Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 March Programs Monthly ReportCity of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 Program name: Community Read Report 2017 Before the Wind by Jim Lynch http://www.ptpubliclibrary.org/ResearchTools/CR_2017/community_read_2017.ht ml Date: March 2017 Presenters: Jim Lynch, Erica Bauermeister, Dan Evans, Shilah Gould, Melody Eisler, Ernie Baird, Jeff McLean, PT Shorts, Sea Shanties performers, Jeanne Simmons, Janette Force and Nico Edwards. Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family Mostly adult programs with one family program and two teen programs Attendance 791 total attendance for 15 programs, 12 special events and 3 community book discussions – see details below Location: Port Townsend Public Library, Northwind Arts Center, The Boiler Room, Port Townsend High School, Alchemy Wine Bar and Bistro, Wheeler Theatre. Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify This program is funded by the Friends of the Library with additional support from: Humanities Washington, Kris Nelson’s Family of Restaurants: Sirens Pub, Alchemy Bistro, and The Old Whiskey Mill, and individual donors. Thank you to our other community partners: Port Townsend Film Festival, Northwest Maritime Center, Imprint Bookstore, Port Townsend School District, Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader, Peninsula Daily News, Northwind Arts Center, Key City Public Theatre, Radio KPTZ 91.9 FM, Alchemy Bistro & Wine Bar. City of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 Description The Community Read Program & How It Works The City of Port Townsend has proclaimed March as the official "Reading Month." Community Read is designed to promote closer ties among community members through the shared experience of reading, sharing and discussing the same book and ideas related to topics raised by the book. • A limited number of free copies of the book will be available at the Port Townsend Public Library on a first-come first-served basis. Additional copies will be available at the Library on two-week loans, or you may purchase a copy at Imprint Bookstore. • Read the book, then pass it on to others. • Prepare for a discussion about the book with your own book group or join in the groups listed below. A brochure with discussion issues and questions is available at the Library. • Attend the many related events in the community during the month of March. About the book Following The Highest Tide, Border Songs, and Truth Like the Sun, Jim Lynch now gives us a grand and idiosyncratic family saga that will stand alongside Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion. The Johannssens are a sailing family: adventurous, fanatical, and, for now, a complete and total mess. Ruby, a prodigiously talented skipper, has taken off for Africa. Bernard is god-knows-where at sea. And at thirty-one years old, Josh Johannssen, the middle child, is fixing up an old family boat and trying to figure out where it all went wrong. When Josh's father coaxes his children home for one last yacht race, the Johannssens find themselves reunited under thrilling circumstances that will change the course of their lives. Before the Wind is a funny, tender, and big-hearted novel about a gifted, volatile family whose love for the sea rivals their love for each other. City of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 Author Profile The Seattle Times has said Jim Lynch "observes like a journalist and writes like a poet." He is the author of four novels, his latest, Before the Wind, released in April 2016. New York Times reviewer Janet Maslin picked his third book, Truth Like the Sun, as one of her 10 favorite books of 2012. That novel was also a finalist for the Dashiell Hammett Prize. Lynch's first novel, The Highest Tide (2005), won the Pacific Northwest Bookseller Award, was performed on stage in Seattle and became an international bestseller after it was featured on England's Richard and Judy television show. His second novel, Border Songs (2009), was also adapted to the stage and won the Washington State Book Award, as well as the Indie's Choice Honor Book Award. Lynch grew up in the Seattle area and graduated from the University of Washington before bouncing around the country as a reporter for newspapers in Alaska, Virginia and for columnist Jack Anderson in Washington, D.C. Returning to the Northwest, he wrote for the Spokane Spokesman-Review, the Portland Oregonian and the Seattle Times. His national reporting honors include the George Polk Award, the H.L. Mencken Award and the Livingston Young Journalist Award for National Reporting. He lives and sails in Olympia, Washington with his wife, Denise, and daughter, Grace. Comments During my introduction for Jim Lynch’s author talk I said I was already worrying about how we could possibly top Before the Wind for our next selection in 2018. This year’s Community Read has been a wonderful success with glowing compliments from the community about the book and program offerings. Comments included, “This is a perfect book for this community,” “Jim Lynch wrote my autobiography (heard at least half a dozen times from shipwrights and sailors),” “I loved this book so much I read it twice.” We saw many sailors and shipwrights attending library programs and enjoying the book. Before the Wind was a great way to connect with our maritime community including offering a program about R2AK. As Lynch so rightly said when informed that his book had been chosen, “From my vantage, it’d be hard to invent a better venue for explaining and presenting this book than Port Townsend.” Seeing how much Lynch’s work resonated with the community has been deeply rewarding. This year we offered a new fundraising program in collaboration with Northwind Arts Center. The Author! Author! event on 3-25 with Jim Lynch and Erica Bauermeister was a great success and the event nearly sold out and had generous community support. Here are a couple of quotes from emails received after the event, “Last night was WONDERFUL!! I loved it and the audience did too. Great job!!!!” and another “great program last night.” So much gratitude is extended to our amazing Friends of the Library for funding the Community Read and to all the community sponsors and donors. Thanks to the hard work of the Community Read Committee members: Keith Darrock, Shilah Gould, Lynn Ring, Polly Lyle and Owen Rowe for bring the book to life in March. City of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 Finally after the Community Read concluded Jim Lynch wrote, “Please thank your committee again for selecting Before the Wind. And let them know that I've done about a dozen of these community reads, and that yours may be my favorite.” Program Statistics and Circulation Community Read 2017 Program Statistics Program Attendance Date Kickoff Film 200 3/2/2017 Art Opening: Wind & Water 200 3/4/2017 PT Shorts 35 3/4/2017 Book Lovers' Café 16 3/6/2017 Facilitated Book Discussion 5 3/9/2017 Sea Shanties 20 3/14/2017 Community Book Discussion Alchemy 9 3/16/2017 Community Book Club AAUW 7 3/20/2017 Community Book Discussion Boiler Room 3 3/21/2017 R2AK 45 3/23/2017 Children's Seaside Storytime and Maritime Crafts 26 3/25/2017 Author! Author! 55 3/26/2017 Class visit Tom Gambil's English Class 20 3/27/2017 Meet the Author 125 3/27/2017 Class visit Chris Pierson's English Class 25 3/28/2017 Total attendance: 791 Before the Wind Circulation Books, Audio Books and eBooks Lifetime circulation Year-to- date Book 185 104 Audiobook 9 7 Read and Release circulating through community *remember the idea is that these books recirculate many times throughout the community* 130 copies 130 copies eBook & eAudiobook 16 n/a Total circulation 340 241 Press Coverage/ Pictures Great media coverage in the local papers and radio: http://www.ptleader.com/arts/navigate-a-northwest-family-saga/article_bc581adc-fdef-11e6- ac6b-f7d854c68ef3.html http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/seattle-authors-book-selected-for-community- read-in-port-townsend/ City of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 Collage of Community read programs 2017 City of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 Program name: Fiber Arts Night Date: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays Presenter: Kathi J. Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family All ages Attendance: 14 Location: Pink House Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify Friends Description Come and enjoy an evening of working on handiwork projects with other fiber artists (from knitting to quilting to weaving all fiber arts projects are welcomed). Please bring your own supplies. FAN meets the first Tuesday of the month from 6:30- 8:30pm in the Library Learning Center. Comments/Press Coverage Program name: Book Lover’s Café: Date: 1st Monday Presenter: Melody E. Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family Adults Attendance: 16 Location: Pink House Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify Friends about $175 for 10 bookclub books as we had to get hardcover this time Description The bookclub read the Community Read Before the Wind by Jim Lynch. The regular members were joined by a couple of sailors who read the book. The group was able to call in to Jim Lynch and ask him questions about the book. Many of the attendees wanted to know how autobiographical the book was and how much experience sailing he had as the descriptions were so accurate. City of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 Comments/Press Coverage The group really enjoyed the book the ability to talk with Jim Lynch over the phone. We all enjoyed having expert sailors attend as their experience really added to the depth of the discussion. Program name: Changeling Shakespeare Reading Group Date: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays Presenter: Bob DeWeese Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family Adults Attendance: 24 Location: Pink House Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify Friends Description CHANGELING will meet twice monthly to read and discuss the plays of William Shakespeare. Readers will alternate roles City of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 scene by scene, “so that everyone gets a chance at the juicy parts,” Bob DeWeese said. The group will decide together about which plays to read, and everyone is welcome to join. Comments/Press Coverage Program name: Preschool Storytime Date: Every Tuesday Presenter: Jeanne Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family Preschoolers and their caregivers Attendance: 44 Location: Library Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify Friends Description Preschool storytime brings early literacy to kids and their caregivers with songs, rhymes, and activities. The emphasis for this age group is on kindergarten readiness and fostering a love of reading. Comments/Press Coverage Program name: Toddlertime Date: Every Thursday Presenter: Jeanne, Leslie Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family Toddlers and their caregivers Attendance: 153 Location: Library Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify Friends Description Toddlertime builds prereading skills like vocabulary, phonological awareness, and sequencing. Young children and their caregivers share fun rhymes and songs and very short stories. The emphasis is on modeling for caregivers how to build literacy skills in very young children. Comments/Press Coverage City of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 Program name: Babytime Date: Every Wednesday Presenter: Jeanne Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family Babies and their caregivers Attendance: 47 Location: Library Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify Friends Description Babytime uses a warm, caring atmosphere to make parents of very young children comfortable in the library and in singing and playing with their babies. The emphasis is on modeling and teaching simple games, rhymes, songs and sign language that can help build very early literacy. Comments/Press Coverage Program name: Family Storytime Date: Every Saturday Presenter: Jeanne Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family Kids of all ages and their families Attendance: 94 Location: Children’s Room Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify Friends Description In this all-ages storytime, we sing songs appropriate for all ages while reading some short and some longer stories to engage all our listeners. Comments/Press Coverage Saturday, March was a special sailing and maritime themed storytime in honor of the Community Read. City of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 Program name: First Friday Babytime at Jefferson County Health Department Date: 1st Friday of the month Presenter: Jeanne Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family Babies and their caregivers Attendance: 7 Location: County Health Department Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify Friends Description Babies up to 18 months and their caregivers enjoy songs, nursery rhymes, finger plays, bubbles, and other gentle activities, while building early language skills and having lots of fun! Comments/Press Coverage Program name: Primetime Date: February 23 kickoff through March 30 (6 week program series) Presenter: Jeanne, Melody, Joy (school librarian) Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family Elementary school children and their parents Attendance: 78 Location: Grant Street Library and final program in the Pink House on 3-30 Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify Humanities Washington Description Children’s books aren’t always child’s play— they can inspire important philosophical discussions on topics such as fairness, greed, courage, and compassion. Humanities Washington’s Prime Time Family Reading program inspires active thought and conversation between children and families through reading, boosting long-term academic achievement, and building and lasting connections with local libraries. The program is delivered in partnership with City of Port Townsend Monthly Library Program Report March 2017 2017 schools and libraries throughout the state, and primarily serves at-risk children and families. During a series of six weekly sessions held in the evenings at public libraries, children hear stories from a skilled storyteller, then discuss the book’s ethical and cultural themes with the help of a scholar and their families. The program is also available in a bilingual format. Comments/Press Coverage Program name: Bring Back Reading Teen Book Club Date: March 3, 17 Presenter: Phoebe and Lydia Arthur - teen volunteers running this program as part of their senior project Program’s intended age group: Kids, teens, adults, all ages/family Teens Attendance: 5 Location: Library Sponsored by: Friends, other: please specify Friends, Port Townsend High School Description A bookclub for teens and run by teens at the library.