Artober 2021
2021-10-24 08:00 - 17:00, 2021-10-25 08:00 - 17:00, 2021-10-26 08:00 - 17:00, 2021-10-27 08:00 - 17:00, 2021-10-28 08:00 - 17:00, 2021-10-29 08:00 - 17:00, 2021-10-30 08:00 - 17:00, 2021-10-31 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual, MA
Daily art prompts all through October.
Artober is here! Artober is a month-long program that encourages artists of all levels to create something once a day in the medium of your choice during the month of October based on our daily art prompts.
Share your art on Instagram/Facebook with the hashtag #cmlartober2021 and tagging us @clapplibrary. You can also email us at clapp@cwmars.org and we’ll share your creations!
Looking for more inspiration? Don’t forget to check out CreativeBug for projects and classes.

Bedtime Story Time
2021-10-24 19:30 - 20:00 | Virtual, MA
Put on your pajamas and get cozy for a bedtime story, read to you by Ms Jennifer at the Clapp Memorial Library. These events are geared towards students at Cold Spring and Swift River schools as part of their Read-A-Thon. A link will be posted for families to join through Zoom. Jennifer will begin letting people “in” around 7:25 pm. Once Jennifer has started reading, she may not see to let families join, so please be on time.
Link for 10/24:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96143789783?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 961 4378 9783
Passcode: [REDACTED]
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Meeting ID: 961 4378 9783
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Monday Firststeps Storytime (Fall 2021)
2021-10-25 10:00 - 11:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
10:00-10:45 AM, Mondays, Sept 13th, 20th, 27th, & Oct 4th, 18th, 25th
Firststeps is for ages 0 – 24 months and begins @ 10:00 AM. Registration is required. Our storytimes feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Program will take place on the Library lawn, families need to bring chairs/blankets and water, sunscreen, and bug repellant are suggested. Masks are not required, but caregivers are responsible for helping children maintain social distance. No pets.
Registration open until all slots are filled – just sign up through Beanstack and Jennifer Whitehead, Children’s Librarian, will be in touch!
When the Belchertown Public Schools have a delay or closure due to the weather, story times are canceled.

NaNoWriMo Information Session
2021-10-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual, MA
Calling all young writers, poets, playwrights, and novelists! The Clapp Memorial Library will once again host virtual writing programs, or “Teen Write Nights,” for teens in grades 7-12 throughout the month of November. This program celebrating National Novel Writing Month is a great opportunity for teen writers to get feedback, build community, participate in writing exercises and grow their word count. There will be a virtual Information Session for interested teens on Monday, October 25th, from 7:00-8:00PM. Young writers should e-mail clapplibrarytab@gmail.com for more information about the program and to register. Teens must register to receive the link to the virtual program.

Tuesday Storytime (Fall 2021)
2021-10-26 10:00 - 11:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
10:00-10:45 am, Tuesdays, Sept 14th, 21st, 28th, & Oct 5th, 19th, 26th.
Toddlertime is for 2 year olds and begins @ 10:00 AM. Registration is required. Our storytimes feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Program will take place on the Library lawn, families need to bring chairs/blankets and water, sunscreen, and bug repellant are suggested. Masks are not required, but caregivers are responsible for helping children maintain social distance. No pets.
Registration open until all slots are filled – just sign up through Beanstack and Jennifer Whitehead, Children’s Librarian, will be in touch!
When the Belchertown Public Schools have a delay or closure due to the weather, story times are canceled.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club (Virtual)
2021-10-26 18:00 - 19:00, 2021-11-23 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual, MA
A monthly book group for lovers of high fantasy, hard science fiction, fable, far future, and all of the speculative fiction options. We are currently meeting virtually on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 6PM.
Upcoming Meetings:

July 26th – Light from Uncommon Stars – Ryka Aoki
August 23rd – A Memory Called Empire – Arkady Martine

To sign-up or ask questions email Tegan at tmannino@cwmars.org.

Spooky Craft
2021-10-27 16:30 - 17:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Join the Clapp Memorial Library, led by one of our Teen Advisory Board members and the Head of Youth Services, for some creative, spooky fun. Students ages 7 to 12 years will need to pick up a bag of materials at the CML between Monday, 10/18 and Tuesday, 10/26. We will all meet virtually on Wednesday the 27th at 4:30 pm to work together on crafts. Students must be available for both dates.
The only supplies students will need at home are; a black pen, scissors, glue, a small paint brush and fork (optional). (Please let us know if there is a supply you do not have).
Registration is required and will be on a first come, first serve. To register, send an email to Jennifer Whitehead, jwhitehead@cwmars.org with Spooky Craft in the subject. Include the student’s name, age, and phone number.

Massachusetts Must Read Authors - Noe Alvarez ('Spirit Run')
2021-10-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual, MA
On Wednesday, October 27 at 7pm, The Clapp Memorial Library is joining the Tewksbury Public Library in hosting author Noe Alvarez for a presentation on his latest book, Spirit Run: A 6000-Mile Marathon Through North America’s Stolen Land, hosted through Zoom. Spirit Run was a named a MUST READ BOOK in the Massachusetts Center of the Book’s Mass Book Awards.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
About The Book: Noe Álvarez, the son of working-class Mexican immigrants, fled a life of labor in fruit-packing plants to run a four-month-long Indigenous marathon from Canada to Guatemala that pushed him to his limits. He’ll discuss his harrowing journey — overcoming hunger, thirst, and fear, as well as the dangers he encountered, including stone-throwing motorists and a mountain lion. Alvarez will also share his reimagining of North America and his place in it, exploring Indigenous and working-class humanity in a capitalist society where oil extraction, deforestation, and substance abuse wreck communities.
About The Author: Noe Alvarez holds degrees in philosophy and creative writing from Whitman College and Emerson College, respectively. Alvarez studied conflict analysis, peacemaking, and conflict resolution at American University and in Northern Ireland, received a fellowship at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, and researched U.S. drug policy, military aid, and human rights issues in Colombia’s Putumayo jungles. He lives in Boston, where, until recently, he worked as a security officer at one of the nation’s oldest libraries, the Boston Athenæum. Learn more about Alvarez HERE.

Thursday Preschool (Fall 2021)
2021-10-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
10:00-11:00 am, Thursdays, Sept 16th, 23rd, 30th, & Oct 7th, 21st, 28th
Preschool Storytime is for 3-6 year olds and begins @ 9:00 AM. Registration is required. Our storytimes feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Program will take place on the Library lawn, families need to bring chairs/blankets and water, sunscreen, and bug repellant are suggested. Masks are not required, but caregivers are responsible for helping children maintain social distance. No pets.
Registration open until all slots are filled – just sign up through Beanstack and Jennifer Whitehead, Children’s Librarian, will be in touch!
When the Belchertown Public Schools have a delay or closure due to the weather, story times are canceled.

Panel Discussion With All 2021 Agatha Award Nominees For Best First Novel
2021-11-03 19:00 - 20:00 | 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.

Teen Write Night
2021-11-03 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-11-10 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-11-17 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-11-24 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual, MA
Calling all young writers, poets, playwrights, and novelists!
Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to attend weekly, virtual Teen Write Nights throughout November as part of the library’s annual program for young writers during National Novel Writing Month. This is a great opportunity for teen writers to get feedback, build community, participate in writing exercises, and grow their word count!
Can’t make one of the dates? No problem! Attend as many of our Teen Write Nights as you want! Keep in mind that frequent attendance means more chances to win at our final party in December!
Young writers should e-mail clapplibrarytab@gmail.com for more information about the program and to register.

Library Closing: Veterans Day 2021
2021-11-11 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Library will be closed in observation of Veterans Day

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.

Teen Advisory Board - Nov 2021
2021-11-17 16:30 - 17:30 | Virtual, MA
The Clapp Memorial Library’s Teen Advisory Board (TAB) will meet virtually on Wednesday, November 17th, at 4:30PM. The Teen Advisory Board is a group of 7th-12th grade students who propose library programming for teens and provide input on teen services. To receive the link to join the meeting, teens must e-mail clapplibrarytab@gmail.com to register. Teens are encouraged to bring any suggestions for future library programs to this meeting! Bonus points if they have an idea for a virtual program as we head into winter! New members are welcome.

Massachusetts Must Read Authors - Barry Van Dusen ('Finding Sanctuary')
2021-11-22 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual, MA
On Monday, November 22 at 7pm, the Clapp Memorial Library is joining the Tewksbury Public Library in hosting Barry Van Dusen for a presentation on his latest book, Finding Sanctuary: An Artist Explores the Nature of Mass Audubon via Zoom. The book was named a MUST READ BOOK in the Massachusetts Center of the Book’s Mass Book Awards.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
About The Book: Over the course of four-and-a-half years, nature artist Barry Van Dusen visited all 61 of Mass Audubon’s public wildlife sanctuaries, nature centers, and museums, producing drawings and paintings at each location. Follow his travels and share in his adventures—from the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket to the mountain peaks of the Berkshires. Learn about hatching turtles on Cape Cod, rare orchids in the Connecticut River Valley, and a bear encounter in a western Massachusetts forest. Birders, naturalists, conservationists, gardeners, artists, art appreciators, and all outdoor folks will enjoy this presentation.
About The Author: Barry W. Van Dusen is an internationally recognized wildlife artist living in central Massachusetts. His articles and paintings have been featured in Bird Watcher’s Digest, Birding, and Yankee magazines and he has illustrated a variety of natural history books and pocket guides in association with the Massachusetts Audubon Society. In 1994 Barry was elected a full member of London’s Society of Wildlife Artists. His work has been exhibited regularly in the prestigious Birds in Art Exhibition (Wausau, Wisconsin) as well as in many galleries in the United States and Europe. At the invitation of the Artists for Nature Foundation, Barry has travelled to Spain, Ireland, England, Israel , India and Peru, working alongside other wildlife artists to raise money for conservation of threatened habitats. Learn more about Van Dusen HERE.

Library Closing: Thanksgiving 2021
2021-11-25 - 2021-11-26 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Library will be closed in observation of Thanksgiving

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.

Tuesday Baby/Toddler Time (Winter 2021)
2021-11-30 09:30 - 10:00 | Old Town Hall, 28 Park Street, Belchertown, 01007, United States
9:30-10:00 AM, Tuesdays, Nov 30th, Dec 7th, 14th, Jan 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, & Feb 1st.
Babytime is for ages 6 months– 2 years and begins @ 9:30 AM. Registration is required. Our storytimes feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Program will be held in the Rec Center. Registration and masks (ages 3 and older) are required.
Registration open until all slots are filled – just sign up for the Program and Jennifer Whitehead, Children’s Librarian, will be in touch!
When the Belchertown Public Schools have a delay or closure due to the weather, story times are canceled.

Sing Along with Jacques "Pop" Hooten (Winter 2021)
2021-12-01 10:30 - 11:30 | Lawrence Memorial Hall (Town Hall) Auditorium, Belchertown, 01007, United States
Wednesdays at 10:30am – Dec 1st, 8th, 15th, Jan 5th, 12th
Music with Jacques Hooten aka Pop! Wednesdays at 10:30 am in the Town Hall auditorium, geared towards ages 1 to 6.
Enjoy singing and dancing in this interactive music series. Limited space so register today. Masks are required for ages 3 and older. Registration closes when the class is filled
Funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.
