Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Artists' Reception - Photography Exhibit attracts a crowd!

On Saturday, July 26 a capacity crowd visited the library to attend an Artists' Reception and Photography Exhibit in honor of Della Hardman Day.

The annual DELLA HARDMAN DAY, a celebration of the arts established by the Town of Oak Bluffs in 2005, was inspired by the life of Della B. Hardman, PhD (1922 -2005), Vineyard artist, civic activist & writer who chronicled cultural and social events in Oak Bluffs for the Vineyard Gazette for nearly a decade.

The Oak Bluffs Public Library, in conjunction with the fourth annual celebration on July 26, 2008, sponsored a contest to select images featuring photographs that will be on display at the library from July 25 to August 16. A calendar was also made from the winning entries and will be available for purchase at the library. Proceeds from the calendar will be used to support library programs.

Library Director, Danguole Budris; Library Trustee - Photography Judge, Harvey Beth; Della Hardman's Daughter, Andrea Taylor; and special guest Haki R. Madhubuti were on hand to celebrate the occasion. Madhubuti, an accomplished author and poet, as well as the founder, publisher, & editor of Third World Press, provided an insightful lecture regarding his life and the powerful roll of the arts in improving the human condition. The audience and honored artists were deeply moved by his words and the readings from several of his books:

Run Toward Fear: New Poems and a Poet's Handbook

YellowBlack: The First Twenty-One Years of a Poet's Life

Thomas Dresser - Author's Visit & Book Signing


Thomas Dresser, author of "Mystery on the Vineyard: politics, passion, & scandal on East Chop", spoke to a rapt audience at the library on Thursday, July 24. Many people in the crowd were familiar with the murder that was the topic of his latest literary endeavor, making for an interesting discussion session following his talk.


Dresser shared excerpts from his book and discussed the research techniques that he utilized; which culminated in a trip to Alabama while tracking down the history of one of the murder suspects.

If you haven't read about this historic local event, check out a copy from the library today:

"Mystery on the Vineyard: politics, passion, & scandal on East Chop"

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Victoria Rowell - Author's Visit & Book Signing


A crowd of 60+ came to see Victoria Rowell deliver an inspirational talk about her personal memoirs, "The Women Who Raised Me: A Memoir", a New York Times Bestseller!

Natalie Dickerson of the Martha's Vineyard NAACP provided a warm introduction of Rowell, and at the completion of the event attendees enjoyed refreshments and an opportunity to meet the speaker.

We would like to offer a special thank you to our co-sponsors of the event: Northwestern Mutual Financial Network and the Martha's Vineyard NAACP.

Click here to see more pictures from the event!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

July 18-20 Book Sale - Library Friends of Oak Bluffs


The Library Friends are at it again! The Friends organized and operated a book sale booth during the recent Harbor Festival in Oak Bluffs (see pictures below).

Now they have organized a huge book sale for the weekend of July 18-20, at the Parish House in the Campground.
For full details visit our Events Calendar.

The Library Staff would like to thank all of the members of the Library Friends of Oak Bluffs for their hard work and dedication. Their support and contributions are vital to the library's services!

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Current Events Lecture - Brigitte Lent

On June 17, Brigitte Lent, a former Language Specialist at the U.S. State Department, lectured on the timely topic of:


"World Population, Food Supplies, and Climate Change as a Security Matter".


If you missed this evening of thought provoking discussion, you can read a copy of Lent's lecture online now!