Are you new to Prince Edward County?
The Prince Edward County Newcomers group welcomes you to join us to meet others new to the area and discover more about the County through guest speakers. The library has hosted Newcomers groups annually for several years now and we’ve heard from previous participants that joining the group has given them a great introduction to life in Prince Edward County. This year, the group will be held online over Zoom. It will keep the same format as previous years – the guest speaker will give a presentation and answer questions, and then participants will have time for a social visit after the presentation. The six week session will be held Wednesdays at 10 a.m., starting on Wednesday, Sept. 16. For the first session, we’ll share about the County of Prince Edward Public Library & Archives and some of the many services and programs you can participate in. It will also be our initial meet and greet and a chance for any questions you may have about using Zoom.
On Wednesday, Sept. 23 we will welcome Mayor Steve Ferguson, and on Wednesday, Sept. 30 we will join historian Peter Lockyer for a talk called “More County Stories”. The group will continue meeting weekly with a new guest speaker each week until Oct. 21. If you’re interested in joining, please email liz@peclibrary.org or call the Picton Branch Library at (613) 476-5962. If you don’t have reliable internet or technology access, or would prefer to participate from in the library, contact your local branch and we will book you in to use the library’s computers.
BOOK DISCUSSION
In Desmond Cole’s book, The Skin We’re In, he chronicles one year—2017—in the struggle against racism in this country. It was a year that saw calls for tighter borders when Black refugees braved frigid temperatures to cross into Manitoba from the States, Indigenous land and water protectors resisting the celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, police across the country rallying around an officer accused of murder, and more. This book, and many others dealing with tough topics of race and racism in Canada and in the United States, has been generating a lot of thoughtful discussion. In order to help facilitate conversation around this title, Judith Burfoot of All Welcome Here will be leading a book discussion on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. All Welcome Here is a non-profit organization focusing on linking people of colour in the rural community of Prince Edward County in order to provide support, social connectedness and business assistance. Space is limited to ensure everyone can participate fully in the discussion, so register soon at peclibrary.org. Judith, and the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) of PEC group, will also lend their guidance to our purchasing choices as we add additional books by BIPOC authors to the library’s collection through fundraising done by 555 Brewing Company. We appreciate their insight and suggestions, and thank 555 Brewing Company for their donation.
-Liz Zylstra