Friday, June 29, 2012

Strategic Couponing


Learn how to save money using coupons when Stephani Ringeisen of Generous Savings comes to Bernardsville Public Library on Thursday, July 12 at 7:00 pm. According to Ms. Ringeisen, it’s possible to cut a grocery bill by 50-70% and never pay for toiletries like toothpaste again!

This class will cover all the basics: different types of coupons (there are new types offered all the time), where to find them, how to organize them, how to use them to best effect, and strategic stockpiling.

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

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Learn the Benefits of Yoga @ Bernardsville Library


Yoga is much more than physical exercise; it benefits the whole person. To learn how, come to Bernardsville Public Library on Wednesday, July 11 at 7:00 pm to listen to Marsha Stablein, a teacher at the School of Royal Yoga in Chester.

Her presentation, for current yoga students and for those interested in learning more about it, will cover how classic Hatha yoga helps balance one’s mental, physical and emotional well-being. She will discuss, in simple language, the subtle and physiological benefits of yoga including the part of the nervous system activated in a yoga class and how it lower levels of stress; how yoga strengthens the immune system; and why practitioners feel so good after a yoga class

This informative session will deepen attendees’ understanding and expand their appreciation of the gifts of yoga. During the program, they will practice a calming breathing technique and enjoy some gentle stretching and a guided relaxation. There will be a handout and gift for every attendee.

Marsha Stablein has been teaching yoga at The School of Royal Yoga for over 16 years and is certified to teach all ages (prenatal to senior) and train others to become yoga instructors. She is a speaker and facilitator for international yoga seminars and workshops and produced the video “Complete Yoga: An Introduction to Yoga.”

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

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Picture This! A Poetry Workshop @ Bernardsville Library

Take some time to look through your memories. Is there a photo that sparks a special family event or a meaningful time in your life? Is there an artwork that pulls on your heart? Then join Morristown poet Gail Fishman Gerwin for a poetry workshop--an adventure of narration--at Bernardsville Public Library on Tuesday, July 10 at 10:00 am. She will read poems based on photographs and lead a discussion of the narrative process. Afterward, she will provide prompts that will allow you to explore your poet within. Be sure to bring a favorite photo or two--or more. No photos to bring? Bring the photo in your mind. If time allows, well step into the world of ekphrastic poetry. Pen, paper, memory, imaginationlets write!

Ms. Gerwin, a native of Paterson, New Jersey, received her AB from Goucher College and thirty years later, her MA from NYUs Gallatin School.A former educator, in 1984 she founded inedit, a freelance writing/editing firm based in Morristown.She is author of Bellas Family, a two-act play about a Jewish immigrant family in the early 20th century; Dropping Names, a one-act play; and Women in Motion, a monologue collection. Her poems, book reviews, fiction, essays, and journalistic features appear in literary journals, anthologies, newspapers, and magazines, and her plays have enjoyed staged readings at varied venues. She currently is completing her second poetry collection.

Ms. Gerwin’'s memoir "Sugar and Sand" earned finalist designation for the 2010 Paterson Poetry Prize, and she earned five consecutive Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award honorable mentions. She presents readings and workshops at varied venues and is associate poetry editor of Tiferet, a journal of spiritual literature. She and her husband live in Morristown and are parents of two daughters and grandparents of three boys and a girl.

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

Saturday Samplers Book Group to Meet

Bernardsville Library’s book discussion group, Saturday Samplers, will meet on Saturday, July 7 at 3:30 pm to discuss Elegies for the Brokenhearted: A Novel (2010) by Christie Hodgen. [The author will not be present.]
The story is about protagonist Mary Murphy and the people she can never forget—five who are eulogized in an utterly unforgettable voice. Through quirky elegies that brilliantly evoke each character, Mary tells the story of her own life as daughter, sister and friend, and how her path has been shaped through her experiences and encounters with these people. The result is an unconventional and moving story about identity, family, and belonging. Joanna Smith Rakoff of The New York Times Book Review wrote of the book, “Deeply, satisfyingly original… [it] ultimately has an almost mythic grandeur.”

Christie Hodgen is also the author of "Hello, I Must Be Going" and "A Jeweler's Eye for Flaw: Stories." She has won the Associated Writing Programs Award in Short Fiction and two Pushcart Prizes, as well as a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She teaches at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Led by 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.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Paintings by Arts Access Artists on Exhibition at Bernardsville Library in July

Bernardsville Public Library is pleased to present an exhibition during the month of July of paintings by fifteen artists of the Matheny Medical and Educational Center’s Arts Access Program. There will be an artists’ reception, open to the public, on Monday, July 9 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm.

 Matheny is a special hospital and educational facility in Peapack for children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities. Arts Access enables people with these disabilities to create fine art, assisted by professional artist-facilitators.

 Paintings featured in the exhibition will be small and medium-sized abstract works on canvas. This display will provide Arts Access artists the opportunity to share their works with the community. All proceeds from artwork sales are split 50/50, with half the funds going directly to the artist and the other half going to Matheny to cover the cost of art materials, stretching and framing of the work.

 The show will be on view in the library’s Community Room from July 2 to July 30 during regular library hours unless a meeting is in progress. For further information, please call the library at 908-766-0118.

Painting: "Untitled" by Faith Stolz, 15W x 29H, acrylic on canvas

Friday, June 15, 2012

The University of "Can-Do"

The next session of "The University of Can-Do,” led by inspirational speaker Andrea Mastrobattista, will meet on Wednesday, June 27 at 7:00 pm. "Do you have a goal that you think you can't make happen?" asks Ms. Mastrobattista, "Well, you can, because you have what it takes to accomplish it."

This workshop will run throughout the year, and each month participants will discover how to cultivate and maintain the "can-do" determination to make a dream come true. “On June 27, our discussion will center on breaking down individual goals into small steps so we each can make our own goal happen,” says Ms. Mastrobattista. “We will also continue working on our individual vision boards, or create one if you haven’t made one yet.”

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

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Memoirs & Coffee Book Group to Meet

The next meeting of Bernardsville Public Library’s book discussion group, Memoirs and Coffee, will be held on Tuesday, June 26 at 10:30 am in the library’s Community Room. Pat Kennedy-Grant, Readers’ Services Manager for the library, will lead the discussion of “Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa” (2009) by renowned journalist Mark Seal. [The author will not be present.]

The book is a compelling work of narrative nonfiction in which the shocking death of Joan Root, a dedicated environmentalist, becomes a broader story of Kenya, a beautiful country in peril. Veteran journalist Mark Seal set out to investigate this gripping 2006 murder mystery and instead found an unforgettable story not only of a tragic death, but of the remarkable life that preceded it. The Los Angeles Times Magazine reviewer wrote of the book: “Full of letters and diary entries, [Wildflower]…boils over with romance and adventure. The film rights have been optioned by Julia Roberts’ production company. But don’t wait for the movie–grab this compelling story as soon as it hits store shelves.”

Mark Seal has been a journalist for more than thirty years. Currently a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, he has written for many major magazines and served as a collaborator on almost twenty nonfiction books. Although he has written thousands of stories, Seal says none has struck a chord with readers more than the story of the incredible life and brutal death of Joan Root, which he originally reported in the August 2006 issue of Vanity Fair. He lives in Aspen, Colorado.

There is no charge and no sign-up is needed to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Bernardsville Library Kicks-Off Summer Reading

With summer quickly approaching, children will soon be out of school and on to the pool, the beach, and vacation. But students can move backward academically during the summer if reading and learning are not continued. Reading achievement declines as well. On the other hand, if students read just six books over the summer, they can maintain their current reading level, and if they read between ten and twenty books of their own choosing, they can actually increase reading achievement. Who needs a better reason to sign up for Summer Reading at Bernardsville Public Library? Dream Big!

This year, the Library’s Youth Services Department is offering a reading program for children through twelfth grade. Students will pledge to read a specific number of books through the summer. For their reading, they will be rewarded by local sponsors such as Buona Pizza, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Friendly's, Rita's Italian Ice of Berkeley Heights, Stony Hill Gardens, and more!

In addition to reading and prizes, the Library will host a number of programs, all with free admission, to highlight the theme of the summer, “Dream Big.” From an indoor planetarium to learning the tricks and secrets of a Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), this summer will be filled with programs for all ages. Middle and high schoolers will be able to earn community service hours in a book buddy reading program.

Online sign-ups for Summer Reading begin Monday, June 18 and there will be a kick-off program, “Nocturnal by Nature” presented by “Eyes of the Wild,” on Thursday, June 21 at 6:30 pm. This family event will explore the world of nocturnal and crepuscular animals with live specimens on display. Children who arrive showing that they have already registered online for Summer Reading will get a free cupcake.

Other programs to be offered will be a craft program, “Buggalicious Treats” for children ages five to nine on Monday, June 25 at 5:00 pm and “Owls of New Jersey” presented by the New Jersey Audubon Society on Family Night, Wednesday, June 27 at 6:30 pm. An owl craft program for youngsters aged 2-1/2 to 5 years, will take place on Thursday, June 28 at 10:30 am. Check the library website, www.bernardsvillelibrary.org, and the upcoming newsletter for program details in July and August.

Registration for Summer Reading will be open all summer and can be accessed online from the library website. Young readers will keep a log of their reading online. [Accommodations will be made for anyone without access to a computer.] There is no charge to attend the programs, but advance sign-up is sometimes required. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Kid Stuff, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Craft Group to Meet @ Bernardsville Library

Saturday Crafters, a monthly craft group organized by Bernardsville Public Library, will meet on Saturday, July 21 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. They can also take advantage of the many books available at the library on different types of crafts.

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






Friday, June 1, 2012

Met Museum Lecture on Re-Opened American Art Galleries


Bernardsville Public Library will present a Metropolitan Museum lecture on Thursday, June 14 at 7:00 pm focusing on the recently opened galleries of American painting and sculpture. Vivian Gordon from the Museum’s Education Department will give listeners a “tour” of the galleries which opened for public view last January after four years of renovation.

The new galleries are organized both chronologically and thematically according to Morrison Heckscher, chairman of the American Wing, who described them in The New York Times as “dreary” before the renovation and now as telling “the story of American art and in the process American history.” Thirty-three hundred square feet of space were added to existing galleries which had not been updated in thirty years. The new lay-out reflects additions to the collection and changes in public tastes. The space has also been designed to highlight masterpieces by Edwin Church, Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent as well as sculpture, furniture and decorative arts. The popular painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze gets prominent display.

“The new American galleries are magnificent!” said Ms. Gordon in advance of her talk. “It's wonderful to have so many well-loved paintings back on view in a setting that is so enjoyable.”

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