Learn how to spot online scams
BRATTLEBORO - Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St., will host a guided discussion on identifying features of online scams during the monthly drop-in "Talking About Tech" program, in which technology users bring their questions and their advice.
This month's gathering will take place Saturday, Feb. 28, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in Meeting Room D. Matthew Wojcik, the library's electronic services specialist, will be on hand to provide expert help.
These sessions are intended as an interactive gathering a bit like a book club, crossed with a crafting group, with a touch of a drop-in bike repair clinic.
Each session begins with a 30-minute presentation followed by an hour for mutual support on the focus topic, other areas of need, or discussion of trends in technology such as A.I. Attendee input helps guide the content.
Calling all comic fans: Drawing 'Hidden Systems' at RFPL
BELLOWS FALLS - On Saturday, Feb. 28, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., join the Rockingham Free Public Library, 65 Westminster St., for a presentation sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council entitled "Drawing Hidden Systems."
People of all ages are invited to join Vermont author and artist Dan Nott for discussion of his nonfiction graphic novel, Hidden Systems. The group will also explore questions such as where electricity comes from, how the internet works, or how there's (mostly) enough water for everyone all the time. Where did these systems come from, and how do they affect our challenges like inequality and climate change?
The talk will also include visual readings from Hidden Systems that focus on the electric grid and energy uses, lessons from comics history, and information for readers and aspiring cartoonists on how to read and draw comics.
Nott is a cartoonist, illustrator, and educator. His nonfiction work uses comics to explore and untangle complex topics and create a basis for understanding current events. He teaches at The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction.
For more information about this and other programs, call 802-463-4270, visit rockinghamlibrary.org or stop by the library.
Great Books Group meets March 2
BRATTLEBORO - On Monday, March 2, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Brooks Memorial Library's Mezzanine Quiet Reading Room, the Brattleboro Great Books Group will be discussing Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Devils, also known as The Possessed or Demons.
Described by organizers as "emotionally harrowing and structurally messy," this novel of the havoc wreaked by a group of 1860s–1870s Russian nihilist intellectuals on their provincial society should evoke a growing sense of dread - or laughter - from its readers.
The group's April selection will be Swann's Way, the first of seven volumes of Marcel Proust's monumental seven-volume novel Remembrance of Times Past, sometimes translated as In Search of Past Time. For further information, contact Michael N. Landis at emagicmtman@gmail.com or 802-257-1851.
Taking Solace series continue at Brooks
BRATTLEBORO - The "Taking Solace" series presents the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, Wednesday, March 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brooks Memorial Library.
Organizers described this in a news release as "a poignant and unexpectedly funny love story" about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley as they face an incurable cancer diagnosis "with joy, witt, and an unshakeable partnership." Through "laughter and unwavering love," organizers said, "they transform pain into purpose, and morality into a moving celebration of resilience." Note this documentary contains adult language, illness, and mature themes.
This event is free. For more information, call 802-257-0775 or email info@cfsolace.org. Center for Solace (formerly Brattleboro Area Hospice) offers services and support free of charge for serious illness, hospice, and grief, while engaging the community in conversations about mortality and life. To learn more, visit centerforsolace.org.
Potash Hill presents Decoda winter concert, dinner
MARLBORO - On Friday, March 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., join Decoda - Carnegie Hall's Affiliate Ensemble - for a special salon-style concert and dinner in the Dining Hall as part of their 2026 Winter Retreat on the former Marlboro College campus on Potash Hill.
Decoda describes itself as "a collective of world-class chamber musicians dedicated to artistic excellence, mentorship, and meaningful community engagement." Inspired by the Spanish tradition of gathering for conversation, music, and shared meals, this evening will feature chamber music selections interwoven with a multi-course dinner. "Performances and courses unfold together, creating a warm, social atmosphere where music and community meet," wrote organizers in a news release.
Dinner will be catered by the Brattleboro Food Co-op, highlighting fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Tickets are $45, with reservations required by Feb. 27 at bit.ly/854-decoda.
Annual urine donor kick-off event set for March 6
BRATLEBORO - Curious about "peecycling?" All who are already urine donors, or longtime fans, or simply intrigued by the idea that one's body can help grow food and protect waterways, are welcome at Rich Earth Institute's annual community potluck on Friday, March 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Winston Prouty Center, 209 Austine Drive.
This will be the celebration of 13 years of operating the nation's first community-scale peecycling program and will honor the urine donors who make this work possible, including the 2025 "Piss-Off"champions. Highlights include sharing the data of how much urine fertilizer this community collected last year, how it's being used in research and demonstration projects, and how to get involved. Learn more about becoming a urine donor at the Get Involved page at richearthinstitute.org.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.