Courtesy Scarborough Public Library

SCARBOROUGH — The Scarborough Public Library has announced new program offerings. 

The library is offering new youth and adult programs this spring. Upcoming youth programs include an outdoor story time with guest speaker Kelly Pietrzak, a homeschooling parent, and community volunteer, she will share stories and music for a live audience outside the library. The story begins at 10 a.m. on April 27 under the trees at the library. The library would like to remind families to bring something to sit on.  

April is National Poetry Month and to help celebrate, on April 30 Maine poet Julia Bouwsma will read from her from her published collections, “Midden” and “Work by Bloodlight,” and hold a a poetry workshop for middle and high school students. The poetry reading will be the inaugural event in the Library’s new Ann P. Hammond Poetry Series. Hammond was an avid and generous donor, supporter, and champion of the Scarborough Public Library. The workshop for middle and high school students takes place on April 30 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. 

“I love the opportunity to help empower youth writers to share their stories, investigate their sense of place in the world, develop their unique voices, and encounter the blank page as a space for play and exploration,” said Bouwsma in an earlier statement.  

At 1:30 p.m. Bouwsma will read from her poetry. Bouwsma has been named Maine’s sixth Poet Laureate. The reading is free to attend and open to the public. Due to limited seating, registration is needed for the afternoon reading.  

The library will offer two book discussions for May. The first meeting takes place on May 3 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The discussion is on the book “Midnight in Chernobyl” by Adam Higginbotham. The meetings will be held in the Library Meeting room with a choice to take part through Zoom. The second book discussion takes place on May 11, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and will cover the book “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer.  

Another upcoming adult program is the Drop-in Sketching class. This is an in-person meeting and is part of the Adult Programming series. This program begins on May 13, from 10 a.m. to noon. These meetings take place on the second Friday of the month and all basic supplies are provided, or residents can bring their own. Participants will be joined by retired illustrator, Michael Brown.

The Monday Movie Matinee for May will be  the 2021 remake of “West Side Story.” There will be two shows, one on May 2 and the other on May 9. The showing will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. It is Rated PG-13 and is 156 minutes long. Registration is needed. 

For more information on all the upcoming events and to register for events, visit the Scarborough Public Library website at  https://www.scarboroughlibrary.org/events