Free Programming

Sawyer Free Library Launches Summer Reading Program “2024: Read, Renew, Repeat” 

~ Sawyer Free Library

Summer fun officially kicks off on Tuesday, July 9, at 10:00 am with an interactive live animal presentation by Wildlife Encounters Ecology Center 

School is out, and summer has officially begun! To celebrate, Sawyer Free Library is launching an exciting calendar of free events and programs to inspire, educate, and entertain people of all ages.

This summer’s reading program, titled “2024: Read, Renew, Repeat,” offers a diverse and enriching experience for the entire community. By focusing on conservation, the Sawyer Free Library encourages participants of all ages to discover the joy and power of reading while developing a sense of environmental consciousness. Through engaging activities, interactive workshops, reading challenges, and more, participants will learn about the critical role of conservation in maintaining the health and vitality of our planet.

“At Sawyer Free Library, we believe that reading can inspire change and foster a deeper understanding of the world around us,” said Sawyer Free Library Director Jenny Benedict. “Our summer reading program promotes learning and educates participants of all ages about the importance of conservation and the actions we can take to protect our natural environment – right in our own neighborhoods and backyards.”

The Library’s innovative incentives and activities encourage kids and teens to stay active and read for fun, helping them avoid the summer slide, where critical skills learned during the school year are lost over the summer. To get started, young people and their families can pick up their Summer Reading Information and Activity Logs at the Library, which includes program information, the event calendar, and a reading log. Children can track their summer reading with their “Read, Renew, Repeat” time-tracking reading logs. Register from now until August 1, and read (or be read to) for at least 500 minutes throughout the summer to earn prizes, including tickets to the Topsfield Fair. Registration is available in person or online.

Summer fun at Sawyer Free Library for children and families officially kicks off on Tuesday, July 9, at 10:00 am with an interactive live animal presentation by Wildlife Encounters Ecology Center taking place at Captain Lester S. Wass American Legion Post 3 located at 8 Washington Street. During this event, attendees will meet some of the world’s most amazing animals and learn about their habitats, adaptations, environmental roles, and how we can all help the animals with whom we share this planet.

Younger library-goers will move and groove during “Love Our Planet Earth” musical story time with Ruthanne Paulson on Friday, July 26, and August 23. Throughout the summer on Thursday mornings, they can play with soil while sharing stories and gardening with Backyard Growers in the Library’s raised gardens.

Children and their families will be wowed by the environmental-themed magic show EcoMagic with Mike Bent’s Abrakidabra on July 19. They can then learn about the snakes of New England with the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team on Saturday, August 10, and explore soil and decomposers using a worm bin with the MA Horticulture Society Plantmobile on August 24 as part of their award-winning traveling science program.

Elementary and early middle school aged students are invited to unleash their creativity with local paper artist and teacher Katherine Morrison in a bookmaking workshop on July 12. All materials will be provided for his hands on and creative program. 

The Library will also host fun local field trips for children and their caregivers, including visits to Maritime Gloucester on July 29 and Hammond Castle on Tuesday, August 13. And everyone is invited to a midsummer celebratory outdoor concert featuring the energetic and interactive band “Ants on a Log” in collaboration with Manchester-by-the-Sea and Rockport Public Libraries on Monday, August 5, at Maconomo Park in Manchester.

It is a busy summer for tweens and teens at the Sawyer Free Library, too. Students entering grades 6-12 can track their “Summer Reading and eco-friendly actions” on the Library’s Summer Reading Bingo Board, which is available on the Library’s website. They can also earn raffle tickets for every book they read to qualify for cool prizes, including an Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera.

Middle and high schoolers are encouraged to check out the Library’s full summer schedule of weekly programs, including “Unlocking Your Musical Journey: A Songwriting Workshop” with award-winning singer-songwriter Briana Cash on July 11, and Reverse Glass Painting with Pop-Up Art School on July 16. There will be two Dungeons and Dragons meet-ups on July 23 and August 7, a Teen Bowling Night on July 9, an Ice Cream Float Party on July 25, Henna Temporary Tattoos for Teens and Tweens on Thursday, August 1, and a Teen Board Game Night on August 7.

SFL also knows that summer reading is for everybody, whether you read at the beach or on your commute to work, so adults can join the fun by rating the books they read this summer to win prizes. Fill out the Summer Reading Book Rating form, which is available online or at the Library. For each book rated, you earn entry into a raffle for a $25, $50, or $75 Cape Ann Gift Certificate. 

In addition to the myriad of resources and programs the Library offers adults—weekly device advice assistance, job search help, historical resource assistance, and more—there will also be summer-themed special programs and reading lists available, from local author talks and community creations programming to art and gardening workshops, and much more. Plus, library cardholders can use their library card to book free or discounted passes to many local cultural attractions.

Thanks to the generous support of the Massachusetts Library System, the Boston Bruins, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and the Gloucester Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council, program participation is free. Registration is now open for all children, teens, and adult programs.

Sawyer Free Library’s summer operating hours at 21 Main Street are Monday and Wednesday from 8 am to 6 pm, Tuesday from 8 am to 6:15 pm, Thursday from 10 am to 7 pm, Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm, and 24/7 online at sawyerfreelibrary.org.

For more information about “Summer at the Sawyer Free Library” and to register for programs, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.

The Value of Trees to Our Health and Our City: presentation by Peter Lawrence of ‘400 TREES’

~ Sawyer Free Library

THURSDAY, APRIL 18 from 5:30 -6:30 pm at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street

In celebration of Earth Month, please join PETER LAWRENCE of 400 TREES for a presentation on the benefits of trees in our beautiful city at the SAWYER FREE LIBRARY at 21 Main Street on Thursday, April 18 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

In addition to enhancing the attractiveness of a city, trees provide essential services to its residents, including producing oxygen, removing carbon dioxide, and cooling our city by providing shade, among other benefits to our local ecosystem. Which trees provide the greatest benefits? What is the impact of a street without trees on a city and its residents? Peter Lawrence will also discuss the work done by 400 Trees Gloucester and the City to plant and maintain trees. What are the existing and future educational opportunities about trees, and what is our plan to create a permanent tree organization in the city?

400 Trees is a sustainability program that combines natural history, environmental stewardship, experiential education, and community participation to create a living legacy for generations to come. It is a collaborative project of Gloucester 400+ and Biomimicry New England, with support from the City of Gloucester Departments of Public Works and Health.

This event is open to all to attend. No registration required. For more information visit, SawyerFreeLibrary.org or 978-325-5500.

Throughout the month of April, the Sawyer Free Library is presenting a diverse lineup of events and initiatives designed to promote environmental awareness and stewardship. From educational workshops to reading challenges, the Library endeavors to inspire and empower individuals to embrace sustainable living and make meaningful actions in their own lives to protect our environment. To learn more about the Library’s programming in celebration of Earth Month visit: Sawyer Free Library.org/sustainablity-month

Sawyer Free Library Kicks Off 2023 Annual Appeal “Create the Future” to fund critical programming, resources and services

~ Sawyer Free Library

The SAWYER FREE LIBRARY has kicked off its 2023 Annual Appeal campaign, “Create the Future.”

Operating in its temporary location at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester, the Sawyer Free Library is a vibrant hub where the future comes alive through education and cultural enrichment and where knowledge is accessible to all, free of charge. From early literacy programs nurturing the youngest minds to cutting-edge STEM after-school programming for students to assisting digital learners in finding their way in the online world to a plethora of local community events for every age, the Library plays an integral role in shaping Gloucester’s educational, cultural, and social fabric.

The Sawyer Free Library relies on this important yearly fundraising effort to provide a wide range of new collections and resources, technology, innovative programming, and critical services to respond to the changing needs of the greater Gloucester community.

“The Library enriches, informs, and strengthens every corner of our city,” said Mern Sibley, President of the Library’s Board of Trustees. “We hope the community will carefully consider our appeal and join us in supporting the vital work of the Sawyer Free Library. Every contribution ensures that the Library can be exceptionally agile, relevant, and inventive while remaining completely accessible and free of charge.

“We provide library services that make a significant difference in the lives of our patrons and our community,” said Sawyer Free Library’s Director Jenny Benedict. “Every contribution to the Annual Appeal is a direct investment in the Library’s meaningful programming, diverse resources, and crucial services that create opportunities for individuals of all ages to connect, learn, grow and thrive throughout Gloucester and beyond.”

Contributions to the year-end Annual Appeal can be made online at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org or by check to the Sawyer Free Library, Annual Appeal, P.O. Box 415, Gloucester, MA 01930.

Rainforest Reptiles: Conservation with Education

~ Sawyer Free Library

Summer is here! Join the Sawyer Free Library on Friday, July 7 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. as we kick off summer reading with an educational and exciting show – – Rainforest Reptiles: Conservation through Education!  The Library is excited for everyone to come and enjoy this fun and informative presentation by a herpetologist and visit with bugs, frogs, snakes, lizards, a tortoise, and the American alligator.

Please note, this event will be held at Captain Lester S. Wass American Legion Post 3 located at 8 Washington Street in Gloucester.

The event is free and open to all! No registration necessary. For more information visit: SawyerFreeLibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.

Sawyer Free Library presents Puppet Storytime on Wednesday, June 28

~ Sawyer Free Library

Join the Sawyer Free Library this Wednesday, June 28 at 11:30 a.m. for an extra special storytime presented by Through Me to you Puppetry. Puppet friends take turns reading stories and singing songs during this special interactive story time. Afterwards, children & families can meet the puppets! 

This fun event for young children and their families, will be held inside Brown’s Mall at Movement Arts Gloucester MA on the top floor of the Brown Building, where regular Library storytime is held. Enter at 186 Main Street or 11 Pleasant Street and take the elevator to the 5th floor.

Drop in, no registration needed. For more information, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.

This event has been made possible through the generous support of the Constance T. Rhinelander Fund.

SFL’s Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club to host “The Whalemobile” at Gloucester City Hall on Friday, March 31st

~ Sawyer Free Library

It will be a whale of a time at Gloucester City Hall on Friday afternoon, March 31st, when the Sawyer Free Library hosts Whale Watch Naturalist Cindy McInnis and her life-sized inflatable whale from 3:30–5:30 pm, in Kyrouz Auditorium, as part of its Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club. 

Young Scientists will have the opportunity to step inside Nile, the 43-foot long and 30-foot wide inflatable humpback, and learn how whales are similar and different from humans in this interactive program. They will learn about Nile’s migratory path, how many calves she’s had, and how researchers came to this information. Artifacts such as baleen, teeth, and bones will be available for children to see and feel as a part of this interactive program.

The Whalemobile program is suitable for 2nd-8th graders, ages 7 and up. It is free and open to all to attend, although registration is required for each young scientist planning on stepping into the whale. Please register on the calendar page of the SFL website. People can sign up in half-hour intervals starting at 3:30 pm and ending at 5:30 pm on the calendar page of SawyerFreeLibrary.org.  The event will take place in Kyrouz Auditorium on the second floor of Gloucester City Hall located at 9 Dale Avenue.

The Young Gloucester Scientists Club is a monthly club for 4th through 8th graders, which takes a hands-on approach to learning, building community connections, and encouraging local youth to actively think like scientists by observing, questioning, and experimenting with the world around them. 

In addition to monthly field trips in the community, circulating Kits and library-produced Digital Content provide children with fun learning activities to do at home and in-person family programming that introduces them to Gloucester Community members with careers across a variety of STEM fields.

To learn more about the program or upcoming events, visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org.

Sawyer Free Library: Conversations with Award Winning Authors in February

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library is please to present talks with bestselling authors in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. To register for these upcoming virtual events, visit sawyerfreelibray.org.

Tastes Like War: An Author Talk with Grace M. Cho

Thursday, February 16, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

An insightful chat with award-winning author Grace M. Cho who discusses her memoir, Tastes Like War: Part food memoir, part sociological investigation. 

Grace M. Cho grew up as the daughter of a white American merchant marine and the Korean bar hostess he met abroad. They were one of few immigrants in a xenophobic small town during the Cold War, where identity was politicized by everyday details—language, cultural references, memories, and food. When Grace was fifteen, her dynamic mother experienced the onset of schizophrenia, a condition that would continue and evolve for the rest of her life.

Part food memoir, part sociological investigation, Tastes Like War is a hybrid text about a daughter’s search through intimate and global history for the roots of her mother’s schizophrenia. In her mother’s final years, Grace learned to cook dishes from her mother’s childhood in order to invite the past into the present, and to hold space for her mother’s multiple voices at the table. And through careful listening over these shared meals, Grace discovered not only the things that broke the brilliant, complicated woman who raised her—but also the things that kept her alive.

About the Author: Grace M. Cho is Associate Professor of Sociology at the College of Staten Island. She received a PhD in Sociology and Women’s Studies from the CUNY Graduate Center and an MEd from Harvard School of Education. Her work crosses disciplinary boundaries and seeks to engage popular audiences. From 2005 to 2007 she was a contributing performance artist for Still Present Pasts: Korean Americans and the Forgotten War, a collaborative art project based on the oral histories of Korean War survivors and their children. Her participation in Still Present Pasts influenced the form and content of her first book, Haunting the Korean Diaspora: Shame, Secrecy and the Forgotten War (University of Minnesota, 2008) which combined fiction, performance, autoethnography and sociological research. It won a 2010 book award from the American Sociological Association for its innovative methodology. Her second book, Tastes Like War, was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Nonfiction and the winner of the 2022 Asian Pacific American Literature Award for Adult Nonfiction.

To receive the link for this free online event register at sawyerfreelibrary.org

Author Talk with Sadeqa Johnson: Award-Winning Author of Yellow Wife and The House of Eve

Tuesday, February 28, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

An invigorating conversation with highly acclaimed author Sadeqa Johnson who will be speaking about her brand-new novel, The House of Eve!  

In The House of Eve, Fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising her daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed onto her like a birthright.

Eleanor Quarles arrived in Washington DC with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t just let anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done.

The lives of these two women collide in the most unexpected way as they both face life altering decisions. The House of Eve is a fast-paced, harrowing story that hinges on what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.   

About the Author: Sadeqa Johnson is the award-winning author of four novels, including Yellow Wife. Her accolades include the National Book Club Award, the Phillis Wheatley Book Award, and the USA Best Book Award for Best Fiction. She is a Kimbilio Fellow, former board member of the James River Writers, and a Tall Poppy Writer. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and three children. To learn more, visit SadeqaJohnson.net.

To receive the link for this free online event, register at sawyerfreelibrary.org

Long Bright River: Author Talk with Liz Moore

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library is pleased to offer an author talk with New York Times Bestselling author Liz Moore as she discusses her international bestseller, Long Bright River, and her other works. 

The virtual event will take place on Tuesday, August 9 from 9:00 to 10:00pm. Register here to receive the zoom link.

The novel takes place in Philadelphia, where Moore has lived for a decade. She traces the story of two sisters estranged from each other but bonded by their choices. Mickey is a cop, and Kacey lives on the streets in the vice of addiction. When Kacey disappears, Mickey panics over her sister’s safety—obsessed with finding the culprit and her sister before it’s too late.

Drawing on deeply personal volunteer work, Liz Moore spins a story that is both graphically honest and dignified. Long Bright River puts a very human face on the effect that addiction can have on generations of families and communities. 

About the Author

Liz Moore is the author of four novels, a winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, and she teaches in the MFA program in Creative Writing at Temple University.

Register Here for Virtual Author Talk

To learn more about the Library’s upcoming author talks brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium click HERE.

Next up in August:

The Beauty in Breaking: Author Talk with Michele Harper 
Michele Harper – NYT Bestselling Author and NYT Notable Book
August 22nd at 9:00 PM EDT  See More and Register

Impact Players: How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger and Multiply Your Impact – Author Talk with Liz Wiseman 
New York Times Best Selling Author – Liz Wiseman
August 25th at 12:00 PM EDT See More and Register