It was a rather wet day last Saturday which was just perfect for our first knit in. We had a nice friendly bunch of people that gathered to knit, chat, check out our knitting books and drink cups of tea. We had a few international knitters and it was interesting to see although people knit all over the world there are different techniques. The Knit-in ran from 11am-3pm and we had knitters between the ages of 6-86 from beginners to experts.
Thanks to all the knitters who came along and if you missed out don’t dispair we will be holding another knit in on Saturday 22nd July from 11am-3pm.
It’s May! So once again it’s New Zealand Music Month. What’s the Library doing this year to celebrate & profile Wellington musicians? Well…
This May, Wellington libraries will turn into temporary concert venues – showcasing young local talent. Up-and-coming young artists will perform afternoon gigs at Wellington Central Library and at the Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie), Newtown, Johnsonville and Karori branch libraries. These free events will take place Monday 16 to Friday 20 May.
- Kilbirnie on Monday 16 from 4 to 5pm
- Newtown on Tuesday 17 from 4 to 5pm
- Johnsonville on Wednesday 18 from 4 to 5pm
- Karori on Thursday 19 from 4 to 5pm
- Central on Friday 20 from 4 to 5pm
There will also be evening performances at ZEAL and The Jimmy Bar at the St James Theatre.
Wellington City Council is organising these live performances in partnership with Play It Strange, a trust established in 2003 to encourage young New Zealanders to develop interests and skills in songwriting and musical performance.
Other Music Month events include a series of Music Workshops.
On Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 May Toi Poneke Arts Centre will hold free workshops for independent musicians. The workshop on Monday is for musicians who want to break into the Australian market and will be full of hits and tips for people who have already crossed the Tasman.
This is followed on Tuesday with the launch of the Instrumental’s Musician’s Publicity Toolkit – with a live performance from Mara TK. The toolkit is a musician’s essential guide to self-publicity and online marketing.
A full list of events, times and venues in Wellington for New Zealand Music Month can be found on the Toi Poneke Arts Centre’s Facebook page
Karori Library will be open this Friday night just for high school students or those aged 13-18* (with some library staff to pass around the free pizza and lollies).
There will be free internet and gaming available : Guitar Hero, Kinect and Wii – and since it’s the last day of term to there will be some live music too. Further details are available on the Teen Blog!
*bring your YA card or your school ID.
Posted by wclstaff on 13.04.2011 at 2:23 pm//
Tagged: Announcements , Events, teens //
Comments Off
The sign outside says : Kom d’r in! koffie en stroopwafels!
Dutch seniors have been meeting on Wednesday mornings at the Island Bay Community Centre for many years, the coffee is good and although there were no stroopwafels *, plenty of other Dutch delicacies were on offer.
When I asked what the coffee was like when they first arrived in Wellington in the 1950’s the answer was unanimously: “There was none!”
How things have changed now in Wellington, apparently there are more coffee places to go to per head of the population than in New York!
A big thank you to the Dutch coffee group for letting us eavesdrop on their recent session talking about their memories and customs. Check out this videoclip!
* a stroopwafel is a waffle made from two thin layers of baked batter with a caramel-like syrup filling in the middle. They were first made in Gouda in the Netherlands, in 1784. Large versions are sold in the streets as a snack.
We have the recently published Suzy’s: a coffee house history, by Susette Goldsmith which describes the local cafe mentioned in the video clip. Hope to you see at one or all of our “put the kettle on” events, all welcome!
Listen to Kate Spencer, author of Being Daisy, talk about her life and how she came to find her one love – writing.
Born in the South West of England, Kate attended Teacher Training College where she majored in French. She started writing in the seventies while raising three young children. Since her first published letter to Woman’s Weekly, she has been writing widely, as well as acting and directing. Arriving in New Zealand in 1996, Kate now lives and works on the Kapiti Coast as a freelance writer. All Roads Lead to Rome is the title of her talk and covers books she has written awaiting publication, and the writing process involved in Being Daisy.
Kate will be at the Ruth Gotlieb Library, Kilbirnie, on Thursday 7th April at 6.30pm
This March Wellington City Libraries is holding four free seminars for teens designed to make surviving the urban jungle that is life in Wellington that much easier.
First session starts today! Come along from 4-5pm at Central Library and get fit for free with Recreation Wellington and NZ Parkour. Find out about the free and five dollar deals in town and learn how to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Learn about different traditions and share your own!
Experience Gongfu Cha – Chinese tea ceremony at Johnsonville library: Wednesday 23 March (11am)
High tea – English tea tradition at Kilbirnie library: Thursday 24 March (10.15am)
Masala tea – Indian tea tradition at Karori Library: Thursday 24 March (7pm) and Tawa Library: Thursday 31 March, (7pm)
Fair Trade coffee growers’ traditions at Newtown library: Friday 1 April (6pm)
Oromia – Ethiopian coffee ceremony at Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library: Tuesday 5 April (11am)
Further details can be found on the Wellington City Libraries’ event calendar
Update:
A big thank you to the Dutch coffee group for letting us eavesdrop on their recent session talking about their memories and customs. Check out this videoclip!
Come along and meet some of the authors of the new book Beyond the Dark Journey. In this book eight young people, all former refugees, share their stories not just about their journey here but also their experiences of settling into Aotearoa New Zealand. A special and extra feature is the addition of poems composed by the same writers. This book is dedicated to the courage of all refugees who live in New Zealand – for their suffering and displacement from their homeland.
After the reading, there will be copies available to borrow from our library collection, and order forms if you want to purchase your own copy ($25).
Join three of New Zealand’s finest writers, Fiona Farrell, Kate De Goldi and Emily Perkins, and hear them talk about the writers and books that have inspired and influenced them, while discussing their own work. It should be a fascinating session.
When: 6.00 pm, Wednesday, 28th July 2010
Where: City Gallery Wellington – Civic Square
Tickets are now available from Wellington Central Library. Ticket price is $15 ($12 for Book Council Members).
For more information, please call (04) 801 4068. Ticket purchases must be made in person, no reserves. Payments accepted are cash, cheque or eft-pos.
We invite everyone to join us in supporting Leadership Week – established by The Sir Peter Blake Trust to inspire, celebrate and develop leadership for all New Zealanders.
Sir Peter’s lucky red socks became an iconic symbol during the 1995 America’s Cup campaign. On Friday 2 July everyone is encouraged to wear their red socks for national Red Socks Day in support of Sir Peter’s memory and the work of the Trust developed in his name. Continuing with the idea of socks, we are inviting you to make your own Sock Hero – a fun creature made out of socks that we can display during Leadership Week (Friday 25 June – Friday 2 July).
Anyone can make a Sock Hero and it’s a great activity for kids in particular. All you need are some socks, a few craft items like buttons and thread, and your imagination. If you would like some further ideas check out books in our craft section such as Stupid Sock Creatures or Make Your Own Misfits.
Use this form to tell us in few words something you imagine about your Hero. It could be an everyday act of heroism, an environmental crusade, or simply what you think is important about being a good leader.
Drop your Hero and form into any branch library by 21 June and we will display it at Central Library during Leadership Week. The first 100 people to enter a Sock Hero will receive a badge like this one from The Sir Peter Blake Trust!
It was a rather wet day last Saturday which was just perfect for our first knit in. We had a nice friendly bunch of people that gathered to knit, chat, check out our knitting books and drink cups of tea. We had a few international knitters and it was interesting to see although people knit all over the world there are different techniques. The Knit-in ran from 11am-3pm and we had knitters between the ages of 6-86 from beginners to experts.
Learn about different traditions and share your own!
Come along and meet some of the authors of the new book 
We invite everyone to join us in supporting Leadership Week – established by 
WCL has over 600,000 books, 450,000 magazines, and 85,000 CDs, DVDs, videos and other items at our central library and 11 branches. We are located in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington. Looking for your local branch? Have a look at our 