SPELLING BEE: The Jefferson Parish Library will hold its eighth annual spelling bee for adults at 7 p.m. June 14, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie. Adults 18 years of age and older can participate.
Participants should simply come to the event on the day it is held. The spelling bee is a contest in which individual competitors are eliminated as they fail to spell a given word correctly.
KITTEN YOGA: Kitten Yoga, a playful class in which patrons work through a yoga class while kittens scamper around the room, will take place again this June and July at the East Bank Regional Library.
This event is open to patrons 12 years of age and older. Cats and kittens will be on-site to meet and greet, play with, and be available for adoption.
Classes will take place at the following times and dates.
- 10 a.m. June 12
- 10 a.m. June 26
- 10 a.m. July 10
- 10 a.m. July 24
Supplies to help the SPCA and JPAWS will be accepted. For a wishlist, go to www.jeffersonspca.org/donate-to-our-wish-list
PUZZLING EVENT: A jigsaw puzzle extravaganza will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. June 17, at the Jane O’Brien Chatelain West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey.
There are two elements to this event.
- Patrons may bring their used puzzles to swap with others. Each puzzle should have all of its pieces. Puzzles that remain untraded can be donated to the Friends of the Jefferson Public Library.
- The Jigsaw Puzzle Contest starts at 2 p.m. and involves teams of two people who will complete, or come close to completion, of a 500-piece puzzle by 4 p.m. The contest is limited to adults 18 years and older. The first team to finish or that makes the most headway wins a prize.
ROMANTIC POETRY: Christie Cognevich, Ph.D., a member of the library staff, will give a series of lectures on Romantic poets through August at the East Bank Regional Library.
The first will take place at 7 p.m. June 12. It’s titled “William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and the Beginnings of the English Romantic Era.”
This lecture covers Wordsworth and Coleridge and their famous "Preface to Lyrical Ballads," published in 1800, which served as a poetic manifesto of their shared sociocultural ideals.
Patrons will explore Wordsworth's and Coleridge's beliefs that poetry should be accessible to all people regardless of class and education level, as well as how their interest in social issues emerged in their poetry and marked the beginning of the English Romantic Era.
Cognevich has a master's in English literature from the University of New Orleans and a doctoral degree in English literature from Louisiana State University. She taught English literature and writing for more than a decade. Her scholarly specialties include Romantic and Victorian poetry.
FOOD DEMO: Liz Williams will prepare food and Latrice McGill will prepare cocktails at two different events.
The first event is at 6:30 p.m. June 13, at the East Bank Regional Library. The second is at 6:30 p.m. June 21, at the Jane O’Brien Chatelain West Bank Regional Library.
Williams will prepare a dish from her new cookbook; McGill says her cocktail will be a surprise.
ART SESSIONS: Melanie Walker demonstrates the process of encaustic painting at 10 a.m. June 10 at the East Bank Regional Library.
Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves a heated wax medium to which colored pigments are added; it's then applied to a surface.
Kathryn Martin, co-circulation manager at the East Bank Regional Library, will teach a class on making paper roses for wreaths at 2 p.m.
Materials and space are on a first-come, first-served basis.
POETRY EVENT: Gina Ferrara, Jonathan Kline and Scott Bailey — will discuss poetry and their latest works at 2 p.m. June 10, at the East Bank Regional Library.
Ferrara’s most recent collection of poetry, "Amis," contains surreal vignettes inspired by women who were either murdered or who are missing.
Kline will read from "The Wisdom of Ashes and Standing at the Gate," which he describes as a “short novel in tiny stories.”
Bailey is the author of "Thus Spake Gigolo." His poems have appeared in Epiphany, Jabberwock Review, Meridian, Subtropics, The Journal, The Southeast Review, and Verse Daily, among others.
POETRY CLUB: The club meets at 6 p.m. June 14, at the Harahan Library, 219 Soniat Ave., Harahan. It’s designed for those interested in reading, writing, and learning about different forms of poetry. Meetings are twice each month. The June 14 session focuses on 1960s songwriters/poets. The June 28 session focuses on “found maps.” Open to teens and adults.
MAHJONG: Matt’s Morning Mahjong, designed for beginners, will take place at 10 a.m. June 10 at the Rosedale Library, 4036 Jefferson Highway. This program is designed for those who are intimidated by the fast pace of traditional Mahjong clubs. It meets every other Saturday.
SUMMER READING PROGRAM: Upcoming events for the summer program, for all ages, include:
- Storytelling with Mama Saba: 11 a.m. to noon June 7, East Bank Regional Library.
- Storytelling with Mama SaBa: 3 to 4 p.m. June 7, Wagner Library, 6646 Riverside, Metairie.
- Porta-Puppet Players Presents “Tea Party with the Mad Hatter”: 11 a.m. to noon June 8, River Ridge Library, 8825 Jefferson Highway, River Ridge.
- Frank and Tammy’s Magic Show: 3 to 4 p.m., June 8, Gretna Library, 102 Willow Drive, Gretna.
- Storytelling with Mama SaBa: 3 to 4 p.m. June 8, Lafitte Library, 4917 City Park Drive, Lafitte.
- Frank and Tammy’s Magic Show: 11 a.m. to 1noon June 9, Belle Terre Library, 5550 Belle Terre Road, Marrero.
- The Magic of Winston Helling Jr.: 11 a.m. to noon June 10, Live Oak Library, 125 Acadia, Waggaman.
- Didgeridoo Down Under: 11 a.m. to noon June 12, Old Metairie Library, 2350 Metairie Road.
- Aerial Sling — Fly Like a Star: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. June 12, East Bank Regional Library.
- Didgeridoo Down Under: 3 to 4 p.m. June 12, Terrytown Library, 680 Heritage Drive, Terrytown.
- Didgeridoo Down Under: 3 to 4 p.m. June 13, Live Oak Library, 125 Acadia, Waggaman.
- Science on the Geaux Presents Wild About Animals: 11 a.m. to noon June 13, North Kenner Library, 630 W. Esplanade Ave., Kenner.
- Didgeridoo Down Under: 11 a.m. to noon June 13, Jane O’Brien Chatelain West Bank Regional Library.
- Didgeridoo Down Under: 11 a.m. to noon June 14, East Bank Regional Library.
- Didgeridoo Down Under: 3 to 4 p.m. June 14, Lakeshore Library, 1000 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie.
- Storytelling with Mama SaBa: 11 a.m. to noon June 14, River Ridge Library, 8825 Jefferson Highway, River Ridge.
- Wind in My Feathers: 2 to 3 p.m. June 13, Rosedale Library.
- Blacksmith demonstration: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. June 14, Jane O’Brien Chatelain West Bank Regional Librar.
JUNETEENTH: Patrons should note that all Jefferson Parish Libraries are closed on June 16, in honor of Juneteenth, a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Chris Smith is manager of adult programming at the Jefferson Parish Public Library.