Programs & Events

Join us at the library for four two-week needle-felting workshops for adult beginners! Learn how to create four different needle felting projects, perfect for decorating your home or being given as gifts!

All adults (18+) are welcome, regardless of skill, but please RSVP in advance at (207) 926-4840 or nglibrary@newgloucester.com.

September 1 and 8:
Felted Bowl

September 15 and 22:
Sheet Felted Flowers & Fall Leaves

September 29
and October 6:
Felted Acorns

October 13 and 20:
Felted Pumpkins

Jack Montgomery began making photographic portraits of Maine’s Holocaust Survivors in 1995.At the outset of the pandemic, he set out to collect their first person accounts as they had told them in interview, books they had written and speeches they had given, as well as their letters and poems. These photographs and accounts are collected in From the Holocaust to Maine.

These are the testimonies of 20 remarkable people who survived the Holocaust. Most were children during the dark years of fascism in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. As the “Final Solution” gathered momentum, some were forced into ghettos and then on to the death factories of Auschwitz and other camps.

Some fled to the woods where they survived with partisan bands resisting the Germans and others who hunted for Jews. One lived in hiding as a good “Catholic” school boy with a farm family in Belgium. All of them survived through a combination of great fortitude and good luck. They then made their way from the chaos and devastation of Europe to the United States and eventually moved to Maine, where they rebuilt their lives. Jack Montgomery began making photographic portraits of the survivors 30 years ago. At the outset of the pandemic, he set out to collect their first person accounts as they had told them in interviews, books they had written and speeches they had given, letters and poems. These are their stories.

Stacy Elizabeth is a native Mainer (pronounce Maine-ah). She grew up in Portland and now resides in Gray with her husband, juggling their many house projects. She’s a child of the ‘70s, a teenager of the ‘80s, and a proud Gen Xer who drank from a hose, lost skin on scorching hot metal slides, rode bikes without a helmet until the streetlights came on, and lived to tell about it. She loves books, loster rolls, tacos, really sour beer, and her big, crazy family. That Little Town Street is her debut novel:

When Vivian James returns to the rocky shores of Shearwater Cove after nearly two decades away, she's not just chasing quiet—she's running from the ruins of a life she's desperate to leave behind. With her devoted dog, a packed Jeep, and the key to her family's long-abandoned coastal cabin, Viv hopes the salty air and faded memories will help her rebuild what was broken.

Will Cooper never left, desperate to hold his own fractured family together. Brewer, fixer, and reluctant town handyman, he's spent his life keeping things running—until a familiar face from the past challenges everything he thought he knew about love, loss, and letting go.

In a town where everyone knows your name (and probably your secrets), Viv and Will must navigate tangled histories, nosy neighbors, and the slow burn of something neither of them saw coming. With a fiercely loyal dog, a colorful cast of characters, and a summer full of surprises, That Little Town Street is a story about the kind of love that finds you when you least expect it.

Ilaria Sabatini-Taliaferro is an Italian poet and writer whose work bridges introspection, adventure, and emotional resilience. She ha published in Italy and abroad, developing a narrative voice shaped by travel, cultural exchange, and lived experience. Her writing is profoundly influenced by time spent with the Kichwa tribe in Ecuador, where she discovered a deeper sense of courage, storytelling, and connection to the natural world.

Based in the United States, she has contributed poetic short stories to Youth & Culture, a magazine focused on young voices and contemporary culture in Southern Maine. Hourglass of the Wind is her English-language debut.

Hourglass of the Wind follows two lifelong friends, Lorenzo and Pietro, as they leave their small Italian hometown in search of something larger than themselves. What begins as a youthful journey soon becomes an intimate exploration of friendship, memory, and the quiet forces that shape who we become.

At the center of the story is Lorenzo's diary, a private space where imagination, fear, and hope intertwine. As their path carries them across Europe and into remote northern landscapes, the two young men are confronted with realities that challenge their ideals and alter the course of their lives.

Rob Wheeler doesn't like to write about himself in third person but is a Professional Author and so will suck it up. Rob was born in Portland, Maine, way back in 1971 and has lived in various parts of the Pine Tree State ever since because he just can't seem to find the exit. He has been a lifelong lover of fantasy in all its forms and is currently pursuing the fantasy that he might one day be a successful author. He is married to Mariah, his heart, soul, muse, and partner in all things criminal or otherwise, and has two adult kids that seem to be doing pretty good so far.

He raises chickens and rabbits, and a cat named Haru T. Cat (the 'T' is for Theresa). He can't eat potatoes, which makes him sad, but can and does eat cheese, which makes up for his other deficiencies. If you want to know more, he's probably in his writing room and is approachable with caution after 8 a.m. Beyond Saint Arden's Wood is his first book:

What secrets lie in the shuttered wing of a wizard’s house? Nat, a young footman, can barely finish his chores, but his predictable life becomes anything but when he finds himself ensnared in the mysteries of the strange house beyond Saint Arden’s Wood, the most baffling of which is the puzzle of his own improbable past.

Join our librarians to reads stories, play instruments and sing songs. All ages are welcome!

Join our librarians for rhmyes, songs, and stories chosen with babies ages 0-24 months in mind! Siblings welcome!

Are you interested in learning or playing mahjong? Beginners, intermediate and expert levels welcome. RSVP or just drop in!

Attention fiber artists! All skill levels welcome--even if you have no skills (yet!). Join us bi-weekly for felting classes and learn techniques in wool felting. Please be on the look out for promotion of what is happening monthly and RSVP so we have a spot for you. Call: 207-926-4840 or email: nglibrary@newgloucester.com

Check your school calendars for the early release schedule and plan to come play, have a snack, and create a craft with friends after school. Questions? Call: 207-926-4840 or email: nglibrary@newgloucester.com