New Young Adult Classes At Library This Fall

The C.H. Booth Library announces two programs for young adults this fall, Creative Writing Poetry, and Picture Magic: the Art of Digital Manipulation.

Aspiring poets in grades 6 through 8 are encouraged to register for the free poetry sessions, scheduled for five Monday evenings, from 6 to 8 pm, October 20, 27, and November 3, 10, and 17. November 24 will serve as a make-up date, should one be necessary. Poetry lover and former English teacher Liz Arneth and volunteer assistant Donna Renzulli will lead the group. All sessions will allow time for writing and sharing poems in progress as well as one-on-one communication between adults and young people. There is a limit of ten students, and participants are expected to attend all five sessions. Preference is given to Newtown residents and students.

“Each time that I have planned a poetry session for young adults at the C.H. Booth Library, I have been always fascinated to see what the students do with the assignments; thus the title of this series. There is no predicting what direction they might move in, and I have been continuously delighted by their creativity and willingness to experiment,” said Ms Arneth.

Creative Writing for Young Adults is an ongoing program at the library. It has been funded by the Friends of the Library and the Pitney Bowes Employee Involvement Fund and the Danbury Community Investments Committee. The program offers young writers the opportunity to develop their style in a friendly, relaxed group setting with guidance from experienced authors and teachers. For more information, speak to Margaret Brown, young adult librarian. Sign up at the main floor desk or call 426-4533.

On Saturday, October 25, from 9:30 to 11:30 am, young people in grades 6 and up can learn to use free Internet resources to edit and share digital images at Picture Magic, led by Kenneth Graff and Anne Eigen. Mr Graff is a working professional photographer and digital instructor with 40 years of experience. Ms Eigen is a retired Connecticut teacher and current digital photography instructor with Newtown Parks & Recreation,

“With the advent of digital photography, people are taking more pictures than ever. Most of those images are confined to memory cards, CDs and hard drives, never to be seen. The digital shooter has to think outside ‘the print’ to make the most of their digital creations,” said Mr Graff.

The class is limited to ten young people, who may invite a parent or other adult to come with them. There is no charge. Participants can use a library computer, or bring their own laptop with their own images if they prefer. Call the library at 426-4533 to sign up, or stop by the main floor circulation desk.

It is recommended that participants set up a Gmail account and download Picasa 3 on a home computer prior to class. Both resources will be demonstrated. To open a Gmail account, visit google.com/accounts/NewAccount. To download Picasa 3, visit picasa.google.com/index.html. The blog library-newtown.blogspot.com will display student work and interesting links presented in class.