Checkmate!
One lively group that meets at Main
Library is the Chess Club. Whether
you are a beginner to the game or an
experienced player seeking a challenge,
this fun-loving group welcomes all players
and is open to adults and teens.
The club meets at 6 pm the second
and fourth Mondays of the month and
is led by Mike Reeves, the former coach
of the championship-winning Shaker
Heights High School chess team. Reeves
believes that chess builds logical analysis
and deductive reasoning skills, and teaches
discipline, organization, and focus.
Club member Hampton Richardson
loves that, “People are willing to work with
you and teach you the game. A newcomer
doesn’t have to be afraid to come.” Robert
Graves III loves the challenge of playing
others in the “medieval war of good and
evil.” Further, Graves says, “All challengers
are welcome. Prepare to be served!”
Knitting the Community Together
“In a ball of yarn is the potential to make
a dream that you have come true.”
– Melanie Falick, author
and knitting expert
They’re knitting morning and night at
Shaker Library. If you’re lucky enough
to be at Main Library on the first
Wednesday morning of each month, or at
Bertram Woods on the third Wednesday
evening, you’ll find your friends and
neighbors sharing snacks, stories, and
knitting projects.
26 WINTER 2018 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
Launched in 2006, the Library’s Knit
Night became so popular that it spawned
a Knit Morning for those who prefer
daytime activities. Both groups provide
opportunities for experienced knitters and
newbies to engage in show-and-tell, share
their projects, and encourage one another.
Shaker residents and retired library
employees Fern Braverman and Elfreide
Heaney lead the groups. Through the
years, members have come together
around service projects, which have
included knitting or crocheting beautiful,
warm hats to donate to homeless families.
Shaker Library Is Cooking
For those who love cooking, eating, and
talking about books, Shaker Library’s
cookbook discussion group, Cook the
Book, provides the perfect combination.
At each meeting, everyone prepares
a recipe from the month’s cookbook
selection, and members gather to talk
and taste. Beginning and seasoned cooks
enjoy sharing and sampling their dishes.
Members exchange praise and pointers
and occasionally a chef or cookbook author
joins the discussion.
The group meets the first Wednesday
of the month at Woods Branch.
Participants have tackled recipes from
breakfast to dessert, from basic to
challenging, and everything in between.
According to Woods Branch Manager
Lynne Miller, “Our meetings are both
social and educational. Everyone comes
away having learned something new.”
Register online, or call the Library to
reserve your place, 216-991-2030.
Life Writing
Writing and sharing stories, and building a
community of writers. That’s exactly what
the Library’s Life Writing Group does
the first Saturday of each month when it
meets at the Main Library.
The purpose of the group is to
encourage personal writing and to provide
support for it. The Saturday session begins
with two writing prompts. Participants
spend 30 minutes drafting a response to
one or both prompts, then share their
work with the group. While there is no
pressure to do so, those who do share find
a receptive, supportive audience.
Facilitator Roland Moore believes
the best part of the program is sharing
experiences. “There is no criticism, just
appreciation for sharing a life experience
with others, who are sometimes total
strangers. It’s magical, spiritual, and, as
every writer knows, ineffable.”
Newcomers are always welcome to
join this supportive group, and it just
might be the impetus needed to jumpstart
an unfinished writing project.
@ Shaker Library
/WWW.SHAKER.LIFE