Musical Performance: West African Kora

Saturday, October 6th at 11:00am

Music of the West African Kora comes to Dennis Port! Sean Gaskell will give a performance and educational demonstration on the kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa. He will feature traditional songs that are the heart and soul of the kora's musical repertoire, in addition to some of his own personal compositions. 

The kora is native to the Mande peoples who live within the countries of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Guinea Bissau. The music is traditionally played by oral and musical historians known as Griots (Gree-ohs). The kora is a very melodic and seemingly peaceful instrument, which is contrary to its musical repertoire. Many songs tell ancient stories of war and hardship, while others praise people of high political status and those who helped expand the Mande Empire. While the kora is only 300 years old, some commonly played songs can be traced back 800 years to the founding of the Mande Empire. 

Enjoy a short video of Sean Gaskell and his kora before the event!

Visit Sean's website for more information: seangaskell.com

All are welcome at this enriching musical performance. 
This program is funded by the Friends of Dennis Public Library. 

  

September Artists

Reception Thursday, September 6th from 4:00-6:00

The art of Elaine M. Giberti and Joan McKenzie will be on display in the library's meeting room through the month of September. All are welcome at a reception on September 6th to celebrate the artists' work.

Elaine M. Giberti, always an appreciator of nature and the outdoors, enjoys taking photographs of Cape Cod and wherever she travels. She creates her acrylic landscape paintings from these photographs. Elaine is a Juried Member of the Cape Cod Art Center, a member of the Yarmouth Art Guild, the Sandwich Arts Alliance, the Wednesday Painters of Cotuit, and the Monday Painters on the Dennis Green summers. 

Joan McKenzie is currently painting in acrylics, utilizing the vibrancy of the colors, plus the heavy body and textures of this paint medium. She communicates her love of beachscapes and landscapes with the brilliant colors of nature and her vision of the world. To her, painting is a way to express herself, be fearless, plus have the viewer feel her energy immediately.  She is a member of the Cape Cod Art Association and Yarmouth Art Guild, plus she has studied at Lexington Arts and Craft and Emerson Umbrella. Her work can currently be seen at the Eastwind Gallery in Orleans, Picture This in Sandwich and Monday Painters in Dennis.

Self-Publishing with a Purpose

Saturday, September 15th at 11:00

Come to the library for a special book talk about “All Cooped Up,” meet the chicks, see their new coop, and find out how this book happened!

"All Cooped Up" by Fiona Frizzle, is a book about seniors - impersonating chickens - impersonating pincushions. It is really about seniors having FUN with the life they are now living. The story touches on many of the issues and conditions seniors face in their daily lives: the loss of their Frequent Feather Flying License because of age, the rising rates of the Click Clack Cable Company, living on a limited income. And the losses: loss of vision, loss of hearing, loss of mobility, and especially loss of dear friends, and neighbors. It’s all here in the Coop.

While entertaining, this story also intends to help seniors, their families and friends identify with what it’s like to be a senior today. 

Join Sharon Anderson, AKA Fiona Frizzle, for this author talk. Sharon is the leader of the Cape Cod Writer’s Studio that meets weekly at Dennis Public Library. She is excited to share her story with the public at this event.

The Great Dennis Read

Which books will be the favorites in Dennis? Only you can help us find out!

Inspired by the PBS program The Great American Read, the Dennis Libraries would like you to have your chance to choose your favorite reads! At the end of the summer we will all discover our local favorites. Select five titles from The Great American Read list found here, or choose your own five. List your choices by September 1, 2018. We will tally the results.

Enter your top 5 novels online! Paper ballots are also available at all five Dennis Libraries.

A Gathering of Poets

Thursday, September 13th

The library is hosting a poetry night on Thursday, September 13th! Starting at 6:00 all are welcome to participate in an open poetry writing session. All poets are encouraged to come and write in a relaxing atmosphere. Materials will be available for interested poets to experiment with paint chip poetry and blackout poetry using pages from used books. Feel free to bring your own writing materials if you have a favorite notebook or prefer to type on your laptop.

At 7:00 will be an open mic event where the public is welcome to read some of their own work or some of their favorites from other poets. This event is open to all ages, please keep readings appropriate for a PG-13 audience.

If you have questions about this event, please see Nicole in the library. We hope you can join us!

Life Aboard a Whaling Ship

Thursday, August 30th at 6:30

Join us for a fascinating presentation about the life of Mary Lawrence. The morning of November 25th, 1856, Mary Chipman Lawrence set sail aboard the whaling ship Addison bound for the Pacific on a voyage that would last three and a half years.  In this performance, Mary will bring forth from her meticulously kept journal, the joys and tribulations of life at sea with her husband, Captain Samuel Lawrence, and their daughter Minnie. 

The sights and sounds of foreign ports and their inhabitants, the sailors' sea shanties, the surprisingly robust social life amongst whaling ships, and the challenging everyday details, all will come to life as Mary takes you on a journey so real, you'll feel the pitch of the ship and the spray over the rails.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of Dennis Public Library.

Out in Blue Fields: A Year at Hokum Rock Blueberry Farm

Thursday, August 23rd at 6:30

Join Stephen Spear and Janice Riley of Hokum Rock Blueberry farm for a talk about their book, Out in Blue Fields: A Year at Hokum Rock Blueberry Farm. In a series of beautifully written essays, conservationist Spear and journalist Riley chronicle a year of cultivating blueberries on Dennis' Hokum Rock Farm. Spear's family has owned the farm since 1973 and began cultivating blueberries exclusively in 1986, selling thousands of pints each season. 

The stories, a blend of mediation, autobiography, and practical knowledge, inspire thoughts on the reasons farming is important and the ways we find meaning in the natural world. Learn about the history of blueberry cultivation, the biodiverse flora and fauna on the farm, and facts about blueberries. The book also includes some mouth-watering recipes such as lemon pound Bundt cake with blueberries, easy graham crust blueberry pie, and blueberry-cranberry cobbler. 

Fans of farm tales and agricultural musings, or simply Cape Cod, will appreciate this celebration of blueberries and a life lived close to nature.

Author Talk: Gary Gemme

Tuesday, August 21st at 6:30

Stop by the library for an author talk with local author Gary Gemme as he discusses his debut novel "Margaret's Dove."

In the spring of 1970, Margaret Gabriel is a carefree young woman destined for college and new adventures. But her father’s sudden illness alters her life, and she’s propelled into a marriage full of duplicity, violence, and despair. As her world collapses, Margaret is forced to abandon all of her hopes and dreams. Nicholas Avellino, a college freshman, carries a deep sadness over the death of his mom when he was a young boy. His only memory of her is watching the sunset together on the beach at Rock Harbor. When a sign from a dove unites Margaret and Nicholas, they begin an odyssey through the idyllic towns of Cape Cod. Their quest to recover lost memories becomes a journey of love and a search for a way to remain together. Can Margaret and Nicholas find a path to happiness or does tragedy loom?

Author Gary Gemme is a veteran of the US Navy and a recently retired police chief for the City of Worcester. He divides his time between Worcester and  Dennis, MA, Nashville, TN and Fort Myers, FL.