Discussing & Connecting

Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in  libraries, cafés and restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver. The cafés, which are open to everyone, have brought dialogue and discussion to thousands of people who are interested in exploring issues from the absurd to the sublime. Join us for lively discussions with Moderator Reema Faris! 

• Monday, September 24
  The heart goes on, but does love? In the 20 years since Titanic swept the Oscars, epic romances, especially those that are doomed, continue to fascinate us. Why?
   
• Monday, October 22
  20 years ago, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled sexual orientation did not preclude individuals from legislative human rights protection. How has the social discourse around sexuality evolved since?
   
• Monday, November 26 
  Six girls were convicted of assault in 1998 for their role in the deadly attack on Reena Virk. What has the impact been on our understanding of gender-based violence?

Reema Faris is a Ph.D student with the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (GSWS) at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Her research focuses on popular culture and feminism. An MA in Graduate Liberal Studies (SFU 2015), she holds a BA in History and Classical Studies from the University of British Columbia (1983) and MBA from the University of Toronto (1990). 

No registration required. Drop in! 

Come practice your English language skills in a fun group of other new speakers.

Meet new people, learn English, and have fun! This program is presented in partnership with the Baha'is of North Vancouver. 

Drop in! No registration required.

Copies of the first book will be available starting August 23. After that, books will be available after book club meetings in print format. All books are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Copies of the books are also available in other formats, such as print, ebook, audiobooks, and more. Ask staff to help you find a copy!

Want to receive meeting reminders and information about the books via email?

CLICK REGISTER above or call 604-987-4471, ext. 8175 to provide your email. 

A full schedule for all branches is available here. 

Have you read, watched, listened to or thought about anything recently that inspires you enough to share and discuss with others? 

Local issue you’d like to chew over with other locals?

Drop by for a group discussion!

Drop in and stitch with some fellow knitting-enthusiasts from your community!

All are welcome, from beginners to experts. Bring your own needles and yarn, and come by our cozy Lantern Lounge for a knit and purl.

No registration required. Call 604-929-3727 ext.8166 for more information. 

Come Cook the Books with us and test out the best recipes! 

Get together with fellow food-enthusiasts and put a cookbook to the test! Every month we’ll select a new cookbook from the NVDPL collection and you pick recipes you’d like to try out.  At the meeting, you’ll share your experience with the recipe!

Next Meetings:

• Cookbooks by Sharon Hapton
  Thursday, September 27 | 2:30pm-3:30pm
  Parkgate Library
  
  Choose any of Sharon's books! The cook book The Soup Sisters Family Cookbook will be kept at the Information desk  for you to photocopy the recipes you’d like to try- just ask staff at the Information desk.
   
• Cookbooks by Deb Perelman
  Thursday, October 25 | 2:30pm-3:30pm
  Parkgate Library 
  

  Choose any one of her cookbooks! The Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites is available for you at the Information Desk for you to choose recipes you’d like to try- just ask staff at the Information Desk and we will photocopy the recipes for you. 

All are welcome to join us for this drop-in Club-there’s no registration required. 

Upload your pictures to Instagram with #NVDPLCookBookClub, or bring a device with pictures to show off your lovely creations!

No registration required. Drop in! For more information contact Jean at 604-929-3727, ext. 8166

Come practice your English language skills in a fun group of other new speakers.

Meet new people, learn English, and have fun! This program is presented in partnership with the Bahá’ís of North Vancouver.

Join local resident Wayne Smith for some casual Barber-Shop style singing. Wayne will provide lyrics and music for popular songs, mostly from the 40s and 50s, and will provide piano accompaniment.

Free. No registration required. For more info, call 604-929-3727 ext. 8166.

Copies of the first book will be available starting August 23. After that, books will be available after book club meetings in print format. All books are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Copies of the books are also available in other formats, such as print, ebook, audiobooks, and more. Ask staff to help you find a copy!

Want to receive meeting reminders and information about the books via email?

CLICK REGISTER above or call 604-929-3727, ext. 8166 to provide your email. 

A full schedule for all branches is available here. 

Join us for a brand new MOOC: The Science of Happiness from UC Berkeley.

We all want to be happy, and there are countless ideas about what happiness is and how we can get some. But not many of those ideas are based on science. That’s where this course comes in. Join us to view lectures and discuss this course “The Science of Happiness” is the first MOOC to teach the ground-breaking science of positive psychology, which explores the roots of a happy and meaningful life. Created by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, the course will zero in on a fundamental finding from positive psychology: that happiness is inextricably linked to having strong social connections and contributing to something bigger than yourself—the greater good. No previous MOOC experience required.

Registration is required.  Beginning August 1st, please register online or by phone at 604-929-3727, ext. 8166

Copies of the first book will be available starting August 23. After that, books will be available after book club meetings in print format. All books are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Copies of the books are also available in other formats, such as print, ebook, audiobooks, and more. Ask staff to help you find a copy!

Want to receive meeting reminders and information about the books via email?

CLICK REGISTER above or call 604-929-3727, ext. 8166 to provide your email. 

A full schedule for all branches is available here. 

We live in interesting times. Your opinion matters.

Will the UK finally pull the Brexit emergency brake, or will they go off the cliff clutching Boris Johnson's imaginary parachute? Will the US and China drift into a Trade War . . . and how will Canada be affected? How will Trump respond when he discovers that the rest of the world continues to commercially engage with Iran? How much longer can Venezuela hold on . . . weeks, days? North Korea promised to do what? The US mid-term elections are drawing near, and Trump is besieged by a torrent of law suits. Refugees, Mueller's investigation, Chinese financial distress, and will Michael Cohen flip? BTW: What's the latest on the Kinder-Ottawa pipeline?

Join us for a lively and free-ranging discussion of current world affairs.

No registration required. Drop in!