Young Adults

*Creative Contests: We have information and entry forms for four creative contests for young adults this winter. Stop in the library’s Young Adult area and choose from “World of Words,” an essay contest celebrating family connections to other homelands with top individual cash prizes of $25, $50, or $100; “Playstages,” a playwriting contest for short plays written by individuals or groups, with a top prize of $500 for a library program; “Get on Board and Read,” a contest to create a poem, essay, painting or video about how a favorite book is meaningful to you, with prizes including a meeting with skateboarder Tony Hawk or other prizes; and “IMPAC-CT State University Young Writers’ Annual Competition,” a poem, essay or fiction contest with a top prize of $1,000.

*Chill With Will: Professional actress and teacher Leland Kellogg of Newtown will bring Shakespeare to life through various levels of multimedia in “Chill With Will: A Young Adults Shakespeare Workshop.” Young adults will write and star in their own Shakespeare movie short, and turn Shakespeare’s sonnets into TV commercials.

The five-session workshop will meet on Fridays, January 9 to February 6. The group will meet from 2 to 5 pm for the first four weeks. The workshop will culminate with a Friday evening performance at the library (snow date February 13).

The workshop is geared for students in grades 7 and above, and is limited to 15 participants. Cost is $75, payable at sign-up; call the library or visit the main floor circulation desk.

 

Adult News

*Can Great Literature Be Funny? Gordon Williams and Liz Arneth will be leading a book discussion on four plays by great playwrights. The four plays include Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward, to be discussed on January 8; You Can’t Take It With You by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman on January 22; George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion on March 11; and Shakespeare’s As You Like It on April 1.

All discussions will take place on the third floor in Special Collections beginning at 7:30 pm. Multiple copies of each play are available at the circulation desk. Reservations are requested.

*Cityscapes and Landscapes: Local artist, Ruth Newquist famous for her lovely watercolors of familiar Newtown landmarks will be having a show January 10 to February 29 during library hours. The show, ‘Cityscapes and Landscapes’ will feature new work by Ms Newquist in both oils and watercolors focusing on the vibrant street scenes of New York City as well as the tranquil meadows and barns of Newtown. An artist’s reception will take place on January 10 from 2 to 4 pm and the public is invited to attend.

*1854 Newtown Maps: One of the library’s beautiful historical maps of Newtown has been reproduced by the Friends of The C.H. Booth Library and can be yours for $40. The 1854 map measures 24 by 30 inches and is printed on 100 percent cotton rag. It features several familiar Newtown landmarks including homes, businesses, and churches.

CH. Booth Library, at 25 Main Street, can be reached at 426-4533 to register for any of its programs or for additional information. Winter hours are 10 am to 8 pm Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 pm on Friday, 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, and 1 to 5 pm on Sunday.