Adults

2021 Write Michigan Promotional Poster

The Canton Public Library is partnering with Kent District Library to present the tenth annual Write Michigan Short Story Contest, which drew almost 1,000 Michigan writers last year.

Canton residents and writers of all ages are invited to enter beginning September 1, with separate categories for youth, teens, adults and Spanish language (12 and younger). Winning entries will be published and receive cash prizes.

Stories can be submitted at writemichigan.org through Tuesday, November 30 at noon. Details include a 3,000-word maximum length; $10 entry fee for ages 18 and above, free for 17 and under; current Michigan residents only; all entries must be submitted online. Those who enjoy reading stories are encouraged to sign up to be a volunteer story reviewer.

Winners will be honored during an awards ceremony in March and their story will be published in an anthology by Chapbook Press.

Show off your writing skills and visit writemichigan.org for more details and to enter. 

Genealogy @ Your Library: FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch.org is a free searchable genealogical resource sponsored by the Church of Latter Day Saints. In addition to having billions of searchable records, it also has a vast amount of educational information regarding genealogy.  Join us as we explore this free family history treasure trove.

No registration is necessary.

Upcoming sessions

There are no upcoming sessions available.

Well-known for his wildlife and survival writing, Gary Paulsen was a titan in middle grade literature, but also wrote for teens and adults. Read more about his legacy and how he affected his readers, or celebrate his life and work with one of the following titles.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Also available in: e-book | audiobook | e-audiobook | large print
Also available in: e-book | e-audiobook

Macabre Crafts

Victorian haunted table setting with spiderweb border

Join us Wednesday, October 13 for some cider, donuts, and macabre crafts at the library. We will be making some gilded faux taxidermy, a Victorian inspired terrarium pendant, and have supplies for creating your own seasonal greeting cards appropriate for the season of spookiness. This program is intended for adults 18 and older and registration is required.

Upcoming sessions

There are no upcoming sessions available.

Guide Your Intuition: Grab & Go

Intuition  noun

1a: the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference
b: immediate apprehension or cognition
c: knowledge or conviction gained by intuition
2: quick and ready insight

(Merriam-Webster)

Intuition is not logical. That gut feeling is actually deep-seated knowledge which is almost instinctual. Intuition allows us to make quick decisions with little conscious deliberation. By becoming better attuned with our gut feelings and learning to trust those feelings, intuition can serve as a third eye and tap into wisdom that you've already gained.

How can we foster that intuition? To allow it to become a compass in our lives? 

The "Guide Your Intuition: Grab & Go" kit and its contents will encourage you to grow your intuition in a variety of ways:

  1. Examine the dreams and experiences you have at night while sleeping
  2. Learn how a tarot deck can lead you to self-understanding and introspection
  3. Discover how crystals can help you nurture your emotional well-being
  4. Looking at the predominate numbers in your life, uncover insight into your personality and purpose
  5. Explore how astrology and the placement of the moon and sun and your time of birth inform your intuition

 

  • Registration for this grab-and-go kit will take place beginning Thursday, September 24, while supplies last.
  • Individuals will be notified via email when kits are ready. Kit pick-up will take place from October 25-30.

 

 

E-books on Hoopla* are available to accompany each item in the grab & go kit. 

We've all woken up with a start and thought, "What was that? What's the deal with that rooster? And why do I feel like I've seen this all before?" We find dreams (at least our own!) endlessly interesting, but what are they actually saying about us? How Dreams Speak is a book to help untangle it all. Based on the belief that dreams are metaphorical messages from our unconscious minds, speaking to us to help unlock mysteries within, How Dreams Speak is an illustrated guide to our inner selves through the vehicle of our nightly adventures. At the book's heart are more than 150 dream symbols and themes richly illustrated in watercolor and fully explained to help readers interpret their dreams. A dream symbol can be an object-a doll, for example, which might mean your inner child needs to come out and play. An animal, like a giraffe-Freud thought they were phallic, but a more likely meaning is that the dreamer needs to reach up to gain a new perspective. An event, like the classic flying-it's time to concentrate on achieving your waking dreams, or goals. Or a color, a feeling (running late), a concept (invisibility). Multiple prompts accompanying each symbol help the reader explore what their unconscious is trying to say-what a symbol truly means depends on both the dream and the dreamer. Author and artist Nicole Chilton brings us the science behind dreaming, including the fact that everyone dreams (those who think they don't are just not remembering), the history and philosophy of dream interpretation, the different types of dreams we have, and tips on keeping a dream journal.

More than a guidebook, The Book of Tarot offers a space in which to set goals and intentions with clarity and purpose. It also serves as an accessible introduction to the Tarot's many uses, from mystical touchstone to practical resource. In this beautifully designed, easy-to-navigate book, Danielle Noel instructs readers in using the Tarot as a tool for self-understanding, meditation, and soulful introspection.

A unique book for beginners to crystals, that helps you identify your feelings and guides you towards crystal choices to enhance your mental wellbeing. As human beings we all experience a myriad different emotions that have a profound effect on how we live our everyday lives. The awareness of our emotions, or emotional intelligence, is an important skill to cultivate as it is inevitably connected to personal wellbeing and the vitality of all relationships in life. Crystals and minerals are teachers who can guide us through their specific energetic signatures how to maintain, enhance, or alter our moods. When we are aware of our current mind state and work consciously with crystals, we can find practical yet deep practices to help evolve our emotional wellbeing. This guide to crystals for beginners and beyond, will give you practical exercises for engaging with the right stones at the right time and in the most effective way. Perhaps you need to give yourself courage? Or, reduce your anxiety levels? Or, make yourself more open to feeling compassion? There are all sorts of situations, where you may want to control or regulate your frame of mind, and crystals are a powerful tool to help with this. This book will not only guide beginners in choosing the most appropriate stones but also how to work with them in different ways. It describes in detail practices that can help you unlock the stones' power, including meditations of various kinds including movement, sound and touch, journaling exercises to record your experiences and discover patterns in the ways the crystals have helped you, and conscious crystal dreaming which activates the sensory and medicinal qualities of support you associate with dream time. Organized by emotional states, Mood Crystals will help you to cultivate your emotional intelligence as you develop greater awareness of your current mood and practice consciously with crystals. A questionnaire at the back of the book allows you to assess what you're actually feeling and decide which crystal (or crystal combination) will be most beneficial to you at any given moment and which of the practices you should try with each particular crystal.

Your go-to reference for everything you need to know about numerology. After longing to know what made people tick, Sasha Fenton found astrology to give her the answers she was seeking. Sasha has written astrology columns for many magazines and newspapers and numerous books within the mind, body, and spirit subjects.

A fun and sassy no-nonsense invitation to the practice of astrology with easy-to-understand tools for self-development and conscious living Astrology books are typically either overly simplistic sun-sign books or overly complicated chart calculations filled with astro jargon. Astrology for Real Life goes beyond simple sun-sign interpretation and at the same time cuts through the complications of horoscope analysis to make understanding your chart in depth, simple and easy. The goal is to make astrology accessible to total newbies and provide a working reference guide for intermediates. The book is presented in workbook format exploring each part of chart interpretation-signs, planets, houses, aspects-with exercises following each chapter and fill-in-the-blank lessons that take the reader through all the just-learned steps. The tone is warm, fun, and personal, and the exercises give the reader experiential hands-on practice. The end result: once you learn the basics in Astrology for Real Life, you can easily navigate the cosmos by making them work for you. It's kind of like a roadmap where we begin by understanding the terrain and the tools available. From there, the planets will guide you in making brave, excellent choices in love, work, and life. It's profound, fun, and practical. You'll learn how to interpret your chart with confidence and use astrology in a practical, proactive way, with no astro excuses (blaming the stars for your issues).

*a CPL card is required to access materials on Hoopla

Upcoming sessions

There are no upcoming sessions available.

911 tribute

On September 11th, America commemorates the 20th anniversary of that tragic day. Streaming services and television networks will be broadcasting special programming (here's the link for the list of events) with ceremonies honoring the victims, interviews with the brave first responders, survivors and family members will share their recollections and perspectives in the wake of the terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in a Pennsylvania field. All 246 passengers and crew aboard the four planes were killed; 2,606 died in the Twin Towers and 125 at the Pentagon perished. It is a day all Americans will never forget. So many horrific images will forever be imprinted on our collective memory. The 9/11 Memorial and Musuem now stands in the same place and a new building, The Freedom Tower, stands even taller at 1,776 feet; a testament that from the ashes we will rise. 

The 9/11 Commission report : the attack from planning to aftermath : authorized text by National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States

Published for the tenth anniversary of 9/11, this new edition of the authorized report is limited to the Commission's riveting account--which was a finalist for the National Book Award--of the attack and its background, examining both the attackers and the U.S. government, the emergency response, and the immediate aftermath. It includes new material from Philip Zelikow, the Commission's executive director, on the Commission's work, the fate of its recommendations, and the way this struggle has evolved right up to the present day. 

ELL Conversation Groups (Zoom)

Practice speaking English in an informal setting with Community Literacy Council volunteers online.  Meets every Thursday on Zoom (email Kristy at cooperk@cantonpl.org for information on how to attend).  Please see the English Language Learner Program FAQ for more information.

We also have an in-person ELL Conversation Group that meets on Fridays.

Upcoming sessions

There are no upcoming sessions available.

Polymer Clay Jewelry

Polymer clay is a versatile medium and a great way to experiment with your creative side! Learn the basics of working with polymer clay and make your own jewelry at home! Most supplies will be provided, but a few basics will be required from home. Registration is required and will begin on Thursday, 8/26 at 9:00am. This program is for ages 18+. 

One week prior to the program, registered participants will receive an email with instructions for picking up program supplies and attending the virtual program via Zoom.

Upcoming sessions

There are no upcoming sessions available.

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