Upcoming Events

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

If you are struggling with stress, an over-active mind and want to find a new perspective on how mindfulness and meditation can help in navigating the challenges of your everyday life, then join Prabha Makayee as she guides you through the steps of meditation.  See what you can accomplish by taking responsibility over what kinds of thoughts you think.  With just one second, one breath and one thought of changing your perspective you can realign your well-being to a more peaceful, happy mindset.   

No registration required.

Alan DeValerio, a former White House butler, will give you the inside details about all the preparations involved in White House entertaining.  Not only will he relate his first-hand experiences with history, but he will pass on the stories from those people that he worked with (like Edgar Allen, on whom the movie "The Butler" was based) who have been taking care of our First Families ever since the Franklin Roosevelt administration!

Alan will also display many of the White House artifacts (menus, programs, Christmas cards, personal photos, etc) that he has collected over the years.  And after the program his new book "A History of Entertainment in the Modern White House" will be available for purchase and signing.  This is a presentation that you won't want to miss!

Alan DeValerio is originally from Rhode Island.  He moved to the DC area out of an interest in writing political humor, but ended up working at the White House as a butler from 1980 to 1990.  He is now retired and travels around the east coast doing presentations about his White House experiences.

This is a hybrid event; you can choose to attend in person or on Zoom.  

Here is the Zoom link:   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85621173846

Are you looking to improve your skill with Microsoft Word, interested in writing letters, creating a resume or another type of document?  Then this course will get you started and comfortable with Word, or Google Docs.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

Are you looking to improve your skill with Microsoft Word, interested in writing letters, creating a resume or another type of document?  Then this course will get you started and comfortable with Word, or Google Docs.

If you are struggling with stress, an over-active mind and want to find a new perspective on how mindfulness and meditation can help in navigating the challenges of your everyday life, then join Prabha Makayee as she guides you through the steps of meditation.  See what you can accomplish by taking responsibility over what kinds of thoughts you think.  With just one second, one breath and one thought of changing your perspective you can realign your well-being to a more peaceful, happy mindset.   

No registration required.

Travel through time and space with Historical Fiction!  Every other month, we'll discuss a book set in a different time period.  Whether you couldn't put it down or couldn't finish it, let's talk about it.  This month's selection is A Ladies Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman.  In this exciting debut, set in Victorian England, a wealthy young widow encounters the pleasures-and scandalous pitfalls-of a London social season.

HOW TO GET A COPY:  Please click here to make an online request with your Library card; or call us at 203-794-8756 to check availability of pre-ordered copies at the Circulation Desk.

We are very pleased to welcome back Patrick Wild to discuss his new book, Bethel:  Village Among the Hills, in which Patrick gives a brief history of Bethel!  

Officially incorporated as a town in 1855, Bethel's recorded history stretches back to its earliest settlement as part of Danbury in 1684.  Hat manufacturing represented its premier industry for nearly two centuries, and the ever-changing number of shops and factories employed most of the area's populace.  Roughly equidistant from New York City and Hartford and located along the Metro-North Railroad line and US Interstate 84, its convenient access, lively downtown, and modern educational park have attracted continued development.  Growing from a population of 1,711 people in 1860 to one of 20,358 in 2020, Bethel has undergone tremendous change and yet still retains much of its small-town New England appeal.

Since the release of "Images of America: Bethel in 1996", many rare photographs not included in that publication have been discovered.  Town Historian Patrick Tierney Wild has researched these findings utilizing contemporary accounts, archival records, private collections, and the holdings of the Bethel Historical Society to bring to life people, places, and events once thought forgotten. 

All author royalties received for the book will be donated to the Bethel Historical Society to assist it in preserving the town's heritage.   

This is a hybrid event; you can choose to attend in person or on Zoom. 

Here is the Zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84114175222

The Bethel Chapter of the CT Poetry Society offers its monthly poetry workshops to members and visitors on the 2nd Saturday of every month.

Each person brings an original poem to read aloud and receive feedback on. Poets at every level are invited to participate; you can be from any town in the area. Poems can be on any subject in any form.

Please register in advance and bring 6 copies of your poem. Our group is welcoming and congenial, emphasizing appreciation of each other's work combined with constructive suggestions  

For further information, contact Michael Garry, president, Bethel Chapter of CPS at mgarry1955@gmail.com.  

Join us for this heartwarming and funny look at friendship, love and life!  This sequel to the 2018 film The Book Club picks up as the four lifelong friends reunite for a long-awaited trip to Italy.  United by their passion for literature and romance, the women experience a series of madcap adventures while deepening their bonds of friendship and come to realize that life is meant to be lived to the fullest. 

This DVD is Rated PG-13 

This month's selection is Macbeth by William Shakespeare.  Macbeth represents a classic tragedy in that its protagonist travels down a dark path of treachery and violence that inevitably leads to his own downfall and death.  Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia.

HOW TO GET A COPY: Please click here to make an online request with your Library card; or call us at 203-794-8756  to check availability of pre-ordered copies at the Circulation Desk.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

If you are struggling with stress, an over-active mind and want to find a new perspective on how mindfulness and meditation can help in navigating the challenges of your everyday life, then join Prabha Makayee as she guides you through the steps of meditation.  See what you can accomplish by taking responsibility over what kinds of thoughts you think.  With just one second, one breath and one thought of changing your perspective you can realign your well-being to a more peaceful, happy mindset.   

No registration required.

Will my taxes in retirement stay the same, go down, or go up?  If taxes increase in the future, will my retirement plan be in jeopardy?  What are potential tax changes that are being proposed?  All these questions and other will be discussed in this educational workshop.  Also explored will be the effects of inflation and strategies to help you minimize your tax liability.  Case studies will be presented that illustrate how to navigate this complex topic and get you as close to "tax-free retirement" as possible.

Our presenter is Mike Alimo, President of USA Financial and Tax Services.  He began his career on Wall Street, but soon focused on USA Financial and Tax Services.  In gratitude for many years of  business and support from clients and friends around the state, Michael remains committed to giving back to the community via informational presentations and educational workshops.  He speaks on a broad array of financial, investment, and retirement topics.  Michael graduated from the New York Institute of Technology.

Did you know that researchers have found that every person has an individual baseline of happiness, and this baseline of happiness can be raised?  Come learn tips and techniques to raise your happiness setpoint and enhance well-being.

A graduate of Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Wendy Hurwitz is a nationally recognized expert on stress.  A former medical researcher for ABC News, Dr. Hurwitz is an expert in two fields:  Mind/Body Medicine and Energy Medicine.  She has a forthcoming book on stress.  Dr. Hurwitz helps organizations and individuals achieve peak performance by enhancing vitality and wellness.  She translates the latest and most sophisticated scientific research into practical, easy-to-use techniques people can use to maintain and enhance vitality, even under the most trying circumstances.  Dr. Hurwitz has provided training for AT&T, Unilever, Lowe Worldwide, the FDNY, and has been an invited guest speaker at the United Nations.

Please Note:  Out of respect for those with allergies, we request audience members to refrain from wearing perfume or cologne if possible.  Thank you for your kind consideration.

This is a hybrid event; you can choose to attend in person or on Zoom.  

Here is the Zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81576286262

Join us at the Bethel Public Library on Saturday, October 21st from 1:00-3:00 PM for our "Caturday SpookCATular" event!  Dress up as a cat, or any costume of your choosing, and come trick-or-treat, meet and read to some of the adoptable kitties from Happily Furever After rescue!    There will also be a craft table to decorate your own cat ornament to take home.  This event is open to all ages.

Happily Furever After Rescue is a 501(c)(3), no-kill foster-based organization located in Bethel.  They rescue dogs and cats locally and from kill shelters across the country.  Many of the animals they save have been lost, abandoned, abused, neglected, and often overlooked.  Happily Furever After Rescue is all about "making dreams come true, four paws at a time..."

No registration is required for this walk-in event.

This class will introduce the basics of Cricut functions.  With Cricut, you can design and cut an array of material, from paper and fabric to vinyl and leather, and everything in between.  Its intuitive software allows you to effortlessly bring your visions to life, whether you're embellishing clothing, making intricate paper crafts, or adding a personal touch to home decor.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

If you are struggling with stress, an over-active mind and want to find a new perspective on how mindfulness and meditation can help in navigating the challenges of your everyday life, then join Prabha Makayee as she guides you through the steps of meditation.  See what you can accomplish by taking responsibility over what kinds of thoughts you think.  With just one second, one breath and one thought of changing your perspective you can realign your well-being to a more peaceful, happy mindset.   

No registration required.

It was a stabbing death that reporters would call a relatively straightforward case-one man stabbed another to death during an argument. Witnesses saw it.  Case closed. Instead, it turned out to be anything but routine. Claims that the assailant in this Brookfield case was possessed by demonic forces stole the headlines and created a wave of news reports that spread internationally. The late Ed and Lorraine Warren played prominent roles and the late Dick Clark produced a nationwide TV movie on the case. Mike Allen covered the story as a journalist and will share his insights and recollections about the case during this presentation. Come and get an early start to Halloween!

Mike Allen, host of the podcast "AmazingTales From Off and On Connecticut's Beaten Path" presented previously at Bethel Public Library on P. T. Barnum and Jack the Ripper. His podcast is rated among the top 5 to 10% of all podcasts in the United States. Prior to that, he was the on-air radio News Director at i-95 FM (WRKI-FM) and its sister station 940- WINE AM, before becoming Press Secretary for the Mayor of Danbury. During a subsequent 25-year corporate career, he worked, lived, and traveled internationally, specializing in public speaking, communications, and marketing, before retiring. He's lived in Connecticut for more than 50 years and currently lives in Danbury.

This is a hybrid event; you can choose to attend in person or on Zoom.  

Here is the Zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89401167209

Every month join us for a step-by-step craft that you can take home at the end of the night. No craft experience necessary! This program is for ages 18 and up.

The Fairfield County Writer’s Group, founded in 2011, has been supporting and helping writers in the county with regular write-ins and accelerated events during the Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) season. The group is a non-profit and has no membership fees or dues. The community is made up of a variety of writers at different stages of their writing adventure. 

The Group has monthly write-ins, and the schedule is decided at the beginning of each month. Please click here to see the FCWG Calendar for the latest schedule. Join us at our write-ins. These are designed to help motivate you to write more and be able to discuss writing issues with other writers. No registration is required.

FCWG has a Facebook Group as well for discussion, celebration, and commiseration.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

If you are struggling with stress, an over-active mind and want to find a new perspective on how mindfulness and meditation can help in navigating the challenges of your everyday life, then join Prabha Makayee as she guides you through the steps of meditation.  See what you can accomplish by taking responsibility over what kinds of thoughts you think.  With just one second, one breath and one thought of changing your perspective you can realign your well-being to a more peaceful, happy mindset.   

No registration required.

In this workshop, co-sponsored with Advanced College Funding Solutions, LLC, Lynne Verilli will provide important information about guiding students through the College Admissions journey and getting a better understanding of the Financial Aid process.  This program is targeted to parents of high school and middle school students planning to attend college.  Information covered includes:  529's; FAFSA forms; SAI (Student Aid Index); Financial Aid; Scholarships; Student Preparation; and much more!

Lynne Verilli is the founder of Advanced College Funding Solutions (ACFS).  After graduating from Eastern Connecticut State University in Business Management, she began her career in business development, working with 3 major corporations.  After twenty plus years, she made a career switch and joined her parent's Investment Advisory Firm in a lead position as a Registered Investment Advisor.  While assisting many clients with investment and retirement goals, she found that a major concern for many parents was determining the method they would use to pay for college and still effectively address other major planning issues, like retirement funding.

 These facts became the catalyst for launching Advanced College Funding Solutions (ACFS) years ago.  Lynne's knowledge and work experience in the finance industry, coupled with her knowledge of college planning and funding has succeeded in relieving much stress for parents and students.  She is an experienced College Planning Specialist, a member of the National Association of College Funding Advisors and The College Planning Network.  She is a firm believer that any parent, regardless of their background or financial circumstances, can send their child to college, if they know how to play the financial aid game properly.

Registration is required.  Please Click Here to register and for more information.

Join RVNAhealth's Susan DiGregorio, M.A., CCC-SLP, for an informative discussion about aging and the brain.  Learn about risk factors for cognitive decline and proactive steps you can take to protect health and boost memory function.  Light refreshments will be served.

Susan is a Speech-Language Pathologist who works with adult patients at the RVNAhealth Rehabilitation and Wellness Center.  She specializes in the rehabilitation of swallowing, speech, language, cognition and voice following neurological, traumatic injuries and treatment for head and neck cancers.  Susan is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz, and received her M.A. from CUNY Lehman.  She is a Certified Dementia Practitioner.   

This is a hybrid event; you can choose to attend in person or on Zoom.

Here is the Zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85007620056

Co-sponsored by The Bethel Public Library, Bethel Health Care Center and RVNA health.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

If you are struggling with stress, an over-active mind and want to find a new perspective on how mindfulness and meditation can help in navigating the challenges of your everyday life, then join Prabha Makayee as she guides you through the steps of meditation.  See what you can accomplish by taking responsibility over what kinds of thoughts you think.  With just one second, one breath and one thought of changing your perspective you can realign your well-being to a more peaceful, happy mindset.   

No registration required.

Artificial Intelligence tools such as ChatGPT will change the way we use computers.  This session has two parts:  First, we will look at what ChatGPT is, how it works, and why it is so controversial.  Then, we will actually use this amazing tool!  After creating an account with OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, we will see how well ChatGPT can answer different questions.  We will then have ChatGPT write for us:  mail messages, poems, song lyrics, and even a limerick.  Beginners should find it easy to follow along with the step-by-step process.

Rich Malloy, M.B.A., our presenter, works a a computer consultant based in Greenwich, CT.  Formerly he served as an Adjunct Professor at Norwalk Community College, where he taught computer applications.  For the first part of his career, he served as editor-in-chief of Mobile Computing magazine.  He is a Microsoft Certified Expert in Excel and Word.

This is a hybrid event; you can choose to attend in person or on Zoom.  

Here is the Zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88021050955

Come one, come all!  Have you ever had an interest in 3d Printing or 3D Design?  This class will introduce you to the basics of designing in a three dimensional environment and get you started on creating amazing objects on a 3D printer or laser cutter.

Come one, come all!  Have you ever had an interest in 3d Printing or 3D Design?  This class will introduce you to the basics of designing in a three dimensional environment and get you started on creating amazing objects on a 3D printer or laser cutter.

The Bethel Chapter of the CT Poetry Society offers its monthly poetry workshops to members and visitors on the 2nd Saturday of every month.

Each person brings an original poem to read aloud and receive feedback on. Poets at every level are invited to participate; you can be from any town in the area. Poems can be on any subject in any form.

Please register in advance and bring 6 copies of your poem. Our group is welcoming and congenial, emphasizing appreciation of each other's work combined with constructive suggestions  

For further information, contact Michael Garry, president, Bethel Chapter of CPS at mgarry1955@gmail.com.  

Looking to make a simple spreadsheet to record your budget, the weather, or other information?  This class will get you started on formulas, referencing cells and recording data for later use.

This month's selection is The Survivors by Jane Harper.  Kieran Elliot’s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit to the small coastal community he once called home. Kieran’s parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn. When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away.

HOW TO GET A COPY:  Please click here to make an online request with your Library card; or call us at 203-794-8756 to check availability of pre-ordered copies at the Circulation Desk.

We are also offering a book guide for all registrants which highlights the authors background, offers book interviews and insights, as well as topics and questions to stimulate the conversation.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

Looking to make a simple spreadsheet to record your budget, the weather, or other information?  This class will get you started on formulas, referencing cells and recording data for later use.

If you are struggling with stress, an over-active mind and want to find a new perspective on how mindfulness and meditation can help in navigating the challenges of your everyday life, then join Prabha Makayee as she guides you through the steps of meditation.  See what you can accomplish by taking responsibility over what kinds of thoughts you think.  With just one second, one breath and one thought of changing your perspective you can realign your well-being to a more peaceful, happy mindset.   

No registration required.

Learn the basics of laser lithography as we cut and engrave personalized items. Using readily available software we will introduce you to the basic concepts of laser cutting, engraving and designing.

Learn the basics of laser lithography as we cut and engrave personalized items. Using readily available software we will introduce you to the basic concepts of laser cutting, engraving and designing.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

This class will introduce the basics of Cricut functions.  With Cricut, you can design and cut an array of material, from paper and fabric to vinyl and leather, and everything in between.  Its intuitive software allows you to effortlessly bring your visions to life, whether you're embellishing clothing, making intricate paper crafts, or adding a personal touch to home decor.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

If you are struggling with stress, an over-active mind and want to find a new perspective on how mindfulness and meditation can help in navigating the challenges of your everyday life, then join Prabha Makayee as she guides you through the steps of meditation.  See what you can accomplish by taking responsibility over what kinds of thoughts you think.  With just one second, one breath and one thought of changing your perspective you can realign your well-being to a more peaceful, happy mindset.   

No registration required.

Every month join us for a step-by-step craft that you can take home at the end of the night. No craft experience necessary! This program is for ages 18 and up.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

The Bethel Chapter of the CT Poetry Society offers its monthly poetry workshops to members and visitors on the 2nd Saturday of every month.

Each person brings an original poem to read aloud and receive feedback on. Poets at every level are invited to participate; you can be from any town in the area. Poems can be on any subject in any form.

Please register in advance and bring 6 copies of your poem. Our group is welcoming and congenial, emphasizing appreciation of each other's work combined with constructive suggestions  

For further information, contact Michael Garry, president, Bethel Chapter of CPS at mgarry1955@gmail.com.  

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

This month's selection is Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner.  An American masterpiece and iconic novel of the West by National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Wallace Stegner—a deeply moving narrative of one family and the traditions of our national past.   Lyman Ward is a retired professor of history, recently confined to a wheelchair by a crippling bone disease and dependant on others for his every need.  Amid the chaos of 1970s counterculture he retreats to his ancestral home of Grass Valley, California, to write the biography of his grandmother: an elegant and headstrong artist and pioneer who, together with her engineer husband, made her own journey through the hardscrabble West nearly a hundred years before. In discovering her story he excavates his own, probing the shadows of his experience and the America that has come of age around him.

HOW TO GET A COPY: Please click here to make an online request with your Library card; or call us at 203-794-8756  to check availability of pre-ordered copies at the Circulation Desk.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

Join us for a knit and crochet get together.  Work on your own project or help us make items for local charities.  If you know how to knit and/or crochet but are stuck on a project or technique, or if you are just looking for someone to craft with, this is the group for you.

No registration required.

This month's selection is The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.  Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever.  Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived.  To see how things would be if you had made other choices. . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?   A fascinating novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived. 

HOW TO GET A COPY:  Please click here to make an online request with your Library card; or call us at 203-794-8756 to check availability of pre-ordered copies at the Circulation Desk.

We are also offering a book guide for all registrants which highlights the authors background, offers book interviews and insights, as well as topics and questions to stimulate the conversation.

Registration is required for all Library events.

This month's selection is The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.  Jen needs a fresh start and goes to stay with her brother in Paris.  But her brother is missing, and the longer he stays missing, the more Jen digs into his situations, and the more questions she has.  His neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not very friendly.  Everyone’s a neighbor.  Everyone’s a suspect.  And everyone knows something they’re not telling.

HOW TO GET A COPY:  Please click here to make an online request with your Library card; or call us at 203-794-8756 to check availability of pre-ordered copies at the Circulation Desk.

We are also offering a book guide for all registrants which highlights the authors background, offers book interviews and insights, as well as topics and questions to stimulate the conversation.

This month's selection is Hello, Beautiful by Ann Napolitano.  An emotionally layered and engrossing story of a family that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?  William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him.  He meets Julia, who is inseparable from her three younger sisters.  But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable loyalty to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations.  Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?

HOW TO GET A COPY:  Please click here to make an online request with your Library card; or call us at 203-794-8756 to check availability of pre-ordered copies at the Circulation Desk.

We are also offering a book guide for all registrants which highlights the authors background, offers book interviews and insights, as well as topics and questions to stimulate the conversation.

This month's selection is Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival.  In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses.  Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.

HOW TO GET A COPY:  Please click here to make an online request with your Library card; or call us at 203-794-8756 to check availability of pre-ordered copies at the Circulation Desk.

We are also offering a book guide for all registrants which highlights the authors background, offers book interviews and insights, as well as topics and questions to stimulate the conversation.