The Jefferson Parish Library is partnering with the Southern Food and Beverage Museum to conduct food demonstrations once a month at both the East Bank Regional and West Bank Regional libraries.
The demos begin at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11. At the same time the following Wednesday, Jan. 18, the program goes to the West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd, Harvey.
Each of the demonstrations will be led by Liz Williams, president and founder of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and a regular food columnist for The Times-Picayune. She will teach participants how to make a common Creole dish — pasta sauce with squash.
Other demonstrations will focus on the significant culinary history of New Orleans and Louisiana, specifically the Creole and Cajun traditions, as well as French cuisine.
They will also highlight the healthy choices available in local stores or market stalls and promote new and seasonal produce.
Patrons will be allowed to sample the dishes that are prepared during the demonstration.
POETRY, PART 1: Several poets from the New Orleans People Project will read from their work at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie.
Group members are, or were, students of the poetry class in the People Program of New Orleans. This group of poets participated in the making of the book “Fertile Repository: People Program Poets of New Orleans,” released in November 2022. They will perform poems from the book.
Their Facebook page is NewOrleans PeoplePoets.
POETRY, PART 2: Two New Orleans poets — Biljana Obradovic and John Gery — will read from their work at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie.
Obradovic has a new book of poetry, “Little Disruptions,” of which she says: “The disruptions of these poems are hardly little: They challenge our perceptions of history, culture and place, in the poet’s careful, textured depictions.”
She is married to Gery, a longtime professor at the University of New Orlean’s MFA creative writing program. John Gery’s seven books of poetry include “The Enemies of Leisure” (Publishers Weekly Best Book Award, 1995), “American Ghost: Selected Poems” (Franz Kafka European Award, Prague, 1999), “A Gallery of Ghosts” (2008), and “Have at You Now!” (2014), among others.
WATCHES AND CLOCKS: Members of Local Creole Chapter #43, a member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, meet at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 14, at the North Kenner Library, 630 Esplanade Ave., Kenner.
During this meeting, patrons may bring old clocks and watches to the library and members of the club will identify them, and if possible, tell who made them and when, and provide a history of the collectible.
COMPUTER CLASSES: Receive free computer training at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie, and at the Jane O’Brien Chatelain West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey. Seating is limited, and online registration is required. Visit the Computer Classes page at www.jplibrary.net/training and click “East Bank Regional Schedule” or “West Bank Regional Schedule.”
Upcoming Metairie classes include:
- Internet Basics I: 10 a.m. Jan. 11.
- Microsoft PowerPoint 2: 2 p.m. Jan. 11.
- Microsoft Word:10 a.m. Jan. 12.
- One-on-One Digital Gadget: 2 p.m. Jan. 12.
- Basic Computer I: 10 a.m. Jan. 17.
- Using Email:10 a.m. Jan. 19.
- One-on-One Digital Gadget:10 a.m. Jan. 24.
- One-on-One Digital Gadget: 10 a.m. Jan. 25.
- Internet Basics 2: 2 p.m. Jan. 25.
- Microsoft Word 2: 2 p.m. Jan. 26.
- Microsoft Excel 2: 2 p.m. Jan. 30.
- 3D Printing: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 30.
- Basic Computer 2: 10 a.m. Jan. 31.
Upcoming Harvey classes include:
- Microsoft Excel 1:10 a.m. Jan. 13.
- One-on-One Slot Digital Gadget: 2 p.m. Jan. 13.
- Microsoft Word 2: 10 a.m. Jan. 20.
- Internet Basics 1:10 a.m. Jan. 24.
- Microsoft Excel 2: 10 a.m. Jan. 27.
- One-on-One Digital Gadget: 2 p.m. Jan. 27.
GENEALOGY: Gwen Kelley, a librarian at the East Bank Regional Library who specializes in genealogy, will lead a series of 15 genealogical seminars for beginners and intermediates starting in January 2023. All take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoons at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie. Up next: “Vital Records” Wednesday, Jan. 11. After that: “Newspapers and Obituaries” Jan. 18.
SUNRISE, SUNSET: Patrons can enjoy a relaxing evening of water-coloring at 6 p.m. Jan. 19 at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie. Participants with receive preprinted, nature-themed sheets that allows them to practice painting sunrises and sunsets. No registration is required. Supplies are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
MLK DAY: Keep in mind that Jefferson Parish libraries will be closed on Monday, Jan. 16, in observance of Martin Luther King Day.
Chris Smith is manager of adult programming at the Jefferson Parish Public Library.
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