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.
Tweens and Teens are invited to celebrate summer break this Friday, June 23rd at 3:00 pm with Local Paper Artist Katherine Morrison at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street in Gloucester. Everyone will all leave this hour long program with a stamped mini-book and having flexed your creative muscles!
There is something for everyone this summer at the Sawyer Free Library ! Discover all that is happening at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org, call 978-325-5500, or the Library 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester.
Sawyer Free Library is excited to present Musical Storytime @ 21 Main Street on Friday, June 16 at 11:15 a.m. for our youngest patrons and their caregivers!
Join Ruthanne Paulson for some musical fun at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street in Downtown Gloucester. It will be a festive morning of Spring fun, stories, singing, dancing and playing music.
Get creative and express yourself all summer long at Gloucester’s Public Library with free events for all ages, programs for kids and teens, reading recommendations, and much more.
Sawyer Free Library (SFL) is thrilled to announce 2023 summer reading program, “Find Your Voice” and invites the community to embark on a summer-long journey of creativity, self-expression, and exploration.
Summer at the Sawyer Free Library officially kicks off this month with an overflowing calendar of free events and programs to inspire, educate, and entertain patrons of all ages. From innovative reading challenges and interactive workshops to book discussions, author talks, live music, field trips, and much more, the Sawyer Free Library is the ultimate destination this summer for kids, teens, and adults to unleash their imaginations and find their unique voices.
“Our voices have the power to share stories, express ourselves and spark change,” said the Sawyer Free Library DirectorJenny Benedict. “The Sawyer Free Library’s summer long program, “Find Your Voice” is designed to inspire individuals of all ages to discover the joys of reading, unlock their creativity, and connect with others through the power of words. With a wide range of dynamic programs, activities and resources the Library offers something for everyone to get creative and express themselves all summer long.”
Kids of all ages can make their voices heard loud and clear at the SFL through an exciting lineup of fun programs, innovative incentives, and educational activities to encourage them to stay active, engaged, and read for fun.
To get started, young people and their families can pick up their Summer Reading Information and Activity Log at the Library, which has program information, the event calendar, and reading log. Children can stay on top of their summer reading with their “Find Your Voice” time-tracking reading logs. Register from June 13 to August 1, and then read (or be read to) for at least 500 minutes throughout the summer to earn prizes, including tickets to the Topsfield Fair. People can register in person or online for the program.
Children and families looking for things to do need not look further than the Sawyer Free with its busy summer schedule. Younger library goers will be moving and grooving during musical story time with Ruthanne Paulson on Friday, June 16, engaging with puppet friends reading stories and singing songs during an interactive storytime on June 28, and dancing with Creative Movement in the Library’s Amphitheater on July 29.
Kids will get the chance to get an up-close look at rainforest reptiles on Friday, July 7, presented by Conservation by Education, learn about the snakes of the world with Rick Roth and the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team on Saturday, July 15, and meet a variety of insects, bugs and more with Professor Bugman EntomologyAdventureson Tuesday, August 8.
Throughout the summer, everyone can get their hands dirty on Thursday mornings while sharing stories and gardening in the Library’s raised gardens with Backyard Growers. Then on select Tuesday afternoons, young poets can try out rhymes, personification, haiku, and more in workshops led by young Gloucester poet Willa Brosnihan.
The Library will also host fun local field trips for children and their caregivers, including a visit to Hammond Castle on Tuesday, July 18, and Maritime Museum on July 24.
It is also a big summer for Tweens and Teens. Students entering grades 6-12 are encouraged to track their “Summer Reading and Library Adventures” on the official form available on the Library’s website to qualify for weekly prize drawings including treats from Bravo, Turtle Alley and more.
Middle and high schoolers are encouraged to check out the Library’s full summer schedule of weekly programs, including creative workshops with local paper artist Katherine Morrisonon bookmaking on June 23 and building wire trees with Local Sculptor & Wire Artist Ryan Kelley in July. Young Gloucester Scientist Club will host a series of field trips, including a whale watch in June, a community garden scavenger hunt with Backyard Growers in July, an adventure on the water with Maritime Gloucester in August, and more, with the summer anchored by the exciting author visit in July by Taylor Tyng of the celebrated graphic novel series Clara Poole and the Long Way Round.
SFL also knows that summer reading is for everybody, whether you read at the beach or on your commute to work so it is giving adults a chance to get in on the summer fun, too, with Adult Book Bingo 2023. From now until September 1, 2023, those 18 and older can keep track of the books they read on the Library’s downloadable custom bingo card by writing the title and author in the matching square. Each completed horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line enters you into a raffle to win $25, $50, or $75 Cape Ann Gift Certificates.
In addition to the myriad of resources and programs the Library offers adults—technology training, job search help, historical resource assistance, and more – there will also be summer-themed special programs and reading lists available from local author talks, live music, and much more.
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.
The summer programming will run from June 5 to September 1. To discover the complete schedule and register for events, please visit the Sawyer Free Library website at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org, call 978-325-5500, or the Library 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester.
Sawyer Free Library’s summer operating hours beginning on June 3, will be Monday 8am to 6 pm, Tuesday 8 am to 6:15 pm, Wednesday 8 am to 6 pm, Thursday 10 am to 7 pm, Friday 10 am to 5 pm, Saturday 10 am to 1 pm, and 24/7 at sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Critically acclaimed local singer songwriter Hayley Reardon to perform at SFL @ 21 Main Street on Thursday evening!
Sawyer Free Library is excited to announce its Sawyer Free Folk Showcase this summer, a series spotlighting local singer-songwriters. The showcase will be held on the first Thursday of the summer months at its 21 Main Street location in downtown Gloucester. The first one is this upcoming Thursday, June 1, with Gloucester-based singer-songwriter Hayley Reardon from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.
Hayley will perform a 45-minute set of her music followed by a brief discussion about her approach to songwriting and lyrical composition. The evening is free and open to all to come and enjoy. No registration is required.
Hayley Reardon is a critically acclaimed folk-pop artist and a storyteller in the truest sense of the word. Her songs are postcards from an artist brave enough to take the road less traveled. Raised in Massachusetts, Reardon dove headfirst into music at 15 and honed her craft for over a decade, sharing the stage with acts like Lori McKenna, Rodney Crowell, and Anaïs Mitchell, among others. Her raw artistry boasts a lyrical and melodic weight far beyond her years. Her music has been described as “brilliantly moving folk/pop with a lyrical depth and soul” (Performer Magazine) and “a melancholy little masterpiece” (American Songwriter Magazine). She recently made a splash with her single, “Losing From Within,” grabbing the attention of Spotify Editorial Playlists like Fresh Folk, Folk Pop, Morning Coffee, and Today’s Singer/Songwriters. Her latest EP, In The Good Light, was recorded in Barcelona with Catalan collaborator Pau Figueres (one of Spain’s finest guitarists). Having recently made her home here in Gloucester, Hayley wowed audiences at the 2023 Singer/Songwriter Challenge at Machaca, winning first prize and making a memorable impression on the Cape Ann music scene.
The Sawyer Free Library is honored to have her perform for its first Sawyer Free Folk Showcase series.
The SAWYER FREE LIBRARYis excited to be kicking off the community consultation for its new STRATEGIC PLAN: OUR LIBRARY. OUR FUTURE.
As part of the planning process, Sawyer Free Library wants to hear from the community and gather its valuable input. The 2025-2029 strategic planning process is especially important due to new opportunities that will be possible with the opening of the renovated, modernized and expanded 2025 Sawyer Free Library.
The Library will be hosting a series of 4 PUBLIC COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, and an ONLINE SURVEYand wants to hear from YOU! The Library encourages individuals from all backgrounds and age groups, community organizations, local businesses, and other stakeholders, to participate and provide their unique perspectives.
Community Conversations will be held IN PERSON on:
Monday, May 22, at Cape Ann YMCA from 6:00 -7:30 p.m.
Monday, June 5, at the Sawyer Free Library’s temporary space at 21 Main Street from 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Community Conversations take place VIRTUALLY over Zoom:
Friday, June 2, from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 13, from 10-11:30 a.m.
Gloucester Conversations will moderate these public forums, which are open to everyone to attend, and share their thoughts, ideas, and insights about how the 2025 Sawyer Free Library can best serve them and the greater community.
All Gloucester residents and visitors are also encouraged to fill out the Sawyer Free Library‘s new COMMUNITY SURVEY. The online survey is available online at SawyerFreeLibrary.org and will be open through July 1, 2023.
Regardless of how much or how little individuals use its services, everyone’s perspectives are welcome and encouraged to participate! This survey is the first piece of research that will help to inform the new strategic plan and will be critical in influencing the Library’s priorities for the next five years.
The Sawyer Free Library expects to analyze the results this summer and compile a summary report, which will be shared with the community when the Library Board of Trustees finalizes the new 2025-2029 Strategic Plan. The Library’s most recent five-year strategic plan was completed in 2020, which runs through 2024.
Community members can visit sawyerfreelibrary.org for more information and updates on ways to participate in the strategic planning process. The Library will also provide regular updates to keep community members informed and engaged throughout the process.
As a part of May’s Memoir Month, the Sawyer Free Library is pleased to welcome local author Stella Nahatis on Thursday, May 11 at 5:30 to discuss her newly released memoir, Taxi to America: A Greek Orphan’s Adoption Journey. All are welcome to attend this special event at the Library located at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. To register click HERE or for more information, visit, sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Stella’s journey from Thessaloniki, Greece, to America begins with a pre-dawn taxi ride that she and her sister share while the coffin holding a loved one rides along in the taxi’s trunk. Orphaned and separated from her younger sister “for her own good” as the culture dictated at the time, Stella ends up being adopted by a Greek couple that had emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts. At age 11, she overcomes multiple losses and cultural differences to find a place in her new homeland while finding ways to stay connected to those she loved in Greece.
This story of resilience and perseverance follows Stella’s journey of becoming an “Amerikanaki” and eventually reconnecting with her sister, who had stayed in Greece with her own set of adoptive parents. Even as Stella embraces her new life and culture in America, she rebuilds her loving relationship with her sister after an eight-year separation. Later in life, the sisters take another taxi ride together, this time to recover important details of their birth parents’ life stories that mirror the determination to survive and thrive that marks their own.
A morning of unstructured play for little ones and their caregivers at SFL at 21 Main Street. Books and toys will be provided. Best suited for ages 0-2.
No registration needed. Questions? Contact: jvitale@sawyerfreelibrary.org
Author Talk at SFL with GAIL BRENNER NASTASIA on Thursday evening, May 4
Sawyer Free Library is pleased to present a series of local authors reading and discussing their memoirs this May at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester. All events are in person and open to the public. To register, or for more information, visit, sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Thursday, May 4, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Book Reading with local author GAIL BRENNER NASTASIA
Join local Author and Gloucester native Gail Brenner Nastasia, who will speak about her newly released memoir, The Fruit You’ll Never See.
Gail learned early on that some people mattered and others didn’t. Despite moving away from Gloucester in her early twenties and becoming an attorney, it wasn’t until she began to appreciate the value in her criminally-charged clients, those with whom she shared similar struggles, that she was finally able to recognize her own worth. This new understanding gave Gail the courage to embrace her history fully and to stop hiding. A candid look at the things we inherit, Gail’s memoir reminds us of the value intrinsic in every human being and the responsibility we all have to each other and ourselves. After practicing criminal defense for sixteen years, Gail received her MFA from Emerson College in 2021. She is currently working on her second book while continuing her work in the legal field. Now in recovery from drug addiction for twenty years, Gail’s primary goal is to help others to recover from addiction. She is also the proud mother of three.
Thursday, May 11, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.,Author Talk with STELLA NAHATIS
Stella’s journey from Thessaloniki, Greece, to America begins with a pre-dawn taxi ride that she and her sister share while the coffin holding a loved one rides along in the taxi’s trunk. Orphaned and separated from her younger sister “for her own good” as the culture dictated at the time, Stella ends up being adopted by a Greek couple that had emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts. At age 11, she overcomes multiple losses and cultural differences to find a place in her new homeland while finding ways to stay connected to those she loved in Greece.
This story of resilience and perseverance follows Stella’s journey of becoming an “Amerikanaki” and eventually reconnecting with her sister, who had stayed in Greece with her own set of adoptive parents. Even as Stella embraces her new life and culture in America, she rebuilds her loving relationship with her sister after an eight-year separation. Later in life, the sisters take another taxi ride together, this time to recover important details of their birth parents’ life stories that mirror the determination to survive and thrive that marks their own.
Thursday, May 18, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Author Talk with VIRGINIA MCKINNON
Virginia McKinnon as she reads from her newly released memoir,A Fisherman’s Daughter: Growing Up Sicilian-American in the Oldest Fishing Port in America.
At age 93, this first-time author shares short stories of her heritage growing up in Gloucester, spanning her lifetime, including her late husband’s WWII experiences in the Asiatic Pacific. Drawing on her vivid memories from throughout her life as a child when she could hop fishing boat to fishing boat during St. Peter’s Fiesta in Gloucester Harbor to the joyful celebrations of marriage and family life, to her community and public life work as a social worker, eucharistic church minister, lector, and writer, Virginia’s book documents a cultural history of a way of life in Gloucester and America.
The Sawyer Free Library is proud to present this important community event about stroke health, made possible by Encompass Health and Beth Israel Lahey Health.
Join us on Tuesday, May 2 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street and learn the warning signs of a stroke and how to help prevent one from occurring by knowing the risk factors. The presenter is Chris S. Burke, MD who is a Neurologist and the Stroke Medical Director at Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals. Register at SawyerFreeLibrary.org.
Cape Ann Community 