Richmond Free Library

Pig Tales: Best-Selling Author and Vermonter Reveals Why and How Pork Can Be the Very Best – or Worst – Meat You Can Eat!

The Community Senior Center is delighted to host New York Times best-selling author Barry Estabrook for an online presentation revealing both the dark side of the pork industry, and an encouraging portrait of the responsible, respectful eco-friendly farming approaches that benefit producers, consumers and top chefs in America.

[The internet link to Barry Estabrook’s presentation on March 3 is below. Those new to joining online events can also request phone support from a Community Senior Center volunteer coach.]

Based on his book Pig Tales: An Omnivore’s Quest for Sustainable Meat, his presentation draws on his personal experiences raising pigs and his sharp instincts as an investigative reporter covering the gamut of our relationship with these intelligent animals.

Barry dug into a vast and diverse field of subjects to develop his book. His account includes nocturnal feral pig hunts in Texas. He also covers his visits to farmers who raise animals in vast confinement barns for Smithfield and Tyson, two of the country’s biggest pork producers. And he describes the threat of infectious disease and the possible contamination of our food supply.

The light that shines through all of this is Barry’s abiding love for these remarkable creatures. He points out that pigs are social, self-aware, and playful, and smart enough to master the typical commands of “sit, stay, come” twice as fast as your average pooch. With the cognitive abilities of at least three-year-olds, they can even learn to operate a modified computer. Unfortunately for the pigs, they’re also delicious to eat.

A former contributing editor at the late Gourmet magazine, Barry Estabrook has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, Reader’s Digest, and as he says, “pretty much anyone else who will take my stuff.”

Estabrook moved from Canada to Vermont in 1988 as editor-in-chief of Eating Well magazine and then served as contributing editor for Gourmet from 2000 to 2009. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Saveur, Eating Well, Modern Farmer and the New York Times. Since 2002, Estabrook and his partner, the cookbook editor Rux Martin, have lived in Vergennes. When the two writers find themselves at home, they gravitate to their kitchen where they enjoy cooking meals centered on garden veggies, eggs from their hens and local meats.

CLiF is now offering an evening Book Club for Grown-Ups to discuss books written for adults by New Hampshire and Vermont authors who also write for kids. On Friday, March 19 at 7 pm, join a discussion with Chris Tebbets on the new thriller Chris co-authored with James Patterson, 1st Case. The novel follows a genius FBI intern on (you guessed it) her first case, which threatens her life.

VOX Audio/Picture Books for Young Children

VOX Books are slim audio devices that live in beautiful full-size picture  books. The permanently attached VOX Reader transforms an ordinary picture  book into an all-in-one read-along. There’s no need for computers, tablets, or CDs. Children simply push a button to listen and read. We are launching a collection of VOX Books in February and know that children will love them and parents will love occasionally letting someone else read the story. VOX books will circulate just like picture books and will be shelved in a special location in the picture book room. Some of the titles in our starter collection include: Pete the Cat: Crayons Rock! By James Dean; Lulu the One and Only by Lynnette Mawhinney; Going Places by Peter Reynolds; Horse Meets Dog by Elliot Kalan; Inky the Octopus by Erin Guendelsberger and Poor Louie by Tony Fucile.

As we have done for the past five years, MMCTV and the Richmond Free Library are co-hosting a filmmaking workshop for middle school-aged youth  during the week of  Feb. 22-26 (School break). Unlike past workshops, this one will be virtual!  To join the fun, all participants need is a device to film with (a phone or tablet will do) and an interest in collaborating on a film project with like-minded middle schoolers. The workshop will include online instruction/check-ins, and the opportunity to use the skills learned to create different scenes that will be pieced together into one final project. We will meet (online) daily 9-10 am, with additional check-ins later in the day as needed, while students turn their own homes into film sets.  A red carpet online “screening” of our work will happen on Friday Feb. 26th at 2pm. Space is  limited, so sign up right away if interested. Call or email Wendy at the library. (434-3036/rfl@gmavt.net)

The Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award) was created to honor excellence in children’s literature. Each year since 1957, Vermont students in grades four through eight have selected their favorite book from a list of 30 nominees carefully chosen from among hundreds of new books by a team of Vermont librarians and teachers. It is recommended that students read at least five of the year’s nominated titles before voting for their favorite. Voting takes place in the spring, generally beginning in April.

Every year we acquire each of the titles on the Golden Dome list, and these books are among the most circulated youth books in the library. The list is an excellent place to start if you are trying to help your middle-grade reader find something great to read. Encourage them to check out this year’s list and get cracking so that they can vote for their favorite. It won’t be long before a brand new list is before us.