Putney Public Library

Public Reading of Ursula K Le Guin’s Unlocking the Air
2026-01-21 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
***NEW DATE: JANUARY 21st at 6:30pm***
Public Reading of Ursula K Le Guin’s Unlocking the Air
Imagine a dramatic story about people in a city trying for hundreds of years to overthrow various tyrannical governments, only to be crushed by soldiers, again and again… Imagine after many generations, your great great grandchildren succeed.
Ursula K Le Guin is primarily known as an award-winning science fiction writer, but she also wrote award winning essays, and poetry. Join local poets and other gifted readers who will come together for a public reading of her story, Unlocking the Air. While this tale of revolution, set in a mythical Eastern European nation of Orsinia, is a work of fiction, it also interweaves stirring poetry with the prose in unexpected bursts of language that has to be heard to be understood.
This public reading is lead by Rolf Parker. Rolf lives in Southern Vermont, where he runs “The University of Brattleboro,” a benefit corporation that creates free community events (including the excavation of fake UFO crash sites and free writing contests). He is a poet and has also worked as a newspaper reporter, a math teacher and a college writing instructor.

Artists Reception--Chronicles in Wood: an exhibition of prints of tree ring cross sections by Abigail Littlefield
2026-01-22 18:30 - 20:00
Chronicles in Wood: an exhibition of prints of tree ring cross sections by Abigail Littlefield
Artist Reception on THURSDAY, January 22nd at 6:30pm
Chronicles in Wood: an exhibition of prints of tree ring cross sections by Abigail Littlefield will be on view at The Putney Public Library, December 1 – February 28, 2026.
Abigail Littlefield is an artist and longtime science educator whose work bridges botanical study and environmental observation. For more than thirty years, she was a science professor, cultivating a personal fascination with the structures and life histories of plants. A significant head injury reshaped her life, leading her to incorporate art into her rehabilitation process. During recovery, she began creating illustrated field guides to local trees and plants – watercolor was a means to rebuild.
What began as therapy evolved into a dedicated artistic practice. Littlefield’s early field guide studies developed into highly detailed botanical watercolors that reflect both scientific precision and a renewed intimacy with the natural world.
Most recently, she has begun printing tree rings, a process that merges her background in science with her artistic sensibilities. By translating the temporal records embedded in wood into visual form, she continues to explore the complex stories that trees carry – and the ways art can illuminate them.
Abigail lives in Westminster West, Vermont with her partner, four labrador retrievers, a cat, several ducks, a flock of chickens and lots of honey bees.

Music & Movement
2026-01-24 09:30 - 10:30, 2026-02-14 09:30 - 10:30, 2026-02-28 09:30 - 22:30, 2026-03-14 09:30 - 10:30, 2026-03-28 09:30 - 10:30
Join Sarah & Stu for a fun, playful, and participatory song circle for children ages 0-5! In this dynamic class, children (and their caregivers) will be invited to sing, play, and move their bodies to the sounds of uplifting American and world folk songs accompanied by guitar, ukulele & mandolin.

Library Closed Due to Weather
2026-01-26

Putney Amblers Walking Group
2026-01-28 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-02-04 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-02-11 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-02-18 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-02-25 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-03-04 14:00 - 15:00
Would you like to get outside and walk in the company of others? The Putney Amblers is a casual walking group sponsored by Putney Public Library. Moseying with others is a great way to get out and be a part of a community group.
The Putney Amblers meet for walks at 3:00 pm on Wednesdays, changing spots and routes each week. Please feel free to join us on an impromptu basis, or email Susan Heimer to register to get weekly location and weather-related updates: heimer.susan@gmail.com Walks will last from 60-90 minutes depending on the will of the group.

Stitch Together
2026-01-28 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-11 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-25 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-11 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-03-25 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-04-08 18:00 - 20:00
Stitch Together at Putney Library
Come knit, crochet, embroider, mend or work on any handwork craft in the company of others. The library is cozy and the lighting is perfect for needlework of all kinds! Beginners are welcome!
The group will meet twice monthly on Wednesday evenings from 6pm-8pm. The next meetings are:
Putney Library is located at 55 Main Street in Putney, VT. This program is free and open to the public.

Putney Public Library Writers Salon: Lauren Alderfer
2026-01-29 19:00 - 20:00
Putney Public Library Writers Salon
Lauren Alderfer
Thursday Jan. 29, 7pm-8pm
via Zoom
Putney Public Library Writers Salon is a winter Zoom series hosted by Putney Public Library and Toni Ortner.
Toni Ortner lives in Putney, Vermont. She has had 26 books published by small presses. Most recent are Daybooks I and II by Deerbrook Editions and Daybooks III by Ardent Writer Press. Blue Lyrics will be published by Adelaide Books next year. Toni is Vice President of Write Action which is a nonprofit group that supports writers in Southern Vermont, specifically the Brattleboro area.
Lauren Alderfer will be reading on Thursday Jan. 29, 7pm-8pm Eastern Time.
Lauren is an educator for over 25 years and has taught at all levels from graduate studies at SIT Graduate Institute in the USA down to the first grade in US based overseas schools. After living in India for over a decade, her ability to blend a Western perspective with the deep spirituality of the East invites educators to cultivate their inner lives in the daily act of teaching while developing mindfulness and compassion. Some of her books are Teaching from the Heart of Mindfulness and Teaching as Spiritual Practice.
This event is free and open to the public. The link is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89695865629?pwd=O8kmJ7OTLiwEvvnRa94ZgBhgQZhSoC.1

The Problem With Plastics Community Read Launch
2026-02-03 18:30 - 20:00
Free launch of community book read of “The Problem With Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves & Our Planet Before It’s Too Late” on February 3 at 6:30 pm at Putney Public Library
The Putney Public Library and the local Beyond Plastics affiliate group Third Act Windham/Windsor is hosting the launch of a community read of The Problem With Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves & Our Planet Before It’s Too Late on Tuesday, February 3, 6:30 pm at the library, with speakers Christina Dubin, Beyond Plastics, and Eileen Ryan, Beyond Plastics Greater Boston. The library has multiple copies of the book available for checkout to Putney Library cardholders. All are invited to a facilitated community discussion of the book on Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30 pm. These events are free and open to the public.
Christina Dubin joined the Beyond Plastics team to support and grow the grassroots groups network. She currently supports fundraising and major gift efforts for the organization. Christina lives in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, where she led the first reusable takeout container pilot in the state.
Eileen Ryan is a climate and social justice activist, the leader of Beyond Plastics Greater Boston and a trained public speaker on plastic pollution, educating people about the perils of plastics. She lives in Watertown, Mass and is on the steering committee of Plastic Free Mass.
Plastic is everywhere — wrapped around our food, stitched into our clothes, even coursing through our veins. What began as a marvel of modern science has become a toxic industry that is harming our health, polluting our planet, and driving climate change. Plastic production has increased exponentially since single-use plastic’s start, from 2 million tons per year in 1950 to 450 million tons per year today. And production is expected to triple by 2060. Given that less than 6% of plastic is actually recycled in the United States, all that plastic will continue to harm us, our communities, and our environment.
The good news is there’s still time to turn off the tap and live in a world without pointless plastic. That’s the hopeful message at the heart of the new book, The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late (December 2, 2025, The New Press) by Judith Enck and Beyond Plastics with Adam Mahoney.
The plastic pollution crisis is massive, systemic, and urgent. But The Problem with Plastic offers hope: we, collectively, have the power and influence to effectively slow the production of plastic. Plastic pollution is not inevitable; it’s the result of choices made by businesses, governments, and, to a lesser extent, everyday people. By equipping people with knowledge, hope, and an arsenal of solutions, we can put people and the planet before plastic, and save ourselves while there’s still time.
In the event of cancellation due to weather, the community book read launch will take place Tuesday, Feb. 10, 6:30 pm at the Putney Public Library.
After the community read, the Putney Public Library can loan multiple copies of the book to other libraries who would like to do a community read. Contact Emily Zervas at Putney Public Library at 802-387-4407 for more information.
Putney Public Library is located at 55 Main St. in Putney, VT. This event is free and open to the public.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover
2026-02-09 - 2026-02-10
Bring your stuffed animal to the library for a bedtime story and sleepover party. What kind of mischief will they get into when the library closes?
Animals may be dropped off anytime on Monday, February 9th and may be picked up anytime on Tuesday, February 10th. Each animal will go home with a poster of their crazy overnight antics in the library.
*Library staff promise to take very special care of your animals overnight.*

Writers Salon-- Elizabeth Drake and Roberta Harold
2026-02-12 19:00 - 20:00
Putney Public Library Writers Salon
Elizabeth Drake and Roberta Harold
Thursday Feb. 12, 7pm-8pm
via Zoom: LINK HERE
Putney Public Library Writers Salon is a winter Zoom series hosted by Putney Public Library and Toni Ortner.
Toni Ortner lives in Putney, Vermont. She has had 34 books published by small presses. Most recent are The Van Gogh Notebook by Dancing Girl Press and Prayers are the Kites We Fly by Rockwood Press of Portland, OR. Her forthcoming books are Passing Through by Deerbrook Editions then Monarch in the Desert and the Door That Opens Into Light both of which honor the work of Georgia O’Keeffe. Toni was Vice President of Write Action which is a nonprofit group that supports writers in southern VT. She taught English at the University of Connecticut and is now retired.
Elizabeth Drake and Roberta Harold will be reading on Thursday Feb. 12
Elizabeth Drake is the author of sci-fi novels, set in the future in which computers govern society. Elizabeth published several young adult dystopian novels and six computer textbooks while working as a computer programming professor at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. She moved to Vermont at the age of 72 where the woods are her backyard and her dog takes her on hikes. She is a silent partner to her daughter Severia in the By Ways Bookstore in Brattleboro. She still writes and edits for large publishers.
Roberta Harold is the author of Portrait of an Unseen Woman and two historical mysteries Heron Island and Murdered Sleep as well as many articles, reviews, short stories and poems. A native of Scotland and 2001 graduate of the Bread Loaf School of English, she won the 1999 poetry prize and lives with her husband and cats in Montpelier, Vermont.

Mending Bee
2026-02-15 13:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-15 13:00 - 16:00
Do you have a pile of nice wool socks with holes, favorite jeans that would be perfect if not for a rip in the knee, or sweaters with moth holes?
Bring your ailing fabric items to the Putney Public Library once a month on Sundays 1-4pm to work on them in the company of others. Advice and support are always available, but you’ll be the mender of your own items.
Sewing machines and darning tools are available to use during the Bee.

Library Closed for Presidents Day
2026-02-16

Stickerpalooza!
2026-02-24
Bring stickers, take stickers, make cool sticker books. All ages are invited to drop in and sift through our collection of stickers and to create your own sticker book.

Read With A Dog
2026-02-24 15:30 - 16:30
Practice your reading skills with Virgil, our therapy dog volunteer and his human Abigail. All ages and abilities welcome
Virgil loves to listen!

Library Closed for Town Meeting Day
2026-03-03
