We encounter ancient sculptures thousands of years after they were created and can readily imagine the complete form of these statues, despite missing parts and broken bits. But it is much harder to imagine something we hardly ever glimpse — color! Ancient statues were painted, often with bright, gaudy pigments. This lecture explores the color...

This film series brings art house film flavor to your Tuesdays. Plus, meet new friends, hear from special guests who are film experts, enjoy light refreshments, and have a discussion after the film. October 31, 2:00-3:40: Senior Moment (2021) A retired NASA test pilot (William Shatner) loses his driver’s license and is forced to take...

If you just got a new iPhone or iPad and are stumped about how to use its many features, then this class is for you! It will cover several of the basic features including how you can download & use WRL apps to access ebooks, digital audiobooks, and magazines. Even if your i-device is not...

One of the greatest living American writers, and author of multiple bestsellers, sits down to talk about his latest book, The Last Chairlift, which he has said would be his last. Thanks to a grant from the Friends of WRL Foundation, Williamsburg Regional Library is forming a new book group to hear from bestselling authors...

Fellowship in a Ring is a group dedicated to science fiction and fantasy books, films, television, and pop culture. A suggested reading list is provided prior to each meeting. Readers are also welcome to share other science fiction or fantasy titles or simply join in the group conversation. Contact nhollands@wrl.org or anorfolk@wrl.org for a suggested...

Watch a live recording of the #1 grandparent podcast, The Grand Life! Hosts (and grandparents) Emily and Mike Morgan will record a live episode, reviewing topics like family estrangement, aging well, understanding boundaries, and handling conflict. Meet Emily and Mike, learn easy ways to listen to podcasts on your mobile phone or tablet, and bring...

A group from Liverpool compete in the 1965 céilí music competition in Ireland. R, 1h, 30m. The Celtic Film Series in the Williamsburg Library Theatre runs the 2nd Thursday of each month from September 2023 through May 2024 (except November). The Celtic Film Series is supported by the Cardinal John O’Connor Division of The Ancient...

Edgehill Community Craft Show Dozens of vendors with handmade items. Get a start on your holiday shopping and shop local! Baked goods and lunch items available.

14th annual arts & crafts show featuring local artists and makers. Free parking, free admission; concessions available.

Sew an apron so you can do your holiday cooking in style! Supplies provided. Beginner sewers welcome. Bring your own machine (in good working order) or borrow one of the library’s sewing machines. Space is limited. Reservations are required. Please call 757.741.3323 to register.

On the first Sunday in November step back in history as the Virginia Thanksgiving Festival commemorates America’s First Thanksgiving with a historic celebration reminiscent of Colonial Virginia. This annual tradition dates back to December 4, 1619 when Captain John Woodlief and his crew of thirty-five men landed on the shores of the James River at...

The talented dancers of the Institute of Dance present Storytime with the Arts, a series of performances featuring a story and craft based on a favorite children’s book. This month, get cozy for fall with activities featuring Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. Recommended for ages 3-7.

Local mystery author Ellen Butler will talk about her favorite 10 art heists in history. Heists discussed include: The Mona Lisa, from the Louvre Museum, The Scream, by Edvard Munch, The Green Vault jewelry heist, and 100 timepieces stolen from the LA Mayer Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem. In addition, she will discuss 21st...

Jazz up your autumn table with a pumpkin table runner. Learn the basics of machine applique. Supplies provided. Beginner sewers welcome! Bring your own machine (in good working order) or borrow one of the library’s sewing machines. Note: You will need to complete this project on your own outside class time. Space is limited. Reservations...

This film series brings art house film flavor to your Tuesdays. Plus, meet new friends, hear from special guests who are film experts, enjoy light refreshments, and have a discussion after the film. In Honor of Veterans Day: On VE day in May 1945, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret are allowed to join the crowds celebrating...

Cena con Cuentos es un programa de lectura en español para familias hispanohablantes con niños de 0 a 10 años de edad. Se ofrece dos veces por mes: el primer martes en Grove Christian Outreach Center (8800 Pocahontas Tr) y el tercer martes en el Stryker Center (412 N Boundary St), de las 5 a...

This month, WhoDunnits will be reading Reflections in a Dragon’s Eye by Bradley Harper Sgt. William Mankiller and his rookie partner, Det. Maria Esperanza Ruiz, work a frustrating case involving missing women in Baltimore, with scant evidence to go on. Mankiller and Ruiz’s only lead is a washed-up, drunk ex-boxer who once went toe-to-toe with...

Malcom Massey primarily writes “The Martin Culver Series”, a series of action thrillers based on his experiences living in Central and South America, as well as his interests in history, archaeology and travel. The main character of the series, Martin Culver, is an author-turned-adventurer who gets unavoidably drawn into one dangerous exploit after another. Malcom...

Let the team from our local Trader Joe’s guide you through creating a beautiful, simple bouquet for your holiday table. Materials for this workshop will be provided. Seating is limited; please register by calling 757.741.3300, option 2.

Join us for a lesson on cheese, the science behind it, and how to eat it! Follow along as we guide you through a tasting of different cheese styles and what best to pair with them. Small cheese plates with pairings will be provided. Seating is limited; please register by calling 757.741.3300, option 2.

The Ford’s Colony Dance Band, with its 17 musicians and vocalists, will perform their 3rd annual “Salute to the end of WWII” on Thursday, November 9th, two days before Veteran’s Day, starting at 7:30pm. They will recreate 16 weekly broadcasts of Benny Goodman’s weekly radio hour, featuring updates by war correspondents from the battle fields...

Tiffany Aliche was a successful preschool teacher with a healthy nest egg when a recession and advice from a shady advisor put her out of a job and into a huge financial hole. As she began to chart the path to her own financial rescue, the outline of her ten-step formula for attaining both financial...

The ordinary matter all around us is constructed of atoms composed of interacting subatomic particles. But our understanding of these particles is incomplete. Two subatomic particles of scientific interest are the proton and neutron, which serve as building blocks for atomic nuclei. In this talk, Ezekiel Wertz, PhD candidate in Physics at William & Mary,...

Lullabies aren’t needed. Although, old wives’ tales have said that music and talking to your plants help them grow. Dennis Hewston, Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener will share his gardening tips on how to winter your garden so that it is ready for spring. The In the Garden series of informative talks given by the...

Players of all levels are invited to join a casual group to roll the dice in the popular game of strategy and luck. WRL will have a couple of boards on hand, but if you have one, bring your own backgammon board. 2nd Saturdays through January, with a fun tournament in February.

Each month during the school year we celebrate emerging literacy by reading and participating in fun activities based on a different early reader book. There is no commitment to attend every meeting. Includes a copy of the book to keep. For ages 5 – 8. Space is limited; pick up a free ticket at the...

Fight to victory with your favorite character. Bring your friends and join a bracket. For ages 9-18.

As a student of the nineteenth century, and as a one-time student of the Classical world, I am intrigued by Aby Warburg’s “afterlife” or “survival” of antiquity unto our own time. The artists discussed are drawing upon Classical and Neoclassical artworks and motifs, reactivating them to question, critique, and explore the artistic and intellectual ideals...

Learn how to use the library’s one-stop shop for ebooks and eaudiobooks. Please bring the mobile device you want to read or listen on (smartphone, tablet, ereader). You will need to know your library card number, your password for downloading apps, and your Amazon password if using a Kindle device. We will also go over...

This film series brings art house film flavor to your Tuesdays. Plus, meet new friends, hear from special guests who are film experts, enjoy light refreshments, and have a discussion after the film. November 14: Horatio’s Drive (2013) TV-G No gas stations, no paved roads. In 1903, an eccentric Vermont doctor and a bulldog named...

Learn the basics of 3D printing and all the ways it’s being used from medical devices to homes! Ages 13 and up. No registration required.

Want to learn the basics of how a Cricut works? We’re going over the tools and materials to get started working on your own projects. For ages 13+. No registration required.

Drop in for board games and Nintendo Switch video games including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8, and more. For ages 9-12.

Real People/Real Stories meets the third Thursday of each month to explore the best in nonfiction history, biography, science, nature, and the arts. This month’s title: Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by Mark Harris In Honor of Veterans Day During the Second World War, the U.S. government recruited...

Now in its 20th year, the Throwback Thursday Film Series screens a variety of classic movies for an adult audience. November Theme: Second Chances November 16: Lord Jim (1965) NR In the late 1800s, a merchant marine (Peter O’Toole), discharged from the service for cowardice, seeks redemption by protecting a Southeast Asian native tribe from...

United States Poet Laureate and winner of the 2022 Academy of American Poets Leadership Award, Joy Harjo, joins us virtually for a chat about her most recent memoir, Catching the Light and to discuss her rewarding lifetime as a writer and poet. In Catching the Light, Harjo examines the power of words and how poetry...

Celebrate the end of the month with friends, games, snacks, music and more! Enjoy all the Teen Room has to offer! For ages 13 through adult, no registration required.

Singer, song-writer, and cross-picking guitar virtuoso Bill Jenkins and his string band, the Virginia Mountain Boys, bring to life the authentic ballads, camp meeting songs, and early bluegrass favorites of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Tickets: $5 (Friends of WRL $4) This pricing is made possible by the Friends of Williamsburg Regional Library Foundation. Click here...

A holiday tradition returns to the Williamsburg Library Theatre. The Concert Ballet of Virginia, the state’s oldest continually operating ballet company, presents The Nutcracker Suite. The bright, colorful costumes and exciting, enthusiastic performances by dancers from throughout Virginia are sure to delight children of all ages. Performances at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Free admission.

Reptile experts Scott and Kim Larsen will share stories, interesting facts, and trivia questions about their dazzling array of lizards, frogs, turtles, and snakes – then invite you to meet the reptiles up close and personal! Caution: holding, petting, and greeting eye-to-eye may occur. The show will start at 11am and 12pm. Join WRL’s Bookmobile...

Enjoy a special movie screening in a sensory-friendly environment. The lights will be on, the movie volume turned down, and attendees are free to move around, and dance, walk, and sing. Fidgets and some inflatable chairs will be available. Enjoy some popcorn or bring your own snacks. This showing is geared toward those with special...

This program will address proper manners for all ages. Do you know which fork to use and what happens if it drops on the floor? What is the correct way to butter a roll? At a restaurant, who is seated with the best view? How do you deal with food allergies in a restaurant or...

Reading is even more fun when you can share it with a fluffy, four-legged friend, and it’s a great way for beginning readers to practice with a patient audience. Drop in to read a story to trained therapy dogs, no registration required.

Learn the basics of navigating a web page, including how to bookmark so you can find pages later. Seating is limited, please call 757.741.3300 and choose option 2 to sign up.

A lonely woman sends text messages to her deceased fiancé’s old phone, unaware that the number was reassigned to a journalist. Intrigued by the missives, he seeks the advice of the celebrity that he’s interviewing, Celine Dion, on how to pursue a relationship with the mystery texter. Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan (Outlander) costar...

This film series brings art house film flavor to your Tuesdays. Plus, meet new friends, hear from special guests who are film experts, enjoy light refreshments, and have a discussion after the film. November 21: The Lost King (2022) PG-13 This film is based on the true story of how an amateur historian defied the...

Cena con Cuentos es un programa de lectura en español para familias hispanohablantes con niños de 0 a 10 años de edad. Se ofrece dos veces por mes: el primer martes en Grove Christian Outreach Center (8800 Pocahontas Tr) y el tercer martes en el Stryker Center (412 N Boundary St), de las 5 a...

Groundskeeping, by Lee Cole Owen Callahan has drifted back to his Kentucky hometown and taken a job as a groundskeeper at a small college. The job allows him to take a creative writing course, but it also introduces him to Alma, a published author and writer-in-residence. Their secret relationship is tested as she, a refugee...

Saturday Morning Cartoons is a monthly film series for animation lovers in the Williamsburg Library Theatre. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) PG Fitting into the high school scene is hard enough for shy Ruby Gillman, but things get worse when she discovers that she is actually a mythical kraken destined to protect the seas from...

Come meet some fellow readers and join the conversation. This book club is designed for ages 9-12 and is limited to 15 members. Call 757.741.3300, option 4 to register and receive a free copy of this month’s book.

Now in its 20th year, the Throwback Thursday Film Series screens a variety of classic movies for an adult audience. November Theme: Second Chances November 30: A Woman’s Face (1941) NR A woman’s badly scarred face leads her into a life of crime. Plastic surgery corrects this, giving her a second chance at life, if...

Bestselling and award-winning author, Naomi Alderman will join us virtually to talk about her new book, The Future. This new novel delivers a dazzling tour de force where a handful of friends plot a daring heist to save the world from the tech giants whose greed threatens life as we know it. By turns thrilling,...

Learn how to open and create dynamic, visually interesting presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint. Prerequisites: ability to use a mouse and keyboard. Seating is limited, please register by calling 757.741.3300, and select option 2 to sign up.