Events and Activities : CP Friends of the Library Hatching B&N Bookfair And Spring Poetry Gala

At its March 1 meeting the Center Point Friends of the Library brooded over plans for an Easter Bookfair at Barnes & Noble in Cedar Rapids and the annual spring Poetry Gala at the Library to scratch up some more funds for Library programming and expansion.

The Barnes & Noble Bookfair will be from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 31. Hop into B&N for your Easter Bunny shopping, visit Center Point Friends at their table for free bookmarks and Easter goodies. Tell the folks Friends sent you when you check out and Friends will receive a Barnes & Noble donation as a percentage of your purchase—at no added cost to you.

Friends will also receive a portion of online sales from April 1 through April 5. Go to www.bn.com/bookfairs and use the Friends ID number when you check out. The ID number is 10674745.

Friends is also hoping to egg on all the fledgling poets in the area with free poetry writing workshops in March and the annual Spring Gala in April.

The free poetry writing workshops will be held Monday and Tuesday, March 26 and 27, at 6:30 at the Library. The workshops will be taught by local published poet Paul Wood. Aspiring poets of all ages and addresses are invited. This year instead of a poetry contest, Friends is having a poetry partnership. Adult workshop attendees will pair up with budding poet kids to write poems together. Then those poetry partners who want to will read their works at the Poetry Gala on April 15. At the Monday night workshop partners will learn to write limericks and haiku. Tuesday night will be for monorhymes and acrostics. (Not sure what those are? Come to the workshop and Paul will teach you, not to mention entertain you.)

The Poetry Gala itself will be Sunday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the fund raiser will be $10 for individuals and $15 for families. Friends will be planning the menu at the next meeting but it will include fancy finger foods, savory and sweet. There will be poetry readings and music.

In other business, Friends discussed a possible quilt show and quilt book sale later on. They also gratefully looked over the Library storeroom and Friends’ used books recently organized by president Christina Lahr, vice president Marj Pepin and Lori Leedom and her Girl Scout troup.

The next Friends meeting is Thursday, April 5, at 6:30 at the Library. The meetings are public and new friends are always welcome.