actions; and the processing of adoptions. In addition, the Surrogate is responsible for recording and preserving records of the proceedings in the Surrogate’s Court and making those records available to the public. Surrogate Bruno is also a Board Member of the National College of Probate Judges.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Saturday Crafters Group to Meet

Saturday Crafters, a monthly craft group organized by Bernardsville Public Library, will meet on Saturday, September 25 at 3:00 pm. Individuals are invited to bring their own handwork projects to the Library and work together in a comfortable, communal setting while enjoying the benefits of shared tips and conversation. The next meeting of the group will be on Saturday, October 16 at 3:00 pm.

Readers’ Services Assistant Evelyn Fischel will showcase different project ideas and books at each meeting. A long-time crafter, Ms. Fischel will encourage such interests as knitting, crocheting, paper arts, hand sewing, embroidery and other needlework, as well as any other craft the group wishes to cover.

There is no charge to attend the meeting, and no sign-up is needed. For more information, call the library at 908-766-0118.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

"Mysterious New Jersey"

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Mystery of Marie Roget” was inspired by the real-life murder of a young woman whose body was found floating in the Hudson River near Hoboken, and ever since then, the Garden State has been a fertile source of ideas for mystery writers. Join author Peggy Ehrhart at Bernardsville Public Library on Tuesday, September 14 at 7:00 pm for a tour of mystery novels whose settings range from New Jersey's Pine Barrens and Chesapeake Bay region to the state's cities, suburbs, and small towns. Ms. Ehrhart will discuss the work of authors such as Janet Evanovich, Harlan Coben, Robin Hathaway, Chris Grabenstein, and Richard Price.

Peggy Ehrhart is a former college English professor who lives in Leonia, New Jersey, where she plays blues guitar and writes mysteries. She has won awards for her short fiction, and her stories have appeared in Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine and numerous e-zines. Sweet Man Is Gone (2008), whose title comes from a Muddy Waters tune, was her first mystery. As Margaret J. Ehrhart, she has also published widely in the field of her academic specialty, medieval literature. She is a longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. As a guitar player, she has performed with The Last Stand Band and other bands in the New York/TriState area.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Library Summer Reading Club Finale: September 11


Make a Splash @ your library, Bernardsville Library’s Summer Reading Club, will come to a grand finale for club members on Saturday, September 11 at 1:30 pm when scientist John Lyga gives an interactive demonstration of the properties of water. This program promises to be “wet and wild”! Mr. Lyga runs the popular Sunday Science program each month at the library. He has been teaching these hands-on science programs for over fifteen years to stimulate involvement in science by both parents and children.

This year, 438 readers (Kindergarten through Grade 12) joined the library’s Reading Club and read more than 391,000 minutes in the course of ten weeks. Over the summer, the library’s Youth Services staff led many activities connected to water and liquids, including re-creating a boardwalk at the library and inviting Starfish Enterprises to bring a 59-foot inflatable whale that literally filled up the library’s Community Room. Youth Services Librarian Michaele Casey said that one of the most popular events was a smoothie/root beer float and milkshake contest. Library visitors were asked to judge the entries and loved the creative taste combinations that the young contestants came up with. Children also “fished” for laughs, made yellow submarines, a yarn octopus and faux scrimshaw, and created a little bit of ocean in a jar.

Once again this summer, the library was filled with imaginative decorations designed and made by volunteer Keiko Matsuura. A huge shark created by the students at Bedwell Elementary School came on special loan. It hung from the ceiling in the Children’s Area and terrorized not a few small children!

There is no charge to attend the Summer Reading finale, but advance sign-up is required. Register online at http://www.bernardsvillelibrary.org/ and follow the link under Kid Stuff, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.