Big Events Planned at the Bacon Free Library

By Via Perkins, Contributing Writer
Issue Date: 
October, 2016
Article Body: 

October is an exciting month for the Bacon Free Library (BFL), one of two libraries in town. Located at 58 Eliot St. in South Natick, the BFL frequently hosts events for all ages. This month the library will feature a reading from a local author, a Halloween concert and an online fall fundraiser.
B.A. Shapiro Author Visit
On Tuesday, Oct. 18 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., New York Times bestselling- and award-winning author B.A. (Barbara) Shapiro will visit the BFL. “The author will discuss the trials and tribulations of novel writing and publishing, as well as her latest book, The Muralist,” Jacquelynn Burke, publicist at Algonquin and Algonquin Young Readers, said.
The Muralist is Shapiro’s seventh novel. She has also published four screenplays and a work of non-fiction. The novel concerns the 1940 disappearance of an American painter named Alizée Benoit. Seventy years later, Benoit’s great-niece Danielle Abrams sets out to discover what happened to her.
“Alternating between modern day and Depression era America, when abstract expressionism was coming into its own, The Muralist is a captivating mystery about the power of art to speak beyond its time,” Burke said.
Shapiro is also the author of The Art Forger, which illuminates the art world of the 1940s by weaving together historical figures like Eleanor Roosevelt, Lee Krasner and Mark Rothko, with fictional characters, in a novel about the life and mysterious disappearance of a brilliant young artist on the eve of World War II.
“Not a Fright in Sight” Halloween Concert
Musician Jeannie Mack will serenade young audiences at the BFL on Sunday, Oct. 23 from 10 to 11 a.m. Mack writes and performs songs for children, and the Halloween-themed show will be geared toward ages 1-5.
“My interactive songs, rhymes and hand plays include topics like pumpkins, trick-or-treating, jack-o-lanterns, tickly spiders and silly witches,” Mack explained. “During the program, I bring out a few finger puppets, a life-like bat puppet and a pop-up story about some friendly ghosts.”
Young audience members are encouraged to sing, clap, act out lyrics and dance during Mack’s performance. “I’m hoping to see lots of adorable costumed creatures at the performance,” she said.
“Author Confidential” Fall Fundraiser
Between Sunday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m., BFL’s Fall Fundraiser will take place as an online auction through eBay. Bidders will prepare questions for one or more of the 79 participating writers.
Winning bidders will be able to ask their chosen author (or authors) three questions, and will receive a letter with their responses. “We’ve added a few authors to the page, and I’m very excited about the increased diversity within the group,” BFL Director Meena Jain said.
A variety of styles and genres are represented, including nonfiction, novels, short stories and graphic novels. Nora Roberts, Julius Lester, Mira Jacob, Louis Sachar and Beverly Jenkins are among the participants. For more information on the auction, visit http://baconfreelibrary.org/event/author-confidential-online-auction.
For details about the events listed above and to learn what else is new at the BFL, visit www.baconfreelibrary.org/events.