MONROE - "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day," poet Dylan Thomas wrote.
Those words are the message behind the documentary "Do Not Go Gently," which includes interviews with artists over the age of 80. Narrated by Walter Cronkite, the film introduces Gene Cohen, an author and gerontologist who comment on groundbreaking discoveries about the human brain and the way imagination enriches lives.
The film also incorporates lively interviews with several artists, including dancer and Cincinnati Ballet instructor Frederic Franklin, age 90; Russian emigrant and composer Leo Ornstein, age 109; and quilter Arionzia Pettway, age 82.
The Monroe Public Library is sponsoring a special community showing of "Do Not Go Gently" Sunday, May 4. A free light lunch will be served and a panel will discuss the movie following the showing.
Library director Barbara Brewer noted the fastest growing segment of the population are people 85 years and older. The documentary "celebrates the lives, words and wisdom" of this population and provides both compelling information and inspiration.
The documentary was an official selection of the Wisconsin Film Festival and several other major festivals across the county in 2007. This year, it was honored in March at the Media Festival of the 2008 Joint Conference of the National Council on Aging and American Society on Aging.
Doors to the library will open at 12:15 p.m. on the day of the program to allow visitors to view creative exhibits by area seniors that will be on display on the first and second floors. The lunch will be served in the second-floor meeting room. The film will be shown there at 1 p.m.
Following the one-hour documentary, there will be time for comments from the audience and from a panel of representatives from local organizations that encourage creativity.
The library will remain open until 3:30 that day to allow additional time to view exhibits and discuss the film.
Because a large turn-out is expected, participants should pre-register by calling the library at 328-7010 or contacting a staff member at the library.
The program is being sponsored by Monroe Public Library in partnership with the Behring Senior Center, the Green County University of Wisconsin Extension and the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Green County.
Adults of all ages are encouraged to attend.
Those words are the message behind the documentary "Do Not Go Gently," which includes interviews with artists over the age of 80. Narrated by Walter Cronkite, the film introduces Gene Cohen, an author and gerontologist who comment on groundbreaking discoveries about the human brain and the way imagination enriches lives.
The film also incorporates lively interviews with several artists, including dancer and Cincinnati Ballet instructor Frederic Franklin, age 90; Russian emigrant and composer Leo Ornstein, age 109; and quilter Arionzia Pettway, age 82.
The Monroe Public Library is sponsoring a special community showing of "Do Not Go Gently" Sunday, May 4. A free light lunch will be served and a panel will discuss the movie following the showing.
Library director Barbara Brewer noted the fastest growing segment of the population are people 85 years and older. The documentary "celebrates the lives, words and wisdom" of this population and provides both compelling information and inspiration.
The documentary was an official selection of the Wisconsin Film Festival and several other major festivals across the county in 2007. This year, it was honored in March at the Media Festival of the 2008 Joint Conference of the National Council on Aging and American Society on Aging.
Doors to the library will open at 12:15 p.m. on the day of the program to allow visitors to view creative exhibits by area seniors that will be on display on the first and second floors. The lunch will be served in the second-floor meeting room. The film will be shown there at 1 p.m.
Following the one-hour documentary, there will be time for comments from the audience and from a panel of representatives from local organizations that encourage creativity.
The library will remain open until 3:30 that day to allow additional time to view exhibits and discuss the film.
Because a large turn-out is expected, participants should pre-register by calling the library at 328-7010 or contacting a staff member at the library.
The program is being sponsored by Monroe Public Library in partnership with the Behring Senior Center, the Green County University of Wisconsin Extension and the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Green County.
Adults of all ages are encouraged to attend.