Tompkins County Public Library

Friday, September 29, 2017

Library to Host Community Read Creative Writing Workshop


Tompkins County Public Library will host “Writing With Alexi-ease,” a creative writing workshop in celebration of the 2017 Community Read of Sherman Alexie’s “Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories,” Thursday, October 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Tompkins Trust Company Study Room.

“Blasphemy” showcases Alexie’s genius for observing people and compassionately telling a story in few words, frequently using humor and first person narrative. Inspired by Alexie’s style of storytelling, the Library’s judgment-free writing workshop will encourage participants to creatively respond to Alexie’s work by writing and sharing short fiction, creative non-fiction and or poetry.

This workshop is free and open to the public, however, advance registration is required. To register and receive a copy of “Blasphemy,” contact Joyce Wheatley at jwheatley@tcpl.org.

Now in its 15th year, the Community Read encourages readers to experience the bond of literature by reading and discussing the same title. Copies of the book are available to borrow from the Library’s collection and limited copies are available for local book groups and not-for-profit organizations.

Library to Host Harmon for Discussion on Native American Repatriation


In conjunction with its 2017 Community Read of Sherman Alexie’s “Blasphemy,” the Tompkins County Public Library will host Alex Harmon, PhD, for a discussion on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Wednesday, October 11 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Harmon, a lecturer in Cornell University’s Department of English, is a scholar on the intersection between Native American literature and federal Indian law. Her Library discussion will examine the origins of the repatriation movement, the language of the law and the pivotal case of the Kennewick Man, in order to evaluate NAGPRA’s successes and limitations for Native people. It will also include a discussion of the Cayuga Museum of History and Art’s repatriation of wampum belts to the Onondaga Nation as a model for the successful application of NAGPRA’s framework and an example of reaching beyond its confines.

This program is free and open to the public.

Now in its 15th year, the Community Read encourages readers to experience the bond of literature by reading and discussing the same title. Copies of the book are available to borrow from the Library’s collection and limited copies are available for local book groups and not-for-profit organizations.

For more information or to reserve copies of “Blasphemy” for a book group or agency, contact Tom Burns at tburns@tcpl.org or (607) 272-4557 extension 253.

Library to Host Family Science Program


Tompkins County Public Library and Cornell University’s Center for Materials Research will host “Families Learning Science Together: Chromatography” Saturday, October 14 from 1-2 p.m. in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

Families will explore color and chromatography--the technique used to separate combinations of colors--by examining the different colors found in a single marker and making their own chromatography butterflies.

Families Learning Science Together is a free program designed to help children develop an early love of science through hands-on participation. These programs are offered at the Library on the second Saturday of each month.

Families Learning Science Together programs are free and open to the public, but space is limited. To register, email ccmr_outreach@cornell.edu. Please include the name and age of all children in the email. 

More information about Families Learning Science Together workshops can be found at http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/education/community-programs/families-learning-science-together/.