It's May!
Here's what's happening at the
Lopez Library!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

AROUND THE LIBRARY & ON DISPLAY
Book Displays
Something for every age throughout the library!
 
AANHPI Voices
(Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander)
The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser Don't Eat Eustace by Lian Cho Halfway There: A Graphic Memoir of Self-Discovery by Christine Mari
 
What a Time to Be Alive by Jade Chang Seattle from the Margins: Exclusion, Erasure, and the Making of a Pacific Coast City by Megan Asaka On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters by Bonnie Tsui
 
 Mental Health Awareness Month
Lighter: Let Go of the Past, Connect with the Present, and Expand the Future by Yung Pueblo Kids These Days: Understanding and Supporting Youth Mental Health by Will W. Dobud Climate, Psychology, and Change: Reimagining Psychotherapy in an Era of Global Disruption and Climate Anxiety by Steffi Bednarek
 
Miniatures with Artist in Residence Raven Bartlett
Gardening in Miniature: Create Your Own Tiny Living World by Janit Calvo    
 

ART and THE LIBRARY
First Saturday Art Walk: Saturday, May 2 @ 4:30pm
 
As the name says, the First Saturday Art Walk takes place the first Saturday of each month beginning at 4:30 pm and is a free, self-guided event located in places around the Village. Depending on the month, FSAW could include artist exhibitions and talks, live entertainment, food trucks, and specials at participating restaurants and businesses. 
 
This month, join us at 4:30pm in the library for an opening celebration featuring Artist in Residence Raven Bartlett.
Raven Bartlett: On Place: Saturday, May 2nd @ 4:30pm
 
 
What gives place a memory?
What happens when we look at space through the lens of shifting scale?
 
Raven Bartlett is a multi-media artist who has previously worked as a miniaturist for television and film. In their work they love to explore the relationship between space and expectations. Raven's Artist Residency will feature scale models of structures and furniture pieces from within our very own library, encouraging people to look at things in a new way, to relate to space differently, to expand their perspectives and to appreciate details.
 
Come see Raven present their work during the First Saturday Art Walk on Saturday May 2nd at 4:30PM. Their miniatures will be displayed in the library until June 6th.

Artist in Residence Jessica Velo will give a talk (Saturday, May 2, 3:30pm) focusing on the material and psychological considerations of creating a painting in oils; including building a frame and stretching canvas, the tools of the trade such as brushes and mediums, choices of technique and palette selection, and the steps which guide the journey from blank surface to final work. This is the second of three talks leading up to Jessica's final presentation and display in June.

BOOK CLUBS
Never Too Old:
Celebrating Youth Books
Wednesday, May 6 @ 4:30pm
 For recommendations, email Beth@lopezlibrary.org or Ingrid@lopezlibrary.org
Literary Salon
Wed, May 13th @ 4:30pm

Literary Salon is a no-rules book club where you bring whatever you're reading to a round of interested listeners. You are welcome to come and be a listener, too.
NOTE date change for March only.
To sign up for any of our informative Book Club newsletters,  
CLICK HERE!
DID YOU KNOW that ...
... the Library, the Friends of the Library,
& the Lopez Bookshop collaborate?
   
                                                         
 We are delighted to work closely with our local Indie bookshop on a number of endeavors. Owners Camilla and Hilary and their helpful staff expand our collection and support the Friends. Books the library orders often show up on bookshop shelves and materials purchased by the bookshop make their way into the library collection; i.e., we mutually inspire each other. Through a generous grant, the library purchases most of our children’s books through the bookshop. Together, we support smaller presses such as Enchanted Lion Books and
New York Review of Books Children’s Collection.
 
Additionally, your purchase of gently-used books from the Friends collection at the bookshop directly benefits the library.
 
A trip to the library – and the bookshop – can change a person - and a community!
 
YOUTH PROGRAMS
 
 

 
 

Roots & Wings: Your Weekly Library Visits 
Children need two things: roots & wings
 
Every week, I look forward to seeing several families that regularly visit the library. They arrive on their bikes with trailers full of books, they arrive in their cars bringing in a crate to fill with delicious items to read. Each week they come to choose new books, seasonal books, biographies, and non-fiction. They check out games, play with the toys, and build Lego creations. It is something that these children look forward to every week. It is predictable, it is solid, it is a secure place where good social habits can be practiced with a diverse range of ages.
 
At a children’s book conference a few months ago, I heard a well-known author refer to a study done over the past 30 years.
 
This study showed key elements families had incorporated into a child’s life that helped them develop confidence in reading, writing, and speaking. These children enjoyed reading and using books to regulate and rejuvenate.
  1. Regular weekly visits to your local library and to libraries while traveling or visiting relatives. Like most things in raising children, consistency matters.
  2. A repertoire of 15-20 regular books read and re-read throughout the span of childhood. What you choose to read really matters. Children can try out many authors and titles, but to have 15-20 favorite books to read and re-read makes all the difference influencing a child’s development.
  3. Because our brains are not fully developed until age 26, what we might remember at age 9 of course looks and means something different as we grow.
  4. Memorization of song and poetry helps to develop vocabulary at a young age to recognize proper language. Do you still remember a poem you learned as a child? One of my favorites is "What's become of John boy" by A. A. Milne in Once We Were Six.
  5. Making space for a regular time of reading as a family every day. READ a novel together, read a biography together, learn about a great artist or musician or scientist.
Childhood only lasts a short time. Count the summers you will have with your child. They are few until your children will want to be with their peers rather than you. Take a vacation without cell phones. Take a summer off from screens.
 
The change will be UNBELIEVABLE! No kidding…!
 
Miss Jane

MAY PROGRAMS
Mindful Birding
 

Weaving Wednesdays
 (Barbie will be here May 6 & 27)
 

Marlon James : Seattle Arts & Lectures - Wednesday, May 6, 7:30pm
 
Author of the Man Booker Prize-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings and the genre-defying Dark Star trilogy, Marlon James brings myth, magic, and history into the sharp light of our own human desires. 
Q&A with Jodi-Ann Burey.
 
Pre-registration for this live streamed event is required. You must have a valid Lopez Library account to register.
 
REGISTER HERE by May 4.
 
This series is brought to the community through the support of Friends of the Lopez Island Library.

 
Raven will teach participants how to build a miniature table, focusing on sustainable model building practices using materials you would find around your house.
 

Emily Wilson : Seattle Arts & Lectures - Tuesday, May 12, 7:30pm
 
The culmination of a decade of intense engagement with antiquity’s most surpassingly beautiful and emotionally complex poetry, Emily Wilson’s translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey give us a complete Homer for our generation.
 
Q&A with Dujie Tahat.
 
Pre-registration for this live streamed event is required. You must have a valid Lopez Library account to register.
 
REGISTER HERE by May 10.
 
This series is brought to the community through the support of Friends of the Lopez Island Library.


Teen Karaoke
 
 
Ready to grab the mic and have your main character moment?
 
Teen Karaoke Night is happening at the library, and it’s your chance to sing your heart out (or just vibe and hype your friends).
 
We’ve got snacks, good energy, and all your favorite songs—from throwbacks to whatever’s trending right now. Whether you’re going full pop star or just here for the chaos, you’re welcome.
 
Pull up with your friends, pick your song, and let’s make it a night.
Snacks, fun, and karaoke!

Tommy Orange : Seattle Arts & Lectures - Thursday, May 21, 7:30pm
 
The Pulitzer Prize-finalist and author of the breakout bestseller There There delivers a masterful follow-up to his already classic first novel in Wandering Stars. Extending his constellation of narratives into the past and future, Tommy Orange traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations of a family in a story that is by turns shattering and wondrous.
 
Pre-registration for this live streamed event is required.
 
You must have a valid Lopez Library account to register.
 
REGISTER HERE by May 19.
 
This series is brought to the community through the support of Friends of the Lopez Island Library.

Best of the Fest: "The Last Dive"
Friday, May 22 @ 7pm at the Community Center
 
Terry Kennedy has been a Hell's Angel and a Vietnam veteran — but his most unlikely identity is the one that stuck: friend to a giant manta ray. For nearly two decades, Willy signaled their next dive by slapping his wings against the hull of Terry's sailboat. Now in his eighties, Terry is making one final expedition to find him. A 2025 Friday Harbor Film Festival Audience Choice Nominee, The Last Dive is visually stunning, emotionally resonant, and impossible to forget.

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS
This section highlights a few events which are managed and hosted by community members and other organizations.

Get Money for Your Business Workshop

Cost: FREE

Lopez Session: May 6 | 10:00am - 12:00pm, Lopez Island Library

ALSO ONLINE!
 
Sign up today!
 
 
The EDC (Economic Development Council) is hosting a free workshop led by Business Impact NW to help startups and established owners navigate the complexities of business capital, entitled Capital Readiness. This session clarifies how to identify funding needs, explore various loan types, and understand exactly what lenders look for when reviewing applications.

The workshop is led by Gwen Kohl of Business Impact NW, a nonprofit CDFI with decades of experience coaching entrepreneurs across the Pacific Northwest.

Workshop Highlights
  • Financial Strategy: Gain expert insights into loan readiness, financial projections, and sustainable cash flow management.
  • Flexible Attendance: Choose between two in-person sessions or join via virtual registration for either date.
Whether you are launching a new idea or scaling an existing venture, this workshop provides the tools to secure the capital necessary for your business's growth.




 
 



Contact:
360-468-2265
Librarian@LopezLibrary.org
http://lopezlibrary.org/
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HAPPY SPRING
Lopez Island Library
2225 Fisherman Bay Rd
Lopez Island, Washington 98261
360-468-2265
www.lopezlibrary.org