8th Annual Maynard Book Festival
March 15
through
April 15, 2019
For a number of years, the Friends and the library have been bringing a literary festival to Maynard on the first weekend in April. And we're doing that again this year! But before the festival began in 2012, we presented a few Maynard Reads events--community reading programs where we focus on a book and schedule events related to the theme of that book.
This year, we decided to return to that format. We chose the book One Goal: A Coach, a Team, and the Game That Brought a Divided Town Together by Amy Bass. It's about the town of Lewiston Maine, the Somali refugees who settled there and how chasing a state soccer championship brought the town together.
We've scheduled some films (here and at the Council on Aging), a cookbook club meal, a Brazilian band, an art exhibit and a dive into Maynard's immigrant history. For kids, we have two special festival storytimes and a program featuring West African drumming. On Festival Day, there will be two great programs--a panel discussion with three professionals who work with refugees and immigrants, and a presentation with Amy Bass, the author of One Goal. Reading the book is absolutely not required to enjoy the events, but we'll have copies of One Goal available to borrow through the library or to purchase ahead of time. Check at the Circulation Desk for either.
You can hear an interview about the book in this episode of WBUR's Only a Game, which originally aired (coincidentally) the morning of last year's Festival. It runs about 8 minutes.
The Festival is brought to you by the Friends of the Library, with Porter Square Books as our bookseller. All events are free and open to the public except as noted.
The first library event will be a special meeting of our Cookbook Club. We'll be cooking from The Immigrant Cookbook: Recipes that Make America Great (edited by Leyla Moushabeck), a collection of recipes contributed by foreign-born chefs from around the world. We'll celebrate the richness of our culinary options thanks to influences from across the globe.
All are welcome! Borrow a cookbook, select a recipe and prepare a dish to share at the potluck lunch!
We'll be screening the documentary The Land Between on Thursday, March 28 at 6:30 pm. The Land Between offers an intimate insight into the hidden lives of Sub-Saharan African migrants living in the mountains of northern Morocco. For most, their dream is to enter Europe by jumping a highly-militarized barrier into Melilla, a Spanish enclave on the African continent. With unique and unprecedented access, this film documents the everyday life of these migrants trapped in limbo, as well as the extreme violence and constant mistreatment they face on a daily basis from both the Moroccan and Spanish authorities. It also explores many universal questions, including how and why people are prepared to risk everything, including their life, to leave their country, their family and friends, in search of a new and better life.
Wendy Valentine, next year's leader of the library's book group, will lead a discussion of our focus book--One Goal: a Coach, a Town and the Game that Brought a Divided Town Together. All are welcome to join in!
Here's a quote about the book from NESN's Tom Caron:
"Bass captures the essence of this unlikely band of brothers perfectly. This isn’t a story about a soccer team....More than anything, this is a story of hope. The hope that brought thousands of Africans to a remote corner of the America in search of a better life. The hope that made a city finally open its arms to the children of those immigrants. The hope that our future still might be better than our past. I grew up in Lewiston. Mike McGraw was my first soccer coach. I couldn’t be happier to have his championship team represent my hometown. Or to have its journey portrayed so brilliantly in the pages of One Goal."
Books are available to borrow through the network, or to purchase for $17. Check at the Circulation Desk.
The Goza Brazilian Quartet will visit the library on Thursday, April 4 at 7 pm to kick off the Festival weekend. The band will perform a concert of Brazilian music including Choro, Samba, Bossa Nova, Batucada by composers such as Jobim, Bonfa, Baden-Powell and others. The band consists of guitar, percussion, violin, trumpet and vocals.
And yes, we know there are six people in this picture, not four.
Saturday, April 6 is Festival Day with events all day! To start the day, Sharon Martin, our Saturday Children's Librarian will hold a special soccer-themed storytime and craft for preschoolers at 10:30 am. And later on, there will be another storytime for kids 6 and up at 1:00 pm. Sharon found a terrific book called My Name is Sangoel, which beautifully captures the hardship of moving to a new place where no one can pronounce your name.
The day continues at 11:00 am with another children's program (5 and up) of Malian Drumming and Dancing, featuring Boubacar Diabate.
We are especially excited to bring two events to the library on festival afternoon. The first is a panel discussion at 1:00 pm called Lessons from Lewiston and Lowell: Refugee Resettlement in the US. It features Cheryl Hamilton, Fatuma Hussein and Yusuf Abdi, who together have more than 50 years of experience welcoming and assisting refugees. Cheryl Hamilton works at International Institute of New England as Director of Special Projects and Creator of Suitcase Stories - a storytelling show honoring refugees and immigrants. Fatuma Hussein is the Executive Director of the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine. Yusuf Abdi is an Employment Case Specialist at IINE, working with refugees to find jobs. Fatuma and Yusuf are both former refugees, and will share their personal and professional experiences. Click to read more about IINE and IRCM.
The second afternoon event is an appearance by Amy Bass at 3:00 pm, author of our focus book, One Goal. Amy attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where One Goal is set. She is a scholar of sport, culture, and politics, and the author of four books. She served as senior research supervisor for NBC Olympic Sports across eight Olympic Games, winning an Emmy for her work at the London Olympics in 2012. Amy will speak about the writing of One Goal, followed by a Q&A session and a book signing. Books are available for purchase at the Circulation Desk ($17) and at the event, provided by Porter Square Books. Read more about Amy here.
The festival continues with an event exploring Maynard's immigrant past. Local historian Paul Boothroyd will lead a History Walk through Glenwood Cemetery on Sunday, April 7 at 2 pm. Wear your boots and meet at the Maynard Tomb. The rain date is April 14 at 2. (If the weather is bad, we will announce the postponement on the library website and on Facebook.)
The final event in our 2019 Book Festival is a reception to celebrate our current art exhibit--Immigration Nation by Nora Valdez. On Saturday, April 13 from 2-4, you're invited to view the show and chat with the artist about her work. She will speak at 3 pm. Refreshments from around the world will be served.
Nora Valdez is an international award-winning sculptor born in Argentina. Her work has been exhibited and installed in permanent public spaces in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Recently her work has been focused on the nature of home and the immigrant experience, creating in her art the hard road of those caught within alien systems seeking the rootedness of home. The exhibit at the library runs through the end of April.
Schedule of Events
Friday, March 15
11:00-2:00 Friday Series—film screening, discussion and lunch at COA*
Monday, March 18
12:00 noon Cookbook Club with The Immigrant Cookbook:
Recipes That Make America Great
Friday, March 22
11:30-2:00 Friday Series—film screening, discussion and lunch at COA*
Thursday, March 28
6:30 pm Documentary Screening, The Land Between
Wednesday, April 3
7:00 pm Book Discussion of One Goal
Thursday, April 4
7:00 pm Concert with Goza Brazilian Quartet
Saturday, April 6
10:30 am Special Festival Storytime and Craft, preschoolers
11:00 am Malian Drumming and Dancing, featuring Boubacar Diabate, ages 5 and up
10:30 am Special Festival Storytime and Craft, ages 6 and up
1:00 pm Lessons from Lewiston and Lowell: Refugee Resettlement in the US
With Cheryl Hamilton, Director of Special Projects at International Institute of New England; Fatuma Hussein, Executive Director of the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine; and Yusuf Abdi, Employment Case Specialist at IINE
3:00 pm Keynote Address by Amy Bass, author of One Goal: a Coach, a Team, and the Game that Brought a Divided Town Together
Sunday, April 7
2:00 pm Maynard History Walk with Paul Boothroyd: Maynard Immigrants
Rain Date: April 14 [Meet at the Maynard Tomb in Glenwood Cemetery]
Saturday, April 13
2-4pm Immigration Nation Art Exhibit Reception with Nora Valdez
*This event is for seniors (60+) and registration required. Call the Council on Aging at 978-897-1009 to sign up. Held at the Senior Center at 50 Brown Street.