Artwork © 2021 Michaela Goade for iREAD Summer Reading

All 2023 Find Your Voice Summer Reading Programs run from Monday, June 26th to Saturday, August 5th. Don’t miss our fantastic Youth Summer Reading Program!

Here’s how the Adult Summer Reading Program works:
Read or listen to ANY book, attend a program, or complete a Take & Make craft kit to earn tickets for our 6 weekly raffles. Each ticket will also be entered to win one of two GRAND PRIZES on the last day of the program.

Need some ideas on what to read or listen to next? Visit our Suggested Reading for Adults page. Check out our curated list – Find Your Voice!  Want to get started with Libby, the FREE app to access e-books and e-audiobooks?? Click here to learn how!

Click here to fill out an ONLINE RAFFLE TICKET, or fill out a paper ticket at the Library. You do not need to submit a raffle ticket for a completed craft. Click here to read how to earn a raffle ticket for a Take N’ Make craft.

Raffle rules are as follows:

  1. Read/listen to a book, attend a program, or complete a Take & Make craft.
  2. Fill out a raffle ticket online or in person at the Library. 
    You do not need a Gmail account to fill out the online form. 
  3. Each completed book or audiobook title earns ONE raffle ticket.
  4. Each program attended earns TWO raffle tickets.
  5. Each completed Take & Make craft earns TWO raffle tickets.
    You do not need to fill out a raffle ticket for a completed craft.
  6. Every raffle ticket will be entered to win one of the two GRAND PRIZES.
    You’ll indicate which you prefer to enter on each raffle ticket.

The entry deadline is Saturday at 2pm each week. If you miss it, you may use the book or program title for the next raffle. We will pick the raffle winner the following Monday.

Keep an eye out on our social media accounts for more chances to earn extra raffle tickets! Follow us @ewmlibrary on Facebook and @ehlibrary on Instagram.

The winner of each weekly raffle may choose one of the following:

A $25 gift card to Small Oven Bakery OR Tandem Bagel Company.

The winners of our two GRAND PRIZE raffles will receive:

A $50 gift certificate to Book Moon OR Comics ‘N’ More. 

Check out these special, in-person events! Remember, attendance at each can earn you TWO raffle tickets. Click here to see these events listed on our calendar!

RCA’s Intergenerational Drawing Group @ Easthampton Public Library!
Jun 27, Jul 11, Aug 1 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Drop-in.
Ages 1 to 101… this drawing group is for you! Come as a family or with a buddy, or come solo. FREE for all to attend. It’s a laid-back, fun-centric time to come together and draw. No experience required! You’ll have the option to work on your own drawings independently or join a small learning group, focused on a specific skill or subject. Drawing skills are taught by RCA instructors who are trained to work with all ages and skill levels. All materials provided.

Find Your Voice with Chris Rich
Jun 28 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Drop-in. 
The way we talk to ourselves influences every part of our lives. It affects all of our relationships and the way we show up in the world. Come join certified life coach, Chris Rich, for some simple takeaways to improve your inner voice and your life.

Chris Rich is a certified life coach. She delights in helping people create the life they want by focusing on the things that are in their control. She is famous for her cinnamon rolls, makes friends easily and loves to make the world a better place.

Writing Memoir: Voice and Passion with Laurie McMillan
Jun 30 & Jul 7 @ 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm. Attend one or both! Please RSVP at tinyurl.com/epl-voice-passion so we have an idea of how many folks will be attending. Recommended but not required.
Explore your life experiences in this writing workshop that focuses on the elements of voice and passion in memoir. We will write in workshop to prompts, and discuss and share in a safe and supportive group. Writing tools and handouts will be provided. No writing experience necessary.

Facilitator Laurie McMillan leads writing workshops of all genres and encourages people from all walks of life who want to write.

Adult Songwriting with Lisa Bastoni
Jul 13 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm & Jul 20 @ 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm. Attend one or both! Please RSVP at tinyurl.com/epl-adult-songwriting so we have an idea of how many folks will be attending. Recommended but not required.
Participants will listen to a few classic examples of powerfully vivid songwriting, and will generate ideas for new songs using a variety of writing exercises. No songwriting experience is required. Participants will be invited to share songs in process, time permitting. Lisa will be playing a concert for us the week after Summer Reading ends, on Friday, August 11th at 6pm!

Lisa Bastoni is a Northampton, MA-based singer-songwriter who has enjoyed a longtime presence in the northeast folk/Americana scene. She is a 2021 New England Music Award nominee (Roots), 2020 & 2019 Boston Music Award Nominee (Folk) and winner of 2019 New Folk at the esteemed Kerrville Folk Festival. In addition to her work in music, Lisa Bastoni is an accomplished visual artist and teacher, and mother to two young children. For more info, visit www.lisabastoni.com.

Lonesome Brothers Concert
Jul 14 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm. Drop-in.
Come celebrate summer and local music with us on the Library Lawn! Happening rain or shine. In the event of rain, we will move the concert indoors.

“The Bros combine the best elements of American music with the raw honesty of their natural and totally believable lyrics. There’s real poetry here in the writing of Ray Mason and Jim Armenti that evokes the best of Hank Williams or Chuck Berry – a down-home conversational style that tells a story with vivid insight into the human condition.” –Paul Burton, Music Revue

Learn more about Lonesome Brothers and their music at lonesomebrothers.com

The Logistics Concert
Jul 26 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Drop-in.
Continuing our Summer Concert Series with local musicians! Happening rain or shine. Join us on the Library Lawn. In the event of rain, we will move the concert indoors.

The Logistics specialize in expert renditions of enduring favorites from the 50’s through the 80’s, providing fun music with three-part harmonies for a lively party or creating a pleasant background ambiance. They have played for over fifteen years, from Buffalo to the Pioneer Valley, at weddings and private events, in restaurants, bars, cafes, theaters, schools, libraries, and festivals. 

Lonnie Chu, manager and vocalist, played folk guitar and bluegrass mandolin and studied vocal music in college before becoming a professor of Spanish. She first performed as a soloist when singing flamenco, then she added vintage songs in various languages as well as jazz standards. She’s thrilled to now be covering the songs that she grew up with. 

David Chu, guitar and vocals, has a BA in music and a background in percussion and piano, but built his career as a player of electric guitar in jazz and pop styles. He then played flamenco guitar professionally for many years. Returning now to his electric roots, he’s equally at home in jazz, blues, Brazilian, classic rock, funk and R&B. 

Ruth Critcher, vocalist, has a long history of singing in a variety of ensembles. In college she focused on exploring creativity through music, art and writing. A freelance academic editor, she has continued to pursue music, most recently singing with an a cappella group which performed for many years in Western Massachusetts. 

Find Your Voice is sponsored by the Easthampton Public Library, Emily’s Friends of the Library, the Massachusetts Library System, the Boston Bruins, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.