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Princeton Public LIbrary's Martha shares "Blow the Balloon."
Lyrics (Credit: Ella Jenkins):
Blow the balloon
Blow the balloon
Bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger...POP!
Where did my balloon go?

**Repeat and then end with:
Blow the balloon
Blow the balloon
Bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger...WHOOPS!
There goes my balloon! Bye-bye, balloon!

This recording is presented in partnership by Princeton Public Library and Not in Our Town Princeton. The reading of the land acknowledgement and mission statement was originally orated by Joyce Trotman Jordan, and the panel of guests were introdcued by Linda Oppenheim.

The film screened: "Partners in Faith: Our Journey Together"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmPhI9Qoezs

In 1836, as construction of its new building began, the First Presbyterian Church (Nassau Presbyterian Church) in Princeton dismissed African American members to form a separate congregation, The First Presbyterian Church of Color of Princeton, the forerunner of the current Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church. Not in Our Town’s August Continuing Conversation on Race and White Privilege screened “Partners in Faith: Our Journey Together," a documentary film that tells of the history and relationship of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church (WSPC) and Nassau Presbyterian Church. It is the story of how two congregations are working to be honest about our past and move forward together standing on our faith and building relationships one by one. The screening was followed by a panel moderated by Pam Wakefield.

Panelist Bios:

Barbara Flythe is a 30-year member of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church and a longtime social justice activist. She is a retired public school educator and diversity consultant whose career was committed to the needs of marginalized children and families. Barbara was a founding board member of Not in Our Town Princeton.

Tracy Eskridge-Joseph is an attorney who has practiced law in both New York and New Jersey for over two decades. She is a member of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church where she has served as a Deacon, a ruling Elder, Clerk of Session and on various church committees. She is also a Commissioner to the Presbytery of the Coastlands and serves on the Trustee Board. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, listening to music, participating in sports and social justice work.

Kathie Sakenfeld is Eisenberger Professor Emerita of Old Testament Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she served on the faculty for 43 years, focusing on biblical interpretation in support of women's leadership. Her grandfather marched with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and her mother was the first to welcome Black church women to her White church lunch table in the 1950s segregated rural South. Kathie seeks to continue their legacy through participation in the Nassau/Witherspoon Street Partners in Faith project.

Pam Wakefield, moderator, Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church/Nassau Presbyterian Church Joint Mission Collaboration Committee.

Originally recorded on August 5. 2024.

This recording is presented by Princeton Public Library. Farzaneh Tahmasbi discusses the exhibit "Whispers of Time: Exploring Select Iranian Architectural Gems" on Zoom that will highlight her photographs currently on display at the library.

Farzaneh Tahmasbi, a specialist in architectural design, will show a carefully selected collection of photographs that will take participants on a visual journey celebrating the timeless beauty, intricate details and cultural significance of Persian historical architecture.

From the majestic domes of mosques adorned with vibrant tile work to the imposing bazaar steeped in centuries of history, each photograph in this multi-media talk on Zoom offers a glimpse into the architectural marvels that have shaped Persian culture. The lecture provides an exploration of various architectural styles, showcasing the diversity and ingenuity of Persian craftsmanship.

"Whispers of Time: Exploring Select Iranian Architectural Gems" is on display in the second floor Reading Room through July 21.

About the Speaker:

Farzaneh Tahmasbi earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture and subsequently pursued her first master’s degree in Iranian historical architecture while living in Iran. She pursued her second master’s degree specializing in architectural design at Temple University. With a passion for photography and a profound interest in Persian culture and history, Farzan has spent years studying and documenting the architectural wonders of Iran. Combining academic knowledge with artistic vision, she has meticulously curated a collection of photographs that showcase the beauty, diversity and cultural significance of Persian historical architecture.

The event was recorded on July 18, 2024.

This event is presented in partnership by Princeton Public Library and Princeton Adult School. Steve Kornacki, NBC News national political correspondent, and John Mooney, founding editor of NJ Spotlight, look back at the primary and ahead to the general election with a focus on New Jersey.

Steve Kornacki is a national political correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC, reporting on the latest political developments across all platforms. For MSNBC’s election coverage, he provides real-time analysis of voting patterns, exit polls and electoral data. Kornacki is the author of “The Red and the Blue: The 1990s and the Birth of Political Tribalism” and host of "The Revolution," a seven-part podcast series that tells the story of the rise of Newt Gingrich and the first Republican House majority in 40 years.

Kornacki was the host of “Up with Steve Kornacki” and was a co-host of MSNBC’s “The Cycle.” He also wrote for The New York Observer and covered Congress for Roll Call.

Kornacki spent three years in New Jersey, chronicling the state’s political world for a website and co-hosting a weekly show on News 12 New Jersey.

His work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The New York Daily News, The New York Post, The Boston Globe, The Daily Beast and at Capital New York, where he’s written a series of deeply-researched profiles of prominent New York political figures. He is a native of Groton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Boston University.

This recording is presented in partnership by Princeton Public Library, Morven Museum & Garden and Labyrinth Books.

A popular library tradition since 2016, the Summer Reading Soirée features sparkling beverages, sorbet and other sweets as well as door prizes and giveaways. Attendees will mix and mingle with library staff and other area book lovers, share what they have been reading and discover titles they may want to read this summer.

About the Books:

"The Stolen Child" by Ann Hood: Haunted by a decision he made as a young soldier in World War I, involving a French artist and her baby, Nick Burns, with only months left to live, enlists Jenny, a college dropout, to help him unravel the mystery, forcing them both to reckon with regret, betrayal and the lives they've left behind.

"Beyond That, the Sea" by Laura Spence-Ash: As German bombs fall over London in 1940, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible choice: they decide to send their 11-year-old daughter, Beatrix, to America to live with another family for the duration of the war. When Beatrix returns to post-war London, the memory of her American family stays with her, never fully letting her go, and always pulling on her heart as she tries to move on and pursue a life of her own

About the Authors:

Ann Hood is the editor of "Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting" and the bestselling author of more than a dozen books including "The Book That Matters Most," "The Knitting Circle," "The Red Thread," "Comfort," and "An Italian Wife," among other works. She is the recipient of two Pushcart Prizes, a Best American Spiritual Writing Award, a Best American Food Writing Award, a Best American Travel Writing Award, and the Paul Bowles Prize for Short Fiction. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Laura Spence-Ash’s fiction has appeared in One Story, New England Review, Crazyhorse, and elsewhere. Her critical essays and book reviews appear regularly in the Ploughshares blog. She received her MFA in fiction from Rutgers–Newark, and she lives in New Jersey.

This event was recorded on June 10, 2024.

This recording is presented in partnership by Princeton Public Library, Nassau Presbyterian Church and Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church Joint Mission Committee, Not In Our Town Princeton, Paul Robeson House of Princeton, McCarter Theater, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton.

Community Partners included African American Cultural Collaborative of Mercer County, Arm in Arm, Arts Council of Princeton, Baha'i Community of Princeton, Bayard Rustin Center For Social Justice, Building the Moral Arc, CASA for Children of Mercer & Burlington Counties, Center for Modern Aging Princeton, Coalition for Peace Action, Greater Somerset County YMCA, Historical Society of Princeton, Housing Initiatives of Princeton, I Am Trenton, John H. Pace Jr '39 Center for Civic Engagement, League of Women Voters of Greater Princeton Area, Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Mass Incarceration Task Force, McCarter Theater Center, Morningstar Church of God in Christ, Morven Museum & Garden, Muslim Center of Greater Princeton, Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Church, Princeton Charter School, Princeton Day School Black Alumni, Princeton Jewish Center, Princeton Middle School, Princeton United Methodist Church, Office of Community and Regional Affairs at Princeton University, Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, Trenton Literacy Movement, Trenton Spoken Word, Unitarian Universalist Church, United Mercer Interfaith Organization, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Witherspoon Jackson Historical & Cultural Society, YWCA Princeton.

Community members read an amended version of Frederick Douglass' influential speech, given on July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, to the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society.

The life and works of Frederick Douglass continue to shape our understanding of America. A gifted orator and prescient writer, Douglass forces us to reckon with the legacy of slavery and the promises of democracy. One of the most celebrated orators of his day, Douglass’ powerful language, resolute denunciations of slavery and forceful examination of the Constitution challenge us to think about the histories we tell, the values they teach, and if our actions match our aspirations. To quote Douglass, “We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the future.”

This event was recorded on July 8, 2024.