Unless noted otherwise, all programs are free of charge and in person at the Roslindale Branch. Learn more at friendsofroslindalelibrary.org.
Roslindale Branch Is Open!
Branch Hours
The Roslindale Branch is open Mondays - Wednesdays 10 AM - 6 PM; Thursdays 12 PM - 8 PM; Fridays 9 AM - 5 PM; and Saturdays 9 AM - 5 PM.
BPL Jobs
Do you need a job? The Boston Public Library is hiring system-wide. They have MANY positions that need to be filled. The sooner we fill the vacancies, the sooner we can look forward to a second late night, faster building repairs, and a less stressed staff!
https://www.bpl.org/jobs-at-the-bpl/
Buy Bulbs, Support The Friends
We are fundraising again with Dutch Mill Bulbs to earn money for our future renovated branch. All items are guaranteed to grow and bloom, and our group earns 50 percent of the profit on every sale. It’s easy! Make your selections, provide billing and shipping information, and enter the Friends in the group name. Please go to our fundraising page to make purchases. The items you select will be sent directly to the shipping address you provide, and shipping fees will be added to each order. You can even order and send them as gifts to other addresses.
Gardening Update
Several Friends of the Library members noticed that the plants in the library flower boxes were looking a little sad; maybe brown and dead would be a better description. A few of us got together to remedy the situation, but we were limited by money. We made do with moving some plants around and some donations from home gardens. Diane Carter Duggan from Roslindale Clean and Green noticed our efforts and offered guidance and, very importantly, recruited Roslindale Clean and Green to supply plants. Roslindale Clean and Green does a lot of work around the Square and did not feel they could take on the library but agreed to supply us with 18 Sedum plants. Diane went and got them and then helped plant them! The cost to us? a promise to water them for the first month. Thanks to Diane and Clean and Green, the library now has a cohesive (and green) new look.
Book Dealer Needed
The Friends have had a partnership with an online bookseller, which has ended due to a job change. We would like to hear from dealers who would like to preview our stock, sell any books of value, and split the proceeds with us. Please email [email protected] if you are interested.
September Events
FORL at Roslindale Village Farmer's Market
September 30, 9 AM - 1:30 PM
Adams Park
Come to our table to buy books or just say hello!
Book Discussion Club: Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague (2020) Maggie O’Farrell
Wednesday, September 6, 11 AM – 12 PM and Thursday, September 7, 6:30 – 7:30 PM
Join us to discuss Maggie O’Farrell’s “magnificent and searing” (Boston Globe) account of the death of William Shakespeare’s son Hamnet. Email [email protected] to join.
Gun Violence in America Art Exhibit Reception
Thursday, September 28, 5 – 7 PM
Join us for a reception of works by local artists, a presentation by a Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America speaker, and artist statements. The exhibition runs from September 14 – October 13.
Craft Your Self-Care Booklet: Self-Care Tools for Ages 50 & Up
Wednesday, September 14, 11 AM – 1 PM
Feeling overwhelmed? Join licensed clinical social worker Marsha Jackson to talk about the competing demands of late middle adulthood -- aging parents, becoming an "empty-nester,” personal health challenges, and changing relationships -- and learn strategies to keep up with them. You'll start with an exercise to help articulate what's most important to you. Then, you'll create a portable, personalized self-care booklet full of tools tailored to your values, which you can keep with you to uplift and inspire you whenever you need it. Email [email protected] or call 617-323-2343 to register.
Race and Inclusion Discussion: Poverty, By America
Saturdays, September 23 & 30 and October 7, 9:15- 11:15 AM and Virtually 2-3:45 PM
This group is now meeting in person at the Roslindale Branch in the mornings, and the afternoon session will continue on Zoom. They will be reading Poverty, By America, by Matthew Desmond, and the discussions will be led by local educator Josh Frank. Email [email protected] to join the morning session, and email [email protected] for the afternoon session. In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow. Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem.
Free Legal Clinic for Immigration Assistance
Thursday, September 21, 3 – 8 PM
Free, drop-in legal consultations for immigrants will be offered by Rian Immigrant Center’s expert legal staff and pro bono attorneys. Translators will be present to assist. (Please note that attorneys are not able to review or fill out forms.)
Mah Jongg Club – NEW!
Thursday, September 21, 6:30 – 7:30 PM
Come and play the American-style variant of this tile-based game that originated in China and requires skill, strategy, and calculation. Players with knowledge of the game are preferred, but it is a friendly group, and beginners are welcome. Email [email protected] to register.
Rozzie Reads Poetry
Thursday, September 21, 7 PM, Roslindale House, Live and on Zoom
Featured readers: Lynne Viti and David Surette
For the Zoom link, contact [email protected]
Radio's Greatest Moments
Monday, September 25, 1:30 – 2:30 pm
The 1930’s to the 1950’s, radio was an integral part of daily life, capturing the imagination and hearts of Americans through newscasts, soap operas, adventure stories, crime dramas, comedy shows, and musical programs. Millions of listeners tuned in every day for entertainment and news, connecting them to the rest of the country for the first time in our history. Join Richard King, amateur radio historian, as he transports you back to this golden age, including radio’s inventor beginnings, through its glory days, to the bittersweet end with the advent of TV. You’ll hear clips of old shows and learn about some of the greatest radio moments of ‘those thrilling days of yesteryear.’ Registration is not required.
Alfred Hitchcock Film Series
Join Barry Marshall, Senior Affiliated Faculty member in the Visual and Media Arts Department at Emerson College, to view and discuss films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
I Confess (1953)
Monday, September 11, 1:30 – 3:30 PM
A priest, who comes under suspicion for murder, cannot clear his name without breaking the seal of the confessional. Starring Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, and Karl Malden. 1 hr 35 min.
Rear Window (1954)
Monday, September 18, 1:30 – 3:30 PM
A photographer in a wheelchair spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend. Starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Wendell Corey. 1 hr 52 min.
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