The University of "Can-Do"

The next session of "The University of Can-Do,” led by inspirational speaker Andrea Mastrobattista, will meet on Wednesday, July 25 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 runs throughout the year, and each month participants will discover how to cultivate and maintain the "can-do" determination to make a dream come true. “Sometimes the dream we thought we had for ourselves changes in a heartbeat, leaving us bewildered,” says Ms. Mastrobattista. “Come to this meeting to find out how to handle this shift in your life journey. 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.

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, July 24 at 10:30 am in the library’s Community Room. Pat Kennedy-Grant, Readers’ Services Manager for the library, will lead the discussion of “Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life” (2005) by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. [The author will not be present.]

In “Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life,” Ms. Rosenthal has ingeniously adapted a centuries-old format for conveying knowledge into a poignant, wise, often funny, fully realized memoir. Using mostly short entries organized from A to Z, many of which are cross-referenced, Rosenthal captures in wonderful and episodic detail the moments, observations, and emotions that comprise a contemporary life. Start anywhere and see how one young woman’s alphabetized existence can open up and define the world in new and unexpected ways.

 According to her website, Ms. Rosenthal is a person who likes to make things—“children's books, adult books, short films, salads, connections with the universe, and something out of nothing.” In The New York Times, her award-winning children's books were described as radiating “fun the way tulips radiate spring: they are elegant and spirit-lifting." As for her adult work, Amazon named “Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life” one of the top ten memoirs of the decade. A contributor to the TED conference and NPR, she is currently the host and creator of Mission Amy KR.com produced by WBEZ. She lives with her family in Chicago

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

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

Attend MIT and Harvard Online for Free

Over the last several years, there has been an explosion of great content on the web to help you learn. On Thursday, July 19 at 7:00 pm at Bernardsville Public Library, Mike Landau, CEO of SetFocus, a technology school, will discuss a number of these resources along with how you can leverage them to become a lifelong learner--an essential skill for the foreseeable future.

Mr. Landau has started a number of successful small businesses since 1987, prior to which he was the Director of Strategic Planning at AT&T. SetFocus is a technology school that has selected, trained, and placed over 2,500 IT professionals since 1997. Mr. Landau has an undergraduate degree in Economics and an MBA from New York University.

           

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.

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.

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.

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, we’ll step into the world of ekphrastic poetry. Pen, paper, memory, imagination—let’s write!

Ms. Gerwin, a native of Paterson, New Jersey, received her AB from Goucher College and thirty years later, her MA from NYU’s Gallatin School.A former educator, in 1984 she founded inedit, a freelance writing/editing firm based in Morristown.She is author of Bella’s 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.