Author: Esper

In Conversation with Dr. Cal Newport – Recording Available!

Posted on by Esper

Thursday, March 19, 2026 @ 7 PM via Zoom

Join us for a fascinating Q&A with Cal Newport, a Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University and a leading voice on the intersection of technology and ethics. As the New York Times bestselling author of eight books—including Deep Work and Slow Productivity—Dr. Newport’s work explores how to live and work with intention in an increasingly distracted world.

Beyond his books, which have sold over three million copies, he is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and host of the Deep Questions podcast. We invite you to be part of the conversation: you may submit questions for Dr. Newport via the registration form or contribute them live during the event.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

This event is part of our 2026 Beyond the Page – an initiative designed to broaden our imaginations and understanding of our world, our neighbors, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.  The featured book Exhalation contains nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, where author Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions, along with new quandaries only he could imagine. Please visit PenningtonLibrary.org/2026BeyondThePage for a full calendar of events and more information.

The Art of Storytelling: Rewriting the Pop Culture Script – Recording Available!

Posted on by Esper

 Tuesday, April 7, 2026 @ 7 PM via Zoom

Freedom fighter. Activist. Singer. Builder. Time traveler. Disruptor. Iconic. Designer. Afrofuturism encompasses all of these descriptors that contribute to it being a multi-faceted identity.

This presentation takes listeners on a journey that shares varying ways to engage with how Afrofuturism continues to embody the above descriptors, center Black stories, while also culturally evolving within the pop culture landscape. In this talk, Dr. Gipson explores the blossoming relationship between Afrofuturism and pop culture as seen through literature, fashion, architecture, comics, film & television, and music.

This event is co-sponsored by the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum and the Pennington Public Library as part of the “Beyond the Page” community reading initiative.

About the Presenter: Grace D. Gipson, PhD, is an assistant professor of African American Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches courses on theories and foundations in Africana Studies, Blackness in pop culture, and Black media narratives. Her current project, Reclaiming Her Time: Exploring Black Futures in the Black Female Superhero (University Press of Mississippi), seeks to examine and chronicle the layered experiences of Black superheroine characters and Black creatives’ narratives and how their identities transcend from comic book fiction to reality. Dr. Gipson’s research can also be found in the Audible lecture series “From the Wiz to Wakanda: Afrofuturism in Pop Culture.” Outside the classroom, you can find Dr. Gipson co-hosting the video podcast Conversations with Beloved and Kindred, and contributing her personal and professional thoughts on pop culture via blackfuturefeminist.com.

 

This event is part of our 2026 Beyond the Page – an initiative designed to broaden our imaginations and understanding of our world, our neighbors, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.  The featured book Exhalation contains nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, where author Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest question s, along with new quandaries only he could imagine. Please visit PenningtonLibrary.org/2026BeyondThePage for a full calendar of events and more information.

Poetry Workshop with Award-Winning Poet Patricia Smith – Recording Available

Posted on by Esper

Originally on February 4, 2026 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Join us for an online program that offers an insider’s look at the poetic process. We will closely examine several poems, including those by the presenter, to explore the genesis of a poem—from the simple source of inspiration that sparked the idea to the final draft. We’ll then analyze how structure, rhythm, and diction determine a poem’s effectiveness. Understanding why certain craft choices were made will reveal precisely how they strengthen the poem’s topic.

This program is both deeply insightful for aspiring writers and highly entertaining for general audiences seeking a new appreciation for poetry.

About the Presenter: Patricia Smith, author of The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems (the 2025 National Book Award for poetry winner), is a highly decorated poet. A recipient of the Ruth Lilly Prize for Lifetime Achievement, her work has been published in Poetry, The Paris Review, The 1619 Project, and Best American Poetry. She has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Aiken Taylor Award, and an NEA grant. Smith is also the most successful poet in National Poetry Slam history, winning the competition four times. She serves as a professor at Princeton University, a chancellor in the Academy of American Poets, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Beginning Genealogy: Starting Your Family Tree – Recording Available Soon!

Posted on by Esper

Recording Available Soon!

If you’re just getting started with family history, this presentation is for you! Together, we’ll walk through the basic steps, so you can feel confident as you begin your research. You’ll get help choosing family tree software, and we’ll explore the many kinds of records that can reveal your ancestors’ stories—like census pages, military files, courthouse papers, and old newspapers. Direct links to the most helpful free and subscription genealogy sites in the US will also be shared, so you’ll know exactly where to look. With practical suggestions from an experienced genealogy librarian, you’ll have everything you need to get started on the right track.

About the Presenter: Archivist, librarian, and genealogist Nancy Loe has been helping researchers with their family trees since 1977. She specializes in US and European family history research, presenting at webinars and conferences in the US, Canada, and Australia. Nancy’s genealogy e-books and free monthly newsletter are available at sassyjanegenealogy.com. Nancy works on her own tree in the US, Prussia, Scotland, Austria, Romania, Norway, and Sweden. As of summer 2025, she visited all eight villages of her great-grandparents in Europe.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Pennington Library

Washington Crossing State Park: Natural History & Design – Recording available!

Posted on by Esper

Thursday, September 30, 2025 @ 7 PM via Zoom
Presenter:  Michael Rahtz, Washington Crossing Park Association

Washington Crossing State Park has changed in almost unimaginable ways over the last 100 years. From farm fields to gardens to plantations to old fields, shaped by deer, disease, and invasive species, the park represents a fluid and ever-changing landscape. Every aspect of the park has, whether directly or indirectly, been shaped by human-driven forces. Using Peter Osborne’s book, Where Washington Once Led, this talk aims to uncover some of these forces to reveal how the park has evolved, enabling participants to read the landscape through natural signs and artifacts.

Human landscapes cannot go “natural” on their own. We have the opportunity to restore this landscape, either along the lines of original designs such as with the George Washington Memorial Arboretum, which opened in 1932 and displayed native New Jersey shrubs and trees, or in the form of ecological restoration, aiming to return the human-dependent landscape back to nature. The talk will conclude with a discussion of the different options and the conservation work of the WCPA.

Sponsored by the Washington Crossing Park Association

About the Presenter: Michael Rahtz is a board member of the Washington Crossing Park Association (WCPA) and the chair of the Nature Conservation and Education Committee. He has volunteered with the WCPA since 2017. He is a current Master of Landscape Architecture student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and recently graduated from Northeastern University with a Master of Architecture. He has worked at a number of architecture and landscape architecture firms in Boston. Michael grew up in Titusville across the street from Washington Crossing State Park and has been a lifelong user of the park. An avid gardener, plant enthusiast, and conservationist, Michael has spent several years restoring land on his home property as well as within the park. Michael is interested in ecology and landscape history, particularly as read through the lens of plants as living artifacts, and how these can inform land management practices.

Nature Programs @ Washington Crossing – Recording Available

Posted on by Esper

Lunch & Learn: Nature Programs at Washington Crossing – 2025 & Beyond 
Friday, October 10, 2025 @ 12 PM via Zoom
Presenter: Joe Moore, Naturalist at Washington Crossing State Park

Join us on October 10th as Joe unveils the exciting vision for Washington Crossing State Park, NJ, outlining new programs and projects for the rest of this year and into 2026. This year, immerse yourself in the natural world with outings focused on local ecology, the magnificent journey of migratory birds, the vital work of pollinators, the fantastic world of fungi, and the impressive spectacle of birds of prey! Looking ahead to 2026, we’ll delve into the park’s rich history with special programming tied to Washington’s crossing of the Delaware. Joe will also discuss how you can get involved through new volunteer opportunities, conservation management, and other impactful projects that will shape the park’s future.

Sponsored by the Washington Crossing Park Association

About Our Presenter: Growing up in South Jersey near a steady stream, Joe Moore developed a strong curiosity about the natural and cultural world. With a lifelong love for history and supportive parents, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Rowan University in 2014. A year later, Joe enrolled in American Public University’s Environmental Management program, completing his Master of Science degree in 2017. Blending his interests in history and nature, Joe went on to work at several non-profits focused on conservation and preserving coastal heritage along the Jersey Shore through eco-tourism. In the summer of 2025, he accepted the position of Naturalist at Washington Crossing State Park, where he plans to offer a wide range of outdoor programs and hikes while the Nature Center undergoes upgrades.