October Traveling Art Exhibit in main foyer
A Brilliant Life: the Musical Career of New Hampshire’s Amy Beach
on loan from University of New Hampshire Museum and Special Collections
Thursday, October 4 at 6:30 PM
AMY BEACH IN WORDS AND MUSIC
An original production, written by NH poet Marie Harris and accompanied by soprano Adi Rule, based on the life and music of America’s first female composer, New Hampshire born Amy Beach.
Adi Rule has performed in operas and musicals throughout New England, as well as teaching both privately and in the classroom. She was a member of, and a soloist for, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Boston Pops. She also writes middle grade and young adult novels. Visit her online at www.adirule.com.
Marie Harris is a poet, editor, and essayist. She served as NH Poet Laureate from 1999-2004 and co-produced the first-ever gathering of state poets laureate. She is the author of 4 books of poetry, including the prose poem memoir, YOUR SUN, MANNY. Her children’s books include G is for GRANITE & PRIMARY NUMBERS, and THE GIRL WHO HEARD COLORS (winner of the NH Writers Project 2016 award for Children’s Literature).
West African Kora (harp) and its Music
Wednesday, October 10 at 6:30 PM
Sean Gaskell will give a performance and educational demonstration on the kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa. He will feature traditional songs that are the heart and soul of the kora’s musical repertoire, in addition to some of his own personal compositions.
The Kora is native to the Mande peoples who live within the countries of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau. The music is traditionally played by oral and musical historians known as Griots (Gree-ohs). The Kora is a melodic and seemingly peaceful instrument, which is somewhat contrary to its musical repertoire. Many songs tell ancient stories of war and hardship, while others praise people of high political status and those who helped expand the Mande Empire. While the Kora is only 300 years old, some commonly played songs can be traced back 800 years to the Mande empires’ founding.
About the performer:
Sean Gaskell has studied extensively under the instruction of Malamini Jobarteh and Moriba Kuyateh of Brikama, The Gambia, and Kane Mathis of Brooklyn, NY. Gaskell has been featured at numerous festivals in the US, Gambia, and Senegal. Sean Gaskell music preview
Second Friday Foreign Film
Friday, October 10 at 7 PM
Hungary 2015
Read a review from Time Magazine…Holocaust drama that is rigorous, demanding and rewarding.
Watch the trailer
Oil, Ice, and Bone: Arctic Whaler Nathaniel Ransom
Thursday, October 18 at 6:30 PM
In January 2016, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association announced the discovery of the wreckage of two sunken whale ships off the Alaskan coast. Oil, Ice, and Bone tells the story of these vessels and how they came to be lost in the greatest whaling disaster in American history. In 1871, ransom survived the loss of thirty-two whaling vessels in the frigid waters off Alaska’s Icy Cape. He kept a journal- and held onto it as he and his shipmates jettisoned weapons and warm clothing to save their very lives. His eyewitness account of whaling’s brutal slaughter and sudden losses is enriched by presenter Helen Frink’s affection for an ancestor she discovered through his journals a century after his death. A Humanities to Go presentation. Free and open to the public.
Book Party and Dessert
Wednesday, October 24 at 7 PM
Which book should we read? Cast your vote.
All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani
In this spectacular saga as radiant, thrilling, and beguiling as Hollywood itself, Adriana Trigiani takes us back to Tinsel Town’s golden age—an era as brutal as it was resplendent—and into the complex and glamorous world of a young actress hungry for fame and success. With meticulous, beautiful detail, Trigiani paints a rich, historical landscape of 1930s Los Angeles, where European and American artisans flocked to pursue the ultimate dream: to tell stories on the silver screen.
or
The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin
An intimate portrait of the close friendship and powerful creative partnership between two of Hollywood’s earliest female superstars: Frances Marion and Mary Pickford. An enchanting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue and The Aviator’s Wife.
Bon Appetit
Monday, October 29 at 6:30 PM
Rasika by Ashok Bajaj
India’s Vegetarian cookery by Monisha Bharadwaj
Do you like to Cook, Bake, and EAT scrumptious delights? If so, join us for a lovely meal prepared by your fellow chefs. Each participant will prepare a recipe exactly as it is prepared in the cookbook. Cookbooks and Sign up for the recipe you wish to prepare will be available at the adult events table or call Rennie at 487-3391. This month’s menu will feature Indian cuisine.
