Summit Library October 2021
Live programs for Teens, Mix of Live/Zoom classes for Adults
Teens (Grades 6-12)
On Monday, October 18 from 4-5 p.m., come to the library for a Comic Book Workshop with famed cartoonist GR Lear, founder of Unlimited Wonder Comics. This is a comics making workshop where students learn how they can use the medium of comics to tell their stories regardless of drawing skill level. Please wear face masks. Registration is required.
Programs for Adults
Explore Your World program
Friday, October 1 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Ian Drake returns to the library to present a 3 week Explore Your World program on American Involvement in Foreign Relations. Each week he will concentrate on a different area of the world including Asia, the Middle East and Europe. This program will be delivered live as well as via Zoom. Registration required. If you attend the live program, please wear a face mask. This program is sponsored by the Manley Winser Memorial Fund.
Mine!: How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control our Lives
Tuesday, October 5 from 7-8 p.m.
Author Michael Heller discusses his new book Mine!: How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control our Lives via Zoom. Michael is a professor at the Columbia University School of Law and is one of the world’s leading authorities on ownership. Registration required.
Helen Perry Curtis: A Summit Story
Thursday, October 7 from 7-8:30 p.m.
historian and writer Laura Gellott presents Helen Perry Curtis: A Summit Story. Laura will talk about her book, Helen Perry Curtis and the European Trip of a Lifetime, tracing Curtis’s life from a Nebraska childhood to Summit, New Jersey and across the European continent in the early decades of the 20th Century. Curtis participated in the reform movements of the era, including women’s suffrage and the settlement house. Curtis was a curator at the Newark Museum, director of the State Museum of New Jersey, and a prolific freelance writer for women’s magazines. Registration required. Live and via Zoom. If you attend the live program, please wear a face mask. This program is co-sponsored by the Summit Free Public Library, the Summit Historical Society, and the Central Presbyterian Church.
Frida Kahlo: Dreams, Demons, and Devotion
Tuesday, October 12 from 7-8:15 p.m.
come listen to a lecture on Frida Kahlo: Dreams, Demons, and Devotion. Frida Kahlo’s paintings illustrate the anguish and passion of a fascinating, complicated personal and artistic life. The astonishing works of this Mexican and feminist icon will be looked at through the lens of her ethnicity, disabilities, and political activism, especially emphasizing her engagement with the natural world. Registration required. Live and via Zoom. If you attend the live session, please wear a face mask.
Performance from Vocalist Ellen LaFurn
Sunday, October 17 from 2-3 p.m.
join vocalist Ellen LaFurn. She will offer a selection of classic songs from the American Songbook. Ellen will perform live in the library’s Rotunda. The program is made possible, in part, by funds from the Union County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Pandemics in History: Putting COVID into Context
Monday, October 18 from 7-8 p.m.
join Dr. Jonathan Engel, a professor at Baruch College, CUNY, for Pandemics in History: Putting COVID into Context. We are in the midst of living through a serious and contagious viral outbreak which is changing the way we live our lives. But this outbreak is hardly unique. People have confronted serious contagious disease many times in the past, and have taken steps ranging from quarantine to expulsion to port-closures to forced vaccinations. In this talk, we will explore responses to past infectious outbreaks and lessons which we can draw for the present. Registration required. Live and via Zoom. If you attend the live program, please wear a face mask.
Small Business and Entrepreneurs Group
Tuesday, October 19 from 9:30-11:00 a.m.
join fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners for our Small Business and Entrepreneurs Group at the Summit Free Public Library. This is a networking, information sharing and learning group for entrepreneurs, independent contractors, and small business owners (who live or work in Summit and surrounding towns) and people wanting to start their own small business. Whether you’re thinking of starting a new business or looking to grow a current business, this is an opportunity to meet, share, learn, and get feedback and encouragement from others who share your interests and goals. Registration required. In person. Please wear face masks.
Roles of International Organizations in a Global Pandemic
Wednesday, September 20 from 7-8:30 p.m.
our latest Great Decisions program will focus on the Roles of International Organizations in a Global Pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic has thrust the World Health Organization (WHO) into the limelight, for better and for worse. While some of the Trump administration’s criticism of the organization is unfair, the response to the early stages of the pandemic left many experts wanting more from the WHO. What is the WHO’s role in responding to international pandemics? What can be done to improve the WHO’s response to future global health crises? This program will be live only. Registration required. Please wear face masks.
Book Talk with Debbie
Thursday, October 21 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
get the inside scoop on what’s hot and what’s not in new releases and attend Book Talk with Debbie! Librarian and book aficionado Debbie Abrams will present this popular program. Feel free to share your own picks and pans—or just attend and come away with a list of new books to read. This program will be delivered via Zoom. Registration required.
American Women Writers Class
Starting Friday, October 22 from 2-4 p.m.
Professor Robert Comeau will present American Women Writers, a 6-week class that is part of the popular Explore Your World Minicourses for Adults series. Professor Comeau will discuss the works of Sarah Orne Jewett, Kate Chopin, Willa Cather and Toni Morrison. There will be no class on November 26 and December 3. Registration required. Live and via Zoom. For those who attend the live sessions, please wear a face mask. Funded through the Manley Winser Memorial Fund.
How to Knit a Scarf without Needles
Sunday, October 24 from 2-3:30 p.m.
Marge Barkan will show you how to Knit a Scarf without Needles. All materials will be supplied. Registration required. Live only. Please wear a face mask.
Trivia Night
Friday, October 29 from 7-8:30 p.m.
Mary Piekarski will be hosting her popular Trivia Night! G-rated fun for adults. Registration required. Zoom only.
Friends of the Summit Free Public Library Donated Jewelry Sale!
Saturday, October 23 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, October 24 from 1-4 p.m.
the Friends will host their popular jewelry sale! Stay tuned for details.
You can visit our website at summitlibrary.org and go to the Events tab at the top of the homepage or call the library at 908-273-0350, option 3 to register directly with one of our librarians. Note, since many of the library’s programs are currently being delivered via Zoom (or Zoom/Live). You’ll receive a Zoom link in your email, typically the day before and the day of the start of the program. All live programs are subject to change based on Health Department guidance.
