March 30, 2024
Upcoming Programs
VIRTUAL
Exploring Genres & Authors Book Club - Gilded Age
Monday, April 1 at 6:30 pm
 
Join us monthly for Exploring Genres & Authors Book Club
 
April - Gilded Age - Historical fiction during this time period, biographies of Titans etc, Titanic anniversary
 
Each month we will announce the next month's genre/author and distribute a reading list. We will then have a brief overview of the current month's subject. And then welcome participants to discuss the book they read for the genre. If you're new or just want to listen, that's fine. We encourage everyone who has read to book talk their selection for their fellow participants. We will then leave with a list of books in the genre to explore.
We meet each month on Zoom, so you must register here in order to get the Zoom link.
More details/info
English Conversation Club
Monday April 1 from 6:30-7:30 pm
Main Library - Study Room H
 
In partnership with Literacy Volunteers of Greater Bridgeport we will be hosting an English conversation class every Monday evening.
If you would like to improve and practice your conversation skill, we are here to help in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. All are welcome. If you have any questions please email Claudia Silk at csilk@fplct.org.
More info/details
 
"Wicked at 20: Taking Flight into Cinema with Dr. Gil Harel
Tuesday, April 2 from 6:30 pm-7:45 pm
Main Library- Memorial Room
 
Set in the fantastical world of L. Frank Baum’s “Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, Wicked would become one of the most successful Broadway blockbusters of the early 21st century. Told from the perspective of the witches of Oz, Wicked focuses on Elphaba (the fabled “Wicked Witch of the West”) and Glinda (“the Good Witch”).
 
Meeting in the years prior to Dorothy Gale’s arrival in Oz, the relationship between them is the beating heart of a musical which addresses themes including power, ego, façade and friendship.
 
Having earned more than $1.5 billion, it has the distinction of being one of the most financially successful works in Broadway history. The Wicked legacy continues to evolve as audiences anticipate the first of a two-part movie adaptation, slated for release in late 2024.

Join Professor Gil Harel as he considers the elements of the show that have contributed to its exceptional success.
More info/details
 
Talking About Books with Dr. Mark Schenker
Wednesdays at 2pm
Main Library, Rotary Room
 
This season we explore classic books celebrating their centennial publication during the 2020's.

April 3      The Sun Also Rises
April 17     To the Lighthouse 
Register for March 6 and you automatically are registered for all four.
We look forward to celebrating these classic novels with Dr. Schenker.
More info/details
 
Navigating Legal Issues in Social Services
Thursday, April 4 from 2:00-3:30 pm
Main - Rotary Room
 
The Southwestern CT Agency on Aging, in partnership with Fairfield Public Library, invites social service professionals, community outreach staff, Municipal Agents, senior center personnel and Community Health Workers for a timely discussion of legal issues in the community. 
 
Join Fairfield Probate Court Judge Kate Maxham, Attorney Carl Glad and DSS Social Work Supervisor James Dwyer for a panel discussion designed to educate and guide social service professionals as they interact with clients, families, and attorneys.
Program content to include HIPPA/Confidentiality, Advanced Directives, Conservatorship and Competency versus Capacity.
More info/details
 
First Friday Jazz
Friday, April 5 from 3:15-4:45 pm
Main Library - Periodicals Room
Listen to pianist Mark Edinberg play relaxing jazz music as you browse.
 
 
 
 
Sneak Peak of Selections from Singin' in the Rain _ Ludlowe HS
Tuesday, April 9 from 5:30-6:00 pm
Main Library - Periodicals Room
 
Fairfield Ludlowe High School Drama Club is giving library guests a free preview of song and dance selections from their upcoming show “Singin' in the Rain”. This beloved musical is suitable for all ages and all are welcome! Registration is required.
More info/details
 
JUST A FEW MORE WEEKS
Tax Preparation (Simplify CT/VITA)

Free weekly free tax preparation from SimplifyCT (VITA)
9:30 am - 4pm each Tuesday January 23 through April 9, 2024
No appointments - first come, first serve
Main Library - Rotary Room
 
"SimplifyCT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is sponsored by the IRS for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers FREE tax return preparation to low income households who generally earn $65,000 or less. This past tax season, between January – April 2023, our volunteers were able to serve 8,700 individuals and families. Our free tax preparation service saved the community over $2 million in tax preparation fees and provided taxpayers over $10 million in refunds and credits, putting money back into our community’s households.
 
Connecticut Passport Program Starts Monday April 1, 2024
 
 
During the month of April, take your library card and library “passport” to at least five participating libraries for a chance to win one of FOUR $200 gift cards! You will also receive a small prize from each library you visit.
Library passports are available at any participating library.
How it Works
 
 
 
 
  • Get your “passport”: Visit any participating library to pick up your library passport.
  • Visit some libraries!: Visit participating libraries to get your library passport stamped. At each visit, you must show your library card, and then the library will stamp your Passport and may give you another small gift. (Please note: not all Connecticut libraries are participating and not all participating locations are giving gifts! Please be kind to library staff.)
  • Hand it in: If you visit at least five (5) participating libraries and return your Passport to a participating library by May 10, 2024, then you will be entered into a state-wide drawing for a chance to win a $200 Visa gift card for adults (18 and up) and a $200 Visa gift card for children (under 18). 
Prize Details
Earn small prizes by visiting libraries—and a chance to win one of FOUR $200 gift cards.
 
Visiting Each Library
Each library you visit may have a small prize (like a pen, sticker, chocolate, etc.) for you! 
Visiting 5+ Libraries
 
Each participant who visits at least five libraries and has the corresponding stamps (and returns their library passport to a participating library by the deadline) will earn an entry into that library’s drawing. The winners from each library will be sent to the Public Libraries Section. There will be a final “all libraries” drawing among the contestants who have visited at least five libraries. The prizes will be awarded to the adult and child who visited at least five libraries, winners selected via random drawing.
 
Prize for Most Libraries Visited
Each library will select the adult and the child who have visited the most libraries for submission to the Public Libraries Section. There will be a final “all libraries” selection (not a drawing) among the contestants who have visited the most libraries. The prizes will be awarded to the adult and child who each visited the most libraries. In case of a tie, the winner will be selected via random drawing.
 


Spring Puzzle Swap!

 
 
 
 
Adult Reading Genre Book Challenge 2024
Adults! Welcome to year 3 of our year-long reading challenge. Explore different genres, discover new authors and be entered to win prizes. To complete the challenge, read just one book in each category by midnight on December 31st, 2024. Earn bigger prizes by reading more!
Register now, and begin logging books now!
Get full details and FAQ here
 
March's Genre: College Town – Books that involve colleges, campuses or college students.
Click here for a list of our suggested titles.
 
Titles read during January and February will also count for the Winter Reading Challenge.
See below.
 

Upcoming April Book Discussions
Literature & Libations Club
Wednesday, April 10 from 6:30-7:30 pm
J.B. Percival
 
"Intriguing. . . Kwok is a skilled writer of suspenseful family drama. . . . We root for Jasmine and Rebecca as they face impossible choices and emerge stronger for all the battles they’ve fought, always resisting becoming the ‘leftover’ women.” —Leigh Haber, New York Times Book Review 
 
April's book selection is The Leftover Woman 
by Jean Kwok.
The Fairfield Public Library and J.B. Percival team up for a unique experience: book talk, cocktails, nosh, and laugh. Bring friends or make new ones. Funky reading glasses optional. Leslie Hagel and Claudia Silk,  Fairfield Public Library librarians will lead the discussion. Books are available at the Fairfield Public Library.
All are welcome to join us
More info/details
Woods Book Buzz Book Club
Thursday, April 11 at 1:00 pm
 
"One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives.
New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”*
 

Join this monthly book group at Fairfield Woods Branch Library where we will discuss some buzz-worthy titles!  This month's selection is
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister, named a Newsweek’s Best Books of 2023; an Indie Next pick, an Amazon Best Books of the Month pick and an Audie award winner for multi-voice narration 2024. 
Discussion facilitator is Mary Coe.
More info/details
The Main Book Club
Wednesday, April 24 from 1:30-2:30 pm
Main Library - Rotary Room
 
"This “stellar read” (Los Angeles Times) is an exhilarating tale of an unforgettable young woman who bravely exposes the corruption that enriched her father’s employers in early 1900s Colorado."
 
The April Book Club Choice is Gilded Mountain by Kate Manning. All are welcome. Claudia Silk is the moderator of the discussion.
More info/details
Little Pub & Literature
Wednesday, April 24 from 6:30-8:00 pm
Little Pub Fairfield
 
"Steel Magnolias meets The Help in this Southern debut novel sparkling with humor, heart, and feminine wisdom."
 
This month's selection is Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman.Nancy Sweeney is the moderator of this discussion.
More info/details

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Friends of FPL News
Twice REaD Room News
 
We are once again accepting donations of gently used books and DVDs.
 
For the month of March, we are having a special on Children’s and YA books:
Buy 1, Get 1 Free (of equal or lesser value.)
 
Libby by OverDrive
Borrow ebooks and e-audiobooks on your phone or tablet using the Libby app by OverDrive.
 
Get started with Libby by watching this short video made exclusively for FPL users.
FPL's Podcast
 Listen to our latest podcast or catch up on previous episodes of What Are You Reading?

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