Explore what it takes to garden in the ‘off season’. In this workshop, examine ways to extend your outdoor garden. Review some chores you will need to do to ensure a healthy garden and prepare your soil and plants for spring. Learn how to grow vegetables and herbs indoors and discuss options for overwintering and bringing in your ornamental plants.
Liz Alakszay is an avid organic gardener, naturalist, quality operations engineer, and educator who has been gardening for over 30 years. She is an adjunct course designer and Instructor of Vegetable Gardening Longwood Gardens and the former Chester County PA Master Gardener Coordinator.
Registration is required. Registration will close 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the event. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.
This program supports the PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy Initiative.
Dreaming about writing a novel? NaNoWriMo is a great chance to get your book idea going. This month, aspiring and published authors from around the world have committed to writing 50,000 words in thirty days.
Jill Weatherholt
Today we welcome NaNoWriMo published author Jill Weatherholt, whose Whispering Slopes series began as a NaNoWriMo challenge.
Thank you for joining us, Jill!
Can you tell us about the story you’re writing for NaNoWriMo 2020? The story I will be writing for NaNoWriMo 2020 is the last book in my Whispering Slopes series, the fictional town in the Shenandoah Valley. The hero, a well-known professional bull rider, is injured and returns to his childhood home to seek medical attention out of the spotlight. He’s unaware that his high school sweetheart, and the only woman he ever loved, has moved back to town and is working as a physical therapist. After this book, I plan to move my next series out West where my hero’s brothers currently live.
What is your favorite method of writing — pen and paper or the computer? Why? When I start a story, I like to write with my favorite Mont Blanc pen, given to me by my father. I also use a separate journal for each book. I use the journal to get to know my character’s backstory, their internal and external goals and the story’s setting. I’m not exactly sure why, but writing my ideas makes me feel closer to my characters. Once I have a solid idea and really know my characters, I move to the computer.
What’s the most important part of your writing ritual (e.g. what kind of music do you listen to, favorite snack when writing, motivational quotes, etc.)? I don’t snack while writing, but I do need water and plenty of caffeine. When I first started the Whispering Slopes series, I listened to a lot of John Denver. Now, when I get stuck, I’ll take a break and play one of his CDs. I also listen to a lot of The Carpenters. I know…corny, but their music is perfect for writing romance.
What was your process of editing and preparing your NaNoWriMo manuscript for publication? For me, NaNoWriMo is a time to get a fast, partial draft written. Since the 50k word requirement is less than a full-length novel, additional writing is required after I’ve completed the competition to get to THE END. After that, extensive editing is required before I submit for publication.
Do you have any advice for first time NaNoWriMo participants? Don’t fall behind in your word count. If you keep a steady pace of 1667 words a day, you’ll reach the 50K word goal. Since I work a full-time day job, I write additional words on the weekends and some weekday evenings. Just keep writing! It will be a mess, but that can all be fixed after November.
How did you first hear about or get started with NaNoWriMo? Around 2008 or so, I became obsessed with reading authors’ websites. I loved to read their bios about how they got started writing, interviews, craft books that were helpful and about their writing process. I would even email authors after I’d finish reading their book to let them know how much I enjoyed it. It was always a thrill to receive a response. During that time, I think I stumbled across the website for NaNoWriMo. I participated for the first time in 2010. That story went on to become my first published book in 2017. I didn’t work on it all of those years. In fact, once I completed the 2010 competition, those 50k words sat on my hard drive untouched for many years, but the characters always stayed with me.
What makes you want to continue participating in NaNoWriMo? I’m not a disciplined writer. I need deadlines. If I commit to something, I’ll do it, so NaNoWriMo is perfect for me. In the three times that I’ve participated in the contest, each book has gone on to become published. That’s my biggest motivation to continue to participate.
What authors or books have inspired you to write your own stories? I can’t say there is one author or book that has inspired me to write my stories. I’ve always used writing as a way to relax and ease my worries. In fact, the first short story I ever had published was written after my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. I remember after her appointment I sat down with a pen and tablet and wrote a story about a lighthouse keeper’s daughter whose father had Alzheimer’s. It was my way of processing what was happening to my family. There is inspiration all around us. We just need to pull away from our devices and take notice.
About Jill Weatherholt
By day, Jill Weatherholt works for the City of Charlotte. At night, and on the weekend, she writes contemporary stories about love, faith and forgiveness for Harlequin Love Inspired. Raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., she now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, but her heart belongs to Virginia. She holds a degree in Psychology from George Mason University and Paralegal Studies Certification from Duke University. She shares her life with her real-life hero and number one supporter. Their relationship grew on the golf course, and now they have one in their backyard.
National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand-new novel. NaNoWriMo, a nonprofit organization since 2006, supports writing fluency and education. Their website hosts more than a million writers, serving as a social network with author profiles, personal project libraries, and writing buddies.
NaNoWriMo Programs and Links from Chester County Library and the Henrietta Hankin Branch.
It’s not too late to get started with NaNoWriMo! Click herefor resources, tips, information about our month-long Write-Ins, and a free virtual Writer’s Emergency Kit.
An informative musical and historical program with original and documented songs of this region during the early 1900’s, highlighting the everyday struggles and life of the European coal miner in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Songs sung by miners are performed as well as songs about more contemporary issues such as “The Fires of Centralia” documenting the 50 year old coal fire that burns there to this day. To emulate the mining musicians of the region, Jay Smar sings, fiddles, and flat-foot clog-dances simultaneously to highlight the end of the program.
Registration is required. Registration will close 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the event. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.
This program supports the PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy Initiative.
We are holding our existing adult book groups as virtual programs. Please see our November titles and dates below. These groups are all being held online via Zoom. We are requiring registration for these online book groups in order to send out the Zoom meeting information. Click on the date below to register. Information on our adult book groups can also be found on our website: http://bit.ly/chescolibs-bookgroups.
Registration is required for all book groups. Registration will close 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the book group. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the book group starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual book group.
These programs support the PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy Initiative.
Join us for November Yoga Series- Vinyasa Flow, Tuesdays, November 3, 10, 17, and 24, 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Join Yoga instructor Heather from 2 Crows and a Raven Yoga for a November of Vinyasa Flow sessions. Participate in one or more of the classes. This is a practice that combines movement with breath, where the transition between each posture aligns seamlessly with the pace and strength of your breath. Traditional yoga asanas (postures) are utilized to form a flow that is unique to each time that you practice. The sequence often has a focusing posture that all preceding postures lead up to, helping you achieve the focus posture.
Please register for the program (for one or more dates):
Registration is required. Registration will close 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the event. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.
This program supports the PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy Initiative.
Need a new hobby to keep your spirits up while we’re all social distancing? Been watching K-Dramas for years and want to meet new K-Drama lovers? Love BTS but don’t know much about Korean television? Break out the kimchi and join us to watch an episode of one the hottest Korean shows, then pop onto a Zoom call to chat about the show, the newest Korean music, and Korean culture – all from the comfort of our own homes.
On November 21, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm, we will be watching the pilot episode of “Reply 1988.” A must-see for anyone delving into the world of K-Dramas, “Reply 1988” is set during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, which brought the developing city into the world’s spotlight, and revolves around the lives of five friends from the same neighborhood in Seoul as they grow up, get into mischief, and experience the influx of pop culture from around the world. For an excellent article on this show, see this post from The New Yorker.
Ages 16+
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link and viewing instructions. Register on the event calendar here.
For questions, please email us at: ccljtc@ccls.org.
Join Historical Reenactor and Lecturer Michael Jesberger for a program on one of America’s oldest short stories based on real accounts which took place in the Hudson Valley of New York during the American Revolution. Learn about the events that inspired the legend.
Registration is required. Registration will close 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the event. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.
If you will be joining the ranks of Medicare soon, are already in the Medicare system and have questions, are helping a friend or relative obtain Medicare coverage, or just want to understand what Medicare is all about, this session is for you. Learn about Medicare A, B & C; the drug benefit (Part D); the types of health care insurance available in Chester County; benefits available to low income beneficiaries; and things to consider when selecting your medical coverage. APPRISE is Pennsylvania’s free, unbiased health insurance counseling program.
Registration is required. Registration will close 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the event. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.
You are invited to meet Dora Lewis (as portrayed by Carol Spacht), National Woman’s Party Ratification Chair, to learn more about this important moment in women’s history. Dora Lewis, a Philadelphia reformer and suffragist, dedicated her efforts and social position to political action, pressuring the government to pass the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Registration is required. Registration will close 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the event. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.
Eastern State’s history matters today more than ever. This in-depth, live virtual group tour explores the history of Eastern State and the experiences of the men, women and children who lived and worked behind its walls. This program will set the stage for conversations about criminal justice reform today.
Registration is required. Registration will close 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the event. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.
Dreaming about writing a novel? 
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