Adults’ Featured Events

Estate Planning 101: with Attorney Erin Duques

Wednesday, September 22nd at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Registration required.
Everyone, both young and old, needs an estate plan. Your life circumstances can change in an instant; if they do, are you prepared? In this program, you’ll learn about important estate planning documents like Wills, Powers of Attorney and Healthcare Directives. These documents provide answers to the questions: Do you want to be on life support? Who will pay your bills if you can’t? And if you pass away, how will your estate be divided amongst your heirs? Attorney Duques will briefly discuss trusts and whether a trust might be something you actually need.

Attorney Erin Duques is an estate planning attorney with the law firm Czeipiga Daly Pope & Perri and is based in the firm’s Madison office. Erin is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association Elder Law and Trust & Probate sections. She lives in Madison with her family and serves the Madison community on the town’s Board of Selectmen.

Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsdeCoqT8iGt3l7m1C36IjagKdjfmhm3ei

Sustainable Essex and the Essex Library Have Partnered Up For Two Events In October

Producing, buying, and throwing away clothes, among many other things, has a huge impact the environment. Studies show the clothing and footwear industry alone is responsible for over 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding the connections between the $2.5 trillion apparel industry and the environment might help us solve our climate crisis. Sustainable Essex and the Essex Library are partnering to host two virtual SEED events in October. On Monday, October 4 at 7:00 pm journalist J.B. MacKinnon will discuss the effects of rampant consumerism on our climate and offer starting points for change and on Tuesday October 19th at 7:00pm journalist Elizabeth Cline will discuss consumer culture, fast fashion, sustainability and labor rights in the apparel industry.

SEED Author Talk with J.B. MacKinnon: “The Day The World Stopped Shopping”

Monday, October 4th at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom.
J.B. MacKinnon is the author or coauthor of five books of nonfiction. An award-winning journalist, his work has appeared in such publications as the New Yorker, National Geographic, and the Atlantic, as well as the Best American Science and Nature Writing anthologies. He is an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches feature writing

In “The Day The World Stopped Shopping”, J.B. MacKinnon questions what would really happen if we simply stopped shopping? Is there a way to reduce our consumption to earth-saving levels without triggering economic collapse?

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqd-CsqzssHtCQiWqF6SXwPlz6pISXBxRo

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

SEED Author Talk with Elizabeth Cline: “The Conscious Closet”

Tuesday, October 19th at 7 p.m. on Zoom
Elizabeth L. Cline is a New York-based journalist, public speaker and media commentator, and the author of The Conscious Closet: A Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good, a consumer ethical shopping and activist guide. With her landmark investigation Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, 2012, Cline was the first to reveal fast fashion’s hidden toll on garment workers, the environment, and even our own satisfaction with our clothes. She is one of the world’s leading go-to experts on fast fashion, labor rights and sustainability in the apparel industry, and she is regularly interviewed on television and radio by globally recognized news outlets, including Al Jazeera, MSNBC, China Global Television Network, CBC News, The New York Times, and NPR. Her articles have appeared in the LA Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and The New Republic among others. Cline appears regularly as a television and radio guest commentator on fashion and social justice & the environment.

Clothing is one of the leading drivers of climate change, responsible for 8% of all carbon emissions, more than all international flights combined. Clothing is also one of the fastest-growing categories of waste to landfills, with one garbage truck of clothes dumped every two minutes in the U.S. For the sake of humanity and the environment, we need to be more mindful about our clothes. As Elizabeth Cline reveals, being more intentional about our clothing choices feels better and looks better, too. In “The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good”, she helps readers build a wardrobe they love with greater intention and awareness of our clothes, where they come from, what they’re made out of, and why they matter.

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqdOqqrT4uG9E0SXeW9h5hh8rkXXZtkbfR

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety

Tuesday, October 5th at 7 p.m. on Zoom.
The Essex Fire Engine Company #1 is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®)—the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years—to promote this year’s Fire Prevention WeekTM campaign, “Learn the Sounds of Fire SafetyTM.” This year’s campaign, October 3-9th, works to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe. From beeps to chirps, this year’s campaign works to better educate the public about the sounds smoke alarms make, what those sounds mean, and how to respond to them.

Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYod-ugrD4iGtJ1qYXaquIJiWj_l3R1dIdV

Author Talk with Deborah Mandel: “All Write: How To Start, Structure and Sustain A Writing Group”

Thursday, October 28th at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Registration required.
Shoreline Writers was created in 2015 by four women who met in a writing class at a local Connecticut university. When the course was finished, they weren’t. They were a varied group of wannabe writers who had three things in common: They wanted to write. They wanted support in that process. And they wanted to talk about their writing. Just as having a running buddy will get you out on the road every morning at the crack of dawn when you’d much rather be sleeping, a writing group provides motivation by holding you accountable in the writing process. They have found the motivation and accountability to be invaluable.

Deborah Mandel is a freelance copy editor at www.chrysaliscopyediting.com. She is a member of Editorial Freelance Association and Editor’s Association of Earth. A longtime member of Shoreline Writers Group, Deborah was inspired by her experiences in the group to help other writers achieve their dream of writing a book. The support of a writing group helps aspiring (and experienced) writers reach their full potential. Deborah is a retired psychotherapist and brings her skills in helping individuals focus on becoming the best they can be in their lives to helping them with their writing goals. Deborah divides her time between the West Coast of Florida and the Connecticut Shoreline with her husband, James R. Benn, author of the Billy Boyle World War II Mystery Series, and her cat.

Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtcuGtrz0oHNVG7H294xcCadAaX0cluqKr

On-Going Programs

Alzheimer Caregiver’s Support Group

SCORE At The Library

Thursdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the library. Masks required.
The Southeastern Connecticut chapter of SCORE provides free and confidential advice on starting and growing small businesses. Appointments must be scheduled in advance, either by calling 860-388-9508 or downloading a request form. SCORE is also offering information and assistance with the Paycheck Protection Program and SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

Instructions for Using Zoom

You do not need to have a Zoom account to join the Library’s Zoom meetings. To connect with video, you will need to be connected to the Internet, either from a computer, iPad or cell phone. A link for each meeting will be provided in the monthly newsletters and on the Library’s website. All library programs and meetings offered on Zoom are moderated by library staff and are recorded; the library does not offer Zoom recordings to the public.The Library records all programs and reports all Zoombombing, attempted Zoombombing, and/or misuse of our public programming platform to federal and local law enforcement.

For more detailed instructions see: Instructions on Using Zoom, a free video-conferencing software.

To Connect with a Computer:

To Join a Zoom Meeting from your computer, click the links provided for each meeting, OR

1. Go to https://zoom.us
2. Click on ‘Join A Meeting’ located in the upper right area of the screen
3. Type the meeting number in the window then click ‘JOIN’
4. A ‘Launch Application’ window will appear
5. Click ‘Open link’

If you have trouble getting the Zoom meeting to open, please be sure to use the Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer browser. To download Google Chrome to your device, see instructions here: https://www.google.com/chrome/

To Connect with an iPad or iPhone:

1. Download the Zoom app from the App Store, located here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zoom-cloud-meetings/id546505307
2. Click the link provided for the meeting

To Connect with an Android device:

1. Download the Zoom app for Android, located here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=us.zoom.videomeetings&hl=en_US
2. Click the link provided for the meeting

To Connect with a land line phone:

If you’re joining the meeting by phone, call this number: 1 (646) 558-8656. Once you’re connected, then dial the meeting ID number to join the meeting.