2019 LOWELL READS
Body Leaping Backward: Memoir of a Delinquent Girlhood by Maureen Stanton
Body Leaping Backward is the haunting and beautifully drawn story of a self-destructive girlhood, of a town and a nation overwhelmed in a time of change, and of how life-altering a glimpse of a world bigger than the one we come from can be. About the Author: Maureen Stanton is the author of Body Leaping Backward: Memoir of a Delinquent Girlhood (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2019), and Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: An Insider’s Look at the World of Flea Markets, Antiques, and Collecting (Penguin 2012), winner of a Massachusetts Book Award in nonfiction. She teaches creative writing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Lowell Reads 2019 – Journey to a Better You September is National Recovery Month. Given the powerful journey of redemption, acceptance and forgiveness told in our book selection Body Leaping Backward we’ll be offering activities to help you accept and enjoy your journey. Our aim is also to provide you opportunities to continue learning and growing in wellness. We invite you to explore and participate in our activities to help us all become a more mindful, healthy and satisfied community.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
READ THE BOOK
DISCUSS THE BOOK
Start a book discussion of your own with your friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers. Or come to the Non-Fiction Book Club discussion on September 5 @ 6:30PM in the Pollard Library ground floor meeting room.
ATTEND AN EVENT
- All events are FREE to attend
- EVENTS run from August 29th until September 26th.
- The book’s content and events are for readers of all ages!
Lowell Reads Events
All events are in the Pollard Memorial Library Community Room unless otherwise noted.
Mindful Eating: Understanding How We are Manipulated into Eating Too Much Thursday, August 29th—6:30 pm
Have you ever eaten an entire bowl of popcorn when you weren’t hungry? Do you know what 1 cup of cereal really looks like? When we eat mindlessly we often miss the triggers and signs that our bodies send us to let us know we are not hungry. Join chef Liz Barbour as she helps to identify the cycle of mindless eating and offers some simple ways to help you be a more “mindful” eater so you can change your eating habits with success. Liz’s slide presentation will be followed by a cooking demonstration of 2 healthy recipes with samples for all. This event is free and open to the public. Spots are limited.  REGISTER HERE
Non-Fiction Book Club Discussion Thursday, September 6th—6:30 pm
Join this monthly discussion group. Free and Open to the public.
Memoir Writing Workshop with Dr. Melissa Juchniewicz Tuesday, September 10th—6:30 PM
Everyone has a story to tell. That is the premise of the “Memoir Writing: Share that Story of Yours” program led by UMass Lowell adjunct English Professor Melissa Juchniewicz But where do you start? What do you need to begin? Do you have to be a great writer? What if others don’t like what you have to say? Juchniewicz will demonstrate how with just your memories and pencil and paper, you can begin to voice your wonderful stories. She will provide ideas for structure and techniques for results worthy of your experiences. Dr. Juchniewicz has facilitated memoir writing workshops for nearly 20 years around the Merrimack Valley, and has overseen the production of thousands of pages of people’s life stories. Bring something to write with and leave with something written that may be the start of a great journey. This event is free and open to the public. Spots are limited. REGISTER HERE
Movie Night—The Anonymous People Thursday, September 12th—6:30 pm
2013 | Documentary |Directed by Greg Williams | 88 min. The Anonymous People is a feature documentary film about the 23.5 million Americans living in long-term recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Deeply entrenched social stigma and mass participation in widely successful anonymous 12-step groups have kept recovery voices silent and faces hidden for decades. The vacuum created by this silence has been filled by sensational mass media depictions of addiction that continue to perpetuate a lurid public fascination with the dysfunctional side of what is a preventable and treatable health condition. Just like women with breast cancer, or people with HIV/AIDS, courageous addiction recovery advocates are starting to come out of the shadows to tell their true stories. The moving story of The Anonymous People is told through the faces and voices of the leaders, volunteers, corporate executives, and celebrities who are laying it all on the line to save the lives of others just like them. This passionate new public recovery movement is fueling a changing conversation that aims to transform public opinion, and finally shift problematic policy toward lasting recovery solutions.
Vinyassa Flow & Deep Relaxation Yoga – ALL LEVELS Tuesday, September 24th—6:30—7:30Â
Presented by yoga instructor Sarah Thibodeau. Drawing from her own experience, her focus is on mindful breath and movement, followed by deep relaxation. This grounding practice will ease the body, mind, and spirit, laying a foundation of wellness.Maureen Stanton Author Visit
Thursday, September 26th—7:00 pm
Author Maureen Stanton will talk about her book and the major lessons she learned while writing her memoir. UMass Lowell Bookstore will be on hand to sell copies of her book if you are interested in getting them signed. This event is free and open to the public.  REGISTER HERE
Thank you to our Partners and Sponsors:
Lowell Reads – Building Community – Book by Book
Lowell Reads is a semi-annual celebration spearheaded by Lowell’s public library surrounding the questions, themes and ideas of one particular book. Our goals are to get all of Lowell on the same page, to promote adult literacy, and to build and strengthen the bonds of our community.