Throughout December, watercolors by the lateMary “Polly” M. B. Wakefield will be on display in the Wotiz Gallery, main level of the Milton Public Library, 476 Canton Avenue in Milton, MA 02186. Join us for an opening reception at the library on Tuesday, December 2nd from 6-8 PM.  Gift sets of cards made of some of Polly’s paintings will be available fro purchase.

The collection reflects the work done over dozens of years, right up until Polly’s death in 2004, while studying with esteemed painter Nancy Sargent Howell.  Polly’s works reflect Howell’s method of allowing students to “borrow” heavily from her work and others, “in order to learn how (the artist) mixed colors, used brush strokes, and developed their compositions,” enabling students to become comfortable making “strokes that are uniquely their own.”

The exhibit will include some of Howell’s work to help illustrate the method and “teacher-pupil” connection.  For information about displaying your art at the library, contact Jean Hlady, Adult Services Librarian at the Milton Public Library, email: jhlady@ocln.org.

Find out how one man has channeled forgiveness into activism for victims of war.  Human rights activist and economist Julio Cochoy, a victim of the civil war in Guatemala (1960-1996) will share his experiences, and his own lessons in forgiveness, and the survival of his people.  His talk, “My Journey from Hate to Hope,” is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Keys Community Room of the Milton Public Library, 476 Canton Avenue, Milton, MA  02186

Mr. Cochoy is the author of a book funded by a grant from the United Nations, “Voces Rompiendo el Silencio de Utatlan” (Voices Breaking the Silence of Utatlan) published in 2006, which documents the testimony of 35 victims of Guatemala’s civil war.  His talk is presented by Milton for Peace.

Artwork and excerpts from the Holy Quran are on exhibit at the Wotiz Gallery of the Main Floor of the Milton Public Library, 476 Canton Avenue, Milton, MA  02186.

On Saturday, November 22 from 1 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., please join the exhibitors of this month’s display for a series of lectures concerning the Holy Quran.  Location: Keys Community Room, lower level of the Milton Public Library.

“The Holy Quran – Origin, Content and Preservation”

“The Holy Quran – Insights from 1400 years ago”

“The Holy Quran – Peace and Conflict”

Sponsored by: The Lajna Imaillah – Women’s Auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

Enjoy a free award winning movie at the Milton Public Library!  On Monday, November 24 at 6:30 p.m. come watch the Oscar nominated film called: “Her” in the Keys Community Room, lower level of the Milton Public Library at 476 Canton Avenue in Milton, MA.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix this Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay is a fascinating love story that explores the evolving nature and risks of intimacy in the modern world.  A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system (the voice of Scarlett Johansson) that’s designed to meet his every need.  The movie is rated R for language, sexual content and brief graphic nudity.  It is not suitable for children.

The Monday Night at the Movies series is sponsored by The Friends of the Milton Public Library.

Mystery lovers and sleuths!  Auguste Dupin, the amateur sleuth, who appears in Poe’s 1841 short story, “The Murder in the Rue Morgue,” is the prototype for Holmes, Poirot, and other great fictional detectives. On Wednesday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m. Professor Elaine Craighead will give a talk called “Murder in the Rue Morgue and the Genesis of the Detective Story.”   The free lecture is open to all in the Keys Community Room, lower level of the Milton Public Library at 476 Canton Avenue in Milton, MA.

Prof. Elaine Craighead regularly teaches the stories of Poe and Doyle and is currently a tenured Associate Professor of Humanities at Massachusetts Maritime Academy.   If you would like to read the “The Murder In the Rue Morgue” beforehand, go to this link.

The Milton Public Library Board of Trustees will be holding a Public Forum to discuss plans for the Library grounds.  The meeting will be held in the Trustees Room of the Milton Public Library on Monday, November 10^th at 6:30.

The Trustees will be discussing possible plans for the Library grounds. This includes an update about plantings to replace the trees removed earlier this year. The Trustees invite residents to provide questions or comments during this Public Forum.