Don't Forget!

We have a virtual pierogi making class this week! Register HERE!

Virtual - The Challenges of Being a Debut Author: featuring Chelsea Banning 

Debut author (and librarian), Chelsea Banning,  was very excited to publish her first book, "Of Crown and Legends", and then came the book signing where only 2 people showed up.

The Twitter storm of support that followed when Chelsea posted about the experience gained her national fame, and notice from prominent authors like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Margaret Atwood. Now, we speak with Chelsea in conversation with debut authors Laura Gao, Brian D. Kennedy, Jean Louise, and XiXi Tian, to chat about the challenges and joys of getting your first book out in the world.

This will be a virtual event held on Zoom, on Monday, February 6th at 7pm. Register Here

Brought to you in partnership with the Ashland Public Library.

For more on Chelsea's story, click here!

This week's events:

Topsfield Library events in purple (View the Topsfield Library's calendar here)

Winter Storytime: Tue 1/24, 10:30am: Join Ms. Eileen and her trusty sidekick, Scout, for rhymes, games, stories, and crafts! Please register online. This event is geared toward toddlers, but younger and older siblings are also welcome! In the event of a weather related library closure, storytime is cancelled.

Mah jongg: Tue 1/24, 1-4pm: Drop-in Mahjongg. All levels welcome, no sign-up necessary.

CFCE of the North Shore - Music and Movement Playgroup: Wed 1/25, 10:30-11:30am: Coordinated Family Community Engagement (CFCE) manages and runs this fun event! Music and movement are important at every stage of a child’s development and can be brought together in this fun, interactive program. CFCE's programs include music with activities to further refine children's fine and gross motor skills.

Virtual- How to Make Pierogi!: Thu 1/26, 7pm: You asked for it, and we've booked it! Join us as we welcome back Chef Kelcy, for another virtual cooking program! This time we are making a wonderful winter comfort food: pierogi! Recipes will be sent the day of the program so that you can cook along at home, or watch first and attempt later. Sign up here. (Zoom)

Intergenerational Open Mic Night!: Fri 1/27, 6:30-8:30pm: Come to the Topsfield Town Hall for an Open Mic Night! Everyone is Welcome! All Ages, All Talents! Play an instrument, tell a joke, sing a song, read a poem, juggle, dance, and more, we want to see you share your talent and have fun! The stage is yours! Sign up for your spot here.

Tax Season

Tax season is approaching, and if you are a senior who needs assistance filing your taxes this year, AARP is booking appointments to offer tax prep assistance at the library.

To book an appointment contact the Council on Aging at (978) 887-1523

The library has also ordered tax forms and instruction booklets. Currently, only the 1040 and 1040-SR have arrived, and they are available on the second floor by the fax machine. If you need a specific tax form, we can print out the first copy free for you. If you need multiple copies, the regular printing rate will apply (.15 cents per page).

January 27th is Holocaust Memorial Day

Held on the day when the prisoners of Auschwitz were finally liberated, you can read more about Holocaust Memorial Day here. 

Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust
By Hédi Fried

Hédi Fried was nineteen when the Nazis snatched her family from their home in Eastern Europe and transported them to Auschwitz, where her parents were murdered and she and her sister were forced into hard labour until the end of the war.

Now ninety-four, she has spent her life educating young people about the Holocaust and answering their questions about one of the darkest periods in human history. Questions like, ‘How was it to live in the camps?’, ‘Did you dream at night?’, ‘Why did Hitler hate the Jews?’, and ‘Can you forgive?’.

With sensitivity and complete candour, Fried answers these questions and more in this deeply human book that urges us never to forget and never to repeat.

The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World
By Jonathan Freedland

In a book that is part thrilling adventure, part exploration of some of the darkest secrets of the Holocaust, award-winning journalist and best-selling novelist Jonathan Freedland uncovers the extraordinary story of the first Jew to break out of Auschwitz, a man who was determined to warn the world—and pass on a truth too few were willing to hear.

What was the Holocaust?
By Gail Herman

A thoughtful and age-appropriate introduction to an unimaginable event--the Holocaust.

Gail Herman traces the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, whose rabid anti-Semitism led first to humiliating anti-Jewish laws, then to ghettos all over Eastern Europe, and ultimately to the Final Solution. She presents just enough information for an elementary-school audience in a readable, well-researched book that covers one of the most horrible times in history.

This entry in the New York Times best-selling series contains eighty carefully chosen illustrations and sixteen pages of black and white photographs suitable for young readers.

Click Here for more information.