Westbank Libraries will be OPEN on October 14, 10am to 7pm.
Join us at Laura’s for Free Play noon-7pm, and Waffle Love Food Truck 11:30am to 6pm!
Upcoming Programs
Laura’s Library is proud to host a unique art show featuring work by students from Valley View Elementary. With tempera and acrylic paints on canvas and paper, students used unconventional tools to create the pieces in this exhibit.
Please join us for a reception on September 15, 2:30 – 4:00.
Julie Cimino is an art educator at Valley View Elementary School. One of Ms. Cimino’s professional goals is to support Valley View’s special needs community. Last school year she set a plan in motion to develop assistive tools and technology to allow and encourage students with limited fine and gross motor skills to create art. This led to a partnership with UT graduate engineering students. The grad students worked collaboratively to create solutions that allow students to express their artistic selves with the help of adaptive tools.
Are you an artist interested in exhibiting your work at the library? Visit our Art at Laura’s page to find out more, see past shows, and submit your samples.
Qi Gong (pronounced chee gung) is an ancient Chinese health care practice that integrates physical postures and gentle movements, breathing and focused mind. “Qi” means vital energy or life force, and “gong” means accomplishment, or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. Together, Qi Gong means cultivating energy and is practiced for health maintenance, healing, and increasing vitality.
In this one hour class, we will learn the different qi gong movements that help reduce stress, increase vitality, and build stamina.
Thomas Najar is a licensed acupuncturist and certified Qi Gong instructor. He left a career in hi-tech to pursue a healing career and has been teaching Qi Gong and practicing acupuncture since 2016. A native of Wisconsin, he’s lived in Austin for the past 20 years and is passionate about healthy living through fitness, nutrition, and meditation.
You’re never too young for storytime! Our littlest book lovers stroll in to Infant Storytime to hear fun songs, stories, and fingerplays, followed by open free-play with other wee ones. Designed for children from 0 to 12 months old.
This month, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Westlake High School’s first graduating class, the Eanes History Group will be reliving the first year of WHS.
On the second Monday of each month, join fellow history buffs in learning about, sharing, and celebrating the heritage of the Eanes area!
Would you like to know how a Mexican faith healer changed the land use in these rugged hills? Can you name the act of outrageous generosity that created a permanent home for the Eanes School? Do you live in the Westbank neighborhood that has materials recycled from the Texas Capitol fire of 1881?
Questions? Contact Colleen Cunningham at colleen@westbanklibrary.com or Ellen Balthazar at ellenbalthazar@eanesisd.net.
BONUS extended Free Play! Join us starting at noon today. Waffle Love will join us from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check out their menu here.
Meet up with your friends at the world’s best play date. Your kids can play with each other, make new friends, use their imaginations, and just be kids. Fun for all, and no clean-up for you!
The Gathering Room at Westbank will be in use from 2:00 until 4:30 p.m.
If you’d like to inquire about using a meeting room, please see our Meeting Room Policies.
Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, you are welcome to join the Westbank Writing Workshop. Meet with other writers, and try your hand at some writing prompts. Topics for this year:
Aug. 12 — The Story Arc:
We’ll be looking at the arc of a story- how to structure a story, whether it’s a short story or a novel.
Sept. 9 — Writing Dialogue:
We’ll be focusing on writing great dialogue, playing with the rhythm, pacing, and tension within a scene.
Oct. 14 — Writing Fear:
Whether you’re interested in writing horror, mystery/suspense, or a psychological thriller, you need to grab your readers’ attention and make them feel afraid. This month, come to the Writing Workshop to practice writing fear.
Nov. 11 — Intro to the Publishing Business:
SPECIAL GUEST, AUTHOR LEILA SALES, will visit to talk about the publishing business!
Dec. 9 — Writing a Query Letter
You’ve finished a manuscript – congratulations! Now, how do you get an agent to represent your work? This evening we’ll be discussing the fine art of writing a query letter.
Jan. 13 — The Personal Essay
What stories do you like to tell about your life? Chances are, these stories would make terrific personal essays. Funny or touching, dramatic or ridiculous, these personal stories blend memoir with creative nonfiction, drawing on your own experiences as you write about something you’re the world’s foremost expert on — your own life!
Bring your little ones to stretch, sing, wiggle, and dance!
Bring your little ones to stretch, sing, wiggle, and dance!We will use rhythm instruments and other props to have some fun with music. This program focuses on developing gross motor skills and social skills. We’ll also read a story. All ages are welcome, grown ups are encouraged to participate too!
Westbank Libraries is continuing our partnership with Austin Senior Resource Alliance to present a year-long series of candid conversations with local experts focused on the unique and complex issues facing Austin’s mature homeowners and families. Join us on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 10:30am at Laura’s Library to be part of the conversation. Check out each month’s topic below:
- January: Aging in Place and Staying Put
- February: The Truth About Probate for Property Owners
- March: The Truth About De-cluttering Your Home
- April: How to Pay for Senior Living
- May: The Truth About Avoiding Homeowner Scams
- June: The Truth About Communicating with Adult Children
- July: The Truth About 55+ Senior Living Options
- August: The Truth About Liquidating the Extra “Stuff”
- September: The Truth About Building, Buying, or Remodeling Your “Last” Home
- October: The Truth About Selling As-Is
- November: The Truth About Living, Dying, and Leaving a Legacy
- December: No Seminar
October: The Truth About Selling As-Is
There are a lot of myths out there about what you must or “should” do in order to sell your home. The myths are perpetuated by shows on television featuring real estate agents with pearly white teeth, selling tiny homes for 2 million dollars. Real estate agents can further confuse the issue when they advertise homes as “totally remodeled” and make it seem as though these homes are the only ones available.
During this 90-minute panel presentation, we will discuss the pros and cons of fixing up a home to sell, as well as the pitfalls and benefits to selling ‘as-is.” Here are just a few of the questions that will be answered:
- What is necessary to sell a home in the Austin metropolitan area?
- What does ’as-is’ really mean and does it make financial sense to sell that way?
- How do I know if an as-is cash offer is a fair offer?
Heartfulness Meditation can help you to live a heart-centered life, manage your emotions, and find inner peace and balance. When we become mindful of our feelings, we can let them inspire us. This practice awakens our potential for a simple, joyful existence.
Want to learn more? Check out the book The Heartfulness Way .
Ragini Khanjee is a Heartfulness trainer and has been practicing Heartfulness for over 30 years now. She currently serves as the regional coordinator for all Heartfulness initiatives in the Texas region, and organizes the Heartfulness programs at universities, schools, corporations, community centers, and other venues. She loves meditating with people and helping them with their journey of the heart.
Dr. Premkishore Shivakumar is an avid Heartfulness meditation practitioner and trainer. He started the practice of meditation as a graduate student, and is enthusiastic about sharing its benefits with one and all. He frequently conducts Heartfulness workshops in corporate and educational settings, and provides ongoing individual support to local aspirants. His hope is for students to discover this valuable life skill earlier in their lives. Prem works as a Computer Architect, and lives with his wife and two daughters in Austin, Texas.
Arely Sulvarán-Achenbach is a committed practitioner and a certified Heartfulness trainer. She is grateful for the opportunity to show people how to meditate through Heartfulness techniques and supports them in this infinitely beautiful journey of the heart to continue learning, deepening, and integrating their practice into their lives. She conducts Heartfulness programs in English and Spanish. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and son.
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