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NEA Big Read
From new moon to full moon the Lewis & Clark Library will explore the book The Bear by Andrew Krivak.
Family activities, movies, lectures, book discussions, stargazing and full moon parties will round out this opportunity to have our community explore one book all at the same time.
Free books are available at all Library branches in Helena, Augusta, East Helena, Lincoln, and the Bookmobile while supplies last.
The NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
AUTHOR EVENT!
Author Andrew Krivak Live in Helena
Thursday, October 26 at 7 PM at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church on Lawrence Street.
The Lewis & Clark Library is delighted to bring you the Author Andrew Krivak as part of our NEA Big Read. This free event is brought to you by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Lewis & Clark Library. Other titles by Andrew will be for sale at the event by Montana Book Co. including his latest, Like the Appearance of Horses. A signing will follow the presentation. This event is free and open to the public.
Events
Printable Events Listing
Kickoff
Friday, September 15 from 5-7 PM at the Lewis & Clark Library. The Magpie Drummers and Singers will open our NEA Big Read. We’ll have crafts, and a Lewis & Clark Library Foundation reception of Helena photographer Lea Frye’s fantastic wildlife photography exhibit. Come get a free NEA Big Read book and enjoy the music, art and refreshments.
Fall Fest with the Library
Saturday, September 16, 9 AM-12 PM. Pioneer Park and the Large Community Room at the Library. Check out the fun with Downtown Helena’s Fall Fest in Pioneer Park! The Library will have a craft in the Large Community Room, and games in the park.
Fall Equinox Gathering
Saturday, September 23 from 1-3 PM in the Large Community Room. The Bear shows how important the seasons are and how they shape our lives throughout the year. On this day of equal sunlight and darkness we’ll circle up for stories, crafts and activities including a walk in the park and seasonal tea and treats.
Poetry and Grief: A Workshop with Melissa Kwasny
Sunday, September 24 from 1-3:30 PM in the Large Community Room. No registration necessary. Grief is universal. All peoples, and most animals, experience it. It is also individual. We each suffer grief uniquely. It is perhaps our strongest emotion and yet the most difficult to describe to others. In this writing workshop, we will explore the ways that poems can provide a language for our deepest losses. All levels of writing are welcome.
Melissa Kwasny is the author of seven books of poetry, as well as a collection of essays. The recipient of Poetry Society of America’s Cecil Hemley and Alice Fay di Castognola awards. She shared the position of Montana Poet Laureate with M.L. Smoker from 2019-2021. In 2021, Kwasny and Smoker were named Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellows.
Big Read and Wild Montana: Our Public Lands and Waterways
Monday, September 25 at 6:30 PM in the Large Community Room. Join Wild Montana staff as they discuss public lands and waterways, their impact on society, and what Wild Montana staff does daily to keep Montana wild.
Free Screening of “Gather” at the Myrna Loy Center
Wednesday, September 27 at 7 PM at the Myrna Loy Center. Free and open to the public. Lewis & Clark Library and AARP Montana are offering free admission to the Myrna for the film “Gather” which is an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide.
Bear Awareness
CORRECTION: Saturday, SEPTEMBER 30 at 1 PM in the Large Community Room at the Library. Fiction about bears can be fun! But it's also important to know what bears are REALLY like; join us for the facts on the bears we have in Montana as well as how to be safe in bear country.
An Inconvenient Grizzly with Greg Smith
Tuesday, October 3 at 6:30 PM in the Large Community Room. The grizzly bear has occupied North America longer than humans have. As New West meets Old West, grizzly bear numbers are a focal point of concern and contention. Join Greg Smith in a biological, cultural, and philosophical look at the grizzly bear in contemporary Montana.
Funding for Montana Conversations is provided by Humanities Montana through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Montana’s Cultural Trust, and private donations.
Greg Smith lives in Bozeman and was a Ranger Naturalist and Backcountry Ranger in Glacier National Park for nearly 20 years. A longtime believer in the power of education, Smith now works with kids and adults as a storyteller, naturalist and historian. In his spare time, Greg enjoys trail running, backpacking, Nordic skiing and traveling the world on his bike.
Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) Workshop: Maps & Compass
Saturday, October 7 from 1-5 PM. Large Community Room at the Library. Seats are limited and registration is required. Go to https://lclibrary.libcal.com/event/10901962 to sign up. Learn basic navigation skills using map and compass to find your way.
In this class you'll learn the parts of a compass, how to read a topographic map and how to use them in tandem. You'll learn how to navigate to new locations by following a bearing and pinpoint your location through triangulation. You'll also learn how plan routes using a topographic map. This is a hands-on class with some lecture components. We will have maps and compasses for you to borrow to use during class. Some outdoor exercises are involved so dress accordingly. The BOW program is for women 18+.
Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) introduces women 18 years and older to different outdoor skills such as fishing, hunting, shooting, archery, orienteering, camp cooking, kayaking, and much more. BOW provides participants with information, encouragement, and hands-on instruction.
Big Read TinkerLabs at ExplorationWorks
Saturdays, October 7 and October 21 at ExplorationWorks, 995 Carousel Way. TinkerLabs are walk-up, interactive science experiments for families to engage in science. TinkerLabs cover a wide array of topics, from Biology to Computer Science. In October we’ll talk about natural science in conjunction with the NEA Big Read. Entrance to ExplorationWorks is free and open to the public on those day! Sponsored by the Lewis & Clark Library.
Annular Solar Eclipse 101
Sunday, October 8 at 1 PM in the Large Community Room at the Library. Learn about the upcoming annular solar eclipse and safety tips from Helena's own NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador!
Annular solar eclipses are a rare event occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, but appears too small to completely cover the Sun’s surface –resulting in what appears as a ring of fire in the sky. It’s also known as an annular solar eclipse.
Warning: During an annular eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing. Free solar viewing glasses to the first 100 attendees!
The Resurgent Wild with Christopher Preston
Tuesday, October 10 at 6:30 PM at Helena College, 1115 N. Roberts. Wild nature fills the mythology of the American West. But is the wild disappearing? Despite this common fear, the restoration of animals like grizzly bears, bison, and wolves means that, in some contexts, Montana’s wild nature may actually be starting to increase again. Nature, it turns out, may be on the point of being renewed. Christopher Preston looks at how these examples of renewal fit with the traditional account of nature preservation and what they might mean for how we think about the surrounding landscape going forward.
Funding for Montana Conversations is provided by Humanities Montana through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Montana’s Cultural Trust, and private donations.
Christopher Preston teaches environmental philosophy at the University of Montana, Missoula. His expertise revolves around the idea of the Anthropocene, the epoch in which human influence is everywhere. He studies emerging technologies for their impact on the human-nature experience, as well as restoration and rewilding efforts. His award-winning book, The Synthetic Age: Outdesigning Evolution, Resurrecting Species, and Reengineering Our World, has been translated into six languages. His latest book, Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think about Animals (February 2023), offers hope for recovering species as well as lessons about how to live with them.
Annular Solar Eclipse Shadow Viewing
Saturday, October 14, 9-11:30 AM at the Library. Everyone in the contiguous 48 states will have the opportunity to see at least a partial eclipse. The Library will provide supplies to see eclipse shadows with paper and other supplies. The partial eclipse will begin at 9:11 AM, hit the maximum at 10:27 AM, and end at 11:50 AM in Helena.
Warning: During an annular eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing.
Mindfulness in Nature, Session 1
Saturday, October 14 from 2-3:30 PM at the Caretaker’s Lawn behind the Pioneer Cabin in Reeder’s Alley (or the Large Community Room at the Library if we have bad weather). Registration required. Join us for an exploratory, playful, and contemplative practice of connecting with nature, self, and community inspired by the themes in the Big Read book, The Bear. Instructor Ashley Martens is an experienced naturalist and mindfulness guide based in Bozeman who is passionate about exploring wild landscapes inside and out. Register here: https://lclibrary.libcal.com/event/10891373
Mindfulness in Nature Session 2
Sunday, October 15 from 2-3:30 PM at the Caretaker’s Lawn behind the Pioneer Cabin in Reeder’s Alley (or the Large Community Room at the Library if we have bad weather). Registration required. Join us for an exploratory, playful, and contemplative practice of connecting with nature, self, and community inspired by the themes in the Big Read book, The Bear. Instructor Ashley Martens is an experienced naturalist and mindfulness guide based in Bozeman who is passionate about exploring wild landscapes inside and out. Register here: https://lclibrary.libcal.com/event/10891376
International Observe the Moon Night Event with Dr. Kelly Cline
Saturday, October 21 at 6:30 PM at the Lewis & Clark Library. Dr. Kelly Cline of Carroll College will talk about exciting science going on in the study of our Moon. International Observe the Moon Night is a time to come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts and curious people worldwide. Everyone on Earth is invited to learn about lunar science and exploration, take part in celestial observations, and honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon. For more information, go to moon.nasa.gov/observe-the-moon-night/
Storytelling: The Power to Connect Our World with Lailani Upham
Saturday, October 28 at 11 AM at the Lewis & Clark Library. Using her experience working on documentary film projects, Lailani Upham leads participants through a discussion on the creative and healing process of storytelling. We all have a story that can change our worldviews and bridge a relationship for future generations. This program will offer engaging discussion on untold stories and understandings.
Lailani Upham is an Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet Nation) tribal member, and a descendent from the Aaniiih, Nakoda, and Dakota tribes. She is a journalist, educator, and business developer in indigenous stories and culture.
Films @ the Library
Borealis
Sunday, September 17 at 2 PM in the Large Community Room. “Borealis” is a unique cinematic documentary that goes deep into Canada's iconic snow forest to understand how black spruce and birch experience life, talk to each other and decide when the time is right to burn themselves down. Running time 93 minutes.
DisneyNature’s Bears
Sunday, October 1 at 2 PM in the Large Community Room. In an epic story of breathtaking scale, DisneyNature's True Life Adventure "Bears" showcases a year in the life of a bear family as two impressionable young cubs are taught life's most important lessons. "Bears" captures the fast-moving action and suspense of life in one of the planet's last great wildernesses-Alaska! Rated G, runtime 77 minutes.
DisneyNature’s Earth
Sunday, October 22 at 2 PM in the Large Community Room. Narrated by James Earl Jones, this nature documentary spotlights how creatures on Earth live, survive and thrive over the course of a given year. The filmmakers focus on various geographical locations, as well as a plethora of animal species. In order to maintain a family-friendly feeling, the film avoids portraying the more brutal aspects of the animal kingdom. Rated G. Running time 90 minutes.
Book Discussions
Join us for a discussion of The Bear by Andrew Krivak. Connect with other readers to share your thoughts and impressions of Krivak's book. A facilitator will be present at each event to help guide conversation and foster connection. Copies are available at all Library branches and the audio version is available on the Hoopla Digital app.
At Lewis & Clark Library Branches:
Augusta Library, call 406-562-3348 for details.
Lincoln Library on Wednesday, October 4 at 6 PM in Lincoln, Montana.
East Helena Library on Friday, October 27 at 3 PM in East Helena.
Helena Branch: 120 S. Last Chance Gulch.
Wednesday, October 4 at 6:30 PM in the Mezzanine Meeting Room
Tuesday, October 10 with the Adults Who Read YA Book Group, 6:30 PM
Wednesday, October 18 at 1:30 PM with AARP Montana, Sarah McCabe Power Room
Book Discussions Around Helena:
Thursday, September 28 at 6:30 PM at Confluence Tapworks. 40 S Last Chance Gulch (on the Walking Mall)
Monday, October 2 at 10 AM at Spring Meadow Lake State Park. 2715 Country Club Ave.
Thursday, October 12 at 6 PM at Headwaters Crafthouse (food truck Thursday!) 2125 N Last Chance Gulch # 101.
Tuesday, October 24 at 3 PM at HUB Coffee. In the Lion Building, 314 N Last Chance Gulch.
October 25 at 12 PM at Helena College. 1115 N Roberts St.