November at Palmerston North City Library is full of author visits and new services

Footrot Flats creator Murray Ball. His son Mason is visiting Palmerston North on November 16 to talk about A Cartoonist's Life, the biography he has written about his father.

Kia ora from the City Library team! We are looking forward to a novel November, with some cool happenings and developments.

For a start, there will be two amazing author visits. On November 16, Mason Ball will be talking about the book he wrote about his father Murray. Born in Feilding, Murray Ball went on to create some very famous cartoons, including the beloved Footrot Flats and Stanley the Palaeolithic Hero, the longest-running cartoon in Punch magazine.

Franco-Mauritian author Caroline Laurent, winner of the Prix Maison de la Presse 2020, will be here on November 8. Her novel An Impossible Return is based on the heartbreaking story of the people of the Chagos Islands, who were evicted from their island by the UK government in the 1960s and barred from ever returning.

A seed library has taken root at Central Library. Some of the “branch” libraries rose to the challenge a while ago, and from November 8, you’ll be able to “borrow” seeds from Central. You don’t have to “return” seeds, but if you do plough some back in, you’ll help cultivate the collection for everybody. There will be leaflets on how to save your own seeds, but don’t worry if you’re not sure about that - you can still take some seeds to start planting.

You don’t even have to be a library member, although you’ll be missing a mulch-itude of opportunities if you’re not.

The seed library will sprout up in the non-fiction area. Keep your eye out for workshops on growing the seeds, and recipe ideas.

Great news for young book fans. Library staff can automatically place holds on new books for you – all you have to do is tell us which authors or series you like. Holds get placed whenever a new book is ordered. Too easy. Terms and conditions: this is only for children’s and young adult books; it works best for specific authors or series (eg. “Any new DogMan books?”); there are no guarantees on when a book will be released - that’s up to the publisher.

To put your name on the list, pop into any of our libraries, or send an email with the subject line “Pre-release holds” to pncl@pncc.govt.nz.

On Friday, November 24, there will be a Volunteer Expo, showcasing a wide range of ways for you to get involved in your community. Brought to you in conjunction with Volunteer Central Whatunga Tūao.

Central Library now has a Sensory Play Station. No, it’s not a video game console, it’s actually a set of interactive play items for sensory fun and exploration. Aimed at younger children, supervision is essential for this play. The Play Station is on offer every Friday from 9am to 12.30pm in the children’s area.

The Summer Reading Programme returns soon, with registrations opening on November 27. There’s a section for children aged 4-10, and another for ages 11-13, and both cater to readers of all abilities, with incentives as they progress. Places are limited, so keep your eye on citylibrary.pncc.govt.nz or the library’s Facebook page for details.

At the end of November, we will celebrate the launch of this year’s Versions anthology – a collection of fantastic local writers. Versions was created to give everyone the opportunity to be a published writer, even (or especially) if you’ve never done it before. Each year, the number of submissions increases. This year there are short stories, poems, and even a visual submission in the form of an artwork.

Until next time, happy reading.