Panel Discussion With All 2021 Agatha Award Nominees For Best First Novel
2021-11-03 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual, MA
On Wednesday, November 3 at 7pm, the Clapp Memorial Library is joining the Tewksbury Public Library in hosting an all-star panel discussion featuring all five nominees for this year’s Agatha Award for Best First Mystery Novel — Esme Addison (A Spell For Trouble); Tina deBellegarde (Winter Witness); Mary Keliikoa (Derailed); Erica Ruth Neubauer (Murder At The Mena House); and Laura Jensen Walker (Murder Most Sweet) via Zoom. Author Catriona McPherson will serve as moderator.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
About The Authors:
Ever since Esme Addison discovered Nancy Drew, she’s wanted to solve mysteries. As a mystery author, she’s finally found a way to make that dream come true. Esme lives on the North Carolina coast with her family. When she’s not writing or dreaming up new mysteries for her sleuths to stumble upon, you can find her dancing her calories away in Zumba, patronizing her local bookstores or visiting the beach, the mountains and all historical sites in between. Learn more about Esme HERE.
Tina deBellegarde’s debut novel, Winter Witness, was nominated for an Agatha Award, a Silver Falchion Award and a Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem Award. Tina also writes short stories and flash fiction. Her story “Tokyo Stranger” appears alongside celebrated authors in the Mystery Writers of America anthology When a Stranger Comes to Town edited by Michael Koryta. Tina’s short fiction also appears in the last two editions of The Best New England Crime Stories. She is the secretary of her local chapter of Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America, and Writers in Kyoto. Tina lives in Catskill, New York with her husband Denis where they harvest shiitake mushrooms and tend to their beehives. She travels to Kyoto, Japan regularly to visit her son Alessandro. Learn more about Tina HERE.
Mary Keliikoa is the author of the Shamus finalist and Lefty, Agatha and Anthony award nominated PI Kelly Pruett mystery series and the upcoming Misty Pines mystery series featuring Portland homicide detective turned small town sheriff slated for release in September 2022. Her short stories have appeared in Woman’s World and in the anthology Peace, Love and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Music of the ‘60s. She is the Vice President of her local Sisters in Crime, and an active member of Mystery Writers of America, as well as Private Eye Writers of America. In addition, she volunteers her time as a Pitch Wars mentor. A Pacific Northwest native, she spent a part of her life working around lawyers. Combining her love of legal and books, she creates a twisting mystery where justice prevails. When not in Washington, you can find Mary on the beach in Hawaii where she and her husband recharge. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun, she’s plotting her next murder—novel that is. Learn more about Mary HERE.
Erica Ruth Neubauer, author of Murder at the Mena House, spent eleven years in the military, nearly two as a Maryland police officer and one as a high school English teacher before finding her way as a writer. She has been a reviewer of mysteries and crime fiction for publications such as Publishers Weekly and Mystery Scene Magazine for several years, and she’s a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Erica Ruth lives in Milwaukee, WI. Learn more about Erica HERE.
Agatha-nominated Laura Jensen Walker has loved mysteries since she read Trixie Belden in the fourth grade. A former reporter and the author of several books, including the Agatha-nominated Murder Most Sweet (her first Bookish Baker mystery) and Hope, Faith, & a Corpse, Laura is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Deadly Delights, her second Bookish Baker mystery, is her third cozy and 20th book. Learn more about Laura HERE.
About The Moderator: National-bestselling and multi-award-winning author Catriona McPherson was born in Scotland and lived there until immigrating to the US in 2010. She writes historical detective stories set in the old country in the 1930s, featuring gently-born lady sleuth, Dandy Gilver. After eight years in the new country, she kicked off the comic Last Ditch Motel series, which takes a wry but affectionate look at California life from the POV of a displaced Scot (where do we get our ideas, eh?). She also writes a strand of contemporary psychological thrillers. The latest of these is A Gingerbread House, which Kirkus called “a disturbing tale of madness and fortitude”. Catriona is a member of MWA, CWA, Society of Authors, and a proud lifetime member and former national president of Sisters in Crime. Learn more about Catriona HERE.

Massachusetts Must Read Authors - Michelle Bowdler ('Is Rape A Crime?')
2021-11-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual, MA
On Tuesday, November 16 at 7pm, the Clapp Memorial Library is joining the Tewksbury Public Library in hosting Michelle Bowdler for a presentation on her critically acclaimed book, Is Rape A Crime?: A Memoir, An Investigation, and A Manifesto via Zoom. The book was named a MUST READ BOOK in the Massachusetts Center of the Book’s Mass Book Awards. It was also longlisted for the National Book Award.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
About The Book: Award-winning writer and public health executive Michelle Bowdler’s memoir indicts how sexual violence has been addressed for decades in our society, asking whether rape is a crime given that it is the least reported major felony, least successfully prosecuted, and fewer than 3% of rapists ever spend a day in jail. Cases are closed before they are investigated and DNA evidence sits for years untested and disregarded Rape in this country is not treated as a crime of brutal violence but as a parlor game of he said / she said. It might be laughable if it didn’t work so much of the time. Given all this, it seems fair to ask whether rape is actually a crime.
In 1984, the Boston Sexual Assault Unit was formed as a result of a series of break-ins and rapes that terrorized the city, of which Michelle’s own horrific rape was the last. Twenty years later, after a career of working with victims like herself, Michelle decides to find out what happened to her case and why she never heard from the police again after one brief interview. An expert blend of memoir and cultural investigation, Michelle’s story is a rallying cry to reclaim our power and right our world.
About The Author: Michelle Bowdler is the Executive Director of Health & Wellness at Tufts University and, after graduating from the Harvard School of Public Health, has worked on social justice issues related to rape for over a decade. Is Rape a Crime? is her first book. She is a recipient of a 2017 Barbara Deming Memorial Award and has been a Fellow at Ragdale and the MacDowell Colony. Bowdler’s writing has been published in the New York Times and her essays “Eventually You Tell Your Kids” and “Babelogue” were nominated for Pushcart Prizes. Learn more about Bowdler HERE.

Lynne Reeves In Conversation With Lisa Genova
2021-11-29 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual, MA
On Monday, November 29 at 7pm, the Clapp Memorial Library is joining the Tewksbury Public Library in hosting author Lynne Reeves for a discussion of her latest book, Dangers Of An Ordinary Night, in conversation with bestselling author Lisa Genova via Zoom.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
About The Author: Lynne Reeves (Griffin) is an internationally recognized family counselor, public speaker, teacher and writer of fiction and non-fiction. Her work has appeared in Parents, Psychology Today, Solstice Literary Magazine, Chautauqua Journal, Craft Literary, Fiction Writers Review, Brain, Child and more. Lynne regularly appears as a media guest expert to discuss contemporary family life and preventive mental health, with her most recent appearances on WBUR’s Morning Edition and WCVB’s Chronicle. Writing as Lynne Griffin, she is the author of the family-focused novels, Life Without Summer, Sea Escape, and Girl Sent Away. She writes novels of domestic suspense as Lynne Reeves. She’s a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime National & Sisters in Crime New England. Learn more about Reeves HERE.
About the Book: The Dangers of an Ordinary Night is an exploration of the explosive family secrets that are often hidden in plain sight. On a chilly fall evening at the prestigious Performing Arts High School of Boston, best friends Tali Carrington and June Danforth go missing after auditioning for a play. They’re last seen in grainy, out-of-focus surveillance footage that shows them walking away from the school. Two days later in a town south of Boston, Tali is found disoriented and traumatized by the ocean’s edge, while June is pronounced dead at the scene. Tali’s mother, Nell, is so bent on protecting her daughter from further emotional harm that she ignores rumors of her husband’s involvement and enlists the help of Cynthia Rawlins, a reunification therapist with personal insight into the riptide that hides below the surface of every unsuspecting family. Meanwhile, Detective Fitz Jameson uncovers a criminal undertow involving the high school’s overachieving students, and finally sees an opportunity for personal redemption from a secret that’s haunted him for years. As Nell, Cynthia, and Fitz confront their own contributions to the scandals that beleaguer them, their lives turn out to be more deeply intertwined than they’d ever imagined. In the end, they must decide what lengths they’re willing to go to protect the people they love while also saving themselves.
About The Interviewer: Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, and Every Note Played. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart. Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. She travels worldwide speaking about the neurological diseases she writes about and has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Today, PBS NewsHour, CNN, and NPR. Her TED talk, “What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer’s,” has been viewed more than five million times.

We're Going on a Twos Hunt!
2022-02-20 - 2022-02-26 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Clapp Memorial Library invites you to explore two of Belchertown’s Conservation Areas and search for 2s!
Many children will be on school break on “Twosday”, 2-22-22 and we love numbers and nature almost as much as books.
Everyone is welcome to explore both or one of the scavenger hunt trails. Find 2s on the trees as you hike. Can you find all 22 of them? Take a photo (or draw a picture) of at least one of the 2s and then visit the library to pick up a prize or TWO (while supplies last).
The hunts will be at the Reed Conservation Area at 87 Gold Street and the Meadows Conservation Area on Catherine Drive, off of Bay Road.
There is parking available at both locations.
The hunts will be up from February 20th until February 26th.
Please DO NOT remove any of the 2s.
The object is to find 22 twos at each trail but don’t worry if you can’t find them all or make it to each trail. Do your best and then visit the Clapp Memorial Library, starting 2-22-22, and tell us about your hike. Prizes will be available all week or until supplies last. If you have any questions please call 323-0417 or email Jennifer at jwhitehead@cwmars.org.
Happy Hunting!

Twos-Day
2022-02-22 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 is Twos-Day!
Join us on “Twos-Day,” 2/22/22 to celebrate the number 2! All ages can stop by the library anytime that day to receive two free raffle tickets to enter to win one of our prizes, including a bouquet of tulips. There will also be special book displays and take-home activity sheets for kids.
2/22/22 occurs during school vacation week, so come on in that day to stock up on books and movies to keep you
busy during winter break! See you then, toodle-oo!

Library Giving Day 2022
2022-04-06 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Calling all library lovers: Support the Clapp Memorial Library this #LibraryGivingDay! This one-day online fundraising event will occur on April 6th and will help us strengthen our community and transform lives every day.
https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Clapp-Memorial-Library

SUMMER HOURS START
2022-07-01 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Our summer hours start today!

Fiber Arts with the Woolies
2022-07-07 17:00 - 18:45, 2022-07-14 17:00 - 18:45, 2022-07-21 17:00 - 18:45, 2022-07-28 17:00 - 18:45, 2022-08-04 17:00 - 18:45, 2022-08-11 17:00 - 18:45, 2022-08-18 17:00 - 18:45, 2022-08-25 17:00 - 18:45 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Woolies are a local fiber arts group who meet twice a week at the library to socialize and work on their various projects. Whether you’re interested in knitting, crocheting, felting, weaving, embroidery, needle point, sewing, or another fiber art, you’re welcome to join the fun.

$1 DVD & Music CD Sale!
2022-08-27 08:00 - 15:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Friend of the Library are hosting a one-day $1 DVD & Music CD Sale on August 27th, from 8am-3PM in the Library parking lot!

Fiber Arts with the Woolies
2022-09-01 08:00 - 17:00, 2022-09-01 17:00 - 18:30, 2022-09-08 17:00 - 18:30, 2022-09-15 17:00 - 18:30, 2022-09-22 17:00 - 18:30, 2022-09-29 17:00 - 18:30, 2022-10-06 17:00 - 18:30, 2022-10-13 17:00 - 18:30 and 4 more dates | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Woolies are a local fiber arts group who meet weekly at the library to socialize and work on their various projects. Whether you’re interested in knitting, crocheting, felting, weaving, embroidery, needle point, sewing, or another fiber art, you’re welcome to join the fun.

Friends Board Meeting
2022-10-20 18:30 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library Board Meeting in the Activity Room at 6:30pm on October 20th
For information email Paul Geoffroy at pdgeoffroy52@gmail.com

Friends Annual Meeting
2022-10-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library on Thursday, the 20th of October at 7pm. All members and community members are invited to attend. This is a great opportunity to learn about The Friends, how to volunteer, and their impact on the success of our library.
For information, contact Paul Geoffroy at pdgeoffroy52@gmail.com
