Author events, walk in Nixon’s footsteps, and more at the County libraries
Administrator | Jun 08, 2025 | Comments 0
Author Event: Martha Bátiz
Thursday, June 19
7 pm
Picton Branch Library
Martha Bátiz will join us to discuss her book, A Daughter’s Place.
Madrid, 1599. Following her mother’s sudden death, fifteen-year-old Isabel goes to live in the family home of her father, the poet and war hero Miguel de Cervantes, a man she has never met. Forced to pose as a maid to conceal her illegitimate status, Isabel must adapt to a new way of life with her jealous cousin and protective aunts while she waits for her father to return from Seville. Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Esquivias, Miguel’s pious and faithful wife Catalina similarly awaits his return, blissfully unaware of Isabel’s existence.
As Miguel works on the manuscript that will become his masterpiece, Don Quixote, the years pass and Isabel grows into womanhood, falling in and out love, uncovering family secrets, and yearning for the legitimacy denied her by a rigid and callous society. Capturing two tumultuous decades of Golden Age Spain in rich historical detail, Martha Bátiz paints a compassionate portrait of a family on the precipice of great change and the fiercely independent woman at its centre striving to make a life of her own.
Thanks to the sponsorship of the Huff Family Fund through the County Foundation this series is FREE to attend. All welcome.
Walk in Nixon’s Footsteps
Thursday, June 19
4:00-5:30pm
Crystal Palace
Walk in Vice-President Richard Nixon’s footsteps on an ‘upstreet’ tour of Picton! Follow the path the VP took on his secret Canadian 1957 getaway to the County. Learn about PEC’s links to some of the most significant events in 20th century political history, including the VPs friendship with Picton’s Mayor. This short 1.5 hour walking tour, led by historian & author Thomas Harrison, will explore a largely unknown episode in Presidential & local history, why Nixon dropped into the County, who he met & what he did on his secret Canadian weekend. Ask your questions, enjoy the beauty of downtown Picton and finish the tour at the Royal Hotel!
Tour starts promptly outside the Crystal Palace and ends at the Royal Hotel. The walk is about 1 kilometre in total, across level paved ground. Please contact thomasHarrison.author@gmail.com if you wish further information or would like to book a private tour.
Click HERE for tickets ($10) — proceeds support the Library
Make Time
Thursday, June 19
1:30-3:30pm
Wellington Branch
A new open studio time at Wellington Branch Library (an expansion of the library program “DiscARTed”) will The group will meet biweekly on Thursdays from 1:30pm to 3:30pm. Please feel free to bring whatever you are working on: collage, book binding, knitting, sewing, embroidery, quilting, rug hooking, sketching and painting etc. Please bring your own supplies. If you wish, discarded books will be provided for book art projects. Come on your own, come with a friend or spend time ‘making’ with others. Share, connect, communicate and create.
Author Event: Look What Flew through The County – with Yvonne Buys
Thursday, June 26
2 pm
Picton Branch Library
Yvonne Buys recently published her first book entitled Look What Flew Through The County – a continuation of her weekly column in the Times. This book includes a comprehensive summary of the birds of Prince Edward County with wonderful images from 27 photographers showcasing over 320 of the 365 species that have been recorded in the 2024 Prince Edward County Checklist of Birds along with historical vignettes provided by local birding experts. Yvonne will walk you through her journey from ophthalmologist to birder to author and provide a glimpse into the birds of Prince Edward County including when and where you may expect to find them. Books will be available for purchase after the session.
Author Event: Saad Omar Khan
Thursday, June 26
7 pm
Picton Branch Library
Saad Omar Khan will join us to discuss his book, Drinking the Ocean.
The day after his thirty-third birthday, Murad spots a familiar face at a crowded intersection in downtown Toronto. Shocked, he stands silently as Sofi, a woman he’d fallen in love with almost a decade ago, walks by holding the hand of a small child. Murad turns and descends the subway steps to return home to his wife as the past washes over him and he is taken back to the first time they met. Moving between Lahore, London and Toronto, Drinking the Ocean is a story of connections lost and found and of the many kinds of love that shape a life, whether familial, romantic or spiritual. As Murad’s and Sofi’s lives touch and separate, we see them encounter challenges with relationships, family and God, and struggle with the complexities facing Muslims in the West. With compassion and elegance, Saad Omar Khan delicately illuminates the arcs of these two haunted lives, moved by fate and by love, as they absorb the impact of their personal spiritual journeys.
Thanks to the sponsorship of the Huff Family Fund through the County Foundation this series is FREE to attend. All welcome.
Picton Branch
Every Other Wednesday
10 am – 12 pm This group meets at the Picton Branch Library and welcomes people who are new to the area to meet others with social time and guest speakers from community groups and volunteer organizations.
Previous iterations of the group have built lasting friendships leading to book clubs, dinner clubs and more.
Anyone is welcome, but we do ask for registration to help us anticipate numbers.
Contact the group’s leader – Judy by email : judyinpicton@gmail.com to register and for more information.
Picton Branch
Tuesdays
3pm – 4:30pm
Secondary After School Club ( S.A.S.S.) Drop into the library after school on Tuesdays for fun new activities each week. Examples include art, podcasting, filmmaking and STEAM projects. Highschoolers and teens 13+ welcome to join.These are just a few of the upcoming programs for January – visit peclibrary.org to find upcoming events, the latest new books, and more.
Curious about 3D Printing?
Want to create unique and one-of-a-kind items? Call the Picton Branch and book your time to learn more or to use
the 3D printer. We even have a new 3D scanner which makes it easier to replicate existing items. (613) 476-5962
One-on-one tech help
One-on-one help is available at any branch of the Library or vitually through Zoom or over the phone. Library tech help is friendly, flexible and free, so whether you want to learn about Facebook, the latest in AI, or just want help setting up a new cell phone or tablet, give us a call at (613) 476-5962.
We’re happy to help with any tech questions and if we don’t know the answer, we’ll work with you to try to find it.
Filed Under: COMING EVENTS
