What's New!

The free supplies for this September Take and Make will be available at area PPLD libraries beginning September 8, 2023.

Materials and Directions:

Materials we provide:
plastic needle, yarn, styrofoam plates
Materials you provide:
pencil, scissors, tape, scrap paper (optional)
Directions:
Here are tutorials (https://tinyurl.com/bdfv82kk) for basic sewing stitches. We recommend running stitch, backstitch, whip stitch, and cross stitch for this project. Also, see additional photos in the pdf file provided.
Running stitch and Backstitch – great for sewing straight lines
Whip Stitch – great for adding a border
Cross Stitch – great for adding details
Step 1:
Use your pencil to create a design on your plate by gently poking the pencil through the plate. The holes should be at least ½" apart. (You may want to draw it on scratch paper first.)
Step 2:
Cut a piece of yarn no longer than your arm. Thread it through the needle. It may help to tie one end of the yarn to the needle so it doesn’t come unthreaded. You should have a long end and a shorter end.
Step 3:
Beginning at the back of the plate, sew in and out of the holes you poked to complete your design. Pull the yarn taut after each stitch, but don’t pull too hard and tear the plate. You may tape the end of the yarn to the back of the plate to hold it. When you run out of yarn you can either continue with the same color or begin a new color.
Use the second plate to create a different design.

Poetry is a powerful, flexible form of expression that conveys feelings across generations, and often across cultures as well. Pikes Peak Library District is celebrating poetry in collaboration with Pikes Peak Poet Laureate Ashley Cornelius and Imagination Celebration with the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate Global Poetry Experience throughout September. Join us for this interactive global poetry project and experience poetry and writing like never before!

On select Saturdays in September, Ashley will host poetry workshops from inside of the “Sojourner” Portal, a poetry portal set up outside of Manitou Springs Library this month. “Sojourner” is connected to other poetry portals around the world, and participants will have the opportunity to interact with people in other countries as they explore themes through writing. At the end of the month, Ashley will create a community poem drawing from participants’ experiences, and the poem is planned to be presented in October. 

The workshops presented by the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate include: 

• “Home” on Sat., Sept. 2 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. with Santos, Brazil
• “Belonging” on Sat., Sept. 9 from 9 - 11:00 a.m. with Erbil, Iraq
• “Connection” on Sat., Sept. 16 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. with Johannesburg, South Africa
• “Joy” on Sat., Sept. 30 from 9 - 11 a.m. with Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 

Registration is required for the workshops and space is limited, so sign up today!

Imagination Celebration plans to host programs at the portal on weekdays throughout the month. 

Constitution Day on September 17 commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave people in 1787 and recognizes those who have become U.S. citizens through coming of age or naturalization. Celebrate this historic day with resources available at the Library!

• We the People U.S. Pocket Constitutions 
  Celebrate the penning of the U.S. Constitution by picking up a pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution from your local library beginning Wed., Sept 13, while supplies last.

Recommended Resources

Use your library card to check out books and eBooks exploring the Constitution and its history through different lenses.

• A Young Reader's Edition of Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by McClay, Wilfred M.
• Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution by Mystal, Elie
• OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-boring Guide to How Our Democracy is Supposed to Work by Sheehan, ben
• Ordinary Equality: The Fearless Women and Queer People Who Shaped the U.S. Constitution and the Equal Rights Amendment by Kelly, Kat; art by LaRue, Nicole
• For Which We Stand: How Our Government Works and Why it Matters by Foster, Jeff
• eBooks available with your library card through OverDrive or by using the Libby app:
  • Two Revolutions and the Constitution by D.R. Philips, James
  • The United States Constitution (this title is always available)
  • The Great Debate – Advocates and Opponents of the American Constitution by Thomas Pangle, The Great Courses

Enjoy a selection of documentaries with your library card on Kanopy, including:

• An American (1775 – 1790)
• Books That Matter: The Federalist Papers, Episode 12: The Future of the United States Constitution
• History of the United States, Episode 14: Creating the Constitution

Take an in-depth look at the history of the U.S. Constitution with these web resources:

• Britannica Kids: United States Constitution 
  Spark young learners’ curiosity about the U.S. Constitution.
• History.com: This Day in History: U.S. Constitution Signed 
  Enjoy an overview of the efforts that went into the creation of the U.S. Constitution. 
• National Archives: Constitution of the United States – A History
  Dive into this in-depth look at the Constitutional Convention and the process of creating the U.S. Constitution. 
• National Archives: The First Amendments to the U.S. Constitution 
  Discover some of the first changes made to the U.S. Constitution and learn about the development of the Bill of Rights.
• U.S. History in Context database: Constitution and the Bill of Rights (you must be in a Pikes Peak Library District location or have a library card starting with the number 4 to access). 
  Explore the creation of the U.S. Constitution and the cultural pressures involved in its development.