What Difference Do a DA and Sheriff Make?

District attorneys are the most powerful people in the criminal justice system. They decide who gets charged with a crime - and determine how most criminal cases are resolved. Sheriffs have the power to make our communities safer and more just for all - but most Massachusetts voters don’t even know who their sheriff is. Learn more about these elected officials who have tremendous impact on people’s lives and our communities.

Laura Rótolo of ACLU Massachusetts and Stacy Seward of The Dream Network will discuss how these two offices operate in Essex County. Their online presentations will be followed by a moderated Q&A led by Gail Forsyth-Vail.

Supporting Trans and Nonbinary Youth with Christy Whittlesey

A discussion in collaboration with Courageous Conversations

Join author and educator Christy Whittlesey, Ph.D, to discuss her book, It's OK to Say "They," and what teachers, parents, and allies can do to support and advocate for nonbinary and trans students. Listen to a panel of community members, educators, parents, and nonbinary people as we discuss these important issues.

Christy Whittlesey, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) has been an educator in settings ranging from PreK-higher education for the past 20 years. She regularly collaborates with school districts to empower educators to foster inclusive, safe, and equitable schools where all students are supported, regardless of gender. She is the author of two books, It's OK to Say They: Tips for Educator Allies of Transgender and Nonbinary Students (2019), which was an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Finalist in 2020, and The Beginner's Guide to Being a Trans Ally (2021). Both are fund-raising books that benefit trans-supportive organizations. For more information about Christy, see her website: https://www.christywhittlesey.com/.

Andover Seed Library: Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden with Christy Wilhelmi

Christy Wilhemi, author of Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden shares how even beginners can become successful fruit “farmers.” Selecting the best small-scale fruit trees, bushes, vines, and plants for your climate, siting them properly, and pruning your compact trees for health and productivity are some of the many topics covered in the pages of her bible of small-space fruit growing. With modern dwarf varieties, a healthy, high-yielding garden filled with fruit-producing plants is possible—even in the smallest of yards.

Christy Wilhelmi empowers people to grow their own food, to be more self-reliant, and to reduce pollution and waste, one garden at a time. Christy is founder of Gardenerd, the ultimate resource for garden nerds, where she publishes newsletters, her popular blog, and top-ranked podcasts. She also specializes in small-space, organic vegetable garden design and consulting. She is author of Gardening for Geeks, 400+ Tips for Organic Gardening Success: A Decade of Tricks, Tools, Recipes, and Resources from Gardenerd.com, Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden, and Garden Variety: A Novel (William Morrow).

Andover Seed Library: Heirloom Seeds

Shannie McCabe, a horticulture educator with Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company gives an overview of what heirloom seeds are and aren't and offers tips for planning your garden, seed saving and more.

Monday March 21 Mindfulness & Meditation

Join mindfulness teacher, Lauren Masse to learn some mindfulness tools and techniques for stress relief.

Lauren Masse studied Psychology and Public Health at UMass Amherst, and has a Master’s of Public Health from Boston University. She is a certified Holistic Health Coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She founded Mindful Minis Boston in 2018 and offers private coaching for kids.

This series is hosted by Memorial Hall Library in partnership with Tewksbury Public Library.

Georgia O'Keeffe, Photographer: An Addison Gallery Tour with Lisa Volpe

Tour the exhibition with Lisa Volpe, associate curator of photography at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and author of the exhibition catalogue, Georgia O'Keeffe, Photographer. Lisa's engaging presentation takes you through the galleries and into the backstory of her years of research documenting O'Keeffe's photography. The exhibition is on view at the Addison Gallery of American Art on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, MA until June 12, 2022.

This program was a collaboration of the Addison Gallery, Memorial Hall Library, Chelmsford Public Library, Tewksbury Public Library and Wilmington Memorial Library.

Fish On! Andover 2022: Captain Wayne Frieden - Boston Harbor Fly and Light Tackle Fishing

Captain Wayne Frieden of Reel Dream Charters, Boston Harbor shares places of interest and spots where he has fished over the years, including the types of flies and lures he uses. He also talks about two programs he's been involved in over the years - Reel Recovery (fly fishing retreats for men with cancer) and the Thompson Island Outward Bound Fishing Invitational Tournament, which supports the Thompson Island Educational program for inner city youth.

Fish On! Andover 2022: Gary Morrissette - Fishing Rangeley's Grants Kennebago Lake

Andover native, Gary Morrissette talks about fishing on Kennebago Lake in Rangeley, Maine, the largest fly fishing only water east of the Mississippi River. Gary has been fishing for 35+ years, both fly fishing and conventional light tackle fishing in fresh and saltwater.

Fish On! Andover 2022 - Surfcasting Cape Ann with Finn Hawley

Finn Hawley provides a step-by-step approach to preparing for the upcoming season, including how and where to fish during the Spring, Summer and Fall. He details the best gear, tackle, lures and baits to use to increase your chances for success. Currently a senior at Manchester Essex Regional High School, Finn has been surfcasting on Cape Ann for over 10 years. He specializes in catching large Striped Bass from shore. Finn became well known in the fishing community for posting high-quality photos and videos to his Instagram @StripedBassHunt. He is a Pro-staff member for a few well-known fishing gear companies such as Lamiglas and STORMR USA. Recently, The Boston Globe wrote a front-page article about Finn. He is a passionate surfcaster and enjoys sharing his passion and approach to finding and catching Striped Bass.

Zen Doodling Your Zen with Jennessa Durrani

Personal development coach and artist Jennessa Durrani leads a session in meditative doodling. Zen Doodling is a relaxing way to create beautiful images by drawing structured and repetitive patterns. You'll practice various patterns and then put them together in your own finished piece and enjoy the calm and relaxation the art brings. Supplies needed include paper and pencil, black pens/markers that you have on hand.

The Secrets to Getting It All Done Done

During this 90-minute workshop, learn effective resource management tools to help prioritize, delegate, organize, defer and accomplish everything that is on your plate. You will learn the inside secrets to getting done done. By learning these skills, not only will you be able to approach your work with a new lens, you will also build accountability and positive reinforcement to keep you motivated. Jennessa Durrani is a personal development coach, artist, wife and mom to two crazy boys 16 and 12. Jennessa helps moms in middle life tap into their creativity, come alive and create a life by design by dreaming big and implementing small. She does this through her online community A Daily Practice and 1:1 and small group coaching.

Samaritans Inc. - Supporting People At Risk of Suicide

In this 38 minute workshop, Samaritans Inc. trainer Leah Meyers discusses how to identify risk factors and warning signs for suicide. She offers advice on how to be an empathic listener and how to ask clarifying questions. She discusses ways to offer support and get help for someone going through a mental health challenge. She shares resources, including the importance of self-care for those who are supporting others in a crisis.

Virtual Art Afternoons - Granite State Gallery: NH Art & Artists through the Years

New Hampshire has attracted and inspired artists since the colonial era. What is distinctive about the art made here? This program will consider works by itinerant and folk painters, landscape artists drawn to the state's scenic vistas, and modern artists that adopted bold styles to depict everyday life in the Granite State. Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Childe Hassam, and Maxfield Parrish are some of the artists art historian and educator Jane Oneail will explore.

Note: The recording begins a few minutes into the program.

Sponsored by the Friends of Memorial Hall Library, this series is dedicated in memory of Kathy Hess, retired educator, longtime Friends' board member, and tireless book sale volunteer, library advocate and art enthusiast.

Addison Gallery Online Tour - Learning to Look: The Addison at 90

Curator Gordon Wilkins will explore works and themes from the exhibition, Learning to Look: The Addison at 90, which celebrates the Addison’s 90th anniversary.

This program is hosted by Memorial Hall Library in partnership with the Addison Gallery of American Art and Wilmington Memorial Library.

Craft-Time Chronicles: Felting with Vicki & Gerry

Join Vicki & Gerry in the live Zoom library craft classroom for a class in felting. You'll learn how to felt your own soap and add embellishments (just in time for holiday gift giving)!

Virtual Art Afternoon - John Singer Sargent - Master with a Brush

John Singer Sargent, a masterful nineteenth-century artist, is celebrated for his Grand Manner portraiture of the European and American elite. Art historian and educator Jane Oneail of Culturally Curious will explore his most beloved as well as rarely seen images, including portraits, forays into Impressionism and stunning watercolors.

Sponsored by the Friends of Memorial Hall Library, this series is dedicated in memory of Kathy Hess, retired educator, longtime Friends' board member, and tireless book sale volunteer, library advocate and art enthusiast.

Addison Gallery: Language, Sequence, Structure

In this online tour of the exhibit, Language, Sequence, Structure: Photographic Works by Lew Thomas, Donna-Lee Phillips, and Hal Fischer, Curator Gordon Wilkins discusses works by Bay Area collaborators Thomas, Phillips, and Fischer, who explored the complex relationship between photography and language, text and image, in the 1970s and 80s.

This program was a collaboration of Memorial Hall Library, Wilmington Library and the Addison Gallery of American Art.

Courageous Conversations: Annawon Weeden - Understanding Indigenous Culture

Annawon Weeden, Mashpee Wampanoag/Pequot/Narragansett, is in conversation with Julia Alexander, an educator at The Pike School. In the recording, Annawon's background is moving around because he's traveling in a vehicle while he's talking. Annawon discusses and shares Native American history in New England, cultural identity, contemporary lifeways and cultural appropriation, among many other topics. Born & raised on the Narragansett Tribal reservation in Charlestown, Rhode Island, Annawon eventually made his home in his mother’s Wampanoag community in Mashpee, MA. Currently self-employed, he dedicates much of his time to visiting colleges, museums, libraries, corporations and more, as he continues his efforts to correct misinformation and misrepresentation of indigenous people. This program is suitable for both adults and students in Grades 6 and up. A list of some of the resources mentioned during Annawon's talk can be found here.

This program is a collaboration of Courageous Conversations, Memorial Hall Library, Chelmsford Public Library, Haverhill Public Library, Stevens Memorial Library and Tewksbury Public Library, Libraries Working Towards Social Justice.

September 27 Monday Mindfulness & Meditation

Lauren Masse leads a loving kindness meditation.

This program is hosted by Memorial Hall Library in partnership with Tewksbury Public Library.

Healthier Buildings for the Future: What Andover Can Do

Buildings are our biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Andover. Making buildings more energy efficient saves money and helps protect and promote the health of community residents. Hear from Sarah Dooling, Executive Director of Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN), on how the net zero stretch building code is our most powerful tool for climate mitigation efforts and community health. Andover's sustainability coordinator, Joyce Losick-Yang joins the program for the Q&A.

A collaboration of Andover WECAN and Memorial Hall Library.

Shelf Help Podcast Episode 15: Memory Kits

In this episode of Shelf Help, assistant head of circulation Gerry Deyermond and reference & cataloging librarian Stephanie Smith discuss the library's new memory kits, services for homebound patrons, and more.

Shelf Help Podcast Episode 13

In this episode of MHL's Shelf Help, Teen Services & Reference Librarian Anna Tschetter and Cataloging & Reference Librarian Stephanie Smith discuss MHL's board game and jigsaw puzzle collection. Listen to find out the 10 most-borrowed board games, where to get board game suggestions, and more.

Shelf Help Podcast Episode 10: Crafts @ MHL

Join Gerry Deyermond, Vicki Murphy, and Stephanie Smith as they discuss MHL's new craft area, the upcoming return of craft programs for adults, and Vicki & Gerry's new email for all questions craft-related (crafts@mhl.org). You can see photos of the new space, plus a list of some of their favorite craft books (all available at the library) here.

Greenscapes Grow for the Future: Gardening with Hydrology

Learn about how development and the climate crisis have impacted our local water cycle, and what you can do to restore it in your own backyard through this Greenscapes Coalition presentation by Ipswich River Watershed Outreach Manager, Rachel Schneider. The ingenious water works of a riparian forest have been largely outed, not only by hard top, but also by turf grass, which doesn’t provide shade, has extremely short roots, and loses far more water to evaporation than it absorbs or filters into the ground. Turf grass may as well be a desert. According to Rachel, we need to create hydrologically functional yards.

Virtual Field Trip: Artifacts from the Public Health Museum: The Stories They Tell From Our Past History of Disease

Are you a history buff, interested in all things medical, curious about public health initiatives or diseases long before COVID-19? We’ll take a virtual walk through the museum and learn how selected artifacts from the museum’s collection played a significant role to treat and mitigate disease before the discovery of vaccinations and antibiotics.

The Public Health Museum is an independent 501(c)3 organization, housed in the historic Richard Morris building (also known as the Old Administration Building)  of Tewksbury Hospital in Massachusetts. The Museum strives to preserve artifacts and records of our nation’s history in public health and serve as a resource to the community to educate and promote public health initiatives that address current health issues.

This program is hosted by Memorial Hall Library in partnership with Andover Elder Services, Tewksbury Public Library and Billerica Public Library.

Courageous Conversations: Parole 101: The Massachusetts Parole System & Why It Needs to Change

An event designed to raise awareness about parole and change hearts and minds about the importance/difficulties of parole in Massachusetts. Panelists include formerly incarcerated speakers, Isaiah Dotson and Jonathan Best, Representative Liz Miranda who has filed several parole bills for 2021-22, Attorney Patty Garin, one of the foremost parole experts in Massachusetts, and moderator Jean Trounstine, professor, writer and activist who has written extensively about parole, along with Lisa Berland, who is part of Parole Watch.

A collaboration of Courageous Conversations, Memorial Hall Library, the Social Justice Coalition of South Church, and the Coalition for Effective Public Safety.

Hikes Through History with Alison O'Leary

Have you ever wandered through the woods and wondered who had been there before you? In Massachusetts, many parks and trails have been carved out of historical sites. Author Alison O’Leary, an award-winning journalist and coauthor of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s new guide Best Day Hikes Near Boston, will share her favorites through this hour-long program. Using maps and historic photos, she describes several day trip destinations with historical significance and interesting features in Massachusetts. Special effort is made to include varying levels of difficulty (flat and easy to steep and challenging) and variety of scenery. These sites include a former rubber factory overlooked in the woods, contributions of the Roosevelt-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to our favorite parks, offbeat tales of local residents, sites of former grand estates (and tales of the owners). Author Alison O’Leary is a longtime journalist and editor. She has won awards from national and regional organizations for travel writing, reporting, and editing.

May Monday Mindfulness & Meditation Series

Mindfulness teacher, Lauren Masse discusses and leads various ways to use deep breathing meditation. This program is a collaboration of Memorial Hall Library and Tewksbury Public Library.

Nature's Best Hope - Professor Doug Tallamy

A list of books and resources on native plants that was made available during the program can be found here: https://mhl.org/native-plants.

Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue our current standard of living on Planet Earth. The good news is that none of this is inevitable. Professor Tallamy discusses simple steps that each of us can- and must- take to reverse declining biodiversity and will explain why we, ourselves, are nature’s best hope.

Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 104 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 40 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers' Association. The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014. Doug's new book Nature's Best Hope, released by Timber Press in February 2020, is a New York Times Best Seller. Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence, the 2018 AHS B.Y. Morrison Communication Award and the 2019 Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award.

This program is a collaboration of libraries in Andover, Chelmsford, North Reading, Tewksbury and Wilmington.

Poet Peter Schmitt Reads from his latest work, Goodbye, Apostrophe

Celebrate National Poetry Month with prize-winning poet Peter Schmitt in a Zoom webinar. In Goodbye, Apostrophe, his first new collection in more than a decade, the nationally recognized and prize-winning poet has assembled nearly 50 poems exemplary for their range and emotional power. From the hard lessons of childhood to the loss of parents, these poems confront the challenging issues of our time, including race, religion, abuse of varying kinds, and reflexive political correctness. By turns poignant and funny, elegiac and celebratory, formal and free, the mature work of a poet Richard Wilbur hailed as “one of the strongest talents in his generation” will resonate indelibly with any serious reader of American poetry.

Peter Schmitt is the author of six collections of poems: Goodbye, Apostrophe (Regal House Publishing, 2020), Renewing the Vows (David Robert Books), Hazard Duty, and Country Airport (Copper Beech Press), and two chapbooks, Incident in an Apartment Complex: A Suite of Voices, and To Disappear (Pudding House). He has received the Lavan Award from The Academy of American Poets (selected by Richard Wilbur), the “Discovery”/The Nation Prize (judged by Anthony Hecht, Mary Jo Salter, and Nicholas Christopher), the Julia Peterkin Award (Converse College) and is twice a recipient of grants from the Florida Arts Council. He was awarded an Ingram Merrill Foundation Fellowship. His poems have been featured on NPR’s Writers Almanac, and he is a winner of the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival open competition. His work has appeared in many leading publications, including The Hudson Review, The Nation, The Paris Review, Poetry, and The Southern Review, and been widely anthologized. He has reviewed poetry and fiction for the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and worked as a freelance editor of novels, short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and journalism. He is currently editing his late father’s WWII remembrance, Ferry Tales: A Navigator’s Memoir (McFarland, 2022).

A native Miamian and honors graduate of Amherst College, Schmitt studied with Richard Wilbur and received the College’s poetry prizes as a junior and senior. He attended the University of Iowa Writers Workshop, where his teachers included Donald Justice. He has taught creative writing and literature at The University of Miami since 1986.

Courageous Conversations: What Positive Justice Looks Like - UTEC, Inc.

UTEC's team discusses their nationally recognized model which begins with intensive street outreach, correctional facility in-reach, and gang peacemaking, engaging our most disconnected young adults by meeting them “where they’re at.” UTEC’s mission and promise is to ignite and nurture the ambition of our most disconnected young people to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. Today they serve Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill, MA and are nationally recognized as a model agency serving justice-involved young adults. Their wraparound program is designed to never give up on young adults as they overcome personal, health, and institutional barriers to improving their lives.

The team will also share some of the ways they are innovating with the State and the Department of Corrections to make real, meaningful changes at a systemic level and how you can support. UTEC was founded in 1999 as the result of an organizing movement driven by young people to develop their own teen center in response to gang violence in Lowell. Originally known as “United Teen Equality Center,” today their name is simply UTEC, Inc.and they serve youth ages 17-25.

This program is a collaboration of Courageous Conversations, Memorial Hall Library, and Haverhill Public Library, Libraries Working Towards Social Justice.

Andover WECAN Beyond the Bin: Is Recycling Still Alive?

Are you confused about what goes in your trash bin and what goes in your recycling bin? You’re not alone! Neil Rhein, founder and executive director of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful talks about what really happens to our trash and recyclables here in Andover. He’ll discuss the world’s plastic pollution crisis and how trash and recycling are managed in Massachusetts. Learn how to make informed decisions about your own personal habits. Learn ways to reduce the amount of trash you generate, improve your recycling habits, and make small changes to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. MassRecycle's website Recycle Smart is chock full of information and tips about how to dispose of household waste responsibly.

Sandra Gerraughty, Department of Public Works, Business Manager and Rachel Ciaramitaro, Department of Public Works, Office Assistant talk about their new tool ReCollect, which is designed to help residents with recycling questions.

This series is presented in partnership with Andover WECAN and Memorial Hall Library. Find a page of recycling resources at https://mhl.org/beyond-bin-recycling-resources.

March 22 Monday Mindfulness & Meditation

Lauren Masse leads a movement meditation.

Author Richard Webb - Boats Against the Current

Author and historian Richard Webb shares his book, Boats Against the Current: The Honeymoon Summer of Scott and Zelda, the companion to the newly released documentary, Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story, which explores the story behind the iconic American novel, The Great Gatsby.

March 8th Monday Mindfulness & Meditation

Mindfulness teacher Lauren Masse leads a movement meditation. Find a quiet, comfortable space to relax and practice clearing your mind, being in the present moment and reducing stress in this 30-minute class presented in collaboration with Memorial Hall Library and Tewksbury Public Library.

March Monday Mindfulness & Meditation

Practice clearing your mind, being in the present moment and reducing stress in this 30-minute class. Lauren Masse explains mindfulness and leads a seated meditation. Learn how to practice daily mindfulness and calm your mind and body.

Fish On! Andover 2021: Surfcasting the North Shore

Steve Gallant shares his expertise about surfcasting on the North Shore. He specializes in surfcasting the North Shore after dark in search of trophy stripers.

Fish On! Andover 2021: State of the Striper with Dr. Willy Goldsmith

Fish On! Andover 2021: Plugging the Water Column with Julio Silva

Seed Starting with the Andover Seed Library

Quarantine & Mental Health Virtual Series: Mindfulness & Meditation

Norman Rockwell: Inclusion, Exclusion and Evolving Views on Race

Join longtime art educator, Jane Oneail, for a Zoom webinar focused on the art of Norman Rockwell. Rockwell is heralded for depicting and defining American life. He often captured bittersweet images of people experiencing universal and relatable feelings of being left out or left behind. Yet, as an artist working in the 20th century, his works are curiously devoid of America’s rich cultural and racial diversity. Toward the end of his career, Rockwell painted several poignant works about race in America that can be seen as an extension of his earlier sense of the power of inclusion and exclusion.

MacGyver Your Life Workshop with Jennessa Durrani

Virtual Art Afternoons: Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Addison Gallery Virtual Talk: Civil War Painting and Photography

Virtual Author Talk: Kristin Bair, Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything

Addison Gallery Virtual Tour - To Make Visible: Art and Activism, 1980-2000

Affordable Housing in Andover Panel Discussion

Are You Ready for Retirement?

Quarantine Crafting with Gerry and Vicki

Suicide Prevention Workshop

Rose Cheyette of Samaritans, Inc. discusses suicide, risk factors and warning signs, and skills their helpline volunteers use to support those going through any number of mental health challenges. The helpline gets lots of calls for information, which they are happy to provide. She reviews some of the best ways to listen, and how to ask questions to get a clearer understanding of how to help support those who need it. She reviews resources, including self-care, for those who support others. For more information, go to https://samaritanshope.org/