Cedar Mill & Bethany Libraries Podcasts

Listen to staff picks, teen book discussions, library performances, oral histories from local immigrants and the history of the library from some of its founders.

Words of Wiser - Various members of our staff gather to discuss what we are reading, watching or listening to. Get great recommendations from our friendly staff.
The Chowder Chat with the Teen Library Council, where they share their views on pop culture, literary news and more!
Parent Information Series - This annual workshop series explores parenting issues with experts in their fields. When we record one of these workshops, it will appear here.
Founders' Oral History - Travel back in time to the early days of the library's founding. Listen as these community activists share their memories of the grassroots movement that resulted in today's Cedar Mill Community Library.
Community Oral History - In 2009, in honor of Oregon's sesquicentennial, we recorded 14 interviews with local immigrants and descendants of immigrants to illustrate the importance of immigration on our community. More interviews were added in 2011. This Oral History Project was done with the help of Matt Hiefield and his history students at Sunset High School. More information...

Chowder Chat 8.3: What's the best book genre? - a debate

Dec 4, 2025

Is fantasy better than dystopian fiction? Historical fiction vs. realistic? Our teen council debates which genres are better. They also share book news, local sports and what new books are coming to the library soon. Recorded on November 10th, 2025

Books discussed are:

Coldwire by Chloe Gong

A Fate So Cold by...

Chowder Chat 8.2: CMBCL Executive Director Peter Leonard

Oct 28, 2025

The teen council interviewed Peter Leonard, the Executive Director of the Cedar Mill & Bethany Libraries, on October 13th, 2025. He is retiring soon after 29 years here at the library. Learn about what has changed in our libraries, why he thinks libraries are still important, and why he wanted to work in libraries in...

Chowder Chat 8.1: Meet the New Teen Council

Sep 24, 2025

Meet our new teen council, much like the old teen council with some new members! Our members tell us a bit about themselves, what books, movies, and music they like, their favorite apps, and what things annoy them.

Our Favorite Books:

Project Hail Mary
Scythe
Twilight
Foul Lady Fortune
Hunger Games
Eragon
Sunrise on...

Chowder Chat 7.7: Books to Movies and TV shows

May 28, 2025

Our teen council talks about what makes a good book to movie adaptation. In the age of streaming, is it better to adapt a book into a tv show? Which teen books need to get adapted next?

Books and movies that get talked about are:

Percy Jackson
Harry Potter
Hunger Games
Throne of Glass
Project Hail Mary

This...

Chowder Chat 7.6: Good (and Bad) Study Habits

Apr 28, 2025

Deep into the school year, our teen council is immersed in school competitions for Model UN and their a capella group among other things. There is loads of homework as well. Listen to our crew discuss what they've been working on and how they do their best studying. Do they listen to music? Does it matter where they...