Elizabeth Strout is coming to Lancaster County! The award-winning author will appear at the 2018 Spring Author Luncheon on Thursday, April 19, 2018 at 12:00 noon at the Calvary Church, 1051 Landis Valley Rd, Lancaster, PA.   The Council of Friends of Public Libraries, Aaron’s Books and the Library System of Lancaster County will host the luncheon, which is a fundraising event for public libraries in Lancaster County.

“Being able to host renowned authors such as Elizabeth Strout has been the highlight of our luncheons for the past 17 years. Strout will be no exception to the high-caliber writers that we seek for this special event.” says Mary Ann Heltshe-Steinhauer, public relations manager for the Library System and committee member on The Council of Friends.

Download Ticket Order Form

About the Author

Elizabeth Strout was born in Portland, Maine, and grew up in small towns in Maine and New Hampshire. From a young age she was drawn to writing things down, keeping notebooks that recorded the quotidian details of her days.  She was also drawn to books, and spent hours of her youth in the local library lingering among the stacks of fiction.  During the summer months of her childhood she played outdoors, either with her brother, or, more often, alone, and this is where she developed her deep and abiding love of the physical world: the seaweed covered rocks along the coast of Maine, and the woods of New Hampshire with its hidden wildflowers.

During her adolescent years, Strout continued writing avidly, having conceived of herself as a writer from early on. She read biographies of writers, and was already studying – on her own – the way American writers, in particular, told their stories.  Poetry was something she read and memorized; by the age of sixteen was sending out stories to magazines.  Her first story was published when she was twenty-six.

Strout attended Bates College, graduating with a degree in English in 1977. Two years later, she went to Syracuse University College of Law, where she received a law degree along with a Certificate in Gerontology.  She worked briefly for Legal Services, before moving to New York City, where she became an adjunct in the English Department of Borough of Manhattan Community College.  By this time, she was publishing more stories in literary magazines and Redbook and Seventeen.  Juggling the needs that came with raising a family and her teaching schedule, she found a few hours each day to work on her writing.

To learn more about Elizabeth Strout, visit her website: www.elizabethstrout.com

About Anything is Possible

Recalling Olive Kitteridge in its richness, structure, and complexity, Anything Is Possible explores the whole range of human emotion through the intimate dramas of people struggling to understand themselves and others. Here are two sisters: One trades self-respect for a wealthy husband while the other finds in the pages of a book a kindred spirit who changes her life. The janitor at the local school has his faith tested in an encounter with an isolated man he has come to help; a grown daughter longs for mother love even as she comes to accept her mother’s happiness in a foreign country; and the adult Lucy Barton (the heroine of My Name Is Lucy Barton, the author’s celebrated New York Times bestseller) returns to visit her siblings after seventeen years of absence.

Reverberating with the deep bonds of family, and the hope that comes with reconciliation, Anything Is Possible again underscores Elizabeth Strout’s place as one of America’s most respected and cherished authors. (Taken from Publisher)
About The Council of Friends

Established in 2000, the award-winning Council of Friends of Public Libraries is made up of volunteers who are avid readers and are committed to promoting reading countywide. The group has organized and hosted author events that have featured best-selling authors for the past 16 years.  In 2010, they formed a partnership with Independent Bookstore Aaron’s Books in Lititz that brings authors to Lancaster County while they travel on their national book tours.

Tickets for the 2018 luncheon are on sale now. Cost is $50 per ticket, which includes luncheon, author presentation and a paperback copy of Elizabeth Strout’s latest book, Anything Is Possible.

Ticket Order Form

Contact Cathy Doremus at 717-627-3772 or email at cdoremus@ptd.net to purchase tickets.  Checks should be made payable to The Council of Friends.  Please be sure to include a SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) with your ticket order! 

For more information, including library hours, visit the Library System of Lancaster County’s website at www.lancasterlibraries.org to access system-wide events as well as your local library’s web page!

Dr. Frank Sileo, psychologist and author of “A World of Pausabilities!,” to join families at Manheim Township Public Library on Sept. 30 from 10 to 11 a.m.

CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health, in partnership with the Library System of Lancaster County, is pleased to present a FREE family workshop, Children and Mindfulness: A World of Pausabilities, by Dr. Frank J. Sileo, licensed psychologist and author, on Saturday, Sept. 30 from 10 to 11 a.m. at Manheim Township Public Library, 595 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster, Pa. 17601.

During the interactive workshop, families with children of all ages will be introduced to mindfulness, a way of living in the present – without worrying about the past or future. Attendees are encouraged to dress comfortably and parents will be invited to join their children in a variety of mindfulness activities. The first 100 families to register for the event and attend will receive a copy of Sileo’s autographed book A World of Pausabilities. To register and reserve your FREE BOOK go to:  www.stjosephchildrenshealth.org.

“We’re extremely excited to offer families access to a renowned expert about such an incredibly important topic,” said Philip Goropoulos, president of CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health. “This free event is ideal for any family who is looking to help their child find a healthy mindset in the midst of the hectic and sometimes stressful world around them.”

Sileo’s book, A World of Pausabilities, is a rhyming guide that introduces children to mindfulness and shows them how to live mindfully by taking pauses in their lives. The book teaches children “pausabilities” encouraging them to take a breath and be present and pay attention to their thoughts, feelings, sensations and the world around them. A World of Pausabilities reminds children that everyone can be mindful and that there is no wrong way to take a pause.

The announcement of this family workshop is just one more way CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health, a community-based organization dedicated to the health and well-being of children and families, is attempting to change the course of child and adolescent behavioral health in the Lancaster community. In July, the nonprofit, which provides multiple efforts, programs and services, announced the opening of the organization’s first Behavioral Health Center. The new Center provides Behavioral Health services to children regardless of insurance or their ability to pay.

“Behavioral Health and mindfulness are topics that are top-of-mind for many parents in our community who are dealing with busy schedules and an ever-growing list of activities for their children beginning at a young age,” said Mary Ann Heltshe-Steinhauer, community relations manager for the Library System of Lancaster County. “We’re proud to partner with CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health to provide local families access to such a unique and powerful experience.”

About Dr. Sileo

Dr. Frank J. Sileo is a New Jersey licensed psychologist, and is the founder and executive director of The Center for Psychological Enhancement, LLC located in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He received his doctorate in psychology from Fordham University in New York City. He received his master’s degree from Fordham University and his bachelor’s degree from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. Sileo has been in private practice in Ridgewood, New Jersey since 1995. Since 2010, he has been consistently voted one of New Jersey’s Favorite Kids’ Docs by readers of New Jersey Family magazine. Sileo has worked with children, adolescents and adults in inpatient and outpatient settings. He has served as site administrator to three different residential treatment facilities for children, adolescents and young adults. He has taught counseling and psychology courses at Fordham University and Saint Thomas Aquinas College, and is currently a supervisor of doctoral students in the clinical psychology program at Fairleigh Dickinson University.  For more information about Sileo, visit http://drfranksileo.com/about.htm.

About CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health

A part of Catholic Health Initiatives, CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health is a community-based organization dedicated to the health and well-being of children and families in the Lancaster community. The organization works in collaboration with community partners to assure access to appropriate, quality health services and benefits for every child in the Lancaster community. This mission in children’s health includes multiple efforts, programs and services committed to improving the health of children and families throughout the Lancaster community. To learn more about CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health, visit www.CHIstjosephchildrenshealth.org.

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Whether you’ve read the book Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, or not—you are still invited to join the Readers’ Celebration that will be held on Saturday, April 8 from 12:00 – 2:00 pm at the Reading Municipal Airport at  2501 Bernville Road, Reading, PA 19605.   This free event will celebrate the reading of this year’s One Book selection with a special appearance of the author!  World War II displays, a slide show, music from the era in which the book is set, and refreshments all add up to an afternoon of fun and enjoyment for the public.

There will also be a reception catered by Isaac’s and a silent auction to benefit future One Book, One Community Programs. The event is FREE and open to the public, but participants are encouraged to register for the event at:

http://tinyurl.com/readers-celebration

Guests are welcome to visit the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum before or after the Readers’ Celebration, which is a short distance from the event. Hours are 9:30am – 4pm. Last guided tour begins at 3 pm. (Fees apply for visitors to the Museum.)

This year’s OBOC regional campaign represents collaboration between 80 libraries in six counties: Berks, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York. Reading campaign organizers encourage residents of the six-county region to read the book and attend programs during 2017.

Visit www.oboc.org for information about the book, author and updates on events!

For more information about the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, visit http://www.maam.org/

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