Belleville Public Library

Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it's pretty overwhelming--especially when he's also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life. In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom's family for the first time. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything.

Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it's pretty overwhelming--especially when he's also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life. In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom's family for the first time. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything.

What is stigma? What creates stigma? Can you recognize mental health stigma? Why is mental health stigma a problem? What can we do to reduce mental health stigma? Mental illness stigma comes in many forms. Exclusion, silence, and labeling are just a few. Through self-reflection, discussion and interactive exercises, learn about how you can recognize mental health stigmas, what happens when people are stigmatized, and what you can do to help reduce the resulting problems.

Return to the farm with Jerry Apps as he reminisces about how the simple things that made up everyday life on the farm—an old cedar fencepost, Fanny the farm dog, the trusty tools used for farmwork, the kerosene lantern the family gathered around each morning and evening. Listen as he plumbs his memories for the deeper meanings of these objects, sharing the values instilled in him during his rural boyhood in the 1940s and 1950s.

The Wonderful World of Disney Musicals explores the history of the animated features that we love and the stories that they tell. Disney animated features have always connected with audiences through clever characters, entertaining stories, and with memorable songs.

Jim Rice, will be bringing photos of an extensive memorabilia collection that traces the 100-year history of the Packers from Lambeau to McCarthy at a fairly brisk pace.

Jim has been writing and speaking about Packer history in Wisconsin since 2011. 

As a former history teacher, coach, and school superintendent, sports history has been a lifelong interest of Jim's. He attended Marquette University in the 1970's and has remained in Wisconsin ever since.

Guest storyteller: James P. Leary

Can you name 19 musicals that were based on plays by Shakespeare? The Bard on Broadway, presented by Heartline Theatricals, features a selection of songs from these shows, some disguised so well you’d never know they were based on familiar classics.

What do you get when you cross farming, nursing, firefighting, fatherhood, humor, and a philosopher’s wit? A slew of best-selling memoirs that capture rural Wisconsin life in a way that is both refreshingly modern and reassuringly familiar. These books could be written by your neighbor, and practically are. 

Play Club extends a successful Forward Theater Co. program into the library world.  Through Play Club, participants receive a copy of FTC's current play to read, after which participants engage in discussion, which includes watching live scene work of the play by actors working with a director.  Participants will have the opportunity to engage in conversation with one another and the performers to reach a greater understanding of the play, its issues and struggles, and how a piece is brought from a written work to life.