This month in Centre Page:

• An Evening of Wine & Words: Save the Date!

• Spring is Coming: Programs Registration Opens Soon
• International Women's Day: Women in Fantasy Writing
• A Monthly Donation Goes Further in March!

• Daylight Saving Time Begins March 12, 2023

We have exciting news! Our programs open for spring registration on March 13, 2023. We are excited to be continuing to provide our families with options for in person and online programs. Adult programs will continue online only.

Also, we are getting ready to bring the C.O.W. Bus back to begin lending books to our families again. Our Friday morning COW Corner program is in person at the Castle Downs YMCA in partnership with the KARA Family Resource Centre. Regular programming will continue inside the building and we will offer the book lending both before and after the COW Corner program. We are excited to re-launch our unique book lending program! Come out and visit our COW Bus this spring!

When our Volunteer Coordinator, Claudia, got back into reading she turned to old comforts: fantasy and science fiction. But she realized that many of the most-read books in these genres were written by men, about male heroes on a journey with their male supporting cast. For a reader seeking relatability in book characters, a single woman reduced to the role of “love interest” or “damsel in distress” just wouldn’t cut it.

Fortunately, many newer titles offer a greater diversity of characters and perspectives, and women authors in particular are receiving more of a spotlight within speculative fiction. For International Women’s Day, we’d like to highlight Claudia’s new favourite author: N.K. Jemisin.

With her book The Fifth Season, she became the first Black author to win the Hugo Award, and her next two books made her the first author to win the award in three consecutive years, as well as for all three books in a trilogy. While sitting firmly in the realm of fantasy (superpowers included), The Broken Earth trilogy shines brightest through its complex characters and social commentary. Give yourself a quiet space to read because these books will make you think!

Our CFL Staff Book Club is reading The Fifth Season this month. Read along and share your thoughts with us via social media or by email at comms@famlit.ca.

Thanks to CanadaHelps, a NEW monthly donation goes further this month! Make a new monthly gift of $20 or more through CanadaHelps in March, and they will make a one-time extra $20 donation to the Centre!*

This will increase the impact of your gift and help us continue to provide our free programs for adults and families!

*Make It Monthly 2023 $20 Offer is valid for new scheduled monthly donations of a minimum of $20 per month beginning March 1st, 2023 at 12:01 AM Newfoundland Standard Time (NST) to March 31st, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST). CanadaHelps will donate to a participating charity an additional $20 for each new monthly donation of $20 or more that is made three times before June 2, 2023, to a maximum aggregate amount of donations from CanadaHelps to all participating charities of $50,000 CAD. See full terms and conditions: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/make-it-monthly-terms-and-conditions

On Sunday, March 12, 2023 when local standard time is about to reach 2:00:00 am, clocks are turned forward 1 hour to Sunday, March 12, 2023, 3:00:00 am local daylight time instead.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is used to make better use of sunlight in the spring, summer, and fall evenings and save energy. DST was first used in 1908 in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Did you ever forget to set your clock forward in March or turn it back in November? Share your stories with us via social media or by email at comms@famlit.ca.

1. International Women’s Day - March 8
2. Daylight Saving - March 12
3. Registration for Spring Programs Opens - March 15
4. Winter Session Runs until March 25
5. International Children’s Book Day - April 2
6. Spring Session Runs from April 3 to June 24