This spring, the Belmont Public Library is hosting their eighth One Book One Belmont community read event, “Better Through Books: Healing Community Together,” to commemorate the events of 2020. The virtual slate of programs will span two months rather than the traditional one-month, in-person calendar.
The Better Through Books committee have decided that this year’s theme will be that of “healing. ” The events will present a dual focus: March will feature anti-racism titles and April will shift to wellness.
“The basis for the plan was a response to the year of 2020, which was the most difficult year in most all of our lives [sic]” said Peter Struzziero, Belmont Public Library director and co-chair of The One Book One Belmont Committee. “There is a true need in our town of Belmont to take some steps forward to heal from this awful period of time.”
E. Dolores Johnson, author of family memoir “Say I’m Dead: A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets, and Love,” will be March’s keynote speaker. Belmont Against Racism worked in conjunction with the Library to co-sponsor Johnson’s reading, set to take place on March 30.
“It is time in America that we concentrate on racial healing and racial justice because there are so many people that are traumatized by the race conditions in America,” said Johnson. “I was very pleased to be asked and I’m looking forward to engaging with that audience.”
The Belmont community has already come together following the racially motivated hit and run of Henry Tapia in late January. The library’s had already planned a month of anti-racist titles and bringing awareness to restorative justice; its scheduling was independent to Tapia’s passing.
“We started the planning for this in August,” said Kathryn Bonfiglio, president of BAR and 2021 One Book One Belmont Planning Committee member. “When we thought about it last year, it was in relation to the awakening for white people, to the George Floyd incident and the whole Black Lives Matter movement.”
The Library personnel have not forgotten Women’s History Month despite March’s dedication to diversity and inclusion. Belmont Public Library have shown their support for women through their all-but-one female planning committee and the hosting of female speakers and authors.
Beyond what Struzziero calls a “powerful [virtual] lineup,” he did confirm a few outdoor, in-person events to span the month of April, including nature walks. The library director also hinted at a “few surprises” in relation to World Book Day, scheduled for April 23.
Keynote speaker Johnson acknowledged the comprehensiveness of the program, and said, “Belmont is a community of forward thinking people… it’s so necessary for audiences who are, who want to be informed, to be able to look at all those different aspects,” she said.
The event last took place in 2018 but continues to be a strong community builder. Planning members believe that the virtual nature of this year’s programming will see an increase in turnout due to ease of access.
“Community Reads come and go… and we will do many more in the future. This one is really something special though,” Struzziero said. “We can be better through books and community programming… We look forward to seeing all our old friends, and new patrons at our upcoming programming.”
One Book One Belmont’s final read will feature author Gabrielle Zevin’s reading of “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” on April 28.
Youmna Sukkar is a Boston University journalism student reporting as part of a collaboration between the Belmont-Citizen Herald, The Watertown Tab and the Boston University News Service. Boston University Professor Tina Martin oversees the program, collaborating with Wicked Local Senior Multimedia Journalist Joanna Tzouvelis.
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