Crafty Kids – February

Family-friendly crafts for all skill levels!

  • Thursday, February 6th – Love Bugs (Make Yarn Love Bugs for your Valentine).
  • Thursday, February 13th – Dove of Peace (Make doves in memory of Martin Luther King).
  • Thursday, February 20th – Conga Drums (Make your own drum inspired by the African and Cuban Conga Drums and Dances).
  • Thursday, February 27th – Paper Plate Weaving (Create your own basket with this weaving project).

Email childlib@gallupnm.gov or call 505-726-6120 for more information.

Film & TV Script Writing Workshop

Need assistance writing a script for your book trailer? Explore and learn scriptwriting. Must attend one (1) workshop to be eligible for a competition prize.

Join us at the Main Library every Thursday in February at 5:00 p.m.

The workshop is in conjunction with the Young Adult Book Trailer Competition. Register below.

Email jwhitman@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

February Film Series – Invictus

Wednesday, February 5th at 5:30 p.m.

Join us at the Main Library for a FREE film screening. Free popcorn and drinks are provided.

Synopsis:

Nelson Mandela, in his first term as President of South Africa, initiates a unique venture to unite the Apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

About the Film:
  • Year Released: 2009
  • Rating: PG-13
  • Duration: 2 hr. 14 mins.
  • Genre: Biography, Drama, History
OFPL does not own the rights to this video. Courtesy of YouTube.

Film Recording & Videography Workshop

Learn how to operate the functions of a video recorder and receive helpful tips and tricks.  Must attend one (1) workshop to be eligible for a competition prize.

Join us at the Main Library every Wednesday in February at 5:00 p.m.

The workshop is in conjunction with the Young Adult Book Trailer Competition. Register below.

Email jwhitman@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

Dungeons & Dragons

You’ve been awakened to start a new quest!

Join us at the Main Library on:

  • Monday, February 3rd
  • Monday, February 10th
  • Monday, February 24th

between 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. for Dungeons and Dragons. Head to the local market and purchase your supplies for a long journey through the forest. Fight against evil minions to face the boss.

Email destor1239@yahoo.com or jwhitman@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more info.

Book Signing with Author

Visiting Author: Jeffrey Hass

Join us at the Main Library on Saturday, February 8th at 4:30 p.m., for a book signing and discussion of The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther by Jeffrey Haas.

Discover Haas’s personal account of how he and People’s Law Office partner Flint Taylor pursued Hampton’s assassins, ultimately prevailing over unlimited government resources and FBI conspiracy.

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

We READ, We TALK Book Club – February/March

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts

By Maxine Hong Kingston

An exhilarating blend of autobiography and mythology, of world and self, of hot rage and cool analysis. As a girl, Kingston lives in two confounding worlds: California to which her parents have immigrated and China of her mother’s “talk stories.”

The fierce and wily women warriors of her mother’s tales clash jarringly with the harsh reality of female oppression out of which they come.

Get ready for some great conversations, good food and tons of fun!

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

MUST BE ABLE TO ATTEND ONE (1) OF THE FOLLOWING BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION MEETINGS:

  • Saturday, February 22nd at 2:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 7th at 2:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 21st at 2:00 p.m.

Discussion Questions:

  • “The Woman Warrior” opens with the dramatic story of the “no-name woman,” Kingston’s deceased aunt who was shamed and ultimately lost her life, for having a child with a man who wasn’t her husband. What do you think Kingston wants us to take away from this story?
  • Early on, Kingston asks how Chinese-Americans like herself can separate what is peculiar to her own family’s stories vs. what is Chinese. What are some of the other challenges of growing up as a second-generation immigrant?
  • The original title Kingston chose for this book was “Gold Mountain Stories.” What does “Gold Mountain” signify, and why would she have picked that name?
  • ”Women in the old China do not choose,” Kingston writes. What are some of the ways women were oppressed in her parents’ and parents’ parents’ generations? What about her own?
  • What role does disgrace and shame play in the book? Where does it come from?
  • What do you make of Kingston’s mother’s “talk stories,” which are a mix of folk tales and family lore? Do you believe them? Does it matter?
  • Who is Fa Mu Lan? How does Kingston become her, or imagine becoming her?
  • How does the urban renewal that tore down her parents’ laundry business affect their family?
  • Kingston’s mother teaches her that all white people are “ghosts.” What does she mean by this?
  • Why is Kingston’s mother, Brave Orchid, so intent on her sister, Moon Orchid, finding her husband in America and demanding more from him?
  • The last of the book’s five interconnected stories is about speaking and not speaking, and the theme of rebellion. Why do you think Kingston closes the book this way?
  • “The Woman Warrior” was written in 1976. How does it remain timely or relevant today? Does it also feel dated?
  • Since its publication, “The Woman Warrior” has sparked controversy by Asian American scholars who say it presented a distorted view of Chinese culture in its blending of fiction and fact. What do you make of that critique?
  • How was the writing style, and the experience of reading this book, different from other selections in our book club? 

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

Blind Date with a Book

The Library is celebrating Valentine’s Day by playing matchmaker!  You shouldn’t always judge a book by its cover. Put your trust in fate and choose a book without knowing the title.  Maybe you will fall in love!

Check out a book from our display through the month of February and rate it by filling out the “Rate the Date” card with each book.  Return the card to the Library by March 15th and be entered in a drawing to win a prize. 

Post a picture with your blind date on our Facebook or Instagram pages for a second entry into the drawing. 

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

January Film Series – Jexi

Wednesday, January 29th at 5:30 p.m.

Join us at the Main Library for a FREE film screening. Free popcorn and drinks are provided.

Synopsis:

A comedy about what can happen when you love your phone more than anything else in your life.

About the Film:
  • Year Released: 2019
  • Rating: R
  • Duration: 1 hr. 24 mins.
  • Genre: Comedy
OFPL does not own the rights to this video. Courtesy of YouTube.

Bullet Journal 101

Get organized!

Join us at the Main Library on Tuesday, January 28th at 5:30 p.m. for an interactive workshop and learn more about bullet journaling.

Keep yourself organized this upcoming year with monthly and weekly calendar layouts. Design your own pages to keep track of your Netflix tv shows, water consumption, and more.*Supplies provided.*

Email jwhitman@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.