Discovery & Enrichment Series
The purpose of our Discovery & Enrichment Series is to let Brewster residents learn from and enjoy presentations offered by the experts living in our midst. Over the course of the series we will cover a range of topics. Our speakers are academicians, practitioners, or authorities who will make a presentation that usually has a visual component and then engage with the audience in a Q&A session. We meet in the Library’s auditorium, across from the circulation desk, and with a few rare exceptions audience participants will have the option of attending via Zoom.
We started our Discovery & Enrichment Series a few years ago, and it has exploded in popularity. Sign-up for these presentations, as with all of our initiatives, is done through the master calendar on the Library Website.
Upcoming Presentations
How to Prepare for Winter Storms and Other Climate Events on Thursday, February 5, at 2:00-3:30 PM ET in the BLL Auditorium and presented in partnership with Barnstable County’s Office of Emergency Preparedness. Director Chip Reilly of the Emergency Preparedness Division will share best practices for preparing for storms and floods this upcoming fall and winter. In this workshop, you will learn how to build an emergency kit; how to aid individuals with disabilities and access and functional needs; safety tips for sheltering in place; and how to support your family and neighbors before, during, and after a storm. Register for this program on the library’s website.
Coastal Resilience on Wednesday, February 18, at 2:00-3:30 PM ET in the BLL Auditorium. Presented in partnership with the Brewster Conservation Trust. Chris Gloninger, senior climate scientist with the Woods Hole Group, will provide background on the science of climate mitigation and adaptation and review some of the actions taken by other communities. He will be followed by Steve McKenna, the Cape and Islands’ Coordinator for the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management office, who will speak about actions Cape communities are taking to promote coastal resiliency. Register for this program on the library’s website.
How Our Community Prepares to Care for People and Pets on Wednesday, March 4, at 2:00-3:30 PM ET in the BLL Auditorium and presented in partnership with Brewster’s Fire Department and Police Department. Deputy Chief Jeffrey Sivert of the Brewster Fire Department and Lt. Charles Mawn and Animal Control Officer Lynda Brogden-Burns of the Brewster Police Department will present information on how our local public officials prepare for rescue situations, the need for medical support, and emergency preparedness for our pets. Included in the discussion will be information about the availability of emergency communications and how our various departments coordinate their work with each other. Register for this program on the library’s website.
Saving Our Ponds on Wednesday, March 18, at 2:00-3:30 PM ET in the BLL Auditorium. Presented in partnership with the Brewster Conservation Trust. Engineer Mark Nelson with the Horsley Witten Group will describe trends in the conditions of our ponds and review the recommendations in their Pond Management Plan. John Keith, president of the Brewster Ponds Coalition, will discuss the high priority actions the Town and community should take regarding pond water quality. Register for this program on the library’s website.
Women in the Revolutionary War on Wednesday, May 13, at 2:00-3:30 PM ET in the BLL Auditorium. Presented by local historian and author, Sally Gunning.
Gerald Howard on Malcolm Crowley on Wednesday, July 15, at 2:00-3:30 PM ET in the BLL Auditorium. Gerald Howard retired in 2021 as executive editor and vice president of Doubleday Books. He received the 2009 Maxwell E. Perkins Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Field of Fiction, and has worked over the years with authors such as Paul Auster, Don DeLillo, David Foster Wallace, Debby Applegate, Hanya Yanagihara, Pat Barker, Sean Wilentz, and Bill Bryson. Howard’s essays and reviews have appeared in Bookforum, The New York Times Book Review, American Scholar, London Review of Books, n+1, Slate, and other publications.
Past Presentations
Trees & Forests. Presented in partnership with the Brewster Conservation Trust by Russell Norton, Barnstable County’s Cooperative Extension Agriculture expert, and Chris Powicki, Coordinator for the Cape & Islands Sierra Club.
Law Enforcement: Meet YOUR District Attorney, Oct. 22. Presented by Cape & Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois. DA Galibois will share examples of his team's current efforts in pursuing the reduction of criminal activity and his vision for future work.
The Whydah Gally, Voyages from the Past to Present. Presented by Brandon Clifford, Co-founder and Director of the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation.
The FDA and New Drug Development: Past, Present, and Future. Dr. McNair is the Principal Consultant at Equipoise Consulting, LLC. From 2013 to 2023, she was the Chief Medical Officer for the WIRB-Copernicus Group (WCG), including the WCG Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Brewster Schools: A Legacy of Learning. Presented by Katherine Atwater and Kierstyn Bohl. Kierstyn Bohl is a middle- and high-school teacher with MAs degrees in history and educational leadership. Katherine Atwater is an upper-elementary school educator with MA in teaching.
Seashells & Shared Spaces: Shellfish Aquaculture in Brewster. Abigail Franklin Archer is a Fisheries & Aquaculture Specialist at Cape Cod Cooperative Extension & Woods Hole Sea Grant.
Frances Amesbury: Sailing the China Sea Trade Routes 1892-1906. Barbara Semple is a South Chatham resident, researcher, and docent at Atwood Museum.
The Evolving Determination of Death. Dr. Delmonico is Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
Osprey: Egg Incubation, Chick Rearing and Wild Fostering. Stephanie Ellis is the Executive Director of Wild Care, a wildlife rehabilitation hospital located in Eastham.
Trees & Forests: The Role of Trees In Our Past, Present, and Future. Jim Rassman is with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The Pelvis Party: A Candid, Joyful Dive into Pelvic Wellness. Jaymie Adachi, NP, is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
Water Quality: The Status of and Threats to the Town’s Ponds and Drinking Water. Presented by Kimberly Crocker Pearson, Scientist, and Dr. Laurel Schaider, Environmental Engineer.
Coastal Erosion: Adapting To the Shifting Sands of the Cape. The program included a showing of the film No Refuge: Cape Cod’s Climate Crisis. It was followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers Tim Wood and Jan Crocker, and Mark Borrelli of the Center for Coastal Studies.
Managing Your Cognitive Health. Dr. Molly Perdue is the Co-founder and Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Family Support Center (AFSC). She holds an MA, MS, and PhD.
What Happened in the 2024 Election? A Talk with Elaine Kamarck. Dr. Elaine Kamarck is a Senior Fellow at Brookings Institute and Director of the Center for Effective Public Management and is the author of five books.
Trust Me, I'm a Journalist! Andrew Heyward is a nationally known news executive, award-winning broadcast news producer, and expert on the changing media landscape. He is a senior advisor at the Center for Constructive Communication at MIT, and professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
Youth Suicide: How Is Our Community Responding? Presented by Dr. Bart Main, M.D., and Dr. Kim Mead-Walters, M.D., two local physicians with expertise in this topic.
The Electoral College, Its Origins and Contemporary Impact. Dick Stewart recently retired from a long tenure as a history teacher at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut.
Immigration: A Complex Issue. Presented by Rachel M. Self, Immigration Attorney & Legal Analyst. She is the attorney who made first contact with the Venezuelans who were flown to Martha’s Vineyard in 2022.
Wing Island: History Revealed Through Archaeology. Dr. Frederick Dunford is a Horticulture Specialist in the English village at the Plimoth Patuxet Museums.