Wawa-news.com Local and Regional News
NEW BOOKS this week are “Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch” by David Rosenfelt, “The Burning Side” by Sarah Damoff and “Love You More” by Emily Giffin. New in Young Adult is “A Deadly Inheritance” by Kelley Armstrong. En Français, nous avons “T’aimer à l’infini” par Sophie Jomain, un livre jeune adulte. Come in and check it out!
STAFF PICK OF THE WEEK: The staff pick of the week is “The Skin We’re In” by Desmond Cole. (4.44 Goodreads)
A bracing, provocative, and perspective-shifting book from one of Canada’s most celebrated and uncompromising writers, Desmond Cole. The Skin We’re In will spark a national conversation, influence policy, and inspire activists.
In his 2015 cover story for Toronto Life magazine, Desmond Cole exposed the racist actions of the Toronto police force, detailing the dozens of times he had been stopped and interrogated under the controversial practice of carding. The story quickly came to national prominence, shaking the country to its core and catapulting its author into the public sphere. Cole used his newfound profile to draw insistent, unyielding attention to the injustices faced by Black Canadians on a daily basis.
Both Cole’s activism and journalism find vibrant expression in his first book, The Skin We’re In. Puncturing the bubble of Canadian smugness and naive assumptions of a post-racial nation, Cole chronicles just one year—2017—in the struggle against racism in this country. It was a year that saw calls for tighter borders when Black refugees braved frigid temperatures to cross into Manitoba from the States, Indigenous land and water protectors resisting the celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, police across the country rallying around an officer accused of murder, and more.
The year also witnessed the profound personal and professional ramifications of Desmond Cole’s unwavering determination to combat injustice. In April, Cole disrupted a Toronto police board meeting by calling for the destruction of all data collected through carding. Following the protest, Cole, a columnist with the Toronto Star, was summoned to a meeting with the paper’s opinions editor and informed that his activism violated company policy. Rather than limit his efforts defending Black lives, Cole chose to sever his relationship with the publication. Then in July, at another police board meeting, Cole challenged the board to respond to accusations of a police cover-up in the brutal beating of Dafonte Miller by an off-duty police officer and his brother. When Cole refused to leave the meeting until the question was publicly addressed, he was arrested. The image of Cole walking out of the meeting, handcuffed and flanked by officers, fortified the distrust between the city’s Black community and its police force.
Month-by-month, Cole creates a comprehensive picture of entrenched, systemic inequality. Urgent, controversial, and unsparingly honest, The Skin We’re In is destined to become a vital text for anti-racist and social justice movements in Canada, as well as a potent antidote to the all-too-present complacency of many white Canadians.
NEW MOVIES ON THE SHELF- New Movies on the shelf this week are “The Man from Toronto” starring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway and “Sisu” starring Jorma Tommila and Mimosa Willamo! Come on and check it out!
TDSRC and SUMMER PROGRAMS- We culminate our summer programming with the big prize giveaways on Monday, August 24th!! We will be announcing the winners in the next couple of weeks! We thank our amazing donors for their commitment and support to the Wawa Public Library programs and to our community! Our success is your success!
We also say thank you to Madison Piper-Chiccarelli for her excellent work over the past two months! It was a pleasure having you as part of our staff and we wish you the best of luck in your next academic year and with your placement. There is no doubt that you will be very successful in your chosen career!
AFTERSCHOOL CLUBS- The majority of the month of September will be used to prep and plan for the upcoming school year of afterschool programming! Afterschool clubs will resume beginning Tuesday, September 29th at 3:30 for Story and Craft Club!
We welcome Madison Parent as our new Program Coordinator! Madison enjoys dance and an assistant dance teacher. She also is a brown belt in the Shintani Wado Kai Karate Club! She is eager to begin in her role as Program Coordinator at the Wawa Public Library!
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS- There will be no Dungeons & Dragons for the month of September. We will resume this program in October. If you are interested in checking out this program, Eric the Dungeon Master will be at the library on Tuesday, August 25th, 2026, at 4:30! This program is open to ages 13+. New players are welcome!
SATURDAY MAHJONG WITH DAVE! Join us at the Wawa Public Library for September Mahjong! Dave will be here to teach any new players. If you want to try something different and meet some new people, come and checkout Saturday Mahjong with Dave! Save the Dates!
MUSIC NIGHT AT THE WAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY- Here we go! Another awesome music night coming up next month! Our September Music Night features Paula and Peter, two amazing people with so much talent! Join us on Thursday, September 17th, 2026, at the Wawa Public Library beginning at 6pm! Save the Date!
KIDS LEARNING PROGRAMS- The Wawa Public Library is taking registration for our Reading Help program and the Kids Learn to Knit Program. If you are interested in these programs, please come to the library and fill out a registration form! For more information, please contact the Circulation Desk at 705-856-2244 ext.290.
GRANDMA STORYTIME WITH MADDY! Join us for a Saturday Grandma Storytime with Maddy on September 12th, 2026! Everyone welcome! This is an interactive storytime and we ask that parents/caregivers attend with their children!
SENIOR’S CORNER:
Any seniors interested in joining our Knitting Connections please drop by the library for more information. Our current project is knitting for Chemo patients, young and old and we are knitting chemo hats, knockers, lap blankets, shawls and anything else that would aid in keeping someone warm and cozy during and after treatment. A huge THANK YOU to all our dedicated knitters!
If you are a senior who is unable to get out, the library offers a Senior’s Shut-in Program. We will deliver library materials to patrons living in the Wawa area. For more information, please call the library at 705-856-2244 ext. 290 or 291!
We have a large selection of large print books and audio books for seniors and anyone else with sight issues.
The library has a puzzle mat! If you are interested in popping in and working on a puzzle, we can set you up! Puzzles are also available for all patrons to check out!
If you are just looking for a safe, warm place to go for a social activity, the library is the place to go. We have very comfortable seating available in a lovely, active environment.
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We have a great selection of books, magazines, DVD’s, Blu-rays, Audiobooks, French books, and more available for checkout.The newer magazines are one-week lending and the older ones are three weeks lending.And don’t forget our awesome Children’s collection and our growing Graphic Novel collection.
For the visually impaired, we have a Daisy Reader available for check out as well as books and magazines available on discs and a great selection of Audio Books and PLAYAWAYS.
Don’t forget that your library card gives you access to a huge selection of e-books, audiobooks and now MAGAZINES!Download the app to your computer, tablet or mobile phone and open up a whole new world of reading.With the Libby app you always have a book at your fingertips and it is FREE!Download it today!
We have two computers available for use and two workspaces if a patron would like to bring in their own laptop or tablet. Free WIFI is available.If you do not have a library card, there is a fee of $1.00/half hour for the use of a computer. We sanitize each work space after use.
The Wawa Public Library also has many other services available such as photocopying, faxing, laminating, printing, and conversion of VHS to DVD.For more information call the circulation desk at 705-856-2244 ext. 290 or email us at [email protected].
The Wawa Public Library welcomes the donation of gently used DVDs and books.What we don’t catalogue we put in our book sales.Thank you in advance for supporting the library!
Remember – library membership is FREE to residents of the Municipality of Wawa and contracting communities. All you need to provide is proof of residency. That would include any document or piece of identification that states both your name and street address. Membership forms can be found on our website at wawa.olsn.ca or come in and sign up at the Wawa Public Library. All are welcome!
Our drop box is in place for all returns. Please do not deposit batteries or ink cartridges in the drop box as they may damage our books.
LIBRARY HOURS – Saturday, Sunday & Monday-closed.The library is open Tuesday-Thursday from 11:00 am - 7:00 pm, Friday from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm and Saturday from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm.
- Between the Covers – August 26th - August 26, 2026
- Between the Covers – July 8 - July 8, 2026
- Between the Covers – June 23rd - June 24, 2026
