Jersey Genius: Author Stephen Crane – Recording Available!

Sunday, March 30, 2025 @ 3 pm In-Person & via Zoom
Presenter: Eric Lubell, Board Trustee of The Hopewell Museum
In-Person & on Zoom: Wesley Forum of the Kenneth Kai Tai Yen Humanities Building, The Pennington School (Directions)

Born in Newark, Stephen Crane was the youngest son of Jonathan Townley Crane, D.D., former principal of Pennington Seminary. At thirteen, Crane followed in his father’s footsteps, attending the Seminary, where he laid the groundwork for his future as a writer. A literary giant of the 19th century, Crane influenced Hemingway, Conrad, and Cather. He authored The Red Badge of Courage, a classic Civil War novel, and “The Open Boat,” a landmark of literary Naturalism. A prolific writer and journalist, Crane covered wars in Cuba and Greece, published stories across the West, and worked for major New York City newspapers. In this talk, The Hopewell Museum trustee Eric Lubell will present a multimedia portrait of Crane’s life and work, exploring his genius, controversies, and enduring influence on American literature.

Open to the public. Refreshments will be available.

Cosponsored by the Hopewell Valley Historical Society, and The Hopewell Museum, and the Pennington Public Library.

About the Presenter: Eric Lubell, a Hopewell resident and board trustee of The Hopewell Museum, spent over 40 years as a writer and creative director in the audio-visual industry. His work is showcased in museums worldwide, including the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, the Malaysia National Science Centre, the Kaohsiung National Science and Technology Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, and Kennedy Space Center’s SpacePort USA. For a decade, he penned the American Society of Magazine Editors’ National Magazine Awards and Glamour Magazine‘s Women of the Year Awards. Lubell also founded and served as Editor-in-Chief of The Independent: A Journal for Princeton, where he published essays, criticism, and fiction by Princeton alumni for the university community

In Conversation with Author Laura Sims – Recording Available

Local Author Laura Sims discusses her novel How Can I Help You with the Pennington Public Library.

In Conversation with Author Laura Sims 
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 @ 7 pm via Zoom

The lives of two librarians become dangerously intertwined in this razor-sharp exploration of human nature and the lure of artistic obsession.

No one knows Margo’s real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small town public library know only her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality, and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges. Chilling, incisive, and darkly humorous, How Can I Help You is a propulsive work of psychological suspense that asks how far we might go to justify our most monstrous desires.

Laura Sims is the author of How Can I Help You, a New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and CrimeReads Best Book of the Year, and a LibraryReads Top Ten Books of July. Sims’ first novel, Looker, was included on “Best Books” lists in Vogue, People Magazine, Real Simple, Entertainment Weekly, and more, and is now in development for television by eOne and Emily Mortimer’s King Bee Productions. An award-winning poet, Sims has published four poetry collections; her essays and poems have appeared in the New Republic, Boston Review, Lit Hub, and Electric Literature. She and her family live in New Jersey, where she works part time as a reference librarian and hosts the library’s lecture series.

Author Image Credit: Jen Lee / Jen Lee Productions

Binge Boxes – Movie Collections Curated for You!

Now every night can be movie night!

Grab some popcorn and start binge watching our new Binge Boxes — themed collections containing 4-6 DVDs and/or Blu-Rays each!  From collections of legendary musician biopics, ’80s fantasy films, and movies with strong female heroes to collections of Julia Roberts, Leo DiCaprio, and Tom Hanks films, there is something for everyone. And with our new checkout policy, Binge Boxes, just like books, can now be borrowed for three weeks at a time. Check out our complete list of Binge Boxes below, and click on a Binge Box title for film summaries and to reserve the collection of your choice for check-out.

Backstage Pass to Music Icons
A collection of biopics about legendary musicians:
Coal Miner’s Daughter
La Vie en Rose
Lady Sings the Blues
Love and Mercy
Ray
Walk the Line

Can’t I Just Watch the Movie? – Books to Film
A collection of films based on books:
About a Boy
Ender’s Game (2 Discs)
Pride & Prejudice
Remains of the Day
The Talented Mr. Ripley

Champions: Made, Not Born
Witness champions MADE, NOT BORN, in this inspiring collection of sports biopics:
42
Battle of the Sexes
Invictus
King Richard
Rudy
Sea Biscuit

Coen Brothers: Offbeat Cinema
A collection of films directed by the Coen Brothers:
Burn After Reading
Fargo
Hail, Caesar! (2 Discs)
Inside Llewyn Davis
A Serious Man

Didn’t See That Coming
A collection of films with plot twists.
Fight Club
The Game
The Others
The Prestige
The Sixth Sense
Unbreakable

Enchanted Eighties
A collection of ‘80s fantasy films:
The Dark Crystal
Labyrinth
Ladyhawke
The Last Unicorn
The Neverending Story
Willow

Fractured Genius
A collection of films featuring tortured geniuses:
Amadeus
A Beautiful Mind (2 Discs)
Black Swan
Frida
Loving Vincent

Hot On My Tail
A collection of films with a chase:
Catch Me if You Can (2 Discs)
Duel
The Fugitive
Minority Report
North by Northwest

Julia’s Gems: A Collection of Sparkling Performances
A collection of Julia Roberts films:
Eat Pray Love
Erin Brockovich
Hook
Notting Hill
The Pelican Brief
Steel Magnolias

Lessons Unleashed
A collection of films featuring impactful mentors:
The Blind Side
Dead Poets Society
Freedom Writers
Mona Lisa Smile
October Sky
School of Rock

Like Oil & Water: Unlikely Friendships
A collection of films featuring unlikely friendships:
The Intouchables
The King’s Speech
Learning to Drive
Lost in Translation
Thelma and Louise
Up

May I have this Song & Dance?
A collection of film musicals:
Bye Bye Birdie
Chicago
Dreamgirls
Grease
Les Miserables
Mamma Mia!

Never Travel with Tom Hanks
A collection of Tom Hanks films:
Apollo 13 (2 Discs)
Cast Away
Sully (2 Discs)
The Terminal

Please Give Leo a Break
A collection of Leo DiCaprio films:
The Aviator (2 Discs)
The Basketball Diaries
Shutter Island
The Revenant
This Boy’s Life

Queens of Combat: A Heroine Marathon
A collection of films featuring strong female heroes:
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Edge of Tomorrow
Hanna
Tomb Raider (2 Discs)

Tempt Your Palate
A collection of films featuring mouthwatering cuisine:
Babette’s Feast
Big Night
Eat Drink Man Woman
The Hundred-Foot Journey
The Lunchbox
No Reservations

Unseen Realms with Stephen King
Contemplate the unseen forces that might exist beyond our perception with this collection of films based on Stephen King novels:
Doctor Sleep (2 Discs)
The Green Mile
The Shining
Stand By Me

Utopia Lost
A collection of films featuring dystopian worlds:
Dredd
Gattaca
Looper
Mad Max: Fury Road (2 Discs)
Snowpiercer

What Did I Just Watch?
Question your perceptions and ponder the true nature of reality with this collection of films:
Donnie Darko
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Inception (2 Discs)
Memento (2 Discs)

You’ll Ugly Cry
A collection of tear-jerking films:
Marley & Me
My Sister’s Keeper
P.S. I Love You
Pay it Forward
The Pursuit of Happyness
What Dreams May Come