Rescheduled Rescheduled Event

New Hampshire Institute of Art just announced:

 

We are very sad to report we are once again postponing our POE + CO event due to weather. 

Please DO come visit the Vault Gallery to view the “Grip the Raven”

show featuring Illustration student artwork.  

Stay tuned for more news of our next Creative Writing event,

at NOON on Friday, November 16.

In the meantime, NEVER say NEVERMORE!!!

Events: November 2

Peterborough Town Library Book Discussion

Regular monthly book discussion featuring Poe this month to coincide with Big Read.

Event Location: Peterborough Town Library, Peterborough, NH 03458

Date: Fri, Nov 2, 2012, Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm

Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe

A series of Poe's works adapted for the stage and preformed by students in the Salem High School Drama club. The production will include the following Poe works: The Raven, Fall of House of Usher, Pit and Pendulum, Tell-tale Heart, Cask of Amontilado. The Cask was adapted for the stage by student Kyle Hamlin.

Event Location: Salem High School, Salem, NH 03079

Date: Fri, Nov 2, 2012 – Sat, Nov 3, 2012, Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm

  For a list of all the upcoming events visit our events listing. 

Partner: William D. Weeks Memorial Library

Lancaster Public Library was created in the late 1800s after a series of small reading groups and subscription libraries.  In 1906 John W. Weeks gave the town a new building in memory of his father William Dennis Weeks to house the growing library's collections, and at that point the library's name was officially changed to the William D. Weeks Memorial Library.  An addition tripled the space of the library in 1998, and the present collection is now greater than 60,000 items.  The mission of the library has three parts: (1) to celebrate and foster recreational learning through activities, technology, and programs for persons of all ages, (2) to serve as a public warehouse (repository) of ideas, a place where information can be shared from print, audio-visual, and on-line sources with the help of trained specialists who organize and make these resources accessible, and (3) to be the hub of our community where information, knowledge, culture, and history interface with people.  The library's current membership is approximately 3000 persons and includes not only residents from the town of Lancaster but also individuals from a thirty mile radius in New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont.  Of particular notice is the library's large and growing New Hampshire and genealogical collections. They are partners with White Mountains Regional High School and Lancaster Elementary School on this year's Big Read.

Events: October 31

Live Poe at Rivier University

Dramatic readings of Poe's work.

Event Location: Regina Library at Rivier University, Nashua, NH 03060

Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012, Time: 12:00pm – 12:00pm

A Spooky Night with Poe

Children will read and discuss several Poe works, assisted by local theatre members. Children will act out favorite parts of works. We are hoping for an especially dark scary fall evening.

Event Location: Walpole Town Library, Walpole, NH 03608

Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012, Time: 12:00pm – 12:00pm

"Poe"-try Slam

Poetry slam throughout one day in October featuring the poems of Edgar Allan Poe. Public invited to participate later in day at specified time; otherwise students allowed to come during certain periods to participate.

Event Location: Baker Free Library in conjunction with Bow High School, Bow, NH 03304

Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012, Time: 12:00pm – 12:00pm

Raven and Gold Bug Scavenger Hunt Party

A party will be held to announce the winners of the Raven and Gold Bug Scavenger Hunt held Oct. 27th - 30th around the town of Wilton. Prizes will be given to participants finding all the icons. Refreshments will be served.

Event Location: Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library, Wilton, NH 03086

Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012, Time: 5:00pm – 6:00pm

Masque of the Red Death Costume Party

We will view "The Masque of the Red Death" with Vincent Price, learn to waltz, play a game of Mafia/Werewolf (with title changed to relate to Red Death), present a Poe reader's theater and have a costume contest.

Event Location: Wadleigh Memorial Library, Milford, NH 03055

Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012, Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Halloween Pass-the-Book

Bring the family for an adventure of the mind. Edgar Allan Poe Short Stories read out loud and in dramatic fashion by neighbors you know in the warm, friendly atmosphere of the Canaan Town Library. Come read, listen and enjoy. All ages are welcome.

Event Location: Canaan Town Library, Canaan, NH 03741

Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012, Time: 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Peterborough Town Library Book Discussion

Regular monthly book discussion featuring Poe this month to coincide with Big Read.

Event Location: Peterborough Town Library, Peterborough, NH 03458

Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012, Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Do You Dare? Halloween with Edgar Allan Poe

Spend Halloween at the library exploring Poe's macabre stories. Refreshments will be served, if you dare.

Event Location: Somersworth Public Library, Somersworth, NH 03878

Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012, Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Poe Page to Screen Film Series Week 4

Enjoy a free refreshments and a screening of a classic Poe film. Call the library at 603-352-0157 for details on featured film.

Event Location: Keene Public Library, Keene, NH 03431

Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012, Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Scary Stories Contest Entries Due

Write a scary story of 500 words or less (there is no minimum number of words required, but your story should be equal to or less than 500 words). You must use one of these phrases to begin or end your story: It was many and many a year ago, . . . I felt a hand grab me and pull me back into the darkness… The phone rang and rang, but no one could answer it… The tree had been watered with blood and hungered for more… If I’d known vampires were real, I never would have dressed up like one for Halloween…. The story must be your original creation and, if possible, typed. Turn in your story with a completed entry form before 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday October 31. Stories will be judged in three categories: 3rd through 5th grade, 6th through 8th grade, and grade 9 and up. The top three stories in each age group will be recognized with certificates and gift certificates to the Toadstool Bookshop. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity, quality of writing and adherence to contest guidelines. Entries will not be returned—please make a copy before you turn in your story.

Event Location: Keene Public Library, Keene, NH 03431

Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2012, Time: 9:00pm – 9:00pm

  For a list of all the upcoming events visit our events listing. 

Events: October 30

Poe Live(s)

A dramatic reading of various works by Poe, performed and written by members of the Rivier University Community. Additionally, short exerpts of student work written in the style of Poe will be read.

Event Location: Rivier University, Nashua, NH 03060

Date: Tue, Oct 30, 2012, Time: 12:00pm – 12:00pm

Make a Poe-cket Shrines

Inspired by Mexico's Day of the Dead and Poe's macabre stories, drop by the library to make a pocket shrine in honor of a loved one. Ages 12-16 are welcome to attend. All supplies will be provided by the library.

Event Location: Somersworth Public Library, Somersworth, NH 03878

Date: Tue, Oct 30, 2012, Time: 3:30pm – 4:30pm

Discover Poe's Greatest Horror Stories

Just in time for Halloween, Plymouth State University professor Matthew Cheney will lead a discussion of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous horror stories, including "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Masque of the Red Death", "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Black Cat", and "The Cask of Amontillado". Discover new ways of reading these classics, and discuss what makes them still so effective even now, more than 150 years after they were written.

Event Location: Pease Public Library, Plymouth, NH 03264

Date: Tue, Oct 30, 2012, Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm

For a list of all the upcoming events visit our events listing. 

Partner: Somersworth Public Library

The Somersworth Public Library, established in 1841 as the Manufacturers and Village Library and reorganized as the public library in 1899, provides the citizens of the City of Somersworth access to the materials and services necessary for their informational, cultural, educational, and recreational needs.  To meet this obligation, the library supplies books and e-books, large print books, audio books in cassette, CD and downloadable formats, magazines, videos, DVD's, museum passes, databases and paperbacks. The reference collection assists the public and the librarians with research. The library’s Somersworth history collection offers access to local history and genealogy sources. The Summersworth Historical Society and Museum is a valuable partner in preserving the city's history and assisting genealogists and researchers. The Friends of the Somersworth Public Library host an annual author's evening in the fall and sponsor four book sales during the year to benefit the library. The Children's Room, moved from the main library into the basement and opened in 1988, offers books, videos, audios, magazines, and DVD's for children up to grade six. Librarians conduct weekly story and craft programs for children of all ages throughout the year. The library participates each June in the annual Somersworth International Children's Festival that began in 1981 and attracts over 30,000 visitors to the community.  They are partners with Somersworth Public High School on this year's Big Read.

Events: October 29

After Poe

Eighth graders at the Weare Middle School will listen to Poe's well-known tales and write short stories in the manner of Edgar Allan Poe. Students' writing will be displayed at the library beginning October 29. A bound story collection will be created after the display.

Event Location: Weare Public Library, Weare, NH 03281

Date: Beginning Mon, Oct 29, 2012 through early November
Time: 10:00am – 8:00pm

Poe &  Co.

Creative Writing students at New Hampshire Institute of Art will submit Poe-related (macabre) short stories or poems that will be selected by faculty to be read/performed at Teti Library, Fuller Hall. Additional readers will read excerpts from Poe, and there will be a special reading from faculty member Tim Horvath.

Event Location: NH Institute of Art, Manchester, NH 03101

Date: Mon, Oct 29, 2012
Time: 12:00pm – 12:00pm

Why Poetry is Important

″It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.″ Poet and physician, William Carlos Williams implies (and in verse) that poetry is not only life-affirming but necessary to our survival. Explore the multifaceted importance of poetry and how the poet's role as a literary shaman leads to new openings in human consciousness. Diana Durham has a M.A. in English Literature, University College of London (UK). She is an independent scholar and author of The Return of King Arthur: Completing the Quest for Wholeness, and two books of poetry, Sea of Glass and To the End of the Night.

Event Location: Keene Public Library, Keene, NH 03431

Date: Mon, Oct 29, 2012
Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe

Participants will be encouraged to come and read a favorite poem by Poe. There will also be "performances" (a choral reading and solo readings).

Event Location: Fuller Public Library, Hillsborough, NH 03244

Date: Mon, Oct 29, 2012
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Edgar Allan Poe Film Festival: An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe

Vincent Price stars in An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe: The Tell Tale Heart, The Sphinx, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Pit and the Pendulum. 1970. NR. 53 mins.

Event Location: Moultonborough Public Library, Moultonborough, NH 03254

Date: Mon, Oct 29, 2012
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm

For a list of all the upcoming events visit our events listing. 

Partner: Somersworth High School Library

The Somersworth High School, one of the first public high schools in New Hampshire, currently serves students in grades 9-12 from the Somersworth and Rollinsford school districts. The goal of the Somersworth High School Library media program is to ensure that students and staff at the Somersworth High School and Career Technical Center are effective users of ideas and information and to implement the Somersworth High School community’s mission, which is to foster intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and literacy in students while developing respectful, responsible and articulate global citizens. They are Big Read partners with the Somersworth Public Library.

Events: October 27

Raven and Gold Bug Scavenger Hunt

Participants are invited to pick up a map on the morning of October 27th and will have until 7pm on October 30th to return the map on which they have marked the locations of raven and gold bug sculptures made by children earlier in the month. A scavenger hunt party will be held on the 31st to announce the winners. Refreshments will be served.

Event Location: Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library, Wilton, NH 03086

Date: Sat, Oct 27, 2012 – Tue, Oct 30, 2012

An Afternoon with Edgar Allan Poe Readers' Theatre

Enjoy an afternoon of tales from the master of macabre – Edgar Allan Poe. This readers' theatre production features readings of Poe’s most famous stories read by The Edge Ensemble Theatre Company.

Event Location: Keene Public Library, Keene, NH 03431

Date: Sat, Oct 27, 2012, Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Haunted Pumpkin Festival

Part of the town's annual Haunted house and Halloween festival, the Dunbar Free Library will insert Poe elements into the haunted house. Listen for the beat of "The Tell-tale heart", find "The gold bug", be scared by the orangutan from "The murders in the Rue Morgue", and perhaps have a raven cawing "Never-more"! In partnership with the Dunbar Free Library.

Event Location: Grantham Village School Gym, Grantham, NH 03753

Date: Sat, Oct 27, 2012, Time: 5:00pm – 6:30pm

The Raven Returns

Dramatic Readings of some favorite stories and poems by Poe, complete with costumes and props and featuring New Boston's own Dick Backus and numerous local talent

Event Location: Whipple Free Library, New Boston, NH 03070

Date: Sat, Oct 27, 2012, Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm

The Raven's Ball: A 19th Century Cotillion

Join us for a 19th Century Cotillion with New Boston's own "New Boston Fancy." Costumes encouraged. Prizes! Refreshments! All dances will be taught and no experience is needed. Fun for all.

Event Location: Whipple Free Library, New Boston, NH 03070

Date: Sat, Oct 27, 2012, Time: 8:00pm – 10:00pm

For a list of all the upcoming events visit our events listing. 

Partner: Rye Public Library

The Rye Public Library opened on September 6, 1911, for the circulation of books every Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon. Gifts to the Town of Rye, both land and building funds, were donated by Miss Mary Tuck Rand. Miss Rand formally presented these gifts as a memorial to her family in a day of ceremony on June 22, 1911. “I wish it to do good and be of much benefit, a store-house for books,  for information and knowledge, a mine of good, a fountain of help,  lasting. I hope it will help you gloriously onward and upward  through the journey of life and also those following after. This is my  sincere wish. Please accept this Library building and site from me.”  Excerpted from a speech delivered by Mary Tuck Rand, Rye Public Library Benefactor,  at the dedication of the Rye Public Library on June 22nd, 1911.  In 2011, both dates were commemorated during our Rye Public Library Centennial Celebration.   Rye Public Library was a relative latecomer in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, due to the dissolution of an earlier bequest to the town to build a public library. In years since, however, RPL has emerged as one of the most energetically supported and appreciated public libraries in the state. The tremendous response to our 2011 Centennial Celebration speaks volumes in illustration of this point.  The RPL facility has grown from its initial dimensions with three sequences of expansion. Two earlier additions, in 1967 and 1980 were augmented by the most recent expansion begun in early 1998 and opened to the public on January 16, 1999. Through the dedication of the Rye Public Library Board of Trustees who garnered wide community support, this expansion effort resulted in the wonderfully balanced and attractive building we now enjoy.  Rye Public Library Vision Statement  The vision of the Rye Public Library is to be the cultural heart of Rye by facilitating the free flow of ideas and information for all members of our community.  Rye Public Library Mission Statement  The Rye Public Library will be a friendly and inviting place providing unrestricted access to an array of materials, programs, and technologies that inform, educate, and entertain. We will promote the value of reading and encourage the quest for knowledge and experience to enrich lifelong learning, discovery, and creativity. The Library will be a mine of good and a fountain of help in the guiding spirit of our original benefactor, Mary Tuck Rand.  They count Rye Junior High School and Rye Public Library Book Discussion Group as partners in this year's Big Read.

Partner: Milton Free Public Library

The Milton Free Public Library (“Little Red School House”) is located on half an acre in the center of Milton Mills. The architecture is French Second Empire style with a mansard style roof and dormer windows upstairs. The foundation is brick. The style is unique to Milton Mills - no other buildings in town have the same style - however it was popularly used in public buildings at the time of its construction . There have been no significant exterior renovations other than maintenance (i.e., painting and replacing rotten boards). It contains two rooms downstairs which currently operate as the library. As one enters the building, the first thing seen is a beautiful staircase that branches off in two directions. The upstairs consists of one very large room, and a bell tower with a functioning bell. The floors are hardwood and the walls are plaster.
The Little Red School House remains a unique feature of Milton Mills; with its unique architecture of the "Second Empire" style, its bell tower and its central location. The library is partnering with Nute Middle and High Schools on this year's Big Read.

Partner: Jackson Public Library

The Jackson Public Library is vibrant public library located in the picturesque town of Jackson, NH. Our local population hovers in the mid-800s, but we are supported also by residents in local communities and our large number of second home owners. We have been in existence since 1879, and located from 1901-2010 in a lovely shingle-style building in the center of the Village designed by William Ralph Emerson, a architect from Boston. When our collection reached the 10,000 mark and computers started taking over the limited amount of space, the Library Trustees started the process of finding a new space for the Library. In 2008, we had a 4,000+ square foot design ready to present to the town, when the bottom dropped out of the nation's economy. Rather than dropping our hopes and dreams, we regrouped and partnered with the Jackson Historical Society to make use of a historic barn from the town built in the 1850's. The "Trickey" barn was re-erected and became the new home of the Jackson Public Library on December 7, 2010. We now enjoy bathroom facilities, increased collection space, four times the number of public access computers, a dedicated children's area, and a large and beautifully designed circulation desk that can accommodate more than one staff person at a time. We have an extensive collection of books on New Hampshire and the White Mountains, and collect a larger than normal amount of books on weather due to our proximity to Mount Washington - Home of the World's Worst Weather, a large collection on knitting books, thanks to our monthly knitting group, and dozens of puzzles donated by White Mountain Puzzles, located in Jackson.  They will be working with Jackson Grammar School on this year's Big Read.

Partner: Jackson Public Library

The Jackson Public Library is vibrant public library located in the picturesque town of Jackson, NH. Our local population hovers in the mid-800s, but we are supported also by residents in local communities and our large number of second home owners. We have been in existence since 1879, and located from 1901-2010 in a lovely shingle-style building in the center of the Village designed by William Ralph Emerson, a architect from Boston. When our collection reached the 10,000 mark and computers started taking over the limited amount of space, the Library Trustees started the process of finding a new space for the Library. In 2008, we had a 4,000+ square foot design ready to present to the town, when the bottom dropped out of the nation's economy. Rather than dropping our hopes and dreams, we regrouped and partnered with the Jackson Historical Society to make use of a historic barn from the town built in the 1850's. The "Trickey" barn was re-erected and became the new home of the Jackson Public Library on December 7, 2010. We now enjoy bathroom facilities, increased collection space, four times the number of public access computers, a dedicated children's area, and a large and beautifully designed circulation desk that can accommodate more than one staff person at a time. We have an extensive collection of books on New Hampshire and the White Mountains, and collect a larger than normal amount of books on weather due to our proximity to Mount Washington - Home of the World's Worst Weather, a large collection on knitting books, thanks to our monthly knitting group, and dozens of puzzles donated by White Mountain Puzzles, located in Jackson.  The library has partnered with Jackson Grammar School for this year's Big Read.

Partner: Exeter Public Library

Exeter Public Library’s vision is to be the informational hub for the Exeter area, a vital institution that attracts and stimulates a vibrant community with a mission to promote a literate, enlightened citizenship by providing equal access to a range of media, services and programs to meet the informational, educational and recreational needs of the community; and to encourage the discovery and evaluation of ideas and information, especially recognizing the library’s responsibility as a place for children to discover the joy of reading. Exeter Public Library was established in. An addition was built in 1942 adding space for a children’s room. In 1986, the library was moved to its present location at 4 Chestnut Street and the old library building was taken over by the Historical Society. Today the library is a very important part of the Exeter community. A nine-member, elected Board of Trustees oversees the library’s policies, personnel, and budget.  They are partners with Exeter Area High School and Exeter Historical Society on this year's Big Read.

Events: October 19

Friday Night Film Series: Poe Films Double Feature

DOUBLE FEATURE! Two classic Poe thrillers from the Roger Corman, Robert Towne, Vincent Price production team!

Event Location: NHTI -- Sweeny Hall, Concord, NH 03301

Date: Fri, Oct 19, 2012
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm

 
For a list of all the upcoming events visit our events listing. 

Partner: Philip Read Memorial Library

The Philip Read Memorial Library is a vibrant community center in a the small rural town of Plainfield. We offer patrons information from all types of media, public computer/WIFI access and programs for all ages. The library is the center of our village.  Big Read activities at the Philip Read Memorial Library in Plainfield are being supported by a grant from the Claremont Savings Bank. The grant will pay for a theater performance and a presentation by the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, both related to the Poe theme. The Big Read project was a huge factor in obtaining this grant.  They plan on working with either Plainfield Elementary School or Kimball Union Academy on this year's Big Read.

Partner: Richards Free Library

The Richards Free Library is located in Newport, a community of 6500 people that boasts an Arts Center and an Opera House, three covered bridges, and the oldest continuous town Winter Carnival in the country.  Built in 1899 as a home, the library is on the National Historic Register and comes with a ballroom on its third floor.  Annually, since 1956 the trustees of the library have presented the Sarah Josepha Hale Medal to prominent writers with a connection to New England.  The list of recipients begins with Robert Frost and includes Arthur Miller, Robert B. Parker, Ellen Goodman and Henry Louis Gates.    The Richards Free Library mission is to assist people in their search for reliable information, self-education, greater understanding, and intellectual enjoyment by providing a spectrum of materials, services and programs.  The library also provides space for the gathering of people and ideas to enrich themselves and the community.  They will be working with Newport High School on this year's Big Read.

Partner: Bethlehem Public Library

Bethlehem Public Library’s mission is to assemble, preserve, and administer, in organized collections, books and related educational, recreational and technological material in order to promote and stimulate knowledge, wisdom, culture and pure enjoyment for all citizens to the best of our abilities and resources.      We serve our patrons in the White Mountains six days each week.  They will partner with the Colonial Theatre and Profile Junior/Senior High School on this year's Big Read.

Events: October 6

Pumpkin Festival Poe Display

An exhibit featuring books and reading guides and bibliographies of Poe's works will be on display on the library lawn at the town's annual Pumpkin Festival.

Event Location: Wadleigh Memorial Library, Milford, NH 03055

Date: Sat, Oct 6, 2012 – Sun, Oct 7, 2012

Poe ALIVE!

Dramatic Reading of various Poe pieces.

Event Location: Regina Library, RivierUniversity, Nashua, NH 03060

Date: Sat, Oct 6, 2012
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm

  
In addition to scheduled events, there are several Ongoing Big Read Events. For a list of all the upcoming events visit our events listing.