Library welcomes U.S. Army War College Panelists

Panelists from the United States Army War College Eisenhower Series College Program will be the featured speakers at a program to be offered at the Peters Township Public Library in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh on Tuesday, February 12 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the library.

The Eisenhower Series College Program encourages dialogue on national security and other public policy issues between students of the Army’s senior educational institution and the public throughout the United States. Register in advance to attend this free program online or call 724.941.9430.

With increasing green-on-blue attacks in Afghanistan, conflict continuing in Syria and Gaza, island disputes in Asia, and increasing cyberthreats, the Obama administration will have to contend with and prioritize a wide-ranging set of national security issues over the next four years. How will the U. S. strengthen existing alliances and forge new partnerships in an effort to remain secure? How will the U. S. balance national security priorities with the domestic agenda amidst a recovering economy? These are some of the issues that will be discussed at the program.

McMurray Veterans of Foreign Wars POST 764 is generously providing support for the 2012 International Program Series hosted by the Peters Township Public Library in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.

Library offers free FAFSA Completion Session

The library will offer a free FAFSA Completion Session on Tuesday, January 22 at 6:30 p.m. This workshop, for college-bound seniors and their parents, provides the opportunity to get personalized help completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the chance to ask questions related to the financial aid process.

Session information will be provided by Jayeann Harr, Higher Education Access Partner of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). Space is limited. Preregistration is required for this program. You can register online, call 724.941.9430, or visit the library circulation desk.

Families should be aware of FAFSA filing deadlines for all schools being considered and meet the earliest date. The deadline for submitting the FAFSA to determine eligibility for a need-based Pennsylvania State Grant is May 1 or August 1 for first-time students entering programs of study at community colleges, business, trade or technical schools, and hospital schools of nursing.

The FAFSA is used to determine if students qualify for almost all forms of need-based financial assistance, including the Pennsylvania State Grant, Federal Pell Grant, many scholarships, work-study programs, many school-based awards, and low-cost federal student loans.

Library Holiday Hours

The library will be closed on Monday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 25 for the Christmas holiday. The library will reopen on Wednesday, December 26 at 9:00 a.m.

The library will be closed on Monday, December 31 and Tuesday, January 1, 2013, and will reopen on Wednesday, January 2 at 9:00 a.m. We wish all a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY AND HOLIDAY PARTY

Join us at the library for the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Party, held in partnership with the Peters Township Parks and Recreation Department. Festivities will include lighting and decorating the outdoors township tree at 6:00, followed by holiday caroling. Refreshments, visits with Santa, and holiday crafts for children will also be offered in the library, as well as a special performance by the South Hills Brass Quintet.

We'll also be welcoming Rose Tennent, author of Thanking Our Soldiers and Susan Castriota, author of Wilson and the White House Pups and other Wilson books, who will be offering copies of their books for purchase and signing. It’s a wonderful way to get in the holiday spirit and spend time with family and friends!

Library welcomes noted author and poet Dr. Samuel Hazo

The Peters Township Public Library will welcome author of poetry and fiction Dr. Samuel Hazo who will discuss “Poetry in Public Speech” on Sunday, December 2 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the library. To attend this memorable event with Dr. Hazo, register online, visit the library circulation desk, or call 724.941.9430. A book signing and reception will follow the program.

Samuel Hazo is the author of poetry, fiction, essays, and four plays. In 1993, Governor Robert Casey named Dr. Hazo Pennsylvania’s first State Poet Laureate and he held this honor until 2003. From his first book, through the National Book Award finalist for Once for the Last Bandit, to his newest poems, he explores themes of mortality and love, passion and art, courage and grace in a style that is unmistakably his own.

Dr. Hazo suggests that “the absence of poetry in public speech can only be remedied by poetry itself. Poetry is the language of ‘felt speech,’ which is the only form of speech that is memorable. We cannot forget it even if we try. I will try to give examples of this from my own poetry and by the poetry of several other poets and let the differences speak for themselves. The unpoetic language that we hear and read on a daily basis simply does not answer the need we have for something deeper. Only poetry gives that.”

As the founder and Director/President of the International Poetry Forum, Dr. Hazo has brought more than 800 poets and performers to Pittsburgh in the past forty years. These have included Nobel Awardees (Heaney, Walcott, Paz, Milosz), Pulitzer Prize winners (Merwin, Kumin, Wilbur, Kinnell, Kooser and others), Academy Award recipients (Gregory Peck, Princess Grace of Monaco, Eva Marie Saint, Anthony Hopkins, John Houseman, Jose Ferrer) as well as public figures who understand the relationship of poetry to public speech (Senator Eugene McCarthy and Queen Noor of Jordan), playwrights and composers (Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Gian Carlo Menotti) and new poets of significance and promise.

Dr. Hazo is McAnulty Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Duquesne University, where he taught for forty-three years. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Arts degree from Duquesne University and his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. He has received eleven honorary doctorates and has been awarded the Hazlett Award for Excellence in Literature from the Governor of Pennsylvania, the Forbes Medal from the Fort Pitt Museum for Outstanding Cultural Contributions to Western Pennsylvania, the Elizabeth Kray Award for Outstanding Service to Poetry from New York University, and the Griffin Award for Creative Writing from the University of Notre Dame. In 2003, Samuel Hazo received the Maurice English Poetry Award for his 2002 distinguished book of poems – Just Once: New and Selected Poems. His most recent book, The Time Remaining, was published earlier this year.

R.E.A.D. Library Cookbook Launch Party

The library's first ever cookbook will be available for purchase beginning October 21- the first day of National Friends of the Library Week. From 12 noon until 4:00 p.m., you can buy one for yourself, or buy copies as gifts - the good cooks at the library are offering 225 of their finest recipes, and all proceeds benefit the library!

We will be offering dessert samples from the cookbook during our launch party, along with a special story-time for children from 2:00 - 2:45 p.m. with local resident Nancy Hahn.

Cookbooks will be available at the library for $10 or by mail order. To purchase by mail, please send your check ($10.00 plus $3.00 for shipping and handling) to: Friends of the Peters Township Public Library, 616 East McMurray Road, McMurray, PA 15317, along with the address where you would like the cookbook shipped.

Choosing Your Best Natural Cosmetics and Skin Products

Choosing natural cosmetics is a smart decision for your health and for the health of our planet. Learn more about the products you are currently using and if there may be a better choice available for you. Peters Township Public Library’s GO Green Club will host “Choosing Your Best Natural Cosmetics and Skin Products” on Saturday, October 20 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

GO Green Club member Pam Kuhn will be providing an overview of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) web site, whose mission is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. Persons attending the program are asked to bring a cosmetic or skin product with them that they would like to learn more about. Register for this program online or call 724-941-9430.