Programs
Please be aware that the following programs are subject to change as we continually review our safety guidelines regarding Covid-19.
Monday Matinee- Judas and the Black Messiah
Monday, September 20 @ 1 pm 
Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O’Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton. Rated R. 2h 6m. Masks are required and chairs will be spaced out to accommodate social distancing. Seating is limited to 25.
Mindful Meditation
Tuesday, September 21 @ 6:30 pm 
Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Curious to know if meditation is right for you? Join us for a meditation workshop led by Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, Sheila Klapper. Sheila will define mindfulness and explore simple meditation techniques, speak about the current research regarding the benefits of practice and share a short mindful meditation experience. Meditation can help improve your sleep and overall well-being. This program will be offered both in-person with limited seating and online via Zoom.
Sheila Klapper has been doing meditation since the mid 70’s. She became a certified Kripalu Yoga Instruction in 2000. In addition, Sheila has completed a 2 year course of study with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach sponsored by the Greater Good Science Center (University of Berkley California), Sounds True and the Awareness Training Institute (ATI). It is her great pleasure to inspire and support others in beginning and sustaining a personal practice.
Masks are required and chairs will be spaced out to accommodate social distancing.
Virtual Author Talk with Michael Blanding
Thursday, September 23 @ 6:30 pm 
In collaboration with the Hickory Stick Bookshop, we are pleased to welcome Michael Blanding to discuss his latest work, North By Shakespeare: A Rogue Scholar’s Quest for the Truth Behind the Bard’s Work. Blanding’s book follows self-taught scholar Dennis McCarthy on his quixotic quest to prove that many of Shakespeare’s plays are based on earlier source plays written by the courtier and translator Sir Thomas North. To explore this theory, Blanding traveled with McCarthy through England and Italy; in and out of foreign archives; and back in time to royal intrigues in Elizabeth’s court, writing about their journeys together in an engaging narrative style. The tale offers a fascinating “middle ground” between orthodox scholarship and Anti-Stratfordian heresy, potentially answering many mysteries about how Shakespeare wrote his plays–and could very well change the way we read Shakespeare’s work. Among other revelations, for example, McCarthy argues Othello is based on an animal fable about a lion and a mule.
Signed copies of this book are available at the Hickory Stick Bookshop or on their website at www.hickorystickbookshop.com.
Monday Matinee- No Man’s Land
Monday, September 27 @ 1 pm 
When a vigilante border patrol turns fatal, a man flees on horseback to Mexico, seeking forgiveness from the victim’s father. Rated PG-13. 1h 54m. Masks are required and chairs will be spaced out to accommodate social distancing. Seating is limited to 25.
What Should I Read Next?
Tuesday, September 28 @ 6:30 pm 
Join us to learn how to find your next great read!
Librarian Martie Smolka will give a demonstration of how to use our new reader’s advisory service, NoveList! NoveList is a resource that helps readers find their next favorite books! Browse curated lists of books by genre, subject, age group, or theme, find read-a-likes to books or series you love, and create your own lists! Use your Gunn library card to login and explore.
Masks are required and chairs will be spaced out to accommodate social distancing.
Virtual Author Talk with Wendy Gorton
Tuesday, October 5 @ 6:30 pm 
In collaboration with the Hickory Stick Bookshop, we are pleased to welcome Wendy Gorton for a virtual author talk on her latest book 50 Hikes With Kids: New England. Gorton will share the best hikes for little legs in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont and help parents and caregivers spark a love of nature in childhood and beyond. Gorton will discuss technology usage on the trail and highlight the best little adventures just outside your door.
Wendy Gorton holds a master’s degree in learning technologies and is a former classroom teacher. As part of her quest to bring science education alive, she worked as a National Geographic Fellow in Australia researching Tasmanian devils, a PolarTREC teacher researcher in archaeology in Alaska, an Earthwatch teacher fellow in the Bahamas and New Orleans, and a GoNorth! teacher explorer studying climate change via dogsled in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Today, she is a global education consultant who has traveled to more than fifty countries to design programs, build communities, and train other educators to do the same.
Signed copies of this book are available at the Hickory Stick Bookshop. Visit their website at https://www.hickorystickbookshop.com/ or call them at 860-868-0525.
Fall Short Stories Series
You asked, we answered! Since our Summer Short Story Series was so popular, we decided to continue the series into the fall. Join Jim Kelleher virtually via Zoom on the following dates to discuss a new set of classic and contemporary short stories that illustrate the unique form of writing. *The November dates were rescheduled from September.*
Jim Kelleher is a poet who teaches literature and composition at Northwestern CT Community College.
Click the dates to register
Tuesday, October 12 @ 6:30 pm
We will read a story by Anton Chekhov and Alice Elliot Dark
Tuesday, October 26 @ 6:30 pm
We will read a story by Raymond Carver and Tillie Olsen
Tuesday, November 16 @ 6:30 pm
Tuesday, November 23 @ 6:30 pm
This series will be offered online only. Links to the short stories will be emailed to you.
The Artistic Life of Kay Sage
Thursday, October 14 @ 6:30 pm 
Local artist, Kay Sage (1898-1963) is known for her Surrealist works focusing on architecture and unique perspectives. The Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT has the largest collection of Sage’s work and representatives from the museum will join us to explore Sage’s work in art and poetry throughout the course of her life, from her early days to her marriage to a prince to life on Town Farm in Woodbury, CT. We will showcase, study and discuss some of Sage’s artwork. This program will be offered in hybrid format- limited seating will be available in-house and the program will be live streamed over Zoom.
Masks are required and chairs will be spaced out to accommodate social distancing.
Making Your Windows Safer for Birds
Tuesday, October 19 @ 6:30 pm 
Did you know that window collisions are one of the leading direct human causes of bird mortality? The Litchfield Hills Audubon Society strives to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. One of their goals of 2021 is to raise awareness and offer simple solutions to make our living environment safer for our feathered friends.
Join us via Zoom as Vickie Dauphinais, LHAS director, discusses the deadly threat birds face in our own backyards and explains how widespread the problem is. She will review what can be done to mitigate the problem, including easy, economical approaches that can be used in our homes and places of business.
Using Genealogy Resources at Mattatuck Museum
Tuesday, November 9 @ 6:30 pm 
Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT has put together a presentation on how to use their resources to learn about your ancestors. The museum’s archivist, Stephanie Crawford will lead the presentation here at Gunn Memorial Library to teach us how to start digging into our family histories. We will not only explore the resources available at the Mattatuck Museum but other easily accessible digital resources that give insight into the lives of our ancestors. Don’t forget that you can check out a museum pass at GML to explore all the Mattatuck Museum has to offer at a discounted rate! This program will be offered both in-person and online. In-person seating is limited. Those that wish to attend in-person will be required to wear a mask and chairs will be spaced out to accommodate social distancing.
