Library serves up art, music, acupuncture, games and more in November
November 2, 2025 | By Judi Byron This month’s programs at the Waterbury Public Library begin this coming week with two events on Tuesday – also Election Day. Waterbury’s polls will be open until 7 p.m. at the municipal office with balloting all day on the Central Vermont Career Center’s $149 million bond proposal. The library and Steele Room will be hosting two events overlapping with voting hours, allowing community members to combine art and music with their trip to vote. Note that the schedule may mean a busy parking lot between 5 and 7 p.m.
A special November holiday note: The library will be closed for Veterans Day, Nov. 11; the Thanksgiving holiday hours will mean a 3 p.m. early closure on Wednesday, Nov. 26, and full closure Thursday-Friday, Nov. 27-28. The library will be open for regular hours on Saturday, Nov. 29.
As always, be sure to visit waterburypubliclibrary.com for complete listings of all library programming for children, teens and adults.
Nov. 4: The Sounds, the Soul, the History of the Kora
Sean Gaskell with a West African kora instrument. Courtesy photo
Musician Sean Gaskell fills the Steele Community Room with the music of the West African Kora in a presentation sponsored by the Friends of the Waterbury Public Library, Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 6:30 p.m.
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Gaskell has visited Gambia and Senegal over the last 17 years, studying under the oral historians known as Griots, preservers of history through song.
The kora is a West African harp with 21 strings strung over a gourd that delivers both gentle melodic sounds and captivating, mesmerizing rhythms.
In his program “The Sounds, the Soul, the History of the Kora,” Gaskell honors this 800-year-old musical history dating back to the founding of the Mande empire. Come see, hear and be delighted by this ancient, natural instrument.
Nov. 4: Exhibit opening reception with Dorothy Goulet
Waterbury watercolor artist Dorothy Goulet will be showcasing her eclectic, colorful work in the library’s café in November and December. The Friends of the Waterbury Public Library are sponsoring an opening reception for the exhibit at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Inspired by nature’s beauty in form and color, Goulet aims to capture colors, movement, and dimension in flowers, trees, fields and sky. She works in a modern abstract style, utilizing negative space and saturated color to create a pop in every piece. Her paintings – watercolor, sometimes with other media such as gouache, acrylic, ink and foil incorporated – are bright and detailed with shadow and highlight.
Nov. 5: Silent Reading Party
Read with friends! At Silent Reading Parties, there’s no assigned reading. The parties are free events organized in collaboration with Bridgeside Books at a variety of venues, once each month. Readers gather in cafes, various businesses, outdoor park spaces, etc., to silently read a book (or listen to an audiobook) of their choosing. After about an hour, participants have a chance to share about what they’re reading with others.
November’s gathering will take place Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the Treehouse above McGillicuddy’s. Entry is at 1 Elm Street, Suite 3.
Ear acupuncture. Courtesy photo
Nov. 8: Acupuncture Clinic
On Saturday, Nov. 8, the library hosts a free drop-in Acupuncture Clinic from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This Five Needle Point Ear Acupuncture clinic goes by several names, including the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association protocol acudetox or acureset. It can help those struggling with trauma, addiction, mental and emotional issues, general stress and anxiety, and more. This state-approved technique has been studied by both the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine. It has been studied for its impact on addressing addiction (smoking, alcohol, drugs) as well as mental, emotional and behavioral issues such as trauma, anxiety, stress, bipolar disorder, ADD/ADHD.
Recognizing these benefits, the State of Vermont has deregulated the use of this technique, making it available for anyone with a certification to administer, not only licensed acupuncturists. This clinic will involve treatments delivered by people completing their final steps in their 5NP certification process under the supervision of licensed acupuncturist Travis Beto, of Open Community Acupuncture in Waterbury. No appointments necessary.
Nov. 12 & 24: Climate focus in history & fiction
A Vermont scene from 1816. Photo courtesy of the Vermont Humanities Council
The library has two events this month connected by the theme of “Resilient Patterns,” presented in the 2025 Vermont Reads statewide book discussion program organized through the Vermont Humanities Council.
Book cover courtesy photo
On Nov. 12, the library hosts a Vermont Speakers Bureau presentation by historian Howard Coffin titled, “1800 and Froze to Death: The Cold Year of 1816.” Coffin will recount the real-life events of 1816, the notorious and historic year without summer, when frosts were recorded every month, dark skies were frequent, and mysterious lights sparked a widespread belief that a higher power was displeased. Coffin has collected scores of anecdotes on the dark year of failed crops, scarce food, and religious revival, compounded in the aftermath of the War of 1812, which produced commodity shortages, price-gouging and an economic crisis. This event is Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the library.
This year’s Vermont Reads book for discussion is “The Light Pirate” by Lily Brooks-Dalton, and free copies of the book (to keep) are available at the library. The story was chosen as the prompt for multiple events across the state to discuss how humans adapt after experiencing climate-related crises and trauma. The novel’s main character, Wanda, is named after a catastrophic storm after being born into a world that’s rapidly changing. Rising sea levels and devastating weather patterns transform her coastal Florida town. From childhood to adulthood, Wanda adapts to this remade landscape, finding adventure, love, and purpose in a place largely abandoned by civilization. Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time— “The Light Pirate” considers the dissolution of the human-made world, and points to human connection and adaptability as way forward for the future. Join the book discussion at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24, at the library.
Nov. 15: Writers’ Wertfrei hosts Vermont author
Barre author J. Peter Cobb. Courtesy photo
Writers’ Wertfrei, the library’s monthly writing group, will host Barre author J. Peter Cobb at its Nov. 15 meeting from 10 a.m. to noon. The author of two books, Cobb will discuss writing and his process.
Cobb’s most recent book, “Some Things Aren’t Meant to Be,” about a farmhand who becomes a Roman Catholic priest, follows the arc of the main character’s life between 1929 and 1962 in rural Vermont. The novel is a love story, a coming-of-age story, a story about faith, and a poignant exploration of the human heart and spirit. It’s set against the backdrop of rural life and ecclesiastical politics as the protagonist searches for purpose and truth in a world fraught with complex moral choices. Copies of the book are available to borrow from the library and for purchase at Bridgeside Books. Cobb’s first novel, “To Alice,” about home health care/hospice workers, debuted in 2022.
For 33 years, Cobb was the executive director of the VNA, the professional association for Vermont’s visiting nurses. He has been a reporter, grant writer, soccer coach, and mental health worker.
Writers’ Wertfrei meets on the third Saturday of the month in person and via Zoom. It’s open to all writers, whether you write for a living or as a hobby. The term “wertfrei” comes from the German “wertfreiheit,” meaning non-judgmental or value-free. These meetings are an opportunity for writers to share their work and both receive and offer feedback in a supportive environment. To register, email judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com to register. Find the Zoom link here.
International Games Month
International Games Month is an initiative run by volunteers from around the world to reconnect communities through their libraries around the educational, recreational, and social value of all types of games. The Waterbury Public Library is part of this organization and is promoting International Games Month in November.
Adult gaming is robust with both weekly and monthly gatherings from board games to bridge:
The Waterbury Bridge Club meets on Thursdays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., playing Duplicate Bridge, which involves duplicating each hand but with different players. If you play bridge, you can play duplicate bridge. To learn more or join in, contact Millie Merril at 802-555-3523 or Grace Sweet at 802-244-7123.
On Saturdays, Mahjong players meet on the second floor of the library for a drop-in session from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. These gatherings are self-directed assuming that players know the game.
Also on Saturdays, from 1-4 p.m., join Evan Hoffman, Dungeon Master, for Dungeons and Dragons and Tabletop Roleplaying Games in the SAL Room. For more details and to connect with the group, visit the group Discord link.
Monthly games include Board Game Night on the first Tuesday of the month, 6-8 p.m., where a variety of board games are explained and played. These games are Euro-style, which include a mix of skill, deduction and chance. Attendees are welcome to bring a game and pizza is served.
On the third Thursday of the month, also 6-8 p.m. in the SAL Room, storyteller Katharine Bodan leads Blood on the Clocktower – a compelling social deduction game of lies and logic, twists and turns.
For the kids:
The library hosts a Game Club for first- and second-graders on the first Monday of the month after school, 3-4 p.m. Monthly online registration is required to participate. Game examples include chess and Mancala, a two-player, strategy game played with small stones, beans, marbles, and one of the oldest known games. Other card and board games are also available. The November session is Monday, Nov. 3. Register here.
LEGO Club for youngsters in grades 1-4 takes place on the third Wednesday of the month, also from 3-4 p.m. Each month presents a new LEGO challenge. Registration also is required. For the Nov. 19 meeting, register here.
The library has a number of gaming books for youth and adults.
Judi Byron is the Waterbury Public Library’s Adult Program Coordinator. Reach her at 802-244-7036 or judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com.