Welcome to the last week of 1998. Thursday is New Year's Eve. It is also Make Up Your Mind Day, a day for people who have a hard time making up their minds to make a decision and follow through with it! January 1st is "Z" Day, to give recognition on the first day of the year to all persons and places whose names begin with the letter "Z" are who are always listed or thought of last in any alphabetized list.

The first day of the new year also celebrates the Universal Hour of Peace, a synchronized hour starting at noon (Greenwich Mean Time) dedicated to creating peace throughout out planet. Everyone is asked to spend an hour in prayer, meditation, conversation, listening to beautiful music, or doing whatever it takes to help you concentrate on peace. Sponsors say, "Living peaceably begins by thinking peacefully."

In fact, you can celebrate a great variety of things during the entire month of January. For instance, January is Diet Month and Fat Free Living Month (we probably all need to be reminded of these after the holidays), as well as National Hot Tea Month, National Soup Month, and Oatmeal Month. January is also International "Get Over It" Month, devoted to letting go of the past and getting over whatever is bugging you about anyone or anything. Since January is International Life Balance Month and International Quality of Life Month, "getting over it" will help us accomplish both of those goals!

In addition, January is National Be On-Purpose Month, National Book Month, National High-Tech Month, National Reaching Your Potential Month, and National Yours, Mine and Ours Month.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

Wednesday's 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. "New Year" storytimes feature New Year's customs and celebrations around the world, including Chinese New Year. Participants will do a lion dance and make dragon crafts. Saturday morning's 10:00 "Rhymes in Black and White" storytime features rhymes and crafts, such as a Black Bird Pie, Dot the Dalmatian, and a Killer Whale puzzle.

BOOK TALK

Librarian Loretta Clark provides this week's library information. January will be a very literate month at the Roswell Public Library. First is the adult reading program, Read America, for our patrons 18 years of age and older. This program is designed to encourage reading for fun and for knowledge. Participants in the program need to turn in the date due slips they receive when they check out their library materials.

Second is the writing contest, Read America - Write America. This contest is for budding authors of all ages. The entry form and details for entering the library's writing contest are available at the Reference Desk. Entries can be a fiction short story or non-fiction article about any aspect of American life during any time period. The library has books that will aid budding authors, such as "How To Write and Sell Historical Fiction," "How To Write a Mystery," and "Creative Nonfiction: How To Live It and Write It."

For those interested in selling their creative works, titles listing markets will be helpful. These include "Writer's Market," "Novel and Short Story Writer's Market," "Market Guide for Young Writers," "The Comedy Market," "Christian Writers' Market Guide," and "The Writer's Friendly Legal Guide."

The awards for both contests will be presented on Sunday, February 21, at 2:30 p.m. Southwestern mystery writer Steven Havill will be the guest speaker at the presentation ceremony.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: "Learn to give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you'll have no time for criticism of others." (unknown)

JUDY ARMSTRONG, 624-7276

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