June 18 at the Milton Library

On Wednesday, June 18 at 7 p.m. Courtney Sullivan, the New York Times best-selling author of Commencement and Maine will share her new novel, The Engagements, a gorgeous, sprawling novel about marriage—about those who marry in a white heat of passion, those who marry for partnership and comfort, and those who live together, love each other, and have absolutely no intention of ruining it all with a wedding.  Hear her talk in the Keys Community Room (lower level) of the Milton Library, 476 Canton Avenue in Milton.  The free event, sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Library, is open to the public.

Courtney Sullivan grew up in Milton, and The Engagements was one of People Magazine’s Top Ten Books of 2013 and an Irish Times Best Book of the Year. It is soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon and distributed by Fox 2000, and it will be translated into 17 languages. Courtney’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Chicago Tribune, New York magazine, Elle, Glamour, Allure, Real Simple, and the New York Observer, among many others. She is a co-editor, with Courtney Martin, of the essay anthology Click: When We Knew We Were Feminists. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

For more information, contact Jean Hlady, Adult Services Librarian, at (617) 698-5757 or email: jhlady@ocln.org.  Visit the library’s website, www.miltonlibrary.org

Paint Van Gogh inspired artwork – Cafe Terrace

On Thursday, June 19, 2014, a pastels workshop inspired by Van Gogh’s “The Café Terrace” will be taught by award winning artist Gregory John Maichack. The adults-only workshop will be held from 6-8 pm in the Keys Community Room (lower level) of the Milton Library, 476 Canton Avenue in Milton. Seating is limited, and pre-registration is required. Sign up on-line at www.miltonlibrary.org, click onto Events Calendar for June 19 or call the library at 617-698-5757.  Art materials will be provided and an $8 fee per painter (cash or check) is required from each attendee at the workshop. Checks are payable to The Friends of the Milton Library.

Adult beginners and advanced artists are welcome.   Mr. Maichack will share insights into Vincent van Gogh’s work and “The Café Terrace” will be a jumping off point for pastel painters that night.

Artist Gregory John Maichack lives in western Holyoke, and is a portraitist and painter working primarily in pastels. He has been nominated twice for a Massachusetts Gold Star Program Award and is the winner of the Award of Merit from the Bennington Center for the Arts: Impressions of New England Show 2003, and Savoir-faire Pastel Award from the Great Lakes Pastel Society. Mr. Maichack was commissioned by Westfield State College to paint the pastel portrait of the past college president, Doctor Frederick Woodward, which was unveiled at the dedication of the Woodward Center. He has been in many national juried shows and was awarded hundreds of Massachusetts Cultural Council grants.  He has taught pastel portraiture at the Norman Rockwell Museum, and was hired in 2012 to demonstrate pastel painting at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MFA). Maichack is a faculty member at the Museum Studio School in the Fine Arts Museum Quadrangle in Springfield, MA, and also teaches at Greenfield Community College in their adult continuing education department.  He is a member of the Academic Artists Association. Visit his new web site at www.GregoryMaichack.com

L-R: Will Adamczyk, Suzette Standring, Frank
Schroth, Connie Spiros, Elaine Weischedel, and Hallie Ephron

It’s time to stock up on vacation reading!  Avid readers will offer favorite book suggestions on Monday June 9, 2014 at 7 p.m.in the Keys Community Room (lower level) of the Milton Library, 476 Canton Avenue in Milton.  The free event, sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Library, is open to the public.

Come hear a lively panel give their best  picks for summer reading and enjoy free refreshments.  There is a book for every taste and age!

Librarian Elaine Weischedel – children’s books

Suspense author Hallie Ephron – mysteries

Frank Schroth of My Town Matters – fiction

Connie Spiros of Meet Me in the Kitchen – cookbooks

Patriot Ledger columnist Suzette Standring – humor

TBA:  non-fiction, sports

For more information, contact Jean Hlady, Adult Services Librarian, at (617) 698-5757 or email: jhlady@ocln.org.  Visit the library’s website, www.miltonlibrary.org

Expert advice on making the most of what you already own.

Come to a fun and fashion forward workshop! Are you struggling with how to transition from comfortable workout clothes to a more stylish look?  Veronica Guerrero Macia, a personal organizer and fashion expert, will present “From Suits, to Sweats, to Sensational” on Saturday, June 7 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Keys Room, lower level, of the Milton Public Library at 476 Canton Avenue in Milton.

Veronica Guerrero Macia

Learn how to edit your existing wardrobe, add accessories, and discover a three-part formula for building a wardrobe of functional, stylish and comfortable clothes. The workshop is sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Public Library. Also, raffle tickets will be sold to win a Beauty Gift Basket, with proceeds to benefit library programming.

For more information, contact Adult Services Librarian Jean Hlady, at 617-698-5757, or jhlady@ocln.org. Visit the Library’s website at www.miltonlibrary.org.

“Olay”, photograph by Maureen Fahey

During the month of June, the Milton Library, 476 Canton Avenue in Milton, MA will host a wonderful, colorful collection of photos in the Wotiz Gallery, “Morocco – In Living Color.”

Photographer Maureen Fahey grew up in Washington, DC but now lives in Milton.  She began her photographic explorations with black-and-white film during high school in Heidelberg, Germany.  After graduating from Harvard University, she pursued a career in real estate before becoming a full-time travel photographer in 2011.  She is a member of the Milton Art Center, the South Shore Camera Club, Griffin Museum of Photography, and a juried member of the Russell Gallery at the Plymouth Center for the Arts where she often exhibits her work.  Her portfolio can be seen on her website: http://www.maureen-fahey.artistwebsites.com   Email: maureenfaheyphotography@gmail.com or call  (617) 605-7773.

“Morocco – In Living Color” captures impressions of the people, culture, landscape and architecture of Morocco.  The exhibit leads the viewer on a diverse journey through Morocco, from the exotic markets of Marrakesh, to the narrow alleys of the ancient scholarly city of Fez, to native Berber villages, and on a camel safari in the Sahara desert.  Maureen’s images of the Moroccan people capture the cultural diversity of this fascinating country.  The photographs have been printed using a pressurized heat process on pearlescent metallic medium which intensifies the beauty of the colors.  The presentation on high quality natural canvas allows the images to be displayed without a layer of glass separating the viewer from the image, thereby heightening the sensation of being present in the picture.  There will be an opening reception for this exhibit on Wednesday, June 4th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.  Please come by the gallery this month to enjoy a lovely display.

Looking for a new hiking trail to explore?  Let Appalachian Mountain Club (“AMC”) leaders Molly Ruffle and Kristen Sykes introduce you to the Bay Circuit Trail (“BCT”) and Greenway, on Wednesday, May 28 at 7pm at the Milton Public Library, 476 Canton Avenue.  They will share fun hiking facts about the BCT, a permanent recreation trail and greenway corridor through thirty-four towns in Eastern Massachusetts.  It covers an area located close to 4 million people and extends over 200 miles from Plum Island to Duxbury/Kingston Bay. Many sections of the trail, which was created in 1929, are accessible by MBTA commuter rail and other public transit systems.  This program is free to the public and is sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Public Library.

Molly Ruffle has been at the AMC for twenty-two years, leading trips and implementing key recreation, conservation, and education programs throughout the Northeast region.  Kristen Sykes is the Director of Conservation Strategies for the AMC and Director of Operations for the Bay Circuit Alliance, which is working to conserve and steward the 230-mile BCT. The Appalachian Mountain Club, established in 1876, is the oldest and largest conservation, recreation, and outdoor education organization in the country.

For more information, contact Adult Services Librarian Jean Hlady, at 617-698-5757 or jhlady@ocln.org.

Free movie, Philomena, 5/19 at the Milton Library

The Milton Public Library invites you to a special showing of Philomena on Monday, May 19^th at 6:30 PM in the Keys Community Room (lower level) of the library, located at 476 Canton Avenue, Milton.  This free event is sponsored by The Friends of the Milton Public Library, and it is open to the public.  The running time is 98 minutes and it is rated PG-13 for some violence, language and sexuality.

Based on the book “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee” by journalist Martin Sixsmith, Philomena is a 2013 drama film directed by Stephen Frears.  Starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, it tells the true story of Philomena Lee’s 50-year-long search for her son.  The film has been recognized by several international film awards.  Coogan and Jeff Pope won Best Screenplay at the 70^th Venice International Film Festival.  It was also awarded the People’s Choice Award Runner-Up prize at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.  It was nominated at the 86^th Academy Awards in 4 categories as well: Best Picture, Best Actress for Dench, Best Original Score for Desplat, and 3 Golden Globes.

In the film, journalist Martin Sixsmith has lost his job as a Labour government adviser, and is approached at a party by the daughter of Philomena Lee.  She suggests that he write a story about her mother, who was forced to give up her baby boy, Anthony, fifty years ago.  Although he initially scorns the idea of writing a human interest story, he eventually meets with Philomena and decides to investigate further, after hearing her shocking story.  After a tryst with a young man at a fair in 1951, Philomena became pregnant and was sent by her father to Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea in Ireland.  This film tells what happened to her and to her son, and follows the search to find him.

Please join us for this wonderful movie on May 19^th, and for more information contact Jean Hlady, Adult Services Librarian, at (617) 698-5757 or go to our website: www.miltonlibrary.org

During the month of May, the Milton Public Library will exhibit the paintings of local artist Chuck Sullivan in the Wotiz Gallery, 476 Canton Avenue, Milton, MA  02186. Admission is free to the public and the artwork will be on display during library hours.

When Mr. Sullivan painted his first still life at the age of 43, he realized that he made a terrible mistake in trying to fulfill other’s hope for his life.  In that moment, he found his place in the world and began to understand the need, the calling, and the passion to paint.  Seven years later he closed his travel business to pursue his passion for painting full time.  Chuck has a unique vision.  His paintings have an edge, a different point of view.  He brings a modern sensibility to a traditional approach.  “I think I am beginning to develop a personal style.  If I had to name it, I would call it “sensitive frottage.”  The diversity of his work reflects his curiosity.  He is as comfortable painting religious statues as he is miniature plein air studies of the Boston coastline or Irish landscapes.  His paintings are visceral: they feel real.  He can render the mood of a moment.  He sees beauty in the ordinary and the absurd.  He is always evolving in his painting and his sense of design.  He is a student of the craft and he understands it as a lifelong pursuit and that he will never be good enough.  He has shown his work at the South Street Gallery in Hingham and at the 22 Boston Street Restaurant in Dorchester.  Please come and view this lovely display during May at the library. For more information, contact Jean Hlady, Adult Services Librarian, at (617) 698-5757, x.3 or visit the library’s website, www.miltonlibrary.org