This year’s book, The Women of Copper Country, highlights the fight for safer working conditions in the copper mines of Calumet, Michigan. To make their voices heard, community women marched through the streets throughout the summer and into the winter.
The program will run from March 14th to April 1st this year. Check back often as more events are added!
Check out our events for 2022!
Calling all photographers! Show us your perspective on our times. One Book, One Community of Monroe is running a photography contest. Submissions will be accepted from February 1st through March 14th. Winners will be announced at an in-person ceremony at 5 p.m. on March 25th in the La-Z-Boy Atrium on the MC CC campus. Submitted prints will also be displayed in the Atrium.
Photography Contest Printable Rules and Regulations
Rules and Guidelines:
- This is a street photography contest. The entries must be of scenes involving people in public places. Candid photos are preferred, but incidental posed shots are acceptable. In other words, if someone notices you taking a photo and mugs for the camera, that is acceptable. The judges will consider composition, framing, lighting, and creativity in addressing the contest theme.
- The theme is “Portraits of Our Time.” This requires that the photographer pay particular attention to how our world has been transformed by the pandemic.
- There will be three entry classes- high school, college, and general public.
- Maximum of 3 entries per person.
- Contestants must submit prints as well as digital files.
- Minimum size for prints is 8x10 and maximum is 12x18. Prints need to be mounted on mat board or foam core. If you are looking for a place to get prints a suggestion is: https://www.mpix.com/. Prints will then be submitted to one of three drop off points: Ellis Library, Ida Library, or Bedford Library.
- For the digital file contestants must email Matthew Bird-Meyer at mbird-meyer@monroeccc.edu who will then share a Google Drive folder with the contestants. Contestants will then upload their images to that folder.
- We will not accept images taken in private settings, such as inside a home or hospital. Model release forms will be required for images that feature recognizable faces when it is unclear whether the photo was taken in a public place. Model release forms will also be required if the image features recognizable faces of people in quasi-public settings, such as inside restaurants and stores. The judges will disqualify any images they deem indecent or unflattering, and images that may cause someone embarrassment or potential ridicule.
- All photos must be the original work of the photographer who is submitting the image. All photographs must be titled and labeled on the backs of the prints. Do not include the photographer’s name on the back of prints in order to ensure anonymous judging. Digital files must be Jpeg format and the size must be 1,000 pixels on the longest dimension at 300 PPI. Title the digital file as follows: (LastName_Title_of_Entry).
Prizes (for all 3 classes):
First Place: $100 and ribbon
Second Place: $75 and ribbon
Third Place: $50 and ribbon
HM: A ribbon
One Book One Community invites YOU to walk or run in our first OBOC Virtual Read-Walk-Run Challenge. Your Registration fee ($25.00 for individuals or $50.00 for teams) will help continue the many programs offered throughout the month.
OBOC Virtual Read-Walk-Run Challenge Information and Registration
The Virtual OBOC Read-Walk-Run will begin March 1st and continue through the month.
Receive a one-of-a-kind medal designed especially for our first Virtual Read-Walk-Run event.Join with friends and family to support this year’s virtual fundraiser. Walk or run outdoors, or inside at your own pace.
Set your goal, recruit a friend or family member to join you, and follow the fun on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/onebookonecommunitymonroemi.
How far will you go?
Copper- 1 mile to 10 miles
Silver - 11 miles to 25 miles
or Gold – more than 25 miles
The event runs from March 1st until March 31st. The last day to register is March 19th. Medals and awards will be available at your selected library in April. Email updates will be sent throughout the month, along with fun challenges.
The Monroe County Museum presents a selection of dresses, shoes, hats, and everyday items used by women in the 1910s, an intriguing decade that ended with a World War and Suffrage. Fashion of this period retained many elements of previous decades, but trended toward a more simple look. The corset was on the way out, and a column-like form was encouraged. Some dresses even tapered towards the bottom of the skirt. World War I stalled much of the development of fashion. As female workers wore their uniforms and overalls, a basic utilitarian look became common when the decade drew to a close with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1919.
View 10's style along with Women's Suffrage: The Long Climb to Monroe's Ballot Box, at the Monroe County Museum during open hours in March.
For more information, please visit www.monroecountymuseum.com
Location: Monroe County Museum 126 S Monroe St, Monroe, MI 48161
Tuesday, March 1st– Dundee Book Club at 6:30pm
The Dundee Branch Book Club meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. on the lower level of the Dundee Library. This month they will be discussing The Women of the Copper Country.
Location: Dundee Branch Library 144 East Main Street Dundee, MI 48131-1202
Thursday, March 3rd– Bedford A.M. Book Club at 10:30am
Meets at the Bedford Library in the Quilt Room at 10:30am on the first Thursday of the Month. This month they will be discussing The Women of the Copper Country.
Location: Bedford Branch Library 8575 Jackman Rd. Temperance, MI 48182
Wednesday, March 9th– Bedford P.M. Book Club at 1pm.
Join the P.M. Book Club as we dive into new and classic titles of various genres! We currently meet in the Quilt Room at the Bedford Library on the second Wednesday of the month at 1:00pm. We welcome new members! This month they will be discussing The Women of the Copper Country.
Location: Bedford Branch Library 8575 Jackman Rd. Temperance, MI 48182
Thursday, March 10th– Ida Book Club at 6:30pm
All meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Ida Branch Library. New members are always welcome! Please pick up a copy of the book at the library before the meeting. This month they will be discussing The Women of the Copper Country.
Location: Ida Branch Library 3016 Lewis Ave. Ida, MI 48140-0056
Sunday, March 13th –Kindergarten and 1st Grade Book Club at 3pm.
A Bedford Book Club for Kindergarten and First graders. FUN, FUN, FUN. The meet at the Bedford Branch Library in the Children’s Round Room at 3pm. They will be highlighting the book The Traveling Camera: Lewis Hine and the Fight to End Child Labor. Registration is required. Please go to mymcls.com to register.
Location: Bedford Branch Library 8575 Jackman Rd. Temperance, MI 48182
March 13-April 2 One Book, One Community Clothing Drive
One Book, One Community is channeling the charitable spirit of Annie Clements from The Women of the Copper Country by hosting a clothing drive. Please bring any gently used, clean clothes (all sizes welcome!) to any of our drop boxes. All items collected will go Oaks of Righteousness. Drop boxes can be found in all Monroe County Library branches, and the lobby of the A building at Monroe County Community College. The drive will run from March 13th-April 2nd.
Monday, March 14th– Erie Book Club at 6pm
This book club meets at 6pm at the Erie Branch Library. This month they will be reading The Women of the Copper Country.
Location: Erie Branch Library 2065 Erie Rd. Erie, MI 48133-9757
Tuesday, March 15th– Dorsch Afternoon Book Club at 2pm
The meeting will be held in person and is open to new participants. Contact Aimee at 734-241-7878 or aimee.luck@monroe.lib.mi.us to request a book and to ask any questions. They meet at 2pm at the Dorsch Memorial Branch Library. This month they will be discussing The Women of the Copper Country.
Location: Dorsch Memorial Library 18 East First Street Monroe, MI 48161-2227
Tuesday, March 15th - The Role of Policing in Civil Unrest Discussion at 4pm
The role of the police has been a controversial issue for the last few years, and it seems to be an issue with no easy answers. Please join Dan Wood as he discusses how policing affects civil unrest. You can attend this event in person or via zoom. There will be time for a discussion and questions after the presentation.
Location: MCCC Life Sciences Building L 201 or join via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/92385140683
Wednesday, March 16th- One Book, One Community Movie Series: October Sky at 5pm
Homer Hickman is fascinated when Sputnik launches in 1957, so he enlists three classmates in Coalwood, Virginia to help him build rockets. In a town where most the men become coal miners, building rockets is seen as a waste of time, especially by Homer’s father, John. The boys face growing criticism and are eventually arrested. As the boys struggle, the town also struggles to deal with another mining accident. The film is based on the memoir Rocket Boys. The film will be shown at the Bedford Branch Library.
Location: Bedford Branch Library 8575 Jackman Rd. Temperance, MI 48182
Thursday, March 17th - One Book, One Community Presents Larry Lankton at 7pm.
Renowned author and Professor Emeritus Larry Lankton will be joining us via Zoom. He is the author of several books including Cradle to Grave: Life, Work, and Death at the Lake Superior Copper Mines. His presentation will cover the history of the 1913-14 copper miners' strike from beginning to end. What caused it? The opposing tactics followed by the strikers and the mine company managers. What events happened during the strike, including the Italian Hall disaster? Why was it a justified but unwinnable battle for the Western Federation of Miners? And once it was all over, what were the long term effects of the strike on Copper Country society? We will be meeting via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/92183417464
Sunday, March 20th– Bedford 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade Challenge Book Club at 3pm
This book club challenges kids to compete to get points for reading. They meet at 3pm at the Bedford Branch Library. They will be highlighting the book The Traveling Camera: Lewis Hine and the Fight to End Child Labor. Registration is required at mymcls.com.
Location: Bedford Branch Library 8575 Jackman Rd. Temperance, MI 48182
Wednesday, March 23rd—Newton Steel Strike at 3pm
As our nation is in the midst of debates over worker’s rights and wages, it’s important to know that this isn’t the first battle workers have waged. Join Edmund La Clair and Dan Wood for a look back at the Newton Steel Strike of 1937. This strike took place right here in Monroe, MI. Picketers were confronted with bats, tear gas, and their cars were pushed into the river. Learn more about this conflict in our local history on Wednesday, March 23rd at 3pm via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/93112422731
Thursday, March 24th- Company Suburbs: Architecture, Power, and the Transformation of Michigan's Mining Frontier at 7pm
The Women of the Copper Country, the novel by Mary Doria Russell, is this year’s title selection for One Book, One Community of Monroe County. Experience the historical backdrop of “Copper Country” in our Upper Peninsula, and the cultural landscapes of the mining frontier. Sarah Fayen Scarlett offers new and exciting perspectives on domestic architecture, and class and gender identity, while revealing the uniqueness of everyday life in a turn-of-the-century U.P. mining town.Sarah Fayen Scarlett is an assistant professor of history at Michigan Technological University. Her work has appeared in American Quarterly and the Journal of Modern Craft.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84221965017?pwd=WFB6am9tN1dxZ01naVdLd1JCS3pYUT09
Friday, March 25th– Photography Contest Awards Night at 5pm
Winners of our photography contest will be announced at an in-person ceremony at 5 p.m. on March 25th in the La-Z-Boy Atrium on the MCCC campus. Submitted prints will also be displayed in the Atrium.
Location: MCCC Campus, Atrium, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd. Monroe, MI 48161
Tuesday, March 29th—One Book, One Community Movie Series: Red Metal at 1pm
A PBS documentary for the 100th anniversary of the Copper strike in Calumet, MI. See the facts behind The Women of the Copper Country, including the Italian Hall Disaster, and see how labor laws have changed since the strikes. The film will be shown at the Bedford Branch Library.
Location: Bedford Branch Library 8575 Jackman Rd. Temperance, MI 48182
Wednesday, March 30th– Cooking with David at 2pm
Join David Ross as he teaches us how to make the miner staple food– a pasty! The video will go live on the One Book, One Community of Monroe Facebook page at 2pm. And a YouTube link will be posted to the One Book, One Community home page.
Thursday, March 31st-One Book, One Community Movie Series: The 33 at 5:30pm
This film will keep you on the edge of your seats. Based on the 2010 mining accident in the San Jose Mine in Chile where 33 miners were trapped for 69 days. The films shows gritty portrayal of hard life in the mines can be. The film will be shown at the Bedford Branch Library.
Location: Bedford Branch Library 8575 Jackman Rd. Temperance, MI 48182