Storytimes near BANGOR PUBLIC LIBRARY

Story Room

Stop by the Library for a fun drop-in craft. Ages 5 - 11

Computer Lab

Google can be hard to quit, since it's part of so many tools and products we use on a daily basis, from Gmail to Google Docs to their popular search engine. Using these products is convenient, but it means that this giant company knows a whole lot about you, and as intrusive AI features are integrated without any options to disable them, Google products are becoming less appealing to many users. This three-session workshop series will guide attendees through the first steps of de-Googling their digital lives, to improve privacy and security. Participants are welcome to sign up for some or all of the sessions, depending on their goals and needs. Please be sure to register individually for each date. Session 1: July 9 - Web Browsers & Search Engines The very term "Google" has become synonymous with searching the web, and Chrome is the most popular web browser out there. Learn about alternatives like Firefox, Brave, DuckDuckGo, Qwant, and Kagi, and get assistance making the switch from Google products to other ways that you can browse and search the web. Session 2: July 16 - Email Gmail is a free, easy-to-use email platform that is incredibly common. However, Google has a track record of using people's private email messages for targeted advertising, data brokerage, and training AI models. Learn about more private and secure email services like Protonmail, Tuta, and Mailbox.org, and get help setting up a new account and migrating your contacts and messages. Session 3: July 23 - Drive & Docs, Maps, & More In everything from cloud storage to document collaboration to maps, Google dominates the market. In this final session, we will discuss alternatives such as Libre Office for free desktop software, Proton's document-editing suite, Cryptpad, OrganicMaps, and more, and try to land on the best tools for each participant's needs. This series will be hands-on and participatory, so attendees are encouraged to bring their own devices if possible, and ensure they have access to email and passwords. Library computers will also be available to use as needed. The library offers regular technology workshops on different subjects. All workshops are free of charge, but space is limited, so registration is required to attend. Please be sure to register individually for each date you plan to attend. For more information, contact Hannah at 922-6055 or hannah.cyrus@bangorpubliclibrary.org.

Laurence E. Crofutt Community Room

Next Chapter Book Club is a community-based book club for adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our members (including some who cannot read) love books for the same reasons most people do. We all enjoy being transported to different worlds where we meet interesting characters and learn new things. Taking that journey with a group of friends makes it even more delightful and fun. The Next Chapter Book Club has chapters in the US, Canada, and Europe. Bangor Public Library is the only affiliate in Maine. This group meets each Thursday at 2 PM at the library. Please register in advance if it is your first time attending. For more information or to register, contact Paul Nicklas, 947-8336 x109 or pnicklas@bangorpubliclibrary.org.

Board Room

Join Nieves Perez Besu for the first of these monthly gatherings, which will include fun ASL games and good company, too! The ASL Social Hour gatherings will be held on the 2nd Thursday of the month in the Library.

Laurence E. Crofutt Community Room

Calling all fiber artists! Join us every other Thursday for an evening of crocheting, knitting, coffee, and tea! All skill levels and fiber arts are welcome, but bring your own project if you can.

Lawn/Outside

Computer Lab

Hannah Cyrus, BPL’s Digital Media Librarian, is available for 60-minute appointments to help you with your computer questions in-person, by phone, or over Zoom. Want to organize your emails? Having trouble using a particular website or program? Wondering why that annoying message keeps popping up on your screen? Whatever your question, Hannah will work with you to find an answer and help you to solve your problems. Appointments are available on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings. Sign up online, or contact Hannah in the Reference Department at 922-6055 or hannah.cyrus@bangorpubliclibrary.org. To ensure appointments are available for all, we ask that you sign up for no more than one appointment slot at a time. While we can’t guarantee a solution to every issue, we are happy to work together in searching for one. Learn new skills, gain confidence with your computer or device, and get those niggling questions answered in these personalized sessions.

Norman Minsky Lecture Hall

The doors will open at 9:45 for those attending this event. Join us as we celebrate Bangor's own Christina Baker Kline and her latest book. Christina went to school in Bangor and graduated from Bangor High School. And now, she is a New York Times bestselling author coming back to Maine and her home library to discuss her latest novel. Christina will present the history behind her new book, The Foursome. Often drawn to people on the margins of history, Christina delves into her own family history to tell the story of two sisters, Sarah and Adelaide Yates, who lived in 19th-century North Carolina and married the famous conjoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker. A slideshow of images will accompany Christina's presentation. Spanning five decades and unfolding against the backdrop of a fractured nation hurtling toward war, The Foursome is both intimate and epic: a story of love and constraint, identity and reinvention. With piercing insight and emotional precision, Kline brings to life a forgotten chapter of American history and the complex, boundary-defying marriages at its center. Christina is happy to answer audience questions before she signs books. To learn more about Christina and her work, visit her website. Briar Patch Books will be on site selling Christina's books. She is happy to sign up to six (6) books per person. This includes her new book and any older titles you may want her to sign. Please have your name on a sticky note and place it on the title page.

Story Room

Let your imagination run wild in this free-play LEGO Club! Ages 5 - 11

Story Room

Plant herb seeds to take home with you and then learn a few recipes that you can make when your herbs grow. Ages 5 - 11

Laurence E. Crofutt Community Room

About this workshop ​Most writers try building emotion with a heavy hand, relying on stacks of adjectives and adverbs that dilute the story's power. This workshop strips away decorative fluff to focus on raw mechanics of visceral imagery. You'll learn to trigger immediate, physical reactions in your readers by choosing precise nouns and sharp, kinetic verbs. Through targeted exercises, you'll master the art of the "cold strike"—creating unforgettable scenes in fiction or creative nonfiction using fewer words and maximum restraint. Registration is required for this free event. About Cade Cade Lott is an educator, MFA graduate, and theater critic for BroadwayWorld. Their work was featured in literary agent Mary Kole's Writing Irresistible First Pages. Recently selected for a writing residency by the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, they specialize in teaching writers how to strip away linguistic fat to find the raw muscle of a narrative. This workshop is presented in partnership with The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.

Laurence E. Crofutt Community Room

About this workshop “Sometimes it takes the smallest of things to open the biggest of spaces” (Grant Falkner, “13 Ways of Looking at Flash Fiction,” Lit Hub) Flash fiction (short stories under 1000 words) is an exciting genre to work in. The form demands narrative inventiveness, economy of language, and a memorable voice that will stay with readers long after they’ve finished the piece. The very short form also encourages playfulness and creative risk-taking. This short workshop will focus on the craft of writing flash fiction. We’ll begin by exploring the many possibilities of the genre and reading examples by published authors. Then, we’ll use prompts to inspire ideas and incite creativity. Registration is required for this free event. About Rebecca Rebecca Turkewitz is a writer and high school English teacher living in Portland, Maine. She is the author of the story collection Here in the Night. Her fiction and humor writing have appeared in Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024, Best Microfiction 2023 and 2024, Colorado Review, Electric Literature, The New Yorker's Daily Shouts, and elsewhere. She loves cats, the ocean, and ghost stories. This workshop is presented in partnership with The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.

Atrium

Paul will be in conversation with Gillian French about his new book, Storm Tide, Mike Bowditch's sixteenth adventure into mystery and suspense. This book is scheduled for release on June 30. For more information about Paul and other books in this series, visit his website. For more information about Gillian, her latest book Restless Bones, and her other books, visit her website. Reviews for Paul Doiron "Bowditch series fans will be impressed with the pacing, the physical tests Mike endures, and the presence of core characters in this latest book...Doiron’s fantastic procedural series continues to hit a satisfying stride." ―Library Journal "Twisty... Doiron tightens [the] web with an insistent mastery that will keep most readers from noticing just how far-reaching it is until they’ve gained the end and can take some deep, cleansing breaths." ―Kirkus Reviews "As intense as the action in Jack London’s maritime adventures. Doiron’s series shows no signs of losing momentum. Maine itself is part of the story, running intolerably hot or fiercely cold, seasonally fraught with beauty and danger." —Booklist (⭐️ Starred Review) This event is presented in partnership with The Briar Patch Bookstore. The Briar Patch will be selling books at this event.

Story Room

Come, sing, clap and bounce along to action rhymes, songs and stories with Miss Savannah! Recommended for babies up to 24 months and their caregivers.

Story Room

A 30-minute program for 2 to 4 year-olds, with a participating adult, filled with stories, games, songs and finger plays. Ages 2 - 4

Computer Lab

Hannah Cyrus, BPL’s Digital Media Librarian, is available for 60-minute appointments to help you with your computer questions in-person, by phone, or over Zoom. Want to organize your emails? Having trouble using a particular website or program? Wondering why that annoying message keeps popping up on your screen? Whatever your question, Hannah will work with you to find an answer and help you to solve your problems. Appointments are available on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings. Sign up online, or contact Hannah in the Reference Department at 922-6055 or hannah.cyrus@bangorpubliclibrary.org. To ensure appointments are available for all, we ask that you sign up for no more than one appointment slot at a time. While we can’t guarantee a solution to every issue, we are happy to work together in searching for one. Learn new skills, gain confidence with your computer or device, and get those niggling questions answered in these personalized sessions.

Teen Lounge

Calling all barbarians, rangers, sorcerers, and warlocks! Join us every Wednesday for everyone’s favorite tabletop role-playing game. All skill levels welcome! Grades 6-12 only, please.

Norman Minsky Lecture Hall

Noreen and Phillip Silver bring a wealth of performing experience to their highly regarded partnership. They have an enviable international reputation for chamber music playing of the highest caliber. The Duo, founded when Noreen and Phillip were students at the New England Conservatory of Music, has received accolades and acclaim from appreciative audiences and critics throughout Europe, Israel, the United States, Scandinavia, and the Czech Republic. Their imaginative programming, in which lesser-known masterpieces are given exposure alongside established repertoire favorites, has proven very popular and made them much in demand. High praise for The Silver Duo “The Silvers are a superb Duo.” - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung “...one of our truly fine chamber music teams” - The Jerusalem Post

Computer Lab

Google can be hard to quit, since it's part of so many tools and products we use on a daily basis, from Gmail to Google Docs to their popular search engine. Using these products is convenient, but it means that this giant company knows a whole lot about you, and as intrusive AI features are integrated without any options to disable them, Google products are becoming less appealing to many users. This three-session workshop series will guide attendees through the first steps of de-Googling their digital lives, to improve privacy and security. Participants are welcome to sign up for some or all of the sessions, depending on their goals and needs. Please be sure to register individually for each date. Session 1: July 9 - Web Browsers & Search Engines The very term "Google" has become synonymous with searching the web, and Chrome is the most popular web browser out there. Learn about alternatives like Firefox, Brave, DuckDuckGo, Qwant, and Kagi, and get assistance making the switch from Google products to other ways that you can browse and search the web. Session 2: July 16 - Email Gmail is a free, easy-to-use email platform that is incredibly common. However, Google has a track record of using people's private email messages for targeted advertising, data brokerage, and training AI models. Learn about more private and secure email services like Protonmail, Tuta, and Mailbox.org, and get help setting up a new account and migrating your contacts and messages. Session 3: July 23 - Drive & Docs, Maps, & More In everything from cloud storage to document collaboration to maps, Google dominates the market. In this final session, we will discuss alternatives such as Libre Office for free desktop software, Proton's document-editing suite, Cryptpad, OrganicMaps, and more, and try to land on the best tools for each participant's needs. This series will be hands-on and participatory, so attendees are encouraged to bring their own devices if possible, and ensure they have access to email and passwords. Library computers will also be available to use as needed. The library offers regular technology workshops on different subjects. All workshops are free of charge, but space is limited, so registration is required to attend. Please be sure to register individually for each date you plan to attend. For more information, contact Hannah at 922-6055 or hannah.cyrus@bangorpubliclibrary.org.

Laurence E. Crofutt Community Room

Next Chapter Book Club is a community-based book club for adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our members (including some who cannot read) love books for the same reasons most people do. We all enjoy being transported to different worlds where we meet interesting characters and learn new things. Taking that journey with a group of friends makes it even more delightful and fun. The Next Chapter Book Club has chapters in the US, Canada, and Europe. Bangor Public Library is the only affiliate in Maine. This group meets each Thursday at 2 PM at the library. Please register in advance if it is your first time attending. For more information or to register, contact Paul Nicklas, 947-8336 x109 or pnicklas@bangorpubliclibrary.org.

Story Room

Join Chef Shane in the Story Room to plant herbs and learn recipes to make at home as they grow! Grades 6-12 only, please.

Story Room

Decorate your own cup to plant a seed in while we discuss different types of pollinators. Ages 5 - 11

Atrium

Everyone is welcome to join the library for a hands-on craft project from 9:30-10:30 AM, as a chance to help decorate the library or make something to take home in a relaxed and casual atmosphere while getting to know one another. No experience is needed, all supplies will be provided, and all ages are welcome. Drop in any time between 9:30-10:30 AM.

Computer Lab

Hannah Cyrus, BPL’s Digital Media Librarian, is available for 60-minute appointments to help you with your computer questions in-person, by phone, or over Zoom. Want to organize your emails? Having trouble using a particular website or program? Wondering why that annoying message keeps popping up on your screen? Whatever your question, Hannah will work with you to find an answer and help you to solve your problems. Appointments are available on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings. Sign up online, or contact Hannah in the Reference Department at 922-6055 or hannah.cyrus@bangorpubliclibrary.org. To ensure appointments are available for all, we ask that you sign up for no more than one appointment slot at a time. While we can’t guarantee a solution to every issue, we are happy to work together in searching for one. Learn new skills, gain confidence with your computer or device, and get those niggling questions answered in these personalized sessions.

Story Room

Peel back the petals, discover hidden pollen and find out why a tomato might not be what you think! Stop by anytime to explore the secret world of plants. Ages 5 - 11

Story Room

Join us for a fun storytime that will feature a food-based picture book and craft and a sampling of the recipe from the book. Ages 4 - 7

Story Room

Come, sing, clap and bounce along to action rhymes, songs and stories with Miss Savannah! Recommended for babies up to 24 months and their caregivers.

Story Room

A 30-minute program for 2 to 4 year-olds, with a participating adult, filled with stories, games, songs and finger plays. Ages 2 - 4

Computer Lab

Hannah Cyrus, BPL’s Digital Media Librarian, is available for 60-minute appointments to help you with your computer questions in-person, by phone, or over Zoom. Want to organize your emails? Having trouble using a particular website or program? Wondering why that annoying message keeps popping up on your screen? Whatever your question, Hannah will work with you to find an answer and help you to solve your problems. Appointments are available on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings. Sign up online, or contact Hannah in the Reference Department at 922-6055 or hannah.cyrus@bangorpubliclibrary.org. To ensure appointments are available for all, we ask that you sign up for no more than one appointment slot at a time. While we can’t guarantee a solution to every issue, we are happy to work together in searching for one. Learn new skills, gain confidence with your computer or device, and get those niggling questions answered in these personalized sessions.

Teen Lounge

Calling all barbarians, rangers, sorcerers, and warlocks! Join us every Wednesday for everyone’s favorite tabletop role-playing game. All skill levels welcome! Grades 6-12 only, please.