THE ROWAYTON LIBRARY PRESENTS...
Programs and services dedicated to educating and entertaining our community

For more information on our events, please see Our Online Calendar

March Events at the Library

All events are free and open to the public (unless otherwise noted)

Learn How to Manage Your Stress through Journaling with James Porter, Friday Evening, March 5 @ 7pm

Most people never take the time to connect the dots between their sources of stress and their symptoms of stress. There’s a tremendous benefit derived from doing this over several weeks that you’ll never understand, until you try it. You put together patterns and see recurring sources of stress that, once identified, you can simply eliminate from your life. This 1-hour program will give you the tools you need to begin using your Stress Management Journal as a powerful ally against, anxiety, tension, mood shifts and the difficult people and situations in your life that cause them. 

James E. Porter, President of StressStop.com, author of The Stress Management Journal as well as numerous stress management workbooks, tapes and videos has presented programs on stress management for Time, Inc, The Department of Homeland Security, The FBI, The American Heart Association, The International Stress Management Association, and The Army. He is a Fellow of The American Institute of Stress.

Refreshments. For more information and a courtesy reservation, please call the Library at 203-838-5038 or email RSVP@Rowayton.org.

Yoga for Adults with Casey McBride, Saturday Mornings March 6 & 13 @ 8am

The Rowayton Library presents Yoga for Adults with Casey McBride.  Come join Casey and fellow life travelers on an exploration of yoga and ourselves.  This course will present an experience of yoga philosophy, the practice of yoga postures and yogic breathing, relaxation and a bit extra.  The focus on alignment, breath and meditation, integrated with a vinyasa flow, help make this class fun, challenging, and incorporates both the spiritual and physical aspects of yoga.  Casey makes her classes accessible to beginners, as well as the seasoned Yogi.  If you have a yoga mat, please bring it.  A light breakfast fare will be served after the class.

About Casey McBride

Casey was led to yoga through her life as a dancer, both as a teacher and a performer.  Due to a knee injury, Casey made the decision to leave her life as a dancer, and entered the corporate world in executive search.  Shortly after, Casey became an avid student of yoga. Realizing that yoga offered so much more for the mind and body, Casey brought balance to her life and pursued teaching others the joy of yoga.  

Prior to teaching in CT, Casey most recently was a Senior Teacher at Be Yoga/Yogaworks in NYC, where she completed the 500 hour training, under the direction of Alan Finger.  She has also completed an Advanced Teacher Training with Lois Nesbitt in Anusara Yoga, and Saraswati's Yoga Joint Training with Mitchel Bleier.   In addition to teaching for Be Yoga/YogaWorks, Casey taught for The Princeton Club, The Colony Club, and various corporations, and continues to teach clients privately in the city and Connecticut.   Casey currently teaches at Saraswati's Yoga Joint in Norwalk, Namaste New York, Equinox, as well as Green Moon in Rowayton.

For more information and a courtesy reservation, please call the Rowayton Library at 203-838-5038 or RSVP@Rowayton.org.

Fairy Yarn Mother @ the Rowayton Library, Monday Afternoon, March 8 @ 3:30 pm

The Rowayton Library continues with its KnittingTime once a month with NancyJo Rambusch to help kid knitters of all skill levels work on their projects.  Bring your own needles and projects.  First time students to our KnittingTime program will be provided with a pair of knitting needles and yarn to start learning or working on a project.  This program is free and open to the public.  For more information, please call the Library at (203) 838-5038 or visit us on the web at www.Rowayton.org.

Pajama BookTalk for Kids ages 6-10 @ the Rowayton Library, Tuesday Evenings in March beginning March 9 @ 5:30 pm

Tuesday Evenings, March 9, 16, 23, & 30 (5:30-6:30pm):  Pizza & Pajama BookTalk for Kids with Lot Therrio, Storyteller.  This is a family reading program serving families (targeting children ages 6 - 10 and a parent or caregiver) by teaching them how to talk about books and by encouraging voluntary reading. The programs encourages parents and children to read and talk about books as a family activity; shows families how to identify and discuss ideas and values in children’s books; and helps parents and children feel comfortable in the library and use it as a resource.

March 9 – Oral Tradition:  After introductions, an overview of the series, and receipt of the materials, a discussion leader begins with an ice breaker and introduces participants to the rich tradition of oral literature. This will include counting rhymes, jump rope rhymes, hand clapping rhymes, tongue twisters, schoolyard rhymes and games. Handouts with a sampling of the above selections of oral literature will be available for participants before the first session.

March 16 – Fairness: Do the Right Thing: Jon Scieszka, THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS  & Judith Viorst, ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY.

March 23 – Greed: What’s in it for Me?:Retold by Eric Kimmel, ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK & John Steptoe, MUFARO’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS.

March 30 – Courage: No Guts, No Glory:Maurice Sendak, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE  & Ed Young, LON PO PO.

Kids, come in pajamas, have pizza and are ready for stories and fun.  With Lot Therrio, Storyteller.  Reservations please (203) 838-5038 or RSVP@Rowayton.org.  This program is made possible - in part - through a grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council.  Multiple copies of the books are available at the RowaytonLibrary. This program is free and open to the public.

BookTalk for Adults:  THE READER, THE WRITER, AND THE DETECTIVE:  THE ETERNAL TRIANGLE, Specific Wednesday Evenings @ 7pm, March - June

Specific Wednesday Evenings beginning March 10 (7-8:30pm):  BookTalk for Adults:  The Reader, The Writer, and the Detective – The Eternal Triangle.

In the detective story, more than in other fictions, the reader participates in searching for the truth buried in the text.  The reader is free to speculate along with the detective and even to improve on the detective’s speculations with his or her own guesswork. However, the writer whose aim is to sustain in the reader the tension between the desire to solve the crime and the pleasure of keeping the guessing game going, controls the reader’s knowledge. This series explores detective fiction from the era of the detective as puzzle solver in the 1890s to the complexities of both character and world reflected in the moral and psychological mysteries of the 1980s. Books may be paired as suggested or discussed separately.

March 10:  Raymond Chandler, THE BIG SLEEP
March 31:  Michael Connelly, THE POET
April 14:  Lisa Scottoline, RUNNING FROM THE LAW
April 28:  Nevada Barr, FLASHBACK
May 12:  P. D. James, AN UNSUITABLE JOB FOR A WOMAN
May 26:  Ruth Rendell, WOLF TO THE SLAUGHTER
June 16:  Dick Francis, REFLEX
June 30:  Tony Hillerman, DANCE HALL OF THE DEAD

Multiple copies are available at the Library.  Dessert, discussion, and discussion leader Marsha Bonsavage,    This program is made possible -- in part -- through a grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council.  For more information and to make borrow a copy of the book, please call the Library at (203) 838-5038.  This program is free and open to the public.

Scrapbook Making For Adults, Thursday Afternoon, March 11th @ 12:30-3 pm)

The Rowayton Library is continuing with its monthly program of Scrapbook Making for Adults (why should kids have all the fun).  Here, adults will learn about and take part in the creative art of taking books with blank pages and adding photos, memorabilia, journaling, and embellishments.  Basic scrapbooking supplies will be provided.  Bring your photos and scrapbook albums.  A light lunch will be served.  Registration is required.  For more information or to register, please call the Library at (203) 838-5038.  This program is free and open to the public.

Rowayton Library’s Teen Advisory Board, Teen Wednesday Evening, March 17 @ 6pm (for Kids grades 6-8)

Teen Wednesday Evening, March 17 (6-7pm):  The Rowayton Library’s Teen Advisory Board (TAB) meets monthly at the Rowayton Library.  TAB was established to increase and enhance young adult programming. TAB members will work, under the direction of the library staff, to plan and present programming for young adults and other groups as needed. The primary responsibility of TAB is to ensure the ongoing development of young adult programs and offer services to attract young adults to the library.

Who are the TAB?

If you are in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade and…have favorite Internet sites -- or -- have favorite authors/books -- or -- like music -- or -- like to play games -- or -- want to help raise money for fun programs at the Library -- or -- enjoy watching dvds/movies -- or -- help us get the word out on what's happening at the library for teens -- or -- are a fan on facebook/twitter -- or -- want to be a reporter for our See YA Around Newspaper column -- or -- love to read magazines -- or -- want to help plan events or just come to events -- or -- work in our community to help others -- or -- help create/update our teen website/blogs... then you want to join TAB.

For more information, please call the Rowayton Library at (203) 838-5038 or visit us on the web at www.Rowayton.org.  Pizza will be served.  Applications and information about TAB can be found on the web or at the Library or email us at TAB@Rowayton.org.

MovieNight @ the Rowayton Library – a Co-Event with Rowayton Elementary School – for Kids grades 4-8, Friday, March 19 @ 6:30-8:15pm

MovieNight at the Rowayton Library for kids grades 4-8.  The Rowayton Library is holding a special MovieNight simultaneously with Rowayton Elementary School’s Annual Movie Night sponsored by Kids Care to benefit kids in need.  Kids are invited to attend a special movie and are encouraged to bring a gift of new pajamas (all sizes, especially larger kids to small adult) as a donation to benefit Family & Children’s Agency.  This event will run simultaneously with the Movie Night at Rowayton Elementary School’s program for kids and their parents grades K-3.  All kids at the RES Movie Night must be accompanied by an adult and a reservation is required.  Kids attending the Rowayton Library event may be dropped off and picked up.  Sign up is required. Free popcorn will be served at the Rowayton Library event.  Only children grades 4-8 will be permitted at the Rowayton Library event and must be signed in and out by an adult.  For more information regarding the RES event, please contact hmkeelips@aol.com.  For a reservation at the Rowayton Library event, please RSVP@Rowayton.org or call the Library at (203) 838-5038.  This program is free and open to the public.

College Chats – with Susan Edwards:  MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE VISITS, Sunday Afternoon, March 21 @ 4pm

Sunday Afternoon, March 21 (4-5:30pm):  The Rowayton Library presents the second in a series of College Chats for High School Juniors and Seniors (and their parents) who are beginning (or already in the midst of) the college application process. 

Making the Most of College Visits

~ How do you learn from a visit what it would be like to be a student on a college campus?  ~ From the tour guide? ~ The buildings? ~ The recreational facilities? ~ The Information Session? ~ The location? ~ The looks of present students and the campus itself? ~ How much time is necessary to be on a campus to tell what it is like? ~ What should you do with the time spent there? ~ When should you visit? ~ What should you do beforehand to make the visit worthwhile? ~ What should you do afterwards?

Susan Edwards, Educational Consultant, will lead a discussion of these and other questions in an interactive presentation on Sunday, March 21st, at 4 PM, at the Rowayton Library. Part of the College Chats series that began last fall, this interactive program is open to any student and their parents who are in the midst of or beginning the college admissions’ process.   Pizza will be served. 

Susan Edwards, a graduate of Smith College and Fairfield University, has been advising students and their families on the college admissions for over 20 years.  Before she became an independent educational consultant, Mrs. Edwards taught English in secondary school, most recently Greenwich High School.  She co-founded a preschool, started a development program at Norwalk Community College, and was director of admissions of a private school.  She believes that the most successful college students are those who enter college with a good sense of what is important to them. They know how to tap into resources on campus.  They have goals and are willing to work hard to achieve them.

For more information and a courtesy reservation, please call the Rowayton Library at 203-838-5038 or RSVP@Rowayton.org. 

CraftTime:  Scrapbook Making For Kids ages 8-10, Friday Afternoon, March 26 @ 3:30pm

The Rowayton Library presents Scrapbook Making for Kids.  Here, children ages 8-10 will learn about and take part in the creative art of taking books with blank pages and adding photos, memorabilia, journaling, and embellishments.  Though the primary purpose of scrapbooking may be to preserve memories, these kids will get to exercise their creativity as they display their memories in a scrapbook.  Bring your scrapbooks and pictures!!!!!  Basic scrapbooking supplies will be provided.  New Scrapbooks will be provided to children for their first visit if they do not have one already.  Snack will be served.  Space is limited to 15.  Registration is required.  For more information or to register, please call the Library at (203) 838-5038.  This program is free and open to the public.

Local AuthorTalk with Charles Gasparino and his NYTimes Bestseller – The Sellout:  How Three Decades of Wall Street Greed and Government Mismanagement Destroyed the Global Financial System, Friday evening, March 26 @ 7pm

From critically acclaimed investigative reporter, Charles Gasparino, THE SELLOUT is the definitive book on the current financial crisis in the United States and the events that led up to what is now being called "The Great Recession."  Local author Charles Gasparino will be at the Rowayton Library to talk about his new NYTimes Bestseller, THE SELLOUT.

Looking back three decades, THE SELLOUT explores the rise of leverage and excessive risk taking on Wall Street. Gasparino introduces readers to the coterie of cowboy bond traders from Salomon Brothers, First Boston and other major Wall Street firms in the 1980s who went on to become some of the biggest and richest players on Wall Street by trading in early mortgage backed securities. He traces the preference for the oversized profits that came from loading portfolios with risk and leverage to the successes of those traders. Gasparino shows how over the next three decades Wall Street would fully embrace a business model based on excessive risk taking that would lead to its demise and the near ruination of the US economy.

Refreshments will be served and copies of his new book will be available to purchase.  For more information and a courtesy reservation, please call the Rowayton Library at 203-838-5038 or RSVP@Rowayton.org.

Scrabble for Everyone (the original Connecticut board game) @ the Rowayton Library, Last Monday Afternoons every Month, March 29 @ 3:30-5pm

Join your neighbors for a good game of Scrabble the last Monday of every month (6 tables set up for Scrabble).  All materials will be provided.  There will be two tables set up for Scrabble Junior for our younger players.  Players will be seated on a first-come/first-serve basis.  Players of all ages are welcome.  This program is free and open to the public.  For more information, please call the Library at (203) 838-5038 or visit us on the web at www.Rowayton.org.

This year’s Father Daughter Ball to benefit the Rowayton Library is coming – Don’t be late for a special Through the Looking Glass evening fundraiser at the Rowayton Library on Saturday, April 3rd 4-7pm

The Rowayton Library is proud to present a very special "Through the Looking Glass" evening for the young ladies of the land at the Second Annual Father Daughter Ball on Saturday, April 3rd 4-7pm.  At this formal gala, there will be dancing, High Tea, horse drawn carriage rides, festive attire, portrait remembrances, corsages and boutonnières for the attendees, and of course, an evening filled with magic. This event is for daughters of the land and their fathers or favorite father figures.  Tickets are $125 per couple and additional fair maidens are $25 each.  Black Tie is optional. 

"Fathers, grandfathers, uncles and father figures, make a date with the special young ladies in your lives for a very special evening in wonderland."

For information, please contact the Rowayton Library at (203) 838-5038.  Proceeds of this event are to benefit the Rowayton Library. Corsages and boutonnières for each attendees are being created and donated by the Rowayton Gardeners. Limited tickets are available through Monday, March 8 and may be purchased at the Rowayton Library or by telephone (with credit card).

Father Daughter Ball Committee:  Ellen Arsenault, Kristin Campball Glowacki, Tammy Harris, Yvonne McKerrow, and Christine Smith.  This event is made possible - in part - through the generosity of Darien Rowayton Bank, Green Moon, BenLarrabee Fine Art Portrait Photography, The Little Gym, and Free Kick MBM.

Rowayton Library's Fifth Annual Haiku Contest to Begin

March 15 through April 15: Haiku Contest to Celebrate "April as Poetry Month" You are invited to participate in the Rowayton Library Haiku Contest.
The winners will be invited to read their winning Haiku at a reception at the Rowayton Library in April as well as have their Haiku published in our monthly newsletter and on our website.

The definition for Haiku for this contest is as follows:

Each Haiku must be submitted on a separate sheet of paper and must contain the author's name, address, and telephone number on the reverse side of the poem. Each Haiku submitted must be accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Please send your Haiku to:

Haiku Contest - The Rowayton Library
33 Highland Avenue
Rowayton, CT  06853

The contest will end on April 15th. All winners will be notified by telephone and snailmail and the winning Haiku will be published in the next issue of the This Month at the Rowayton Library and on the Library's website.  Participants will receive a Rowayton Library pencil.

Weekly Events

TeaTime – Tuesday Afternoons @ 2 pm  Please join fellow Rowaytonites for a free cup of delicious Tea and a cookie or two every Tuesday afternoon at the Rowayton Library.  No need for a reservation. 

Late Nights @ the Library – Open Wednesdays until 7pm  The Rowayton Library is open until 7 pm every Wednesday evening for your convenience. Come in and use the computers, WiFi, check out books, DVDs, CDs, magazines, videos…or come in and read.

StoryTime for Pre-School Kids on Thursdays & Fridays @ 10:30am  Stories and Songs for children ages birth – age 5.  For more information, please call the Library at (203) 838-5038 or visit us on the web at www.Rowayton.org.  This program is free and open to the public. 

Free Books @ the Rowayton Railroad Station  Free paperback books are available at the Rowayton Railroad Station during the morning commute hours.  Please take one and pass it on.

All events are free and open to the public (unless otherwise noted); some events require registration or a courtesy reservation call to Library to ensure the Library's ability to accommodate those interested in participating.

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BookFLIX for Kids online at www.Rowayton.org

Scholastic BookFlix is a new online literacy resource that pairs classic video storybooks from Weston Woods with related nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic to build a love of reading and learning.  This services is available to Rowayton Library patrons though the Internet and with your Rowayton Library Card bar-code. 

Children just learning to read or wanting to read “on their own” can do so through BookFLIX.  The engaging way to link fact and fiction, BookFlix reinforces early reading skills and introduces children to a world of knowledge and exploration.  BookFlix fiction-nonfiction pairs are organized around nine categories that are largely centered around content-area topics, though some are just for fun!  Each pair, made up of a Weston Woods animated storybook and a nonfiction Scholastic eBook, is sure to delight and interest early readers. 

For more information, please call the Library at (203) 838-5038 or visit us on the web at www.Rowayton.org.  If you need a Rowayton Library card, you may apply for one from our website or come into the Library.

Online Catalog

The Rowayton Library’s Online Catalog is now available to all of its patrons. Card holders of the Rowayton Library can search the Rowayton Library’ collection, reserve material, renew, check what is already borrowed by the patron, see what Best Seller’s the library has on its shelf, and so much more… and all without traveling to the Library.. For more information, please call the Library at 203-838-5038 or visit the Library’s website at www.Rowayton.org.

Playaway Digital Audiobooks

The Rowayton Library continues to increase its collection of Playaways -- those self-contained easy-to-use audiobooks. With Playaways, you don’t have to juggle between multiple cassettes or CDs, or download files to an MP3 player. Simply plug in headphones and press play! Each Playaway device contains one of today's hottest titles. Each Playaway comes with a fresh battery, new headphones, and a Playaway player. You can listen either though the headphones, or use your own home speakers, or personal auto FM cable. Come in and check one out at 33 Highland Avenue, Rowayton, CT.

PrepMe!

FREE Customized Online SAT preparation for Rowayton Library patrons -- all you need is the desire to prepare... and a Rowayton Library Card

The PrepMe SAT preparation course offers 40+ hours of instructional content, practice quizzes, and full length tests. PrepMe's online system will automatically identify your strengths and weaknesses and create a customized week-by-week schedule for you to help you raise your score. PrepMe is a premium online test preparation company founded by graduates of top schools such as Caltech, the University of Chicago, and Stanford. PrepMe has been featured on the front cover of Fortune Small Business, CNN/Money, BusinessWeek and is the test preparation of choice for many schools and districts around the country including the entire state of Maine. For more information, please call the Library at (203) 838-5038 or visit us on the web at www.Rowayton.org.  This program is free and open to the public with Rowayton Library Cards.

LearningExpress Library!

Preparing for a test middle school, high school, college, and career? LearningExpress is the easiest way to prepare. Free practice tests and learning areas include: ACT, Advanced Placement, Border Patrol, Business Writing Success Skills, CBEST, Civil Service, College Entrance Exams, Computer Skills, Corrections Officer, Cosmetology, E-Books, Elementary School Skills Improvement, EMS, Firefighter, GED, GMAT, Graduate School Entrance Exams, GRE, Health Careers Entrance Practice, High School Skills Improvement, Job Search and Success Skills, Law Enforcement, LSAT, Math Skills Improvement, MCAT, Middle School Skills Improvement, Military, Nursing, Nursing School Entrance Practice, Paramedic, Police Officer, PRAXIS, Reading Skills Improvement, Real Estate, Resume And Interviewing Success Skills, SAT, Skills Improvement Courses, Skills Improvement with Spanish Instructions, State Trooper, Technical and Career College Skills, TOEFL, U.S. Citizenship, Writing Improvement Program, Writing Skills Improvement, AND MORE! All you need it your Rowayton Library Card barcode... use is as your Username and create a password and you are set. Give it a try. For more information, contact the Library at (203) 838-5038 or come in for a demonstration. This program is free and open to the public with Rowayton Library Cards.

Free Books @ the Rowayton Railroad Station

Free paperback books are available at the Rowayton Railroad Station during the morning commute hours.  Please take one and pass it on.

.All events are free and open to the public (unless otherwise noted); some events require a courtesy reservation call to the Library to insure the Library's ability to accommodate those interested in participating.

For more information on our events, please call the Library at (203) 838-5038 or view our online Calendar

We thank the Rowayton Civic Association, and many other local sponsors for their generous contributions towards our programs. And, of course, we thank the members of the Rowayton community who contribute time and funds to help keep this Library... just right for Rowayton.