Blog: Author: Dora St. Martin

In This Together: Historic Friendships That Made Malden

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

Join us on Thursday, May 25 at 7:00 p.m. for a talk by local historian and author Dee Morris titled: “In This Together: Friendships That Made Malden”. It will be an exploration and celebration of the importance of friendship in building the Malden community.

Many Malden residents from the past became good friends, while supporting a cause, working together towards a common goal or transacting business,. Their life stories reveal their mutual respect and affection and is important to the development our city. Philanthropist Elisha S. Converse, artist Ernest Ipsen, abolitionist Harriet Robinson and socially prominent Alice May Davenport and others heavily relied on their trusted connections. Even in our own time, friendship still builds community. Dee Morris is a scholar and educational consultant specializing in the nineteenth-century history of Greater Boston. She is the author of A Brief History of Somerville, Medford: A Brief History and Boston in the Golden Age of Spiritualism: Séances, Mediums & Immortality. Her goal is help us all connect to our civic ancestors. Sponsored by the Friends of the Malden Public Library and the Robinson Lecture Fund.

Arts & Crafts in the Art Gallery

Posted on by Dora St. Martin
Need that Last Minute Gift for that special someone or yourself?  Or Just Want to Celebrate the Winter Solstice.
Join us on Wednesday, December 21 for a free art workshop in the Converse Art Galleries. Enjoy the Library’s amazing art collection and make your own hand-crafted ceramic tree ornament or coaster.
There will be two workshops at 2-4 PM & 6-8 PM
No registration needed, just drop by and enjoy some relaxation this holiday season.

Abolition and Agitation – Lecture Explores the Complex Life of Malden’s James Redpath

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

Join us on Tuesday, November 15 at 7:00 p.m. for a lecture by scholar and historian Dee Morris entitled, “James Redpath: Malden’s Spirited Abolitionist and Agitator.”  The lecture will explore the life of this complex reformer. Dedicated to his unique brand of fairness, Redpath, a radical freethinker, challenged the community to rethink their views about equality in all its forms.  He inspired heated controversy, yet forged lasting friendships in the community – a true Malden original.

James Redpath (1833–1891) was an important figure in many of the key developments in nineteenth-century American political and cultural life. He advocated for abolition, civil rights, Irish nationalism, women’s suffrage, and labor unions. In 1868, Redpath founded The Boston Lyceum Bureau (later the Redpath Lyceum Bureau) which promoted lecturers and authors of celebrity including Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Mark Twain.

Dee Morris is a scholar and educational consultant specializing in the nineteenth-century history of Greater Boston. She is the author of Boston in the Golden Age of Spiritualism: Séances, Mediums & Immortality. Her goal is help us all connect to our civic ancestors.

For more information, check out the Malden Public Library website at www.maldenpubliclibrary.org.

Outdoor Movie Night in the Park at River’s Edge

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

Join us for a “Movie Night in the Park at Rivers Edge” on Friday, October 7 at 7:00 p.m.. The movie will be on The Park at Rivers Edge Great Lawn adjacent to 200 River’s Edge Drive in Medford. The Great Lawn section of the park will be transformed into an outdoor movie theatre where residents and visitors of all ages are welcome to gather and enjoy a free movie night featuring Disney’s Enchanted.

Enchanted is an American live-action/animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, and Susan Sarandon. A classic Disney fairytale collides with modern-day life when an animated princess is exiled into the real world by an evil queen. MPAA Rating PG.

The event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by Preotle, Lane & Associates and the Malden Public Library. Attendees should bring their own blankets and chairs for use. There will be free snacks and water provided. Wellington Station is just 0.4 miles from Rivers Edge. Free parking is available at the Rivers Edge Garage.

 

September is Library Card Sign Up Month

Posted on by Dora St. Martin
September is library card sign up month. And ALA and I Love Libraries have partnered to offer a $100 gift card to a lucky library lover. Just post a photo of you and your library card as a comment or wall post on the I Love Libraries page. Don’t forget to not include any personal information in your photo (just show us the front of the card). #GetLibraryCarded promotion begins Today, at 1pm EST and ends Friday, September 23, at 1pm EST.  Check back to see all the ways you can use your library card and all the reasons to love your library. We’ll be featuring the many uses, programs, and perks of using your library card regularly.

Family Movie Night at the Park at Rivers Edge (200 River’s Edge Drive)

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

Join us for a “Movie Night in the Park at Rivers Edge” on Wednesday, August 17 at 8:00 p.m.. The movie will be on The Park at Rivers Edge Great Lawn adjacent to 200 River’s Edge Drive in Medford. The Great Lawn section of the park will be transformed into an outdoor movie theatre where residents and visitors of all ages are welcome to gather and enjoy a free movie night featuring Disney’s Enchanted.

Enchanted is an American live-action/animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, and Susan Sarandon. A classic Disney fairytale collides with modern-day life when an animated princess is exiled into the real world by an evil queen. MPAA Rating PG.

The event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by Preotle, Lane & Associates and the Malden Public Library. Attendees should bring their own blankets and chairs for use. There will be free snacks and water provided. Wellington Station is just 0.4 miles from Rivers Edge. Free parking is available at the Rivers Edge Garage.

 

Come Explore the Healing Power of Art

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

On Tuesday, June 21 at 6:30 p.m., the Malden Public Library is proud to present Art-Prescriptions, a talk on museum-based art therapy, wellness and social inclusion with Stephen Legari, Program Officer for Art Therapy at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, Quebec.

Stephen Legari holds a master’s in creative arts therapies from Concordia University and a master’s in couple and family therapy from McGill University. He has worked extensively with individuals, groups, couples, and families in both clinical and non-clinical settings. Since 2017, Stephen has been Program Officer for Art Therapy at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts where he has developed specialized therapy programs for groups and contributed to numerous publications on the arts in health. Stephen works with Canada’s Social Prescribing program–which empowers doctors to prescribe free art museum visits to patients with a range of ailments, from depression to diabetes to chronic illnesses.

Beginning at 6 p.m., there will be a pre-program hands-on (30 minute) wellness workshop in the art galleries. Using simple tape and some acrylic paint, participants will be able to create their own “crafty emotional coaster” to express their feelings and be inspired by the library’s beautiful art collections.

This program is free and sponsored by the Foundation Trust as part of their 2022 Speaker Series.  Light refreshments will be served. For more information or to register please call the Information Desk at 781-324-0218 or email info@maldenpubliclibrary.org.

The Living Art of Bonsai: A Talk with Michael Levin of Bonsai West

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

On Tuesday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m., the Malden Public Library is proud to present Michael Levin, founder and proprietor of Bonsai West of Littleton.  Michael will present beautiful bonsai works from his collection and demonstrate the amazing “art of bonsai.” The program will be held in the lovely 1885 Converse Memorial Building (36 Salem Street, Malden, MA)

Michael Levin is founder of Bonsai West, one of the country’s largest bonsai nurseries. Since 1982 Michael has worked to build a place that attracts bonsai lovers and plant people from around the world.  Bonsai West is a magical place for sure and everyone who visits feels the power of the trees and that certain beauty that is unique and hard to find in our commercial world. https://bonsaiwest.com/

The Bonsai West collection consist of many original works from the first generation of Japanese American Bonsai artists.  Michael was lucky enough to meet this small group of artists many who went into gardening as the only work they could find after being released from the Japanese internment camps in the late 1940’s. Michael has an interesting way of weaving their stories with his own experiences in the growth of American Bonsai.

Light refreshments will be served following the program.  For more information or to register please call the Library’s Information Desk at 781-324-0218 or email info@maldenpubliclibrary.org.

 

Museum Pass Discount Program Available

Posted on by Dora St. Martin
Did you know that thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Malden Public Library, city residents can reserve discount passes to area attractions? Each week we will be highlighting one of the many amazing institutions your library card helps you access through our Museum Pass program!
For a full list of institutions and reservation information, visit our website or give us a call at 781-324-0218.

National Library Week 2022

Posted on by Dora St. Martin

National Library Week 2022

April 3 – April 9, 2022

National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. National Library Week is sponsored by the American Library Association.

“Connect with Your Library” spotlights libraries as places to get connected to the internet, use computers, and access other technology resources. It reinforces the idea that libraries are places to connect with media, programs, ideas—and, of course, books! Likewise, libraries connect communities to each other!