• Visit from author Ivan Maisel
  Tuesday, March 28 – 7:00 pm – Quick Center, Fairfield University
• This is the signature event of Fairfield’s One Book One Town 2023. Join us as we welcome the author of I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye,  Fairfield’s own Ivan Maisel. This book is an honest and emotionally deep memoir in which Ivan reflects on the loss of his dear son Max to suicide, the impact of grief on family and community, and the painful journey which brings Ivan to a place of seeing grief as an expression of love.
• **Registration for this event is required.**  Please call (203) 256-3160 with any questions. Register here.

• Expressions of Grief
• Wednesday, February 22—6:00pm—Pequot Library
• Please join area mental health experts in a panel discussion on how grief is processed at different ages and life stages. This will be an open and frank conversation with clinicians and experts representing Silver Hill Hospital, the Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield, as well as other institutions.  Register at https://www.pequotlibrary.org/event/

• Writing Through Loss
• Wednesday, March 1 – Noon –  Virtual
• Join fellow writers for an hour of guided writing prompts focused on writing through loss. Participants can write individually in response to the prompts provided during the workshop.  This workshop is organized by the DiMenna-Nyselius Library at Fairfield University and will be facilitated by Elizabeth Boquet, Professor of English and Director of the Writing Center at Fairfield University, and Lisa Thornell, Head of Library Outreach & Communications. Participants do not need to have read the OBOT title to attend. Register at https://libcal.fairfield.edu/event/10168631.

• Embodied Meditation—Special edition
  Wednesday, March 8 – 6:30 pm – Caroline Platt Room, Fairfield Woods Branch Library
• In this special session learn about and experience embodied meditation, a somatic meditation practice that grounds us to feel whole in our bodies and disentangle from all that fragments us during our everyday lives. Licensed physical therapist Marika Baxter, PT, MSPT, OCS will lead us. Register here.

• Creating Lasting Family Connections
  Wednesday, March 8 – 6:30 pm – Rotary Room, Main Library
• Join us for a discussion on strengthening parenting communication skills and developing resiliency in our children.  This presentation will introduce concepts as a foundation for effective parent-child communications: understanding your child’s perspective , valuable techniques to listen compassionately, identifying parental expectations and consequences and presenting them fairly for mutual agreement and lastly taking an in-depth look into emotions and their effect on behavior. Presented by Lauren Lanham from Inspire Inc. Register here.

• Woods Book Buzz Book Club
  Thursday, March 9 – 1:00 pm – Caroline Platt Room, Fairfield Woods Branch Library
• Join us for a special session of this  book group at Fairfield Woods Branch Library. This month’s selection is the book chosen for One Book One Town 2023: I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye by Ivan Maisel.  Discussion facilitators: Claudia Silk and Mary Coe. Register here.

• A Pen Can Heal
  Wednesday, March 15 – 6:30pm – Rotary Room, Main Library
• Join us for this special workshop. By writing about your thoughts and feelings for as few as 10 minutes you may change your emotional state, improve your thought process and even sleep better. The goal is not to create a piece of literature but to release the tension of worrisome thoughts by transferring them from your mind to paper. In just one hour you will learn ways to add this simple practice to your Self-Care Plan. No writing experience or special skills are necessary. Presented by Inspire Inc. Register here.

• Mindfulness/Meditation
  Wednesday, March 22 – 6:30pm – Rotary Room, Main Library
• Come join us for an evening of mindfulness and meditation. Some of the many benefits of a meditation practice include: Reduced Stress & Anxiety,Enhanced Self-Awareness & Emotional Health, Longer Attention Span & Ability to Focus, Improved Sleep, Can decrease blood pressure and Accessible almost anywhere. 
• No experience necessary. Chairs will be provided but feel free to bring your own yoga mat if you would like to practice on the floor. Presented by Inspire Inc. Register here.

• Virtual Visit from Dr. Rose Brock, author of Hope Wins and Hope Nation
• Monday, March 20 – 1:00pm
• For the middle-grade and teen companion reads we selected two short story collections edited by Dr. Rose Brock. Hope Wins, the middle-grade selection features short stories by a veritable who’s who of middle-grade authors including Stuart Gibbs, Gordon Korman, Julie Buxbaum, and J.C. Cervantes each relating their personal experiences about how hope wins even in the darkest of times.  Hope Nation,  the teen companion selection, features a collection of stories by award-winning Young Adult authors including Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, Marie Lu and Nicola Yoon.  Their works all focus on the idea that hope is a decision, but that it can be a hard one to recognize in the face of adversity.
  
  The stories from these two collections are honest accounts that we hope will connect with readers, promote discussion, and offer some inspiration when things feel out of control or impossible. Register here.

• Visit from Coulter Jackson, author/illustrator of The Rhino Suit
  Saturday, March 25 – 1:00pm – Rotary Room, Main Library
• Colter Jackson’s The Rhino Suit, provides children an avenue to discuss children’s super big and sometimes overwhelming emotions by putting a larger than life visual- a rhino in armor- around all those feelings. Seeing another child struggle with a multitude of feelings helps kiddos understand that how they are feeling is okay; they are not alone and they can be sensitive to others who may be dealing with big happenings in their lives-(be a great friend). The Rhino Suit was chosen as this years OBOT Children’s companion book for the amazing illustrations and sweet, easily understood storyline.  Register here.

• Main Library Book Club
  Wednesday, March 29  – 1:30 pm – Rotary Room,  Main Library
• This month’s selection is our One Book One Town selection I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye by Ivan Maisel.  Discussion facilitators: Claudia Silk and Mary Coe. Register here.