SCOTCH PLAINS PUBLIC LIBRARY CELEBRATES DIVERSITY

Throughout April, the Scotch Plains Public Library will host special programs that celebrate the diversity that exists within our community, culminating in a book discussion for members of the community and library staff.

Noted children’s book author, Pooja Makhijani, will visit the library on Sunday, April 6, at 1 pm, to read her book, Mama’s Saris, and display a variety of saris for children to touch. The program, for children ages 5 and up along with their families, will also include a sari-tying demonstration and a sari-inspired art project.

On Saturday, April 12, at 2 pm, students from the Marie Moore School of Irish Dancing and the Shubanjali School of Dance will regale spectators with performances of Irish and Indian dance, including the opportunity for audience participation.

On Monday, April 14, at 7:30 pm, the public is invited to a panel discussion on “One Family’s Story”. Attendees will hear how generations of one family created a large and significant African American book collection, recently donated to the Plainfield Public Library. Barbara Polk Riley will speak about the remarkable gift her family’s dedication created, and will, with library representatives from Scotch Plains and Plainfield, answer questions about the collection and its impact on the Union County community.

Noted novelist and magazine contributor, Louisa Ermelino, is slated to speak at the library on Tuesday evening, April 22, at 7:30 pm. She will talk about growing up and living in New York’s Little Italy, the setting for her three well-known novels. She will read from her work, answer questions from the audience, and sign copies of her books, The Black Madonna, Joey Dee Gets Wise, and The Sisters Mallone, all available for purchase and personalization. The library also has copies to lend to cardholders.

Finally, the library will wrap its Celebrate Diversity month on Monday evening, April 28, with an invitation for the public to join library staff members for a discussion of this year’s One Book New Jersey novel, The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth. Drawing on his own childhood in the predominantly Jewish Weequahic section of Newark, Roth draws the reader in by coupling the familiarity of middle-class New Jersey life with a terrifying “what-if” scenario of Nazi sympathizers running the U.S. government in the years immediately preceding WWII. Copies of the novel are currently available to borrow and read, in advance of the book discussion.

All programs will be held in the Library’s Community room and are free and open to all interested participants. Advance registration is required. The Scotch Plains Library is located at 1927 Bartle Avenue, one block from Park Avenue in the center of town. For further information, registration, or directions, please call 908-322-5007, or e-mail library@scotlib.org and include your name and phone number.

Scotch Plains Public Library
1927 Bartle Avenue
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Contact: Pamela Brooks, Head of Reference and Adult Services, 908 322-5007, x.204

Public library dedicated to serving the public's information needs and providing programming to enrich lives.

This release was published on openPR.