Atwater Library and Computer Centre

On January 28, 2016, George Elliott Clarke gave his first public reading since being appointed Canada’s Parliamentary Poet Laureate, at the Atwater Library. He and poet Armand Garnet Ruffo shared an Atwater Poetry Project program that drew a capacity audience of over 110 people. The picture below, taken by photographer Martin C. Barry for the Westmount Independent, shows George Elliott Clarke by the podium with Armand Garnet Ruffo and others in the audience applauding him.

The Atwater Library’s 2015 Holiday Pop-Up Book Fair, featuring Quebec-published and Quebec-written books in English, was a smash success. Held in our auditorium on the last weekend of November, it attracted throngs of book lovers who made purchases, got autographs and chatted with the 50 or so authors participating. There was much talk of making the Holiday Book Fair an annual event. Coordinator Elise Moser expressed thanks to all who contributed to the success, including partner Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ), the 25 participating publishers including 10 from English-Quebec, event host Terry Mosher (Aislin), overall event sponsor Montreal Gazette, and launch reception sponsor Penguin Random House.

The Community Cultural Action Fund (CCAF) of Canadian Heritage has provided funding for us to conduct the Book Fair along with a series of other activities to celebrate Quebec’s amazing English-language writers, past and present.

The Atwater Writers Exhibition (AWE) launched on our main floor in May 2015 continues to attract visitors, including school groups. The exhibition continues through 2016 and is open to the public during our regular hours.

The focus in early 2016 will be on playwrighting, literary translation, spoken word and young-adult (YA) writers.

Click here for more information about AWE – the Exhibition and the activities.

With funding from Status of Women Canada, in 2013-2014, we partnered with schools and community groups to help girls and young women (under 25) strategize about achieving their economic potential.

A highlight of the project was the very successful “Girls of the Hood” conference that attracted some 100 young women to the Library on Saturday, May 17, 2014. Organized by participating girls for girls, the conference showcased neighbourhood projects with the goal of helping girls and young women overcome barriers to economic prosperity. 

Mélanie Joly gave the keynote address on “Dare to be yourself” and there were panel discussions on entrepreneurial women, re-envisioning the world through activism and art, community groups fostering economic empowerment, and women in alternative or non-traditional careers. See photo below.

During the winter of 2014, we worked with people with memory loss to make a digital record of significant things in their lives. The end product was a CD or “virtual memory box” celebrating each client’s life. The hope is that the CD will later trigger memories and stimulate conversation.

Popular computer instructor Liz Perrin is leading this exciting project with the help of volunteers. For more information, please contact her at liz@atwaterlibrary.ca.

The Saturday, October 8, 2011 issue of The Gazette featured a major spread on the Atwater Library with ten drawings by Aislin, the award-winning political cartoonist and author, and text by award-winning reporter Marian Scott. Click to see Montreal Gazette A1 and Montreal Gazette B4, B5.