Hi!

There is so much happening at the Library in April for all ages that it takes my breath away! Perhaps most exciting of all is our annual book sale fundraiser (Saturday, April 26-Tuesday, April 29) (proceeds go directly to help support Library operations). This year's sale features a record-breaking more than 70,000 books, DVDs, videos, CDs and audiobooks for all ages and interests! In addition, our first ever live auction of rare books, an exciting silent auction, and four days of sales. For more information, including auction book titles, check our website.

Schedule for all book sale events:

• Saturday, 7-9 am: Early Buyers with $15 admission fee.
• Saturday, 9-5 pm: Free admission, silent auction.
• Saturday, 11 am: New Rare Book Live Auction.
• Sunday, noon-5 pm: Free admission, silent auction.
• Monday, 10-5 pm: Books half price.
• Tuesday, 10-2 pm: Books free with donation.

Please come by - you will be amazed at the condition, selection and sheer number of well-priced items available.

See you at the Library,
Kathy Leeds, Wilton Library Director

SCORE is a nationwide organization of successful professional men and women who volunteer their time for free, individual business counseling and low cost workshops (this one is offered without charge). Please register in advance for what's sure to be a popular learning opportunity.

We'll leave the Library parking lot at 9:30 am and travel by comfortable mini-bus to Hartford, arriving in time for a guided tour of the current special exhibition, "Impressionists by the Sea." Suggestions for dining in the area will be provided, including lunch at The Russell, a top-rated café within the museum itself (the price of lunch is not included in the cost of the trip).

The cost of the trip - $55 for adults and $53 for seniors (62 and over) - includes admission to both the Museum (with its outstanding permanent collection) and the special exhibit. We'll depart for Wilton at 3 pm, arriving back at the Library at 4:30 pm, traffic conditions permitting. Please call (762-3950) or stop by the Library to reserve your seat, as space is limited. Credit cards, checks and cash will all be accepted for payment.

His final poetry seminar will explore the work of various poets and their writing techniques in a 5-part series on Thursday mornings from 10:30 am to noon. Please register in advance for sessions on April 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, and May 1st. Poetry packets will be available at the front desk prior to the first session.

This may be the most rewarding couple of hours you spend all spring, so be sure to register in advance. Her workshops for parents consistently receive rave reviews for their practicality and sense of humor. Parents will have ample time for questions, discussion, support and laughter. This program is co-sponsored by Wilton Parent Connection, Wilton PTA, and Wilton Library.

Thursday, April 3rd

• 5:30 to 7:30 pm ~~ watch The Phantom Menace (a Star Wars graphic novel will be raffled off at the end of the movie)

Friday, April 4th

• 10 am to 2 pm ~~ drop in to make a Star Wars creation with materials supplied at no charge by the Library.
• 3:30 to 6 pm ~~ watch Attack of the Clones (a Star Wars graphic novel will be raffled off to a lucky winner).
• 6:30 to 9 pm ~~ watch Revenge of the Sith (R2D2 interactive robot will be given away at the end of the movie). Advance registration for the movie is required.

Saturday, April 5th

• 10:15 am to 12:15 pm ~~ watch A New Hope (a Star Wars graphic novel will be raffled off).
• 10:30-11:15 am, and again from 1:15 to 2 pm ~~ see Light Saber Exhibitions with demonstrations of the Thai stick fighting upon which light saber battles are based. A Jedi knight will take on an evil Jedi (or is it a Sith?). The exhibitions will be followed by games of Wampa Bingo.
• 12:30 to 2 pm ~~ watch The Empire Strikes Back (a Star Wars graphic novel will be raffled off).
• 2:30 to 3:30 pm ~~ see (and photograph) a visit from the Storm Trooper Clones. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, was the Grand Marshal of the Rose Bowl Parade last year and rode in the Parade accompanied by Storm Trooper Clones. Now you can meet five of them, ask questions, and even have your picture taken with one (be sure to bring a camera!)
• 4 to 4:30 pm ~~ take a whack at a Jar Jar Binks piñata! This activity is for kids ages 6 and up and advance registration is required for piñata-whacking.

Sunday, April 6th

• 1:30 to 4 pm ~~ see Return of the Jedi (a Star Wars graphic novel will be raffled off to a lucky winner).
• 4 to 4:30 pm ~~ take aim at the Death Star piñata! It will be a fitting finish to Wilton Library's Star Wars Weekend.

We can accommodate only 40 boys, so please get your registration in to Laura Schwemm and Lesley Keogh in the Children's Library (762-3950 ext. 217). Payment of $50 per child is necessary to book reservations. The waiting list closed on Friday, March 28th, and no one will be moved off the waiting list after Tuesday, April 1st. Please note that every family participating must supply a volunteer to help with one activity.

Dr. Ecke, a respected former member of the Wilton High School teaching staff and currently a columnist for the Wilton Bulletin, is a graduate of Smith College. She is truly an expert on Frost, having selected the poet as the subject of her Ph.D dissertation at Duke University. Please register in advance for this illuminating and inspiring program.

Thus far, we have been able to:
~~purchase and deploy a motorized scooter that is kept near the front door for use by anyone who has difficulty getting around the building. A phone near the entrance alerts the Circulation staff that the key to the scooter is required, and they will come immediately with not only the key, but also a quick set of easy instructions. It really is fun to drive and includes a handy basket for books that you may select along the way around the building. Check it out!
~~ cover the front entrance to protect our customers a bit from the elements. Those approaching the entrance or waiting either for our opening or to be picked up will find that rain, sleet, and snow are no longer as much of an issue.

More changes are on the way:
~~ we have a new ramp on the way that will replace the steps currently at the entrance to provide much more direct access for those with limited mobility. Included as part of the proposed project is a relocation of our parking spaces for those with handicaps (awaiting P&Z approval at the time of this writing).
~~ we are planning on a larger and more ergonomic bookdrop box for the parking lot that will make returns for those walking or driving by more user-friendly. This box is heavily used, as is the drive-up window on Godfrey Place (open during Library hours).

We thank everyone for their patience while alterations are under way. There will be short periods of time when we must close the front entrance for safety reasons and ask folks to enter via the door off our back parking lot that leads through the Children's Library. We promise to keep that sort of disruption to a minimum and look forward with all our customers to the completion of improvements.

Wilton Congregational Church is located at 70 Ridgefield Road. For further information and directions, call 203-762-3401 or 203-762-5019. A portion of the proceeds from this concert will benefit Wilton Library's classical music collection.

Please register in advance - and sign up a friend. You can work up an appetite for Swedish design and then go to lunch together following the program!

On Wednesday, April 9th, from noon to 1:30 pm, professional book discussion leader Susan Boyar will talk about All Aunt Hagar's Children, by Edward P. Jones. The publisher of this book of short stories says, "In fourteen sweeping and sublime stories, five of which have been published in The New Yorker, the bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Known World shows that his grasp of the human condition is firmer than ever." Booklist notes, "Jones' stories are rich in detail and emotions as he plumbs the intricacies of people's relationships with one another and with spiritual forces at work in urban as well as natural environments. Readers who enjoyed The Known World will relish these varied gems of Jones' talent for storytelling." Come hear what Susan and other discussion group members have to say and register your own feelings about Jones' work. You may want to bring lunch - we will provide beverages. Please register in advance to let us know you are coming. All are welcome.

On Tuesday, April 22nd, at 11 am and as part of the Senior Center Book Discussion series, Ben Van Vechten will talk about The Dubliners, by James Joyce. The Los Angeles Times said of the book of stories, "In his newly minted stream-of-consciousness style, Joyce portrayed human nature with tales of pettiness and epiphany, sexual awakening, desire and death. This was his first published work, which he called a series of chapters in the oral history of his community." Please call the Senior Center for details and to register at 834-6240. The Senior Center is located at Comstock Community Center, 180 School Road, Wilton.

The Wilton League of Women Voters and the Library will co-sponsor a panel discussion on energy, Wilton Speaks Up on Alternative Energy, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm on Thursday, April 10th. Mike Lindberg, the chairman of Wilton's Energy Commission, Ron French, solar energy expert and president of Solarworks Inc., along with some of Wilton's youngest energy experts from Wilton High School and Cider Mill School will share ideas about ways that Wilton can practice the three R's of energy savings - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle - and how energy conservation benefits all of us. Refreshments will be served and there will be ample time for questions and answers following the panel discussion. We ask that you register in advance to let us know you're coming.

Please join us in the Brubeck Room to see the premiere showing on Sunday, April 13th, from 4 to 5:30 pm. Please register in advance to reserve a seat.

Popcorn and lemonade will be served and there is no charge for the films or refreshments. Note that children under 8 must be accompanied by a caregiver and those between 8 and 12 must have a caregiver in the Library during the show. No registration is necessary - just stop by and have fun!

On Sunday, April 20th, from 1 to 4:30 pm, the Library will serve up its main course - an Earth Day bonanza that the entire family can enjoy. Stop by to see all we have in store to celebrate our planet, including:

• The Earth Balloon! This 17-foot diameter balloon is an interactive learning experience for all ages that takes participants on a captivating journey around and inside the Earth, with a program especially geared toward Earth Day. Experience the Earth Balloon in the Brubeck Room all afternoon on Sunday, with no reservations required.
• For the kids - make a sunflower from recycled materials to hint at the flower to come from planting a sunflower seed in a pot to take home to water and watch grow.
• Bring your cell phones, ink-jet cartridges, and eyeglasses for recycling.
• Bring your plastic grocery bags to exchange for a really nice (green!) re-usable bag, thanks to a collaborative effort of Millstone Farm, the Village Market and Wilton Library.
• Stock up on energy efficient light bulbs.
• Register for Connecticut Clean Energy.
• Check out our environmental information displays. And try a tasty turkey dog with all the trimmings - we'll fire up the grill for free healthy treats!

It will be an afternoon to remember! I hope to see you all there.

Amy will read from and discuss her new book, Away, the epic and intimate story of young Lillian Leyb, a dangerous innocent, an accidental heroine. When her family is destroyed in a Russian pogrom, Lillian comes to America alone, determined to make her way in a new land. When word comes that her daughter, Sophie, might still be alive, Lillian embarks on an odyssey back to Siberia to find her.

All of the qualities readers love in Amy Bloom's work - her humor and wit, her elegant and irreverent language, her unflinching understanding of passion and the human heart - come together in the embrace of this brilliant novel, which is at once heartbreaking, romantic, and completely unforgettable. We'll have time for audience questions following the talk and books will be available for purchase and signing that evening.

This Visiting Author program is sponsored by R.J. Julia Booksellers (Madison, CT) and Wilton Library. Please register in advance to hear this exceptional writer speak about her newest work. Note that you should arrive by 6:50 pm to be guaranteed a seat. After that time, and as space is available, we will seat waitlists and walk-ins.

On Wednesday, April 23rd, from 4 to 5 pm, we'll teach kids about Japanese poetry and how to use their haiku eyes to see the world in a different way. Japan's most famous haiku poet, Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) described haiku as a way of seeing the world with the eyes and heart of a child. Library friend Miwako Ogasawara will share her knowledge of haiku and inspire children to use their "haiku eyes" in this special poetry program intended for children in Grades 1 through 5. Please register in advance for this special "poetry month" program.

And on Wednesday, April 30th, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm our Kids' Book Club will hold its fourth meeting. Children in grades 2 through 6 are welcome to be part of the action, which will definitely be more than just talking. April's theme is Mysteries and children who would like to come to the April club should read a mystery novel of their choice, then come to the Library for a book talk and a very special mystery dinner! This program is sponsored by Findorak & Sons and we are most grateful for their support. Please register in advance online, in person, or by phone (762-3950).

Finally, during the month of April, kids (ages 4-10) can check out a book of poetry from Wilton Library's children's collection. Once they've read the poems, they can come back to the Children's Library to tell the staff about their favorite. As a special treat and in exchange, they'll receive a coupon for a FREE slice of pizza at Wilton Pizza or ToozyPatza!

Playaways are pre-loaded with one book and have easy navigation buttons to play, fast forward and rewind. It even remembers your place in the book when you turn it off. We have new fiction and nonfiction titles, as well as Pimsleur Language titles. Look for the Playaways near the Books on Tape in the library and try the new audiobook that fits in the palm of your hand!