We are just wrapping up our One Town One Title programs this week with Kent Nerburn’s visit to talk about his book Voices in the Stones on Thursday at 7 pm at the Olde Pine Theatre. It just so happens that his book Neither Wolf nor Dog has recently been made into a movie and will be shown at the State Theatre in Zumbrota both this Friday & next Friday at 7:15 pm! You can see the film’s trailer here if you are interested.
Category Archives: Events/Programs
One Town One Title Event: Book Club
The library book club meets this Wednesday from 6-7pm at Betty Sue’s Better Brew Cafe. We are discussing the One Town One Title selection, Voices in the Stones by Kent Nerburn. Please join us if you can! If you have not yet gotten your free copy of the book, come on in to the library to pick one up. They are also available at Betty Sue’s & the Pine Island Bank.
Not able to make it to the book club but still interested in discussing the book? Here is a list of discussion questions created by Nerburn reader, Ann Culter:
- How has religion, in part, made us separate from the earth as opposed to being part of it? Have our individual rights of self worked against compassion and caring of the less fortunate?
- How has the lack of teaching the Native American story hurt these people, ignoring their very existence, marginalizing their accomplishments (among them, the practice of sustainability for thousands of years and looking ahead seven years), and reducing their image to caricatures?
- How did the boarding schools crush Native American culture? How did that affect Native American parenting? How did that cause PTSD?
- Do we, as descendants of white European culture, bear some responsibility for the “blood on the trail” barrier between our cultures? Are we able to acknowledge the injustices done to this culture? What is the power of acknowledgement?
- What continued disparity exists presently in funding of Native American programs in relationship to our own? Why?
- Do we fail to listen and, instead, try to push our views on others? What is the Native American view of religion?
- How does our society view and treat the elderly as a whole as opposed to Native Americans? Why do Native Americans serve their elders first?
- What is the value in an elder guiding a young one, not by violence, but by the stigma of being shamed?
- What lessons did Native American children learn by being solely responsible for a task? How does that differ, or does it, from our culture?
- What power do words have, and how is this power aided by the ability to remain silent?
- How has our Western way of dominance reduced our ability to see life in all things around us, compelling us to control it? Regarding sustainability and preserving the earth, air, and water, how well is that working for us? We think that we can solve everything, but can we? What about Hanford, the Valdez, the leaking pipe at Standing Rock?
- What are we leaving for future generations of our children? Are we leaving them in good health or in poor health with shorter life spans? What can we do individually and collectively do about this?
- What will you remember about this book? What will it change within you?
One Town One Title: Voices in the Stones
One Town One Title 2018 is underway!
For the next month, there will be opportunities to read more about Native American life and discuss what we’ve learned with our friends and neighbors! You can get more information on our programs on the One Town One Title page of our website, but here is a quick breakdown of what is happening between now and April 12:
- Free books (through April 12 or while supplies last!) available at the Library, Pine Island Bank, and Betty Sue’s Better Brew Cafe
- Tribal Justice Screening and Community Discussion – March 27
- Book Club discussion of the book – April 4
- Author Kent Nerburn visit – April 12
Please take a look at the One Town One Title page for more information on each event and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Book Signing tonight!
We have a book signing tonight! Jeff Thompson (using the pen name T. Norman) is coming to sign his debut book, The Blood-Stained Heir from 6:00-7:30 at the library. Thompson was a 2009 graduate of Pine Island High School and he is excited to share his fantasy adventure story with his home town. He will have his book available for purchase for $10.
Blind Date with a Book
During the month of February you can go on mystery date! All of the wrapped packages on the display upstairs are romance novels, waiting to whisk you away from the everyday. Just take a wrapped book to the circulation desk to check it out!
Take your “date” home and get acquainted. It may be funny, have a Christian bend, be a classic, or even be a contemporary romance. There will be no lulls in conversation, awkward questions, or the need to dress up.
Sure, it might turn out to be a dud, or it could be the diamond in the rough you wouldn’t look twice at otherwise. There’s no knowing until you check it out…
Don’t worry if you don’t like it. You can just bring it back and no one’s feelings will be hurt.
Stay tuned for a version of this in the youth library too!
January Book Club Selection
The January Book Club book is changing from Willa Cather’s My Antonia to O Pioneers, also by Cather. We should start receiving copies to read for the book club sometime next week.
If you’d like to see what our selections are for 2018, take a look at our book list. Just a reminder – we meet at Betty Sue’s Better Brew Cafe on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 6pm!
Story time
We will have our last story time of the year this coming Wednesday, November 15 at 10AM. Story time will resume after the Holidays on January 10. So bring your preschooler on Wednesday for a fun time learning more about Thanksgiving and turkeys!
Book Talk: With Love to All
Come to a book talk on the World War I experiences of Minnesota brothers Marland and Stanley Williams on October 19. With Love to All: The World War I Letters and Photographs of Two Minnesota Brothers Marland and Stanley Williams was published by the Goodhue County Historical Society in June 2017. The talk with begin at 6 pm in the Pine Island History Center.
Assembled and published for the first time, this collection of photographs and letters by the Williams brothers is a compelling and personal narrative of army life during World War I. Upon the United States’ declaration of war in April 1917, seventeen-year-old Marland and his older brother Stanley volunteered for duty. Marland was a bandsman with the 125th Field Artillery of the 34th Sandstorm Division – among the first Minnesota units sent to Camp Cody, New Mexico, for training. His treasure trove of photographs and letters describe every aspect of the 125th F. A. during its nearly year-long training experience and journey to France. Stanley enlisted as a member of the Minnesota 151st Field Artillery, part of the legendary 42nd Rainbow Division. As one of the first units to fight in France. Battalion Sergeant Major Stanley Williamss letters give a glimpse into Rainbow Division’s combat experience as it endured many of the war’s most costly battles.
Book editor Elizabeth Williams Gomoll, granddaughter of Marland Williams, will bring these letters and photographs to life, providing an intimate, inside perspective on these principled and dedicated Minnesota brothers during a momentous period of American history. After the talk, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase a copy of With Love to All and have it signed by Ms. Gomoll.
Elizabeth Williams Gomoll is professional genealogist. She is president of the Association of Professional Genealogists Northland Chapter, and co-editor of the Minnesota Genealogist quarterly journal. Liz is also a professional flutist, performing with the Rochester Symphony and the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra. When weather permits, Liz and her husband Roger find joy in flying their 1928 open cockpit biplane.
This program is sponsored by the Pine Island Van Horn Library, Pine Island Area Historical Society, Goodhue County Historical Society, and the Red Wing Shoe Company Foundation.
Book Club Reminder
We have book club tonight at Shawna’s Cafe on Main Street. I look forward to seeing you there to discuss The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson at 6:00!
Want to join us next month? We will be discussing Devil in the White City by Eric Larson on August 9.
Lincoln Center On Screen
We recently started a series of programs from The Lincoln Center called Lincoln Center On Screen. Unfortunately, the Lincoln Center has just announced that it is suspending this program as of July 1. Here is their announcement. What that means for us here is that the remaining viewings we had scheduled this year are cancelled until further notice. We are looking into other options to bring this kind of world-class cultural programming to Pine Island, so stay tuned!
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!