Spring Programs Inspired by Tom Lake

By Angela Deckard and Shelby Toren, Branch Librarians

We’re counting down the days until we get to meet Ann Patchett and Kevin Wilson in April!

While we are excitedly awaiting the big event, we hope you will join us for one of the many programs we have connected to the themes of Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, opens a new window. 

Enjoy the following On the Same Page programs happening at various KDL branches:

Intro to Canning
Learn interesting recipes, from beets to jams, with different canning techniques. Take home a few recipes and a canned good. 

The Art of Life
Enjoy a laid-back, beginner level, step-by-step acrylic painting class in which you will create an 8"x10" landscape to take home.

Pressed Flower Prints
Bring a hint of spring flowers to your indoor décor. Create a pressed flower print with hand-selected dried flowers on craft paper. A 5"x7" matte frame is provided. 

Get Started: Write Your Life Story
Have you ever thought about writing your life story or preserving your family's history to pass along to future generations? During this interactive workshop, Family Biographer Lauren Befus will introduce you to the life story writing process and share a variety of tools to begin preserving your story or the story of a loved one.

Green Burials
No one likes to talk about dying, but it's something we need to discuss to prepare for our own deaths. Traditional burials are not sustainable, so come learn some other ways to tread lightly on the earth, even after you're gone. Presenter Peter Quakenbush is on a mission to start a West Michigan Burial Forest and will introduce this and other green burial options. 

Baking with Michigan Cherries
Chef Syndy Sweeney of T. Rex and the Rabbit shares the many ways to create delicious baked goods—including pastries and tarts, using both traditional and gluten-free flour—from Michigan's seasonal cherry bounty. Learn about favorite components, ingredients, baking pans and forms, as well as the common-sense approach to successful baking. 

Ann Patchett Author Visit
Enjoy an engaging conversation between bestselling authors Ann Patchett and Kevin Wilson as they discuss Patchett’s Tom Lake, opens a new window (our On the Same Page novel) and Wilson’s Now Is Not the Time to Panic. A Q&A and book signing with both authors will take place after the event. Registration opens March 15, 2024.