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Shutter Island, the Movie

As you may have heard, Chelmsford's 2010 One Book selection, Shutter Island is being released as a movie this month. We're hoping that many people will see it, in addition to reading the book.

The movie opened Friday, Feb 19th, and has been getting good reviews. If you haven't seen it yet, how about seeing it with the Library? Details are still being worked out, but we're hoping to have a "Chelmsford night" at a local cinema, so many of us who read the book can all watch the movie together.

More information about the movie:

• Official Movie Website
• Reviews from newspapers and websites
• Review by WBUR's Ed Siegal or listen to his review
• Details at the Internet Movie Database
• Details at Rotten Tomatoes

In other movie news, the February and March Library Cinema Nights will be showing Dennis Lehane movies. February's showing was Mystic River, and the March 18th Cinema Night will be another of his books. Check the Cinema Night webpage or the Library's Calendar for more details.

A Call to Artists

The Chelmsford Library, the Chelmsford Cultural Council and The Art Room of Chelmsford is sponsoring a juried art exhibition.

As a part of this year's One Book Chelmsford, the artwork should be inspired by Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea. The exhibit will be on display in the Chelmsford Library during the month of May. The prizes will be gift certificates to the Art Room in Chelmsford:

• Adult category: First place $75; Second place $40
• Youth category: First place $60; Second place $25

Artwork must be submitted by April 20th, 2009. Check the One Book Art page for more guidelines, important dates, and an entry form.

For additional information, or if you have questions, please contact Kathy Cryan-Hicks at kcryanhic@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x109.

One Book Chelmsford Events

One Book Chelmsford Three Cups of Tea co-author Greg Mortenson visited Chelmsford this past Sunday, and spoke to a large crowd about his book and work building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

If you missed the amazing talk at Chelmsford’s Performing Arts Center, you still have a opportunities to catch it:

• DVD copies are available in the library's catalog
• The program will be re-broadcast on Chelmsford Cable TV Channel 8 at the following times:
  • Thursday, Feb 12, at 10:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, Feb 14, at 10:30 a.m.
  • Thursday, Feb 19, at 10:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, Feb 21, at 10:30 a.m.

(You should confirm by visiting the Chelmsford Telemedia website)

Have you read the book yet?

Additional copies of Three Cups of Tea are available at the Library. Also available are the young reader and picture book versions of the book, as well as the book on CD and playaway mp3 player.

Upcoming One Book Chelmsford Programs:

Book Discussions on Three Cups of Tea at the library

• Monday, March 2nd at 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 18th at 10 a.m.

Films and Discussions

• "Kite Runner” will be shown on Thursday, Feb 19, at 7 p.m. Discussion to follow
• "View from a Grain of Sand," will be shown on Thursday, March 19, at 7 p.m. Discussion to follow

Barakat Working in Central Asia
Thursday, March 12, 2009, at 7 p.m.
Damon Luloff, Executive Director of Barakat will talk about the work his organization is doing in Central Asia.

Chelmsford Volunteer Fair
Saturday, March 21, 2009; 10 a.m. - noon
Come to Chelmsford's Volunteer Fair learn about organizations that offer you a myriad of ways to give back to your community and make the world a better place. A rep from Barakat will be available to speak with you about their volunteer opportunities.

Climbing K2
Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 7 p.m.
Chuck Boyd, owner and operator of Vertical Realms, LLC, will talk about his adventures climbing K2.

The Many Facets of Islam
Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 7 p.m.
The Many Facets of Islam by Subheen Razzaqui, speaker for the Harvard Outreach Center for Middle Eastern Studies and history teacher at Newton North High School, discusses the history and basic tenets of Islam, and similarities and differences among Muslim groups in the U.S.

Exhibit of artwork inspired by Three Cups of Tea (A CALL TO ARTISTS)
May 4 - May 30, 2009
Artists are invited to submit samples of their work for a special “Three Cups of Tea” Juried Exhibition this May at the Chelmsford Library. All media: paintings, graphics, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, mixed media, photography, digital art, printmaking and three-dimensional art. Artwork may be submitted into one of two categories -Adult (over 18) and Youth (middle school age to 18).

Artwork must reflect the title or themes of the “One Book Chelmsford” 2009 book selection, “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Please visit the Chelmsford Library to get a copy of the book. You may want to review some of the book’s chapter quotes (such as the one listed below). They may offer inspiration for creating your individual work.

Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan), we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything–even die.
-Haji Ali, Korphe Village Chief, Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan

More details on this Call to Artists on the library website.

Three Cups of Tea Resources

One Book Chelmsford brochure [pdf]

WinterFest & One Book Events

If you're still looking for something to do this weekend, Chelmsford has a lot of options. This weekend is Chelmsford's WinterFest, and there will be activities and events all over town.

The Library is sponsoring two events to kick off our One Book reading program:

WinterFest Social - Friday, Feb. 6th, 7:00 p.m.
Get in the mood for Three Cups of Tea with an Central Asian-themed party. There will be Asian-inspired buffets (with foods from India Palace and Feng Shui) as well as samplings of desserts from other local restaurants. Music will be performed by 35th Parallel, a unique world music duo. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. Tickets are available at the Library - $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

Greg Mortenson Visit - Sunday, Feb. 8th, 11 a.m.
Co-author of Three Cups of Tea and co-founder of the Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace, Greg Mortenson has established over 78 schools in rural and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He will speak at the Performing Arts Center at Chelmsford High School. Seating is limited, and we expect a large crowd. This talk will be broadcast live by Chelmsford Telemedia on cable channel 22, and DVDs will be available at the library.

Come out and make WinterFest 2009 a success!

One Book Chelmsford 2009 Announced

All the votes have been counted, and Chelmsford's One Book for 2009 is:

Three Cups of Tea,
by Greg Mortenson
The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones' campaign to build schools in the most dangerous, remote, and anti-American reaches of Asia. Inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain villagers, the author is building schools to provide a balanced education in an isolated and dangerous region.

One Book events and information will be available soon, and copies of Three Cups of Tea are available through the library's catalog. Also, here are some online resources to get Chelmsford ready to read our One Book 2009:

• Official Three Cups of Tea website
• Author Greg Mortenson's website
• Wikipedia article on Three Cups of Tea
• Reviews: BookBrowse.com, LibraryThing.com

Thank you to everyone who voted! Keep checking our One Book webpage for information on One Book Chelmsford 2009.

Update: Exciting news! Greg Mortenson is coming to Chelmsford on Sunday, February 8th, as part of his book tour for his two children's books based on Three Cups of Tea. Visit the One Book webpage for more information.