Don't let the ☀️🥵 weather get you down! At the Mérida English Library, we have events, fundraisers, and upcoming springtime fun! 😎 STAY TUNED!

THE LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED ON MAY 1 FOR LABOR DAY IN MEXICO

All writers living in Mérida's vicinity, regardless of level of experience, are welcome to attend these meetings in the classroom at MEL, alternate Wednesdays at 11:00 AM.   Join us to share your works-in-progress and to see what others have written  See our calendar for a schedule.

Fiction & Friends — The MEL Book Club

Fiction & Friends is the MEL book club, a place where fans of literary fiction can gather to share opinions on a great work.  The Friends will discuss these books in the coming months:

• April 25: Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia — From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers, from Cuba to Mexico, this is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayals that have shaped the lives of some extraordinary women 

• May 30: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez — The brilliant, bestselling, landmark novel that tells the story of the Buendia family and chronicles the irreconcilable conflict between the desire for solitude and the need for love

• June 27: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese — A stunning and magisterial new epic of faith and medicine, set in Kerala and following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret.

Fiction & Friends meets on the last Thursday of each month (including April 25) starting at 10:00 AM.  Please visit our website for more information or to join the club.

Join fellow amateur writers at MEL for prose and poetry readings.  We’ll gather in the MEL classroom on Tuesday, April 23 starting at 6:15 PM to share ten-minute excerpts of our work.  This is a once-a-month meeting, and the next event will be on May 21.  Visit our website for more information.

As we wrap up another successful season of the House & Garden Tour, we are grateful for all the homeowners who make this activity such a success.  The tour is MEL’s largest annual fundraiser, and it wouldn't be possible without the generosity of homeowners all over Centro.  Thanks to all of these people who donate their time and resources to help make MEL the vibrant and dynamic place it is:

Margie Alexy • Betsy Alger & Jim Black • Leticia Allen • Jim & Ramon Alvarez-Jones (Casa Dos Sueños) • Lemeau Arrott-Watt • Christine Audain (Casa de la Felicidad) • Tracey & Mark Baker • Rose & Howard Baltus (Vida Magica) • Jill Baskins • Kathi & Peter Bienz • Maureen & Doug Blackstock • Ellen Bradbury-Reid • Bettye Bradley & David Stansbury • Toni Brogan • Steve Broin • George & Sarah Calderon (Casa Oasis) • Greg Casini (Casa de las Torres) • Susan & Giles Collard (Casa Luna y Sol) • Katie Decker & Kevin Emge (Casa Turix) • Dale Deubler & Alan Sheppard • Kyra Drennan (Casa Ooh-La-La) • Shawn Ebrahimi • Joan Farrell • Wanda & Michael Fritton (Casa Paciencia) • Cassandra Garcia • Erin Gomez Danielson • Alvah & Jim Hanrahan (Casa Alvah) • Robyn Howington-Walton & Frank Walton (Casa del Agua) • Todd Hughes & P David Ebersol (Casita Galore) • Evelyn Jackson & Al Pierce • Jane & Steven Jagger • Heather & Gill Johnson (Casona 59) • Sanda Krsalk & Steve Lemire (Casablanca) • Deborah LaChapelle • Elizabeth & Martin Lee (Casa Lizmar) • Marilyn Levy & Charles Fletcher • Edward Lukasek & Robert Bates • Janelle Masden & Sam Palomeque • Brian Mahan • David Mills (Casa Xaman iik') • Punkie & Paul Nelson (Casa de las Ranas) • Shelagh O'Rourke • Monica Pacho & Gladys Rodríguez (Casa Luna) • Robyne & Dave Parkes • Anne & Jonathan Rose • Marie Routledge & Jeff Blackstock (Las Palmas) • Jackie & Gary Sandblom • Sherell Sands (La Petit Casa) • Susan & Aaron Shapiro • Linda & Matt Shearer  (Casa Amarillo) • Tita Sokoloff (Casa Esplendida) • Stefan Solis & Miguel Trejo Salgado • David Thom • Susan Trapnell & Erik Muller • Jennifer Turner & Behrooz Shariati • Myrna Valdez & Harley Moore • Nancy Vaughan • Annie Walwyn-Jones & Murdoch Morrison • Laurel Wentz • Kathy Young • Ed Zielinski & Josue Bacab

Join Mónica for TaiJi -Tai Chi on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. in the library's pleasant AC Classroom starting May 7th.

Monthly fee 500 pesos ( for all 8 sessions) /.   Single session 100 pesos.

Register here 

IMPORTANT! NEW CONVERSACIONES TIME

This month, we turn our attention to Bob Rogers, a resident and author of historical fiction. Bob is a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served as a captain and combat leader and a graduate of South Carolina State University.  He started his writing career in historical fiction in 2009 with Hitting Life’s Curveballs, the story of a couple caught in the snare of World War II. Along their journey, they meet friends who sacrificed for them and others who would rather see them dead. Their struggle begins in the Central Piedmont of North Carolina and passes through Massachusetts, Virginia, and Indiana before ending in Italy's Tuscany.

He has written a half-dozen books since this debut novel, all “based on a true story”.  Among them are the antebellum deep-South novels, Two Rivers: De Trouble I Be See and – perhaps his most popular work – 2014’s The Laced Chameleon. B ob is a meticulous researcher, known to spend extra time, magnifying glass in hand, deciphering 18th and 19th-century handwriting for “just the facts, ma’am.” If not closeted in libraries or museums, you are likely to find him walking centuries-old rice fields, battlefields, or in a canoe following the river trails of his characters. Read his complete profile on the MEL Blog. Two Rivers: De Trouble I Be See and The Laced Chameleon are part of the Mérida English Library’s permanent lending collection.

The Library Collection Committee maintains a continuously updated list of books they would like to add to MEL’s offerings.  A selection from that list will be published each month.  If you would like to give a gift to the Merida English Library, you may purchase one of these titles from any book source or donate one from your own library.  We appreciate your generous donations!

Fiction:

• The Princess of Las Vegas by Christopher Bohjalian
• Return of the Witch by Paula Brackston 
• The Tower by Flora Carr 
• The Road from Belhaven by Margot Livesay
• There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh 

Nonfiction:

• The Anarchy by William Dalrymple.  
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki 
• The Defining Years of the Dutch East Indies, 1942-1949:  Survivors’ Accounts of Japanese Invasion and Enslavement of Europeans and the Revolution that Created Free Indonesia by Jan A. Krancher
• River of Darkness by Buddy Levy 
• A Great and Terrible King:  Edward I and the Forging of Britain by Marc Morris 
• Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts

Children’s puzzles with all their pieces— we need puzzles that small children can do by themselves, or with up to 250 pieces they can do as a family.

Board Games:

MEL would like to enhance its collection of board games and would appreciate donations of new or gently used games with all of their pieces.  Risk and Yahtzee come to mind, but all are welcome!

Every member of a community has a voice and a way of thinking. Express yourself and share your point of view with others through the Teens’ Debate Club at MEL. Hosted by Bella, one of our youngest volunteers in the library, this club is directed to boys and girls from 14 to 19 years old, to provide a space to young audiences for expression in a moderated and organized dynamic, encouraging them to be active participants of the change of their communities. 

Meeting on the MEL terrace, starting at 11:30 and finishing before 1 pm. The Teens’ Debate Club at MEL will join on Saturday, twice a month. Next sessions: April 20, May 11 & 25, and June 8 & 22. 
 

This is a free program, and registration is required to participate. 
For more information, contact us at info@meridaenglishlibrary.com

Our Children’s Day Special Storytime is coming to MEL on Saturday, April 27th. 

Starting at 10 am, visit the Mérida English Library to enjoy a set of 3 different stories and 2 arts & crafts stations, to address Peace in our community, our countries, and our families!

You are invited to bring a snack to share with others, as we will set up a snack buffet. We will end the event with a piñata! Candies for everybody.

WE HAVE A MAXIMUM CAPACITY OF 30 REGISTERED CHILDREN.

Register online, or visit the library to do it in person.

The Language Classes at MEL are still going during the afternoons on Wednesdays and Fridays. English classes with teacher Diana Rodríguez and Spanish lessons with teacher Alfonso López. Take a look at the different levels available, enjoy a free trial class, and register for a month or two. Digital materials are included in an A/C classroom. Click here for more

Talleres ArtiCrea and MEL are joining forces to bring this lovely Mother's Day experience: Mom and Children - Art Activity. We want to commemorate the first years being a mom, whether it is your first mothers Day gift or you want to have a nice family time, more than a souvenir; this activity portrays a joyful memory, creating a strong meaning for this piece of art, made as a team in an informal and relaxed environment.

Join us on Saturday, May 11, starting at 11 am, right after Storytime, and be part of this workshop with your children.  Art supplies, drinks, and snacks are included in the experience.

Register now 

Read your favorite library's annual report of 2023.

Please click HERE

Greg Northrup - Andrew Fletcher - Rebecca Bell - Janet Randel - Sharron McGrath - Nancy Conroy - Robin Porter - Mirna Pérez - Heather Rapp & Norma Rapp - Catherine Schneider - Kathleen White - Heather Rath - Alvah Hanrahan -Bettina Hirschi - Christine Angeles - Monika Mair - Elaine Cohen - Sandy Mora - Cynthia Stobbe - Mar McLindley - Elizabeth Holland - Janelle Masden - Stephen and Jo Cossart - Sandra Ledingham - Kevin Giles - Avra Anagnostis - Velya Jancz - Urban - Rebecca Valian - Ingrid Pauli - Olya Kenney - Lisa Spreitzer - Elizabeth Walser.

Download it now here or get yours at MEL.

If you're interested contact Partner Realtors via Whatsapp 999 271 1180 here