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Eye on the 60’s: A Video Discussion with Videographer Chris Szwedo

by Brooks Memorial Library | Arts

Sponsored by the Brooks Memorial Library and the Brattleboro Camera Club members, please join us for an evening with Chris Szwedo, the director of the film Eye on the 60’s: The Iconic Photography of Rowland Scherman, (and watch a trailer) in the library’s meeting room, Wednesday, September 23, at 7 PM.

EYE is an inter-disciplinary, stratified story about a passionate photographer– Rowland Scherman of LIFE magazine, who followed his path to remarkable people and events in the 1960s– from the inception of the Peace Corps and JFK to Dylan, The March On Washington, the Beatles, LBJ, RFK 1968, iconic celebrities, war protests, and the Woodstock Festival.

Quiet Rebel: Lynn Martin’s Story

by Vidda | Arts

A special showing of the locally produced film, Quiet Rebel: Lynn Martin’s Story, will be presented at the new arts venue, 118 Elliot. The 80 minute film is produced by Paul Bennett and Vidda Crochetta, and is being presented with the help and support of BCTV and Write Action. Long time Brattleboro resident, Lynn Martin is an activist, poet, and painter and a retired HIV Prevention Specialist of the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont, where she worked as a volunteer for 18 years.

In a Reformer story on Martin, by Becky Karush, Martin describes her turn to poetry, at age 50: “‘I stood there, and in my mind I put all the people I was angry at….at the bottom of the stairs. And I told them off. And then, whatever it was inside me said, ‘Okay, Lynn, you are really angry. There is something missing from your life. Where are you going to be in five years? Are you going to be in the same place?’ And I dragged the typewriter over, and that’s where I started to write poetry. My joy is in giving voice to people who don’t necessarily have it, because that was my story.”

Brattleboro Literary Festival

by KAlden | Books

Has anyone else noticed the glaring lack of information and/or publicity about this year’s Literary Festival? I’ve seen a couple of postings here but usually by this time I’ve received  not only a plea for money but a schedule of authors and events in the mail and via email. I haven’t seen any posters anywhere – not even at the library. I know a few months ago there was some confusion over the potential dates but since it’s right around the corner you’d think there would be some talk about it somewhere. I hope this doesn’t mean the Festival is beginning to fade out. It’s one of my favorite events in town and generally I have to try to juggle all the many wonderful authors that I want to go hear. I don’t even know who is participating this year.

New York Polyphony Sings “Faith & Reason” on Sunday

by fomag | Music

Brattleboro, Vt. – As part of its 50th Anniversary Season, Friends of Music at Guilford is presenting a special guest-artist concert combining the Early Music repertoire with recently composed pieces that bridge the centuries of musical expression in between. Considered one of the world’s finest vocal chamber ensembles, New York Polyphony will perform its “Faith & Reason” program on Sunday, September 27 at 4:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of Centre Congregational Church at 193 Main Street in Brattleboro.

They have toured widely in the U.S. and Europe, appearing at major international festivals and prestigious music series. Their 2013 and 2014 CDs were Grammy-nominated, and a number of their albums have made the “Top 10” lists of The New Yorker, Gramophone, and BBC Music Magazine.

Future Of Local Journalism Is Subject of River Garden Panel Discussion

by MartinLangeveld | Media

A group of local media business specialists will explore “The future of local journalism” in a panel discussion at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, downtown Brattleboro, on Thursday, Sept. 24 at noon.

The event is part of the daily Brown Bag Lunch events presented by Strolling of the Heifers, and is the second annual panel discussion on local journalism in the series.

Participants include Ed Woods, CEO of New England Newspapers, Inc. and publisher of the Reformer, Randy Holhut, deputy editor of The Commons, Kevin Moran, group editor for New England Newspapers, Roland Boyden, production manager of Brattleboro Community Television, and Martin Langeveld, retired newspaper executive and media blogger.

BCTV Channel 8 & 10 Schedules for the Week of 9/21/15

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV channel 8 schedule for the week of 9/21/15

Monday, September 21, 2015

12:00 am BCTV Archive: Llama Rangbar – Sacred Medicine, Sacred Space

2:00 am Building Vermont’s Moral Economy

3:30 am Heirloom Seeds at the Sitzmark 9/5/15

6:00 am Concerts on the Green: The Green Brothers

Masters of the Short Story at Brooks

by msquare | Books

Masters of the Short Story, a reading and discussion series will be held in the Brooks Memorial Library this fall on Monday evenings. The books and authors to be discussed, with dates, are:  Park City by Ann Beattie (October 5), Selected Works of Flannery O’Connor (November 2), Five Great Short Stories by Anton Chekhov (November 30) and Poetry and Tales y Edgar Allen Poe (December 7).  

The series discussion facilitator will be VHC scholar Dr. Richard Wizansky.  This is a Vermont Humanities Council (VHC) event with support from the Vermont Country Store.  Each Monday discussion group will be held at 7PM in the Library Meeting Room.

Weekend Creativity Series: Salvador Dali

by cgrotke | Creative

This week we spend some time with surrealist Salvador Dali, speaking to reporter Mike Wallace in 1958.

Sometimes it is important to pay attention to things we don’t necessarily understand. Diving into subjects outside my own skill set can lead to inspiration and ideas which furthers my own work. I enjoy hearing from experts in almost any field discussing their work and ideas, and keep a notebook fo tips and tricks I’ve come across.

Youth Services’ Battle of the Bands Seeks Musicians 20 and Under

by Not Signed In | Music

Youth Battle of Bands Held During November Gallery Walk at River Garden

Brattleboro, VT–Area youth bands can launch their musical careers by competing at Youth Services’ Battle of the Bands at the River Garden on Friday, November 6, during Gallery Walk night, from 7 to 10 p.m.

The public is encouraged to attend and vote for their favorite group with their applause, according to organizers. In addition to the audience and youth judges, several individuals from both the recording and music industry will help choose the top band.

“Youth Services’ Battle of the Bands celebrates the entrepreneurial nature of young musicians forming bands and expressing their musical inspiration,” said Russell Bradbury-Carlin, the agency’s Executive Director.

Sandglass Theater’s Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival is in Full Swing!

by SandglassTheater | Arts

Following last weekend’s jam-packed three days of parades, puppet shows, and gala celebrations, the festival continues for another weekend of world-class entertainment for all ages, engaging public dialogues, and much more.

This Friday evening at New England Youth Theater, Sandglass Theater will perform the final local showing of D-Generation: An Exaltation of Larks, their multiple-award-winning production based upon stories written collaboratively by groups of people with late-stage dementia. At Sandglass Theater, Kimi Maeda will present Bend, a performance drawn in sand that addresses issues of war, memory, home, and trans-cultural identity.

Electric Vehicle Fair October 3

by Not Signed In | Education

Are you thinking about buying or leasing an electric car, scooter, or bicycle, or interested in learning about the benefits of EV ownership? Come to the second annual Electric Vehicle Fair on Saturday, October 3 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm at the Marlboro College Graduate School, 28 Vernon Street in downtown Brattleboro. A wide range of all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, along with electric-assisted bikes, cargo bikes and electric scooters will be on display, with many available for test rides. Electric vehicle owners and local dealers will be on hand to answer questions, and table displays will provide information on electric vehicles. At 2:30 pm, local bike enthusiast Dave Cohen will offer a talk on the benefits of electric and cargo bikes.

Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Jazz Mini Fest w/ Jamie Baum, Steve Wilson, and Rebecca Holtz

by Not Signed In | Music

VJC KICKS OFF 2015 – 2016 Concert Season with Jazz Mini-Fest from September 18th to 20th

The Vermont Jazz Center is kicking off its new season of concerts with a bang, presenting a three-night Fall Festival from September 18 through the 20th.

On Friday (September 18th) the VJC presents renowned flutist, Jamie Baum and her Septet +. They will be performing Indian and Pakistani-influenced music filtered through Baum’s keen jazz aesthetic. On Saturday night (September 19th) Steve Wilson—claimed by NPR to be “one of the finest saxophonists in the business”—will present his quartet, Wilsonian’s Grain, in a concert celebrating the release of their new CD: “Live in New York, the Village Vanguard Session.” On Sunday (September 20th) at 4:00 PM vocalist Rebecca Holtz will pull out all the stops by hosting a CD release party in a benefit for the scholarship programs for the VJC and NECCA. All events will take place at the Vermont Jazz Center, 72 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro, Vermont.

Green Mountain Book Award Skype Series at Brooks Memorial Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

This fall, the Brooks Memorial Library will be hosting a number of book talks with Green Mountain Book Award authors. The Green Mountain Book Award (GMBA) is the Vermont Reader’s Choice Award for grades 9-12. Most teens in high school in Vermont are encouraged to read some of the books on the nominated list in their classes at school.

The first of these Skype talks will be held on September 28 @ 6:30 on the third floor meeting room in the library. This talk will be with author Andrew Smith about his book “Winger.”Andrew Smith is an award-winning author of several Young Adult novels, including the critically acclaimed “Grasshopper Jungle” and his Green Mountain Nominated Book, “Winger.” His most recent book, “Alex Crow,” is the ninth novel he has published. Andrew Smith lives in Southern California.

BCTV Channel 8 & 10 Schedules for the Week of 9/14/15

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV channel 8 schedule for the week of 9/14/15 

Monday, September 14, 2015

12:00 am First Vermonumental Soil Carbon Climate Summit

1:55 am Health in Aging: My Five Wishes Program

3:30 am WCEDP Funding Workshop 1: Letter of Intent 8/24/15

4:50 am Brown Bag Concert Series – The Stockwell Brothers

6:00 am Common Good VT: VCF Food & Farm Initiative

Weekend Creativity Series: Lynda Barry

by cgrotke | Creative

We’ve done music, we’ve done comedy. It’s time to get creative and intelligent, so I’m shifting my weekend series once again. (Any of you are more than welcome to take over the music or comedy at any time. I bequeath them…)

To kick things off, here’s a presentation by one of my favorite cartoonist, writer, and “accidental professor” Lynda Barry.

Statewide First Wednesdays Talks Return October 7 with Diverse, Timely Topics

by Not Signed In | Education

Statewide Vermont – NPR host John Hockenberry, Pulitzer Prize winners Joseph Ellis and Hedrick Smith, and Grammy-nominated musician and historian Stephen Wade are among the presenters in the fourteenth season of the Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesdays lecture series beginning October 7 at nine sites statewide. The series runs October through May at 7:00 pm on the first Wednesday of each month (unless otherwise noted). Talks take place in Brattleboro, Essex Junction, Manchester, Middlebury, Montpelier, Newport, Norwich, Rutland, and St. Johnsbury.

Brattleboro Area Hospice to hold a 7 Week Bereavement Volunteer Training

by Not Signed In | Education

Beginning on Thursday, October 8, 2015 Brattleboro Area Hospice will offer a Bereavement Volunteer Training at its home office at 191 Canal Street in Brattleboro. This 21 hour volunteer training will run on Thursdays from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The final session will take place on November 19th.

Bereavement Volunteers provide emotional support and companionship to individuals grieving the death loss of a loved one. Trained volunteers are asked to commit to one hour per week spent with a bereaved individual.

Calling All Kids: It’s OK To Talk About Death!

by Not Signed In | Education

Parents and children are invited on Saturday, September 26, 10:30 – 12:00, to a free workshop, Calling all Kids: It’s OK to Talk about Death! at Brooks Memorial Library Upstairs Meeting Room (next to the Children’s Section).

Children who have experienced a death loss, whether of a beloved pet, friend or family member, don’t often have the opportunity to meet with other children who’ve had a similar experience. Through facilitated art activities and guided conversation led by Children’s Bereavement Counselor Elizabeth Ungerleider, this is an opportunity for children of all ages to ask questions, share stories and express feelings in a safe environment.