The Parrott Unbound: Portsmouth Public Library's Podcast

From the heart of the Seacoast, from the hearts of book lovers, from the deepest depths of the library stacks, from the people behind the desk... it's The Parrott Unbound! With interviews, panels, lectures, sketches, literature, reviews, and more. The Portsmouth Public Library is honored to present The Parrott for your listening pleasure. Let us take you on a journey...

The Parrott Unbound is available on Apple, Google, Stitcher, Spotify and more. Or, listen to us online. Season 1 featured six weekly episodes aired throughout June and July of 2019. We've also posted excerpts of library events. Season 2: Blanket Fort Broadcasts was recorded during lockdown and features a series of literary conversations among library staff.

Blanket Fort Broadcasts 7: Magical Realism
In the last installment of our quarantine recordings series, Andrew (Youth Services Library Assistant), Gretyl (Supervisor of Youth Services) Katharine (Youth Services Librarian), and Michaela (Emerging Technologies Librarian) discuss the genre of magical realism and books (and some TV and films) for all ages. Click the link above to listen to the episode, with a full list of books discussed! 

Blanket Fort Broadcasts 6: Teen Books
Andrew (Youth Services Library Assistant), Katharine (Youth Services Librarian), MaryJo (Circulation Library Assistant), and Poleena (Reference and Special Collections Library Assistant) share some of their favorite teen books with adult reader appeal. Click the link above to listen to the episode, with a full list of books discussed! 

Blanket Fort Broadcasts 5: Knitting and Crafts
MaryJo (Circulation Assistant), and Michaela (Emerging Technologies Librarian) and Jean Frances (former Youth Services Assistant) break down their current crafting projects and how they approach learning new mediums and skills. This episode is a discussion of craft projects including knitting, sewing, and mending. Three of PPL’s favorite makers share multimedia crafting resources, as well as how they approach learning daunting new skills. Click the link above to listen to the episode!

Blanket Fort Broadcasts 4: Books That Changed Our Lives, Part II
Laura (Programming Librarian), Katharine (Youth Services Librarian), Andrew (Youth Services Library Assistant) & Poleena (Reference Library Assistant) talk books that shaped their perspectives, validated their experiences, connected them to others, and influenced their literary tastes. This is part 2 of 2. Click the link above to listen to the episode, with a full list of books discussed! 

Blanket Fort Broadcasts 3: Books That Changed Our Lives, Part I
Laura (Programming Librarian), Katharine (Youth Services Librarian), Andrew (Youth Services Library Assistant) & Poleena (Reference Library Assistant) talk books that shaped their perspectives, validated their experiences, connected them to others, and influenced their literary tastes. This is part 1 of 2. Click the link above to listen to the episode, with a full list of books discussed!

Blanket Fort Broadcasts 2: Bodacious Baking
In this installment, we’re bringing you some of our favorite recipes and baking-centric reads available for free online and through Portsmouth Public Library’s digital collection. Featuring Andrew (Youth Services Library Assistant), Gretyl (Supervisor of Youth Services), MaryJo (Circulation Library Assistant), Michaela (Emerging Technologies Librarian), and Poleena (Reference Library Assistant). Click the link above to listen to the episode, with a full list of books discussed!

Blanket Fort Broadcasts 1: Awesome Audiobooks
The first installment in our new series, Blanket Fort Broadcasts, recorded in our homes during quarantine! In our first episode, we're bringing you riveting audiobook recommendations available through Portsmouth Public Library’s digital collection. Featuring Katharine (Youth Services Librarian, Michaela (Emerging Technologies Librarian), MaryJo (Circulation Library Assistant), and Poleena (Reference Library Assistant). Click the link above to listen to the episode, with a full list of audiobooks discussed!

Scenes from Shakespearean Bootcamp: Hamlet
Experience a scene from the library's Shakespearean Bootcamp program, which took place in February 2020. We’re dropping you right in the middle of the action with a reading from Act 5, Scene 1 of Hamlet. This scene and accompanying analysis is the culmination of a month-long intensive workshop that gave players a chance to perform dramatic readings from Hamlet and to learn more about the material and Shakespeare’s influences. This program was made possible by direction from Katrina Feraco, whom you’ll hear on this recording, as well as library assistant Tori Simpson-Tucker, who presented on Shakespeare and the history behind Hamlet. 

Going Out Green: Eco-Friendly Funerals and Burials
On February 15, 2019, author, funeral reform advocate, and speaker Lee Webster brought her insights into planning natural, affordable, and meaningful funerals to the library. Topics explored during the talk include: legal rights and responsibilities, problems with cremation, and green alternatives that are not green at all.  Portsmouth Public Library, New Hampshire Funeral Resources, Education & Advocacy, the Hospice Help Foundation, and Seacoast Permaculture cosponsored this presentation. 

PolarTREC with Piper Bartlett-Browne
In the summer of 2019, Piper Bartlett-Browne, a science teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover, traveled to the Arctic to conduct long-term climate change research aboard the U.S. Coast Guard vessel Healy. Piper’s research was part of the PolarTREC Program, a National Science Foundation funded program which invites just 12 teachers each year from the United States to partner with polar scientists and go on 3-6 week expeditions in the Arctic or Antarctic. Piper came to the library to share highlights from her PolarTREC experience, along with some thoughts on how the research applies to her teaching and the Seacoast community.

SPACE @ PPL: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
On August 7, Professors Nicole Gugliucci  (Physics) and Joshua Tepley (Philosophy) of Saint Anselm College led a discussion on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. How likely is the existence of alien sentience? How profound would it be to discover the existence of aliens? Would it fundamentally change human culture? Or would life go on more or less the same as it was before the discovery?  

Episode 6: GEEK
Geeks ahoy! This episode is for you. See the library through the eyes of two mysterious aliens, Ong & Flo. Hear interviews with cartoonist, writer and performer Kali Moulton, author Jeff Deck, our recently retired Youth Services supervisor Susan Laun, library page and former library overnight guest Fran Dintino, and retired Foreign Service Officer John Eddy! This episode also features excerpts from a talk on the Isles of Shoals. To all our fellow geeks: thank you for joining us for Season 1 of The Parrott Unbound! Bonus: listen to the Unedited Interview with John Eddy and Melissa Saggerer's full talk on the Isles of Shoals!

Episode 5: REMEMBER
Looking to the past gives us insight and wisdom to make better decisions about the future. The library is committed to conserving and sharing the history of our community for just this reason. In this episode, learn from local folks working to illuminate the lives of enslaved people in New England, hear about the liberty eagle that hangs in our lobby and what it represents, discover a local project bringing people together across boundaries, and let us hype our very favorite comic series, which deals with nothing so much as memory, history, and discovering your roots.

Episode 4: CREATE
Ignite your creativity with an episode all about making! Hear excerpts from a panel on the library's 2018 "Text and Textiles" exhibit, with paired poets and textile artists; learn about March's Project Upcycle event, created by the library's very own Jennifer Moore; hear the storied history of The Elvis Room in Portsmouth; and learn how to order your very own 3D prints from the library!

Episode 3: RECOVER
Amid the news of tragedy, disconnect and suffering, take time to listen to the inspiring stories of folks in recovery from substance abuse. Learn to meditate with instructors from the library's Weekly Meditation program. Learn more about some of our favorite cathartic literature. We hope this week's episode helps in your personal recovery! Love, the Librarians at PPL

Episode 2: SUSTAIN
Learn how local folks are working on environmental sustainability, how traditions are sustained by dedicated stewards like lighthouse keepers and historians, and how we can sustain ourselves emotionally in difficult times. Plus, sustain your appetite with some delectable culinary readings! Bonus: listen to the Unedited Interview with Susan Stibler! 

Episode 1: WELCOME
The library is a public space where all are welcome. On that theme, hear excerpts from our 2018 Ask an Immigrant Anything panel, learn why we no longer charge late fees, hear from a few of our favorite pieces of literature, and find out about the rather strange cetacean news unfolding at Prescott Park... Welcome to The Parrott Unbound!