Phoenixville Public Library offers free programs for patrons

Phoenixville Public Library will host a virtual talk by local authors Bessie Lawton and Anita Foeman on their book, “Who Am I? Identity in the Age of Consumer DNA Testing,” on Monday, Jan. 31, at 7:00 PM. Have you ever wondered about the origins of your ancestors? Are you curious about your ethnicity or race? Have you heard or told stories about your family’s past? Would you like to know the science that can help to uncover some of these mysteries? In “Who Am I? Identity in the Age of Consumer DNA Testing,” West Chester University communication professors Lawton and Foeman present readers with the most comprehensive and cutting-edge research on DNA and identity construction. They investigate the modern trend of individuals using directto-consumer DNA test results to explore and negotiate their personal and social identities. Their book explores the numerous misconceptions that exist with regard to race, culture, and ethnicity, and how DNA kits have changed the ways in which race and ethnicity are understood and acted upon in our everyday lives. Lawton and Foeman are helping to facilitate conversations on race using DNA testing that is part of West Chester University’s DNA Discussion Project. This event is free and open to the public and will be held online via Zoom. Registration is required at https://ccls.libcal.com/calendar/Phoenixville/whoam-i or by calling 610-9333013 x132. Email mpinto@ ccls.org for more information or assistance with using Zoom.

Phoenixville Public Library will host a free, virtual estate planning seminar on Thursday, Feb. 3, at 7:00 PM. Mark Lange of the Society for Financial Awareness (SOFA) will be the presenter. Attendees will learn about: the distribution of an estate, wills, and trusts; specific estate planning strategies; the purpose of estate planning; and avoiding probate. This event is free and open to the public and will be held online via Zoom. Registration is required at https://ccls.libcal.com/ calendar/Phoenixville/estate-planning or by calling 610-933-3013 x132. Email mpinto@ccls.org for more information or assistance with using Zoom. Phoenixville Public Library will host a virtual ESL Conversation Group on Saturdays from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, beginning February 5. The group will be led by a Community Volunteer from the Volunteer English Program (VEP) in Chester County, who will choose relevant topics and engage participants in conversation around those topics. The group is open to ESL students and tutors and anyone in the community looking to improve/practice English through conversation. The group is free and open to the public and will meet online via Zoom. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link by emailing VEP Group Leader John Argeseanu at johnargeseanu@gmail.com. For more information, contact the Volunteer English Program in Chester County at volunteer. english@volunteerenglish.org or 610-918-8222.

In observance of Black History Month, Phoenixville Public Library is pleased to host speaker Anita Friday, founder of Open Hearts: A Path for Racial Healing, in person

at the Library on Monday, Feb. 7, at 7:00 PM. Her program is entitled, “Suspicion … Why and at What Cost?” In her presentation, Anita will speak of racism, stereotypes and the necessity for our communities to strengthen relationships across color lines and have more courageous conversations. She will explore the historical roots of racism in our country and how they manifest in our present-day interactions. The presentation is an introduction to the narratives that have been used to define African American and white interaction throughout this nation’s history and the impact those narratives have had on the nation and its inhabitants as a whole. In addition, further attention will be given to why these narratives have been created and what the costs have been for all. Participants will develop a historically based definition of racism. Ultimately, each participant will be offered tools that can be used to join the battle to create a more just nation.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required at https://ccls. libcal.com/calendar/Phoenixville/racial-healing or by calling 610-933-3013 x132. Email mpinto@ccls. org for more information. Phoenixville Public Library is located at 183 Second Avenue, Phoenixville.

Movies on Tap, Phoenixville Public Library’s film discussion group for adults in their 20s and 30s, will meet virtually on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 PM. The group will discuss “Dial M for Murder” (1954, PG). Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings star in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller about a former tennis player who tries to arrange his wife’s murder after learning of her affair. Please watch the film independently prior to the discussion. This event is free and open to the public and will be held online via Zoom. Please e-mail Faith Donaher at fdonaher@ gmail.com for more information and to receive an invitation to the meeting.

Phoenixville Public Library will host the next program in their cosponsored Community Gardening around the Village Series on Thursday, February 10 at 7:00 PM at the Library. Sherry Wildfeuer will present “The Planting Calendar.” What does it mean to plant by the moon? And why might you want to try it? Sherry Wildfeuer, who has edited the 40-page Stella Natura Biodynamic Planting Calendar since 1978, will show you how you can connect the work in your vegetable and flower gardens with the rhythms of the cosmos. She has gardened biodynamically in New York, Switzerland, California and Pennsylvania, and since 1973 she has been a coworker in Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, a 420-acre biodynamic farming and crafting intentional community which includes adults with special needs. The 2022 edition of the Stella Natura calendar will be available for sale at the Library that evening. For each calendar sold, $5.00 is donated to Camphill Village Kimberton Hills. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required at https://ccls.libcal.com/calendar/Phoenixville/planting-calendar or by calling 610-933-3013 x132. Email mpinto@ccls.org for more information. Phoenixville Public Library is located at 183 Second Avenue, Phoenixville.

Free, in-person tech help is available at Phoenixville Public Library during selected hours on Monday afternoons and Tuesday & Wednesday evenings. Onehour appointments for assistance with your laptop, tablet or smartphone from the library’s volunteer tutors are available by calling 610-933-3013 x132.