Recap of Recaps: April 23–May 1

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Here are just a few recaps from some fabulous programs that took place systemwide between April 23–May 1. Make sure you check out the last recap for a healthy dose of warm fuzzy feelings about our inspiring patrons and fellow staff.

Furoshiki fabric wrapping may cause extreme delight

Working together to solve the crime during
Murder Mystery at the Theatre

Flight Physics for Kids attendees are getting down to business

A Murder at the Theatre at Post Road Library

“Before attendees arrived, we placed our "playbills" with the script at tables for six as there were six characters for the story. We ended up with one table of five and another of two, so two of us played with the smaller group. Brooke stepped in as our lovely host, and started us off with a dramatic reading of the murder which set the tone for the evening. After introductions, we determined who was innocent and who was guilty by having each person select a thank you card (with a note written by our dearly departed lead actor) that included either a "you are innocent" or "you are guilty" statement. Then participants questioned their fellow suspects about their whereabouts, potential motives, and their history with the deceased, all while trying to pick up on clues as to who the guilty party was. Each group deliberated as to who was guilty, then formally accused a player. The group of 5 guessed correctly on the first try (the only one to do so across all of the sessions)! Both groups said they had a lot of fun!” –hosted by Morgan Shaffer

Flight Physics for Kids at Cumming Library

”I kicked off by asking the kids how they thought dragons would fly if they existed. There were several thoughtful answers: dragons' bodies would be similar to raptors, dragons would have a special thing in their stomach that would help them fly, etc. Then, we looked at slides of hollow bones and a flight bladder and discussed how those would help a dragon fly. I transitioned to flight physics forces by explaining how even though we don't have dragons, we do have giant heavy machines flying through the sky, and that is almost magical. We then learned how to fold space rings and hoop gliders, as well as classic dart, sonic dart, and Nakamura lock paper airplanes. Attendees practiced throwing planes at the four challenge stations set up around the room: accuracy (try to hit a target on the wall), distance (see how far the plane goes), power (try to knock down foam blocks), and strategy (make the airplane fly through a hoop). I handed out 500 Books Before Middle School stickers and encouraged kids to sign up. At the end of the program, one dad told me he thought it was very fun and informative.” –hosted by Alexa Martin

Furoshiki Fabric Wrapping at Sharon Forks Library

"Yoshie Brandt from the Konnichiwa Club of Atlanta demonstrated various ways to wrap rectangular and bottle shaped gifts as part of our Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage series. She started with the most basic wrapping and worked up to more intricate variations. She handed out some pretty pink disposable furoshikis from Japan for the patrons to take home and explained that in Japanese culture, when someone receives a furoshiki wrapped gift, it's customary to return the fabric to the giver, but in the US, it's not customary to return the wrappings. Everyone had a great time practicing the techniques and seeing the beautiful Japanese furoshiki fabric that Yoshie brought to demonstrate with. Some came with a friend and others enjoyed getting to know a bit about the other attendees. There were some great conversations and I loved the fact that some of the patrons wore Asian and Japanese attire especially for the program. People who were better at furoshiki wrapping ended up helping those who weren't as skilled at it.” –hosted by Alicia Cavitt

Hampton Park Writers' Group at Hampton Park Library

"I was so surprised at how full our writing group has gotten! We had eight submissions, including poetry, a screenplay, a short story, a fixer-up romcom, and our usual submissions. We split into two groups to discuss, then those who stayed discussed the screenplay as a whole group because we were so interested. In my group, we discussed significantly upping emotional stakes and having them clear on the page, weird dryad protagonists, a grocery store-labyrinth metaphor, useful ways to put repetition in poetry, the mechanics of a sci-fi neural torture device, Bowser fanfiction, and more. This group has me thinking about the library as an antidote for the loneliness epidemic. We discuss writing for the vast majority, but it truly feels like a friend group too. Most everyone has been attending regularly for a year now, and you can really see that reflected in their comfort with giving feedback. I think a few of them don't have much opportunity to learn-socialize with other adults, so this group has taken on a salon-type, "instruct and delight" feel that is so energizing and rewarding.” –hosted by Brooke West