by Reference Department

The Milford Library will be closed on Monday, Feb. 17 in observance of President’s Day.

AARP Tax Aide Program

The Milford Town Library is once again proud to partner with the AARP Foundation, which provides free tax help for low-to-moderate income taxpayers. Appointments are required, and are available on Saturdays, Feb. 8 through April 5, 2025. These appointments are 1 hour each, between 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. We will also have a limited number of Wednesday evening appointments, between 4 - 7 p.m. Returns are only prepared for e-filing. To ensure that volunteers can help those most in need, taxpayers with more complicated or lengthy returns may be asked to come back on a different day or time. Note that AARP cannot prepare the following types of returns:

-   Out of state

-   Rental property

-   Clean vehicle tax credits

-   Virtual currency or digital assets

-   Home foreclosures

-   Small businesses with inventory, losses, or employees

-   Returns with more than 2 brokerage statements and/or more than 4 dividend and interest statements

Tax Forms

All of the tax forms that have arrived are available on the Grab and Go table at the library entrance. Please note that additional forms and schedules are available at irs.gov or the Massachusetts Department of Revenue website.

Cat Supplies Drive 

The library is hosting a winter cat supplies drive to benefit the Milford Humane Society now till Feb. 14, 2025. Donations of wet and dry food, kitty litter and toys may be dropped off in the collection bin at the library entrance. The library cannot accept bedding, blankets or towels. 

Established in 1990, The Milford Humane Society is an all-volunteer, non-profit, no-kill shelter for stray and abandoned cats. While most cats are housed at the shelter, others are cared for in foster homes until space becomes available at the shelter.  Admission to the shelter is not based solely on adoptability but on need. The motto of the Milford Humane Society is to share the gift of unconditional love with as many cats and kittens as possible. The society also welcomes other donations and has a wish list on Chewy. To learn more, visit www.milfordhumane.org.  Response so far has been great and we thank patrons for their generosity!

Milford Area Wordsmiths 

Looking for a quiet, dedicated time and place where you can write? Join the Milford Area Wordsmiths writers' group! We provide a safe place for adults (18+) to write and even share your work if you desire. All levels are welcome, from first-time writers to published authors. All genres are welcome, too, from picture books to romantasy to nonfiction!

Established in November, the group meets the first and third Monday of each month (except holidays) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Drop-ins are welcome. The Milford Area Wordsmiths will be facilitated by Carol Allen, a first-time writer of children's books, lifelong bookworm, and recently retired middle-school teacher. For more information, please call 508-473-2145, ext. 2.

English Classes

The library offers free drop-in classes for adults who want to learn and improve their English Beginner classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 - 8 p.m. An intermediate class is held on Thursdays from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Classes are held on the lower level of the library in the ESL Classroom.  Registration is not required. For more information, please call the Information Desk at 508-473-2145 ext. 2. 

Las clases gratuitas sin cita previa para adultos que quieran aprender y mejorar su inglés comienzan el martes 14 de enero de 2025. Las clases para principiantes se llevan a cabo los martes y jueves por la noche de 7 a 8 p.m. Una clase intermedia se lleva a cabo los jueves de 5:30 a 6:30 p.m. Las clases se llevan a cabo en el nivel inferior de la biblioteca en el aula de ESL.  No es necesario registrarse. Para obtener más información, llame al mostrador de información al 508-473-2145 x 2.

As aulas presenciais gratuitas para adultos que desejam aprender e melhorar seu inglês começam na terça-feira, 14 de janeiro de 2025. As aulas para iniciantes são ministradas nas noites de terça e quinta, das 19h às 20h. Uma aula intermediária é ministrada às quintas-feiras, das 17h30 às 18h30. As aulas são ministradas no nível inferior da biblioteca, na sala de aula ESL.  O registro não é necessário. Para obter mais informações, ligue para o balcão de informações em 508-473-2145 x 2.

Citizenship Preparation

Citizenship preparation will be offered on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. started on Monday, Jan. 27, in the ESL Classroom and continue through Monday, February 24, 2025. Since individuals may be at various stages in their citizenship path, all interested participants should come to the class to consult with the instructor to be screened.  Using materials from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), this preparation course will review the N-400 citizenship application, English and civics test and discuss the naturalization interview.  To learn more, call the Information Desk at 508-473-2145 ext. 2. 

Center Book Group

The Center Book Group will be on winter hiatus during January and February 2025 and return on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 10 a.m. at the Milford Senior Center. The March book selection is Hello, Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. This novel by the author of Dear Edward and other titles is a sweeping story of the four Padavano sisters, a sort of modern retelling of Little Women. Napolitano’s storytelling  combines emotional depth and page-turnability. 

To reserve a copy of Hello, Beautiful, call the Information Desk at 508-473-2145 ext. 2, order online or email: [email protected]. 

Catherine Marenghi & Len Abram Reading/Signing

On Wednesday, March 12 at 7 p.m., Native Milfordians Catherine Marenghi and Len Abram return to the Milford Town Library to read from their new books. Catherine's latest book is a volume of poetry Things We Take, Things We  Let Go. Len's latest novel is Killer Apps, the third in a crime trilogy featuring Boston detectives Schwartz and Di Natale. His previous books include Empty Doorways, The Medallion and Debris: A Novel of Love, War and the Lusitania.

Catherine Marenghi is an award-winning author of the historical novel Our Good Name (2022); and Glad Farm: A Memoir (2016) which President Jimmy Carter called “inspiring,” It tells of a life rooted in poverty on a former gladiolus farm, and the power of a house to change our destiny. Her historical novel Our Good Name is based on her Italian immigrant ancestors.

 Her three books of poetry are Breaking Bread (2020), Unfurled: Love Poems (2023), and her latest, Things We Take, Things We Let Go (2024). This latest poetry collection is a meditation on the things we carry with us through life—both physical and emotional cargo—and the things we inevitably leave behind during times of transition and change. Her life-altering move from Massachusetts to Mexico infuses this text with joy, humor, inspiration, longing, and love.

Among her writing awards are first-place honors from the Academy of American Poets university poetry prize program and a Pushcart Prize nomination. The acclaimed poets Richard Blanco and Jennifer Clement each selected her poems as first-place winners of separate poetry contests sponsored by Crossroads Magazine. Her work has appeared in numerous international publications. She has served on the board of the San Miguel Poetry Café and also co-founded Poetry Mesa, an international poetry community.

Catherine divides her time between San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Len Abram is the author of four novels: three featuring Boston based detectives Schwartz and DiNatale including his latest Killers App (2024), Empty Doorways (2019), and The Medallion (2014) as well as the standalone, Debris: A Novel of Love, War and the Lusitania (2015). His short story “A Cup of Kindness” was included in Adam Patcher’s collection Final Fenway Fiction: More Short Stories from Red Sox Nation.  

Len has also published numerous articles in The Belmont Patch, including “The Race Is Canceled. Bombs: A First-Person's View of the Boston Marathon” and book reviews in The Jewish Advocate. He earned a PhD in American literature, and taught at three universities, including the University of Maryland armed forces program overseas (Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, and Bermuda). Later, he wrote technical documents for BBN Communications, the Federal Reserve in Boston, and Fidelity Investments, also earning a broker’s license. He also wrote articles for its financial services magazine and interviewed Suze Orman and Larry Kudlow.