No images? Click here
Explore
The Eden Mills Writers Festival: In Your Own Backyard Online Series
Launching in May, the Eden Mills Writers' Festival (EMWF) will present a series of free online literary events running until October 2020. The series will include book clubs, panel discussions and presentations for children.
Scheduled events include a book club with Emily St. John Mandel, best-selling author of The Glass Hotel. She joins host Judith Pereira, The Globe and Mail’s Books Editor, on Thursday June 25 at 8:00 p.m. EST for a discussion and audience Q&A, presented in partnership with the Guelph Public Library.
Rachel Matlow (Dead Mom Walking), Michelle Parise (Alone: A Love Story), and Alison Wearing (Moments of Glad Grace) join host Karma Brown (Recipe for a Perfect Wife) for “Great Expectations”, a panel discussion on Thursday June 11 at 8:00 p.m. EST. On Thursday July 9, the EMWF presents Shani Mootoo (Polar Vortex), John Elizabeth Stintzi (Vanishing Monuments), and Souvankham Thammavongsa (How to Pronounce Knife) with host Farzana Doctor for a panel discussion that explores themes connecting their three works of fiction. Events for adults will include closed captioning.
Events for children include presentations by Michelle Kadarusman (Music for Tigers) on Thursday May 21 at 10:30 a.m. EST and Laura Alary and Kass Reich (What Grew in Larry’s Garden) on Tuesday May 26 at 10:30 a.m. EST.
Registration for all events opens May 1 at noon and can be found at emwf.ca. Sign up for the EMWF newsletter or follow the festival’s social media channels for the most up-to-date information. The EMWF is grateful for the support of their funders as they embark on this new initiative. The financial support provided by The Angel Gabriel Foundation, The Canada Council for the Arts, The Department of Canadian Heritage, Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation, The Ontario Arts Council, The Pollock Foundation and Wellington County enables the festival to continue to support the Canadian authors and publishers who make such valuable contributions to the rich literary landscape in this country.
Connect
Books Connect Us: Staff Recommendations
Meet Marcia, a Guelph Public Library librarian. She recommends a heartwarming read to escape reality right now called, "The Story of Arthur Truluv" by Elizabeth Berg. "This book was praised by a member of my book club last year as a charming, character-driven and bittersweet read. I just finished reading the book, and it was an uplifting experience."
In this life-affirming tale, Maddy, an angry and friendless teenage girl, meets Arthur, a recent widower, at the cemetery. Against all odds, the two strike up a surprising friendship that pulls them out of a serious rut. Arthur's neighbour Lucille moves into their circle, and together they confront heartache and hardships, helping one another rediscover their own potential to start anew. Fans of "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by Rachel Joyce will enjoy this book! Check out an eBook (or two!) from CloudLibrary today, and discover some "heartwarming" reads!
Thrive
Community Connections: Library Supports Personal Protective Equipment Production for Front Line Workers
Although all Guelph Public Library locations have been closed to the public since March 16, the library’s 3D printers have been working steadily to help support the ongoing need for personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michelle Campbell, supervisor of the library’s Westminster Square Branch and Makerspace, responded to the community’s request to create 3D printed PPE parts. Now the library’s three 3D printers and the Glowforge laser printer are creating face shield components and ear protectors. Every day, the library can create six to eight headband pieces and up to 10 bottom supports, which are then collected and assembled into face shields by the Kwartzlab in Kitchener for the Inksmith community shield
project.
“It’s amazing to see the community come together during this time of need,” said Michelle. “Thousands of face shields are now being distributed regionally.”
The free community shields are going to doctor’s offices, food banks, long term care homes, retirement homes, homeless shelters, midwives, pharmacists and more. To date, Inksmith has distributed almost 5,000 of these face shields.
Do you know of a local community organization that needs face shields? Fill out a Community Shield request form. If you are a medical institution that requires more than 100 Health Canada approved face shields, please submit your Canadian Shield order inquiry online through the Inksmith website.
The Guelph Public Library has delivered enough parts for Kwartzlab to assemble 60 face shields so far and will continue to print supplies until they are no longer needed.
From the Archives: Brewery Deliveries
Local businesses have been offering delivery services for quite a few years! This Guelph Public Library archival photograph from the early 1900s shows a delivery wagon from Silver Creek Brewery in front of the Ambassador Hotel (Western Hotel) on Macdonell Street.
For more information about our local history collection, visit our website or email askus@guelphpl.ca.
