Librarians across the county are asking, “What happens when people in 10 small towns read the same book?”
Their answer: “We are about to find out.”
Libraries in Deerfield, Erving, Leverett, New Salem, Northfield, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Warwick, Wendell and Pelham are sponsoring “Libraries in the Woods: A Community Read,” which will include a series of programs throughout March and April designed to spark curiosity and conversation about the book, “The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit” by Michael Finkel.
Librarians expect the story of 20-year-old Christopher Knight, who, without warning, drove deep into the Maine woods and disappeared, living alone and outside without having a conversation with another person for 27 years, will spark interest in what motivated him to abandon his work and everyone he knew, as well as how he survived for so many years on his own.
Copies of the book can be found at the 10 libraries, where a total of 29 related events, including book discussions, hikes, film screenings, visits by local authors and experts, and more will be held over the next two months.
Participants can learn more about the community read and events by visiting: bit.ly/2H0tDPF. Participants can also join the conversation by following “Libraries in the Woods” on Facebook.
For more information, contact Natane Halasz at the Leverett Library by calling 413-548-9220 or emailing leverett@cwmars.org.
March 10: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at M.N. Spear Memorial Library, 10 Cooleyville Road in Shutesbury — Getting to Know Our Woods: Snowshoeing, Winter Tracking, Hiking Tips with Adventure In Adventure Out. Registration required by calling 413-259-1213.
March 12: 7 p.m. at Shutesbury Town Hall, 1 Cooleyville Road in Shutesbury — author John Elder Robison visits.
March 17: 2 to 3 p.m. at Leverett Library, 75 Montague Road in Leverett — K-9 trackers with Montague Police Department’s Officer Jim Ruddock and K-9 Artie.
March 18: 7 p.m. at New Salem Public Library, 23 South Main St. in New Salem — book discussion.
March 21: 6:30 p.m. at Tilton Library, 75 North Main St. in South Deerfield — book discussion.
March 23: 10:30 a.m. to noon at Dickinson Memorial Library, 115 Main St. in Northfield — Shelter from the Rain: How to Tie Knots and Hang Tarps with Adventure In Adventure Out.
March 24: 2 to 4 p.m. at Leverett Library, 75 Montague Road in Leverett — In the Winter Woods: Mammals, the Hermit and Surviving the Cold with Dawn Ward. This is not an outdoor wilderness survival technique training program.
March 24: 4 p.m. at Wendell Free Library, 7 Wendell Depot Road in Wendell — book discussion with Jonathan Von Ranson.
March 26: 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Dickinson Memorial Library, 115 Main St. in Northfield — Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail with Sam Ducharme.
March 26: 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Sunderland Public Library, 20 School St. in Sunderland — A Space of One’s Own: Silence, Solitude and Creativity with Barry Deitz.
March 30: 1 p.m. at Tilton Library, 75 North Main St. in South Deerfield — book talk and presentation: Forest Bathing Retreat with Hannah Fries.
April 6: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Deerfield Town Hall, 8 Conway St. in South Deerfield — A Not-So-Stranger to the Woods presentation on the ecology of local woods with Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary.
April 9: 1 p.m. at M.N. Spear Memorial Library, 10 Cooleyville Road in Shutesbury — book discussion.
April 9: 6:30 p.m. at Erving Public Library, 17 Moore St. in Erving — book discussion.
April 10: 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Warwick Free Public Library, 4 Hotel Road in Warwick — book discussion.
April 10: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Pelham Public Library, 2 South Valley Road in Pelham — book discussion.
April 11: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cameron’s Winery, 105 Main St. in Northfield — book discussion.
April 11: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at New Salem Public Library, 25 South Main St. in New Salem — North Woods Nature and the Hermit
April 14: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Erving Public Library, 17 Moore St. in Erving — hike to Hermit’s Cave with Rob Fletcher.
April 14: 3 p.m. at Leverett Library, 75 Montague Road in Leverett — Capturing Maine Landscapes with Drone Photography with Jamie Malcolm-Brown.
April 16: 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Dickinson Memorial Library, 115 Main St. in Northfield — What’s Hiding in the Woods? A presentation by Sally Naser on using trail cameras to track the wildlife in your woods.
April 18: 6 p.m. at Pelham Public Library, 2 South Valley Road in Pelham — Movie: “Into the Wild.”
April 20: 1:30 to 4 p.m. at Warwick Free Public Library, 4 Hotel Road in Warwick — hike to Indian Caves.
April 23: 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Dickinson Memorial Library, 115 Main St. in Northfield — World’s Worst Weather with Will Broussard from Mount Washington Observatory.
April 25: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Leverett Library, 75 Montague Road in Leverett — book discussion.
April 26: 7:30 p.m. at Leverett Library, 75 Montague Road in Leverett — Movie: “Leave No Trace.”
April 27: 10 a.m. at Tilton Library, 74 North Main St. in South Deerfield and Sunderland Public Library, 20 School St. in Sunderland — community hike on Mount Sugarloaf.
April 27: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Pelham Public Library, 2 South Valley Road in Pelham — Exploring the Woods: A Family Nature Walk with Ruthie Ireland.
April 30: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Sunderland Public Library, 20 School St. in Sunderland — book discussion.