Recap of Recaps: March 20–March 26

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Programs featured this week really highlight how the library is a place where people of all ages can connect with what they love, and connect with our community. Here is a handful of recaps from some of the programs that took place systemwide between March 20–March 27.

How to Write Historical Fiction was presented by
authors Dr. Piper Huguley (left) and Rona Simmons (right)

Dealing With Burnout for Women at Sharon Forks Library

4 adults

"We had a small but appreciative group today for licensed professional counselor Debbie Smith's presentation on dealing with burnout. The presentation started with the question "What do you do with your free time that brings you joy?" She said to not think about stress distractors like binge watching shows, but truly relaxing and happy activities. Some things mentioned by attendees were

hobbies such as reading, playing music, and gardening as stress managers. After defining stress and its various types, Ms. Smith discussed burnout which includes feeling powerless or having a lack of accomplishment, exhaustion, and depersonalization such as cynicism, insensitivity and detachment. Causes are often excessive workload, feeling unsupported, and a history of trauma. Things that can help with burnout include personal self-care, finding meaning in your tasks, finding a sense of community, and workplace acknowledgment of stressors. Ms. Smith finished the presentation by talking about self-care and setting boundaries to manage the stress. Defining and protecting your personal boundaries can provide peace and safety, leading to less anger and resentment. She cautioned us to be aware of shame; feeling like not being enough, believing you are flawed or not worthy of love and belonging. This tends to be correlated with relational conflicts, depression, anxiety, and addiction. Debbie referenced the works of Brené Brown for more information on shame. Attendees mentioned it was nice having a program just for women where they can talk, another stated we should do more of these or longer ones.” –hosted by Arlene Melton

Illustrators Academy at Hampton Park Library

6 children, 4 adults

"Every single child who was in attendance today expressed that they were interested in illustrating books in the future. I thought this was so cool! We began with a discussion about why illustrations matter and how pictures can help tell an author's story. I mentioned a couple of different art forms used in picture book illustrations and then introduced our focus for today: watercolor sketches! We talked about a couple of different illustrators who employ this style (Roald Dahl, Aaron Becker, Jennifer Black Reinhardt, and Charlotte Voake), and I made sure to pull a few of their books for the kids to take a look at and reference. We read through Yaks Yak by Linda Sue Park (illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt) and talked about some of Jennifer's techniques and how she chose to use color in her animal drawings. The kids were pretty fascinated by this. I gave them tips about how to show perspective and point of view in their artwork using size and color, and then we got right into our creative time. Our challenge today was to sketch large elements lightly with a pencil, lay down color using watercolor paints, then outline large shapes and add details with a fine-tip black marker. All of the kids did such a great job, and each artist had a unique approach. By the end of the program, we had ferocious dinosaurs, a city skyline (the buildings all had different facial expressions), a K-pop star, a bright pink heart, and a few amazing jungles and landscapes. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun today while learning about watercolor sketch illustrations!” –hosted by Chase Truran

Bookmobile Visit and Presentation for FCSO’s S.A.L.T. Meeting 

57 adults

“Leslie Marinelli and I had the privilege of presenting at the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office S.A.L.T (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together) monthly meeting. Leslie bedazzled the crowd with a presentation on the library's “12 Hidden Gems for Library Card Holders”. Some of the resources she touched on were: A to Z Database, Heritage Quest, eResources, and Mailbox Books. Many of those in attendance shared that they were unaware of all the services that the library had to offer. We were so encouraged to hear back from a number of people how much they enjoyed the presentation. Forsyth County Commissioner Alfred John was also in attendance and spoke very highly of the library. After the presentation we invited those in attendance to visit the bookmobile. Ten people signed up for library cards.” –contributed by Lorraine Lane

How to Write Historical Fiction at Cumming Library 

10 adults

“Historical fiction authors Rona Simmons and Dr. Piper Huguley gave a fantastic presentation on Monday about researching and writing historical fiction. They bounced topics off of one another, beginning with researching your novel. They said to pick a time period, event, or historical figure that you are truly passionate about because you will eat, sleep, and breathe that subject for however long you are working on your novel. They listed a handful of helpful tools they use, including Fold3 and Interlibrary Loan (Rona gave the library a shoutout!), Find a Grave, C-Span, Internet Archive, and so forth. Even Google Earth is a good tool! If the person you are researching is marginalized, finding certain information and/or documentation may be difficult, such as birth certificates. Essentially, you're going to be doing a lot of research. However, only a tenth of your research will actually make it into your novel because your research should not "show" in your book. For novels based around real people and family stories, how do we fill in the unknown? How do we write dialogue that doesn't exist? Learn by reading: examine diaries and speeches to see how the person spoke or how people during that era spoke. Look at the facts and then imagine how they may connect - these are your creative liberties. Storytelling is like an iron bar, according to Piper. Books are not episodic, so you create a character arc and bend that iron bar.” –hosted by Brianna Schantz

Book Sleuths at Post Road Library

13 adults

"We had 13 attendees brave the rain for the March Book Sleuths meeting (we also had one attendee who couldn't come as she was sick, but she sent me her notes on the book to share with the group). This month's title was Back to the Garden by Laurie R. King. In modern day, a skull is discovered buried underneath a statue on a wealthy family's estate in California and the lead detective must work to find out who the victim is and why someone would want them dead. The book jumps back and forth between present day and the 1970s, discussing a commune that resided on the estate and its (potential) connection to the murder. Everyone who attended felt ambivalent about the book. They thought it was fairly well written, but felt the story was a bit lacking and that the characters felt one dimensional. One big complaint was how the actual mystery didn't really move along until the last tenth of the book and therefore the ending felt rushed. However, the patron that sent me her notes really enjoyed the book. No one had read any of this author's previous works and the group seemed reluctant to read her in the future. Even though the book wasn't popular, we had a great discussion!” –hosted by Morgan Shaffer