Programs

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.
Please sign up for this book discussion for grades 3-5 by calling 294-3306, x5.

He was the longest serving attorney general in Rhode Island history. He helped defend and expand Rhode Island’s boundaries. And he was a founder of the Rhode Island Bar and Newport’s Redwood Library. Yet, Daniel Updike’s name is unrecognized to most Rhode Islanders today, and his life work and many accomplishments have remained in the shadows. Dr. Catherine DeCesare of the University of Rhode Island has explored the vaults of the major archives of the state to uncover both the public and private case work of Daniel Updike (c1693-1757). She will discuss Updike’s pervasive legal career and his contributions in bringing the colony of Rhode Island into the mainstream of the British Atlantic world. Please register.
This project was sponsored by the Cocumscussoc Association at Smith’s Castle (Updike’s family home) and was funded by the Rhode Island Foundation’s Supreme Court Historical Society Fund.

Tom Archangeli, LICSW and Team Manager at South Shore Center, will discuss how the different forms of depression are determined and what effective treatments are available. South Shore Center is a behavioral health organization, dedicated to serving individuals recovering from mental, brain, emotional, and addictive disorders. They also provide support to families through a full range of mental health and addiction services. Registration is not necessary for this program.

May is Mental Health Month.

Set in the easternmost region of Norway, Out Stealing Horses begins with an ending. Sixty-seven-year-old Trond has settled into a rustic cabin in an isolated area to live the rest of his life with a quiet deliberation. A meeting with his only neighbor, however, forces him to reflect on the fateful summer when he was fifteen. Books will be available. Please register.

In 1959, Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma, are at the top of their creative game as filmmakers amid disquieting insinuations about it being time to retire. To recapture the artistic daring of his youth, Alfred decides his next film will adapt the lurid horror novel, Psycho, over everyone's misgivings. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson. PG-13, 98 min. Please register.

This mystery book group meets on the first Tuesday of each month. Books are available at the circulation desk prior to each meeting. All are welcome to attend but please register.

“Rhode Island Voices,” the annual series featuring Rhode Island writers reading from their work, is a joint project of the library and the North Kingstown Arts Council. 

Stephen Dobyns has published 13 books of poems and 21 novels. He has received a Guggenheim fellowship, three fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts and numerous prizes. He will read from The Burn Palace. The novel takes place in fictional Brewster, RI. Recently, something out of the ordinary—perhaps even supernatural—has been stirring in Brewster. A series of inexplicably violent acts begins to confound the police—and inspire terror in the hearts and minds of the locals. Please register for this program.

Please register.

The group will be reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss throughout the summer for a discussion in September. Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. At this June meeting the group will gather to watch the movie Looper. Copies of The Name of the Wind will be available. Please register.

“Stories in Stone” is a film about the Narragansett Tribal stonemasons who, over the last four hundred years, have built many stonewalls that wind picturesquely through the woods of southern New England. Interspersing footage that elegantly captures the beauty of the walls with interviews with tribal elders and members of two prominent Narragansett mason families, Lilach Dekel and Marc Levitt weave a story that is at once poetic and inspirational. “Stories in Stone” is a story of love; for place, heritage and family and a tale that demonstrates how a craft, utilized initially at the point of European contact, has served as a strategy for resiliency and resistance. Filmmaker Marc Levitt will be here to present the film and to discuss his inspiration and the making of the film. Please register.

Photo: Mathias Oppersdorff

Due to an administrative mix-up, troublemaker Donovan Curtis is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction, a special program for gifted and talented students, after pulling a major prank at middle school. Please sign up for this book discussion for grades 3-5 by calling 294-3306, x5.

Michelle Simpson will demonstrate how to make just the right container garden for your needs. She’ll discuss incorporating herbs, vegetables, perennials and grasses into your containers to give them a functional as well as attractive look. Learn about plant selection, lighting, soil mixes and plant maintenance. Michelle has a degree in Horticulture from the University of Rhode Island and has worked for over twenty years in the garden center industry. Beginners and advanced gardeners are welcome. Please register.

Come with us on a delightful romp through the traditional tale of Goldilocks, but be prepared for a new twist at the end. Did you ever wonder what happened after Goldilocks ran all the way home? Well, we answer that question in a fresh and fun way and teach some lessons about proper manners, too. This is a show you just can't 'bear' to miss! Please register by calling 294-3306, x5. 

Hamilton is one of the oldest industrial sites in New England. Richard Wharton opened a gristmill here on the cove in 1686 and since then the site has been home to an iron forge, a blacksmith shop, a fulling mill, sawmills and textile mills. Walk the streets of the village with local historian Tim Cranston as he points out the mills, the workers’ lodgings, and the waterway. He’ll tell us about the families who owned the various enterprises and the products they made. The walk will begin at the parking lot of Hamilton Elementary School. Space is limited so registration is required. Sign up beginning June 1st. Be prepared to walk for about an hour and  a half.

June 24—August 15
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Remember the fun of long, lazy summers spent swimming and reading? Join our reading club for adults, read as many books as you wish (fiction or nonfiction) and keep track of what you’ve read on a log sheet. Upon signing up, you will receive several coupons provided by the Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS). When you finish reading a book, your name will be entered in a weekly prize drawing and you may choose a free book to take home! Register online or in the library, grab your log sheet at the downstairs reference desk and get started! Come to our meeting on Thursday, August 15th at 6:30 P.M. to discuss your summer reading picks and be eligible for the grand prize.

Join us for this exciting, interactive program that both entertains and educates people of all ages regarding the mysterious realm of reptiles. Audience members are encouraged to participate, hands on, in order to gain the ultimate reptilian experience. Registration begins Monday, June 10th.

Come enjoy the annual Lafayette Band Concert at the library. Bring beach chairs or blankets and don’t forget the insect repellent. In the event of rain it will be held in the meeting room. Registration requested, but not required.

When Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora, Evanora and Glinda, who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Please Register. (PG)

At a home for retired musicians, the annual concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday is disrupted by the arrival of Jean, an eternal diva and the former wife of one of the residents. Directed by Dustin Hoffman and starring Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay and Billy Connolly. PG-13, 98 min.

Please register beginning June 1st.