L to R: The Pinwheel Galaxy from The Westport Astronomical Society, from Lucy Krupenye's exhibit in the South Gallery, and from Awakenings by Terry Tannen
The Westport Astronomical Society, Lucy Krupenye, and Terry Tannen are the first featured artists of 2024 at The Westport Library, with new exhibits being installed in January and running through mid-March.
How Beautiful, the Universe: Astrophotography by members of The Westport Astronomical Society debuts January 11 in the Sheffer Gallery, with an artist reception and lecture scheduled for January 17. That is followed by an exhibit from local sculptor Lucy Krupenye, whose Zen Meditations will be featured in the South Gallery on January 12 (artist reception and talk on January 31); and Awakenings, a series of photographs from Terry Tannen, which will also be installed on January 12 (artist reception on February 12).
“Our three new exhibits encourage the viewer to reflect on and explore the beauty and the mystery of the universe around us — and are a fitting way to kick off the new year,” said Carole Erger-Fass, The Westport Library’s exhibits curator.
How Beautiful, the Universe features more than 25 captivating works by members of the Westport Astronomical Society, who invite fellow community members to “embark on a cosmic journey from the comfort of Westport and witness the breathtaking beauty of our universe through the lens of dedicated astrophotographers.”
The Westport Astronomical Society, a not-for-profit scientific campus built within a former Cold War radar station, is home to the Westport Observatory and the KWAS Ham Radio Club. As part of its commitment to education, the Society offers a free monthly lecture series through webinars and live, in-person talks. Additionally, the campus features a National Geologic Survey seismography station, reflecting the Society's diverse scientific pursuits.
Krupenye is an award-winning sculptor who creates hanging assemblages out of found objects such as stone, wood, metal, and bone. Her sculptures are organic and Zen in feeling, inspired by nature, music, and the world around her. She uses a lot of “recycled” material in her work, creating treasures of what many consider flotsam, jetsam, or garbage.
In her career, Krupenye has exhibited extensively in in New York City and around the Northeast, including solo exhibitions at The Hammond Museum, The Stamford Museum, The Silvermine Arts Center, The Carriage Barn Arts Center, The Simon Gallery in Martha’s Vineyard, The Ridgefield Playhouse, and others. She has been the featured artist on Channel 12 News, at the Katonah Museum of Art, in Westport Magazine, in Fairfield County Lifestyle, and in many newspapers, books, magazines. In addition, her sculptures have graced the covers of jazz and rock CDs and albums, and she has curated several major museum and gallery exhibitions.
“My artwork is something that I see, not from the outside, but from within,” said Krupenye. “It is something that I feel. I rarely draw a piece before I make it. As I work with the elements the piece is just born — in essence, it creates itself. It is, in part, a reflection of my inner being and thus is extremely personal. If one looks closely into my artwork, one might see a part of my soul.”
Tannen was born and raised in Connecticut. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, she pursued a career in corporate design and branding working for iconic graphic designer Herb Lubalin, NBC TV, and co-founding her own firm G&K Design Group.
Capturing the beauty and natural design of nature has always been what inspires her creative work — whether it be through design, photography, painting, or sculpture.
“This collection of sunrise photos is from a series taken over Mill Pond Beach in Westport,” said Tannen, whose work has been exhibited in New York City, Westport, and Southampton, N.Y. “It is a tribute to the last year of my beloved husband Charles Tannen's life. Chuck was an avid lover of nature, photography, and adventure. As his fight with Parkinson's progressed, our goal became finding the beauty in what was in our present moment, in gratitude. Thus, Awakenings.”
For more on the Library’s exhibits, visit the Art at the Library page.
***
Pictured above (clockwise from top left): Lucy Krupenye, The Westport Astronomical Society, and Terry Tannen
Clockwise from top left: Kersten Stevens, Clarence B. Jones, Craig Melvin, Ritchie Torres, Trey Ellis, and Richard Blumenthal
A trio of award-winners and a pair of statesmen will be joining guest of honor Dr. Clarence B. Jones for the 18th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, held January 14 at The Westport Library.
NBC News anchor and co-host of the 3rd Hour of TODAY Craig Melvin will be serving as the moderator for the discussion, with violin virtuoso Kersten Stevens performing, and acclaimed novelist, playwright, and filmmaker Trey Ellis introducing Dr. Jones. In addition, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut) and U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (New York) will be providing remarks.
“I couldn’t envision a more incredible lineup for what promises to be a memorable afternoon,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “The appearances by Craig Melvin, Kersten Stevens, Trey Ellis, Senator Blumenthal, and Congressman Torres speak to the remarkable life and accomplishments of Dr. Clarence B. Jones and the enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
The 18th annual celebration is a partnership between the Library, TEAM Westport, and the Westport Country Playhouse, as well as the Westport/Weston Interfaith Clergy and Council, the two groups that hosted the inaugural celebration in 2006.
The celebration is free to attend — registration is highly encouraged — and there will be a livestream of the event available on the Library’s YouTube channel.
The day’s guest of honor, Dr. Jones, served as legal counsel, strategic advisor, and draft speechwriter to Dr. King from 1960 until King’s assassination in 1968. He is credited with writing the first seven paragraphs of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, one of the most iconic and enduring addresses in American history.
The event kicks off at 3 pm with a performance by Stevens, the six-time winner of the historic Amateur Night and Showtime at The Apollo. All About Jazz has lauded “Stevens’ immense creativity and elegant flair” and she has received plaudits from a host of publications and performers including The Black Gospel Blog and renowned jazz violinist Regina Carter.
A native of Stratford, Connecticut, Stevens graduated from Yale University before establishing herself as the “queen of the violin.” She has performed with music greats Carter, Kim Burrell, and international jazz bassist Christian McBride, and she has performed for President Barack Obama, Ray Charles, and Denzel Washington, among others.
Dr. Jones will be welcomed by Ellis, the American Book Award-winning novelist, two-time Emmy- and Peabody-winning filmmaker, NAACP Image award-winning playwright and essayist, and professor of professional practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. His lauded first novel, Platitudes, was reissued by Northeastern University Press along with his influential essay, “The New Black Aesthetic.”
Ellis also served as executive producer of King in the Wilderness, a 2018 HBO documentary on the last three days of King’s life. King in the Wilderness won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Documentary.
Melvin, the longtime anchor and Westport resident, will moderate the discussion with Dr. Jones from the Trefz Forum stage. In addition to his duties as co-host of 3rd Hour of TODAY, Melvin serves as news anchor on TODAY and a host of syndicated Dateline NBC broadcasts. He has reported on a wide range of news events in his decorated career, including several Republican and Democratic National Conventions and three Presidential Inaugurations. His coverage of politics has included interviews with former President Bill Clinton, then-Vice President Joe Biden, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Secretaries of State John Kerry, Mike Pompeo, and Condoleezza Rice. In addition, he has covered four Olympic Games and six Super Bowls.
Prior to joining NBC News and MSNBC in 2011, Melvin was a weekend anchor for WRC, NBC’s station in Washington, D.C. Before that, he earned acclaim as an evening news anchor at WIS in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina.
Blumenthal has been a longtime supporter of the Library, appearing in the Trefz Forum just last year to celebrate the release of Verso Records, Volume One. The five-term Connecticut attorney general (1991-2011) was elected as U.S. senator in November 2010, seated in January 2011, and is currently serving his third term in the chamber.
In 2013, at the age of 25, Torres became New York City’s youngest elected official and the first openly LGBTQ person elected to office in the Bronx. He has served in the U.S. House of Representative, representing the Bronx, since January 2021.
The Brubeck Brothers Quartet is coming to The Westport Library for a special fundraising event on Saturday, March 9, with proceeds going to support and maintain the Library’s vast array of free programs and offerings.
There will be two types of tickets sold for the evening: a general admission ticket for $75 and a VIP ticket for $125 that includes an exclusive pre-event reception with the Brubeck family and special gifts, including a vinyl LP exclusive pressing of Time OutTakes featuring previously unreleased takes from the original Brubeck masterpiece Time Out.
Click here to buy tickets to this can’t-miss event.
“This event isn't just a tribute — it’s an ode to the genius of Dave and Iola Brubeck,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “Through captivating visuals and masterful storytelling, the evening will unveil the extraordinary life of Dave Brubeck, drawing you into his genius, innovation, and spirit. Don't miss this unforgettable musical and cultural journey.”
The Brubeck Brothers Quartet is led by brothers Chris and Dan Brubeck, sons of the jazz legend. The two — Chris on bass and trombone and Dan on drums — have been making music together their whole lives, having put out their first record in 1966. Over the last decade, their recordings have consistently landed in the Top 10 of jazz radio charts. Rounding out the quartet is guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb. Together, the group has performed at concert series, colleges, and jazz festivals across North America and Europe, including Newport, Detroit, Montreal, The Hollywood Bowl, and Monterey Jazz festivals.
“The Brubeck Brothers Quartet attains that rarefied level where music is both relaxed and expressive, and their joy in its creation is contagious,” All About Jazz said of the group. “There’s really nothing out there that comes close to their unique brand of inventiveness.”
Dave Brubeck is one of the leading lights in jazz history, a pianist and composer who gained international fame and acclaim in the 1950s and 60s. Time Out was the first jazz album to sell one million copies, and the hit song Take Five is to this day one of the most recognizable jazz singles of all time.
In his decorated career, Brubeck received the Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian Medal, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, among many others. He lived in Fairfield County for most of his adult life, passing away in 2012 one day before his 92nd birthday.
“Every once in a while, jazz is blessed by one of those great figures who can do it all,” jazz historian Ted Gioia told The Washington Post at the time of Brubeck’s passing. “They give us a body of work that is full of musical riches ... but the music also can appeal to the average listener. Dave Brubeck is one of those figures.”
Each year, The Westport Library hosts more than 1,000 free programs, bringing together a remarkable 85,000-plus individuals — three times Westport's population — and offers a multitude of offerings for patrons of all ages. Westport provides 79% of the Library’s funding. That leaves 21% that the Library must fund itself, through a mix of generous donations, individual contributions, and fundraisers like this one.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to live in a town that values what the Library is able to deliver and that supports our diverse collection of offerings,” said Westport Library Development Director Agata Slattery. “For March 9, we’re thrilled to bring the Brubeck Brothers Quartet to our unparalleled Trefz Forum for an evening that will be entertainment of the highest order, all while helping us continue to provide the yearlong programming that we love to host and deliver to — and for — our community.”
Dr. Clarence B. Jones, the longtime speechwriter and confidant of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will be the guest of honor at Westport’s 18th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, to be held Sunday, January 14, 2024, at 3 pm at The Westport Library.
The keynote conversation is free of charge; registration is highly encouraged. The event also will be livestreamed.
Dr. Jones served as legal counsel, strategic advisor, and draft speechwriter to Dr. King from 1960 until King’s assassination in 1968. He is credited with writing the first seven paragraphs of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, one of the most iconic and enduring addresses in American history.
The annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration is a partnership between the Library, TEAM Westport, and the Westport Country Playhouse, as well as the Westport/Weston Interfaith Clergy and Council, the two groups that hosted the inaugural celebration in 2006.
“Years ago, Westport was like a second home to me,” Dr. Jones said. “Fond memories of time spent there with my family. Now this later generation of extended family, Lisa Weitzman and Howard Edelstein, make my return and appearance at The Westport Library, after so many years, more poignant and beautiful.”
“We are privileged to welcome Dr. Jones to commemorate the life of Dr. King,” said Bill Harmer, Westport Library executive director. “His profound influence on American history is indelible, and his life story an inspiration and a celebration of the American dream about which he so eloquently articulated. We eagerly anticipate the participation of the Westport community and beyond for this extraordinary afternoon.”
Dr. Jones was an integral member of the Civil Rights movement, one of the few privy to King’s decision-making processes and who shared in his political struggles. According to Jones’ official bio, Vanity Fair called him the man who kept King’s secrets. In addition, Jones engaged with many of the leaders of the Black liberation movement, serving as a liaison between King and Malcolm X, James Baldwin, and Robert F. Kennedy, among others.
Across the decades, Dr. Jones has worked to carry on King’s legacy. As a lawyer, civil rights leader, and business executive, he has maintained close personal friendships and collaborative working relationships with influential 20th century artists, writers, athletes, and social justice activists, including Muhammed Ali, James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Ossie Davis, and Ruby Dee, and Lorraine Hansberry. In 1974, Jones negotiated the historic “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match in Kinshasa, Zaire, between Ali and George Foreman.
“We are exceedingly honored and privileged to have Clarence Jones featured as this year’s MLK speaker,” said Harold Bailey, chair of TEAM Westport. “The width, breadth, and depth of his connection to Dr. King’s life, movement, and legacy are encyclopedic. His perspectives should provide our community a unique opportunity for insight and reflection.”
Dr. Jones currently serves as the chairman of the Spill the Honey Foundation, that utilizes the transformative power of the arts and brings together the historic and contemporary voices of the Black-Jewish alliance to achieve social justice non-violently. He also founded the Dr. Clarence B. Jones Institute for Social Advocacy, serves as the founding director emeritus of the Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice at the University of San Francisco, and has served on the boards of cultural organizations, including The Impact Repertory Theater & Dance Company, The Theatre Development Fund NYC, and the Roosevelt Institute.
Among the notable elements of his remarkable biography: Because of his relationship with King and his associates, Jones was the target of illegal wiretaps initiated by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover from July 1963 until King’s assassination.
Dr. Jones was awarded an honorary doctorate at the University of San Francisco and honored at events at Columbia University, where he was an undergraduate, and the Julliard School of Performing Arts, where he studied music. He graduated from Boston University Law School, where he was honored as the recipient of the Silver Shingle Award for his public service.
In 2021, Dr. Jones received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the American Bar Association, the highest recognition given by the ABA, awarded in a ceremony featuring a keynote address from President Barack Obama.
For many years, Dr. Jones served as a scholar in residence at Stanford University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute and as a diversity professor at the University of San Francisco. A popular course he developed and taught at the school (“From Slavery to Obama: Renewing the Promise of Reconstruction”) is now provided online in many historically black colleges.
Dr. Jones has authored two acclaimed books, What Would Martin Say? and Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation, and countless articles and essays for The Huffington Post and many other publications. His newest book, Last of the Lions, was released in August 2023 by Red Hawk Publications/UNC Press.
Past Martin Luther King Jr. celebration keynote speakers include National Book Award winner and MacArthur Fellow Ibram X. Kendi, Pulitzer Prize winner James Forman Jr., New York Times best-selling authors Heather McGhee and Layla Saad, Guggenheim Scholar Carol Anderson, American Book Award winner Tricia Rose, Quinnipiac Law School founder Marilyn Ford, and last year’s guest: author, artist, filmmaker, and multi-dimensional performance artist Junauda Petrus.
Lynda Bluestein in the Children's Library in November 2023
For Lynda Shannon Bluestein, leaving a legacy has a different type of urgency. Bluestein has terminal fallopian tube cancer. She knows she may not have much longer. Determined to make the most of that time, she has become an advocate — suing Vermont over its aid-in-dying residency requirement — and a surrogate — fighting to create connection between loved ones and those they’ve lost.
And now she is giving back to the people of Westport.
Bluestein is donating two wind phones to the Library, one to be housed in the Children’s Library and one in the Library of Things.
To celebrate Bluestein's gift, there will be a special dedication ceremony for family, friends, supporters, and media held Wednesday, December 13, at 10 am in the Sheffer Gallery on the Library’s main level.
Wind phones, which originated in Japan, are unconnected phones — that is, they are not hooked up to a landline or connected to an active phone line — and are meant for those still living to pick up and “talk” to those who have passed away. As it says affixed to the wind phone that Bluestein donated in Ridgefield, the first such phone in Fairfield County, “This phone will never ring. It is connected by love to nowhere and everywhere. It is for those who have an empty place in their heart left by a loved one. Say hello, say goodbye. Talk of the past, the present, the future. The wind phone will carry your message.”
Wind phones have traditionally been located in nature — areas such as parks, fields, and gardens, open to anyone who needs them. The wind phones being donated by Bluestein and her family, however, will live in the Library, open to all for use and for checkout.
These are the first documented wind phones located in a library and are expected to be set up and available in early 2024.
“I chose The Westport Library because it feels like the heart of a community my husband and I have been part of for 30 years. When we moved to Connecticut from California, we gravitated here,” said Bluestein, 76, who currently lives in Bridgeport. “But mostly, I was interested in doing something that has never been tried before anywhere in the world: a wind phone to check out from The Library of Things.”
In addition to the groundbreaking nature of its placement, the solitude and accessibility of the library setting was one of the draws for Bluestein.
“So many wind phones in the U.S. are in parks or on hiking trails in remote and often inaccessible areas,” she said. “When people lose someone they love and have loved for decades, it feels strange to go out alone — except to a library, where that feels completely normal.”
The Library’s wind phones will be accompanied by recommended reading for both children and adults as well as a dedicated resource guide. The wind phones in both the Library of Things and the Children's Library will be available for checkout with a Westport Library card, much as one would check out a book or any other Library item.
“It’s important that these wind phones be available and accessible to the community,” said Agata Slattery, Westport Library development director, who worked with Bluestein on the donation. “We want these to be a source of comfort and solace, and of course a lasting testament to Lynda’s generosity and bravery.”
Roger Kafuman’s Speaking of Music series returns to The Westport Library with a special program, Speaking of Jazz: What It Is, to be held Saturday, November 11, in the Library’s Trefz Forum.
Doors open at 7 pm, with the show kicking off at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.
The grandson of storied ragtime songwriter Mel B. Kaufman, Roger Kaufman (pictured above) has spent a lengthy career in music as a bandleader, bass player, producer, moderator, and historian. Among the 1966 Staples High School graduate’s many endeavors is founding Old School Music Productions, his music event production company that produces the Speaking of Music series as a “cornerstone of musical education” that combines narration, expert discussions, and live musical performances.
“Rooted in America’s rich and storied musical history, Speaking of Music delves deep into the essence of indigenous musical genres, performing the music live, and through dialogue and discussion,” said Kaufman, “creating a unique and uplifting live event for enthusiasts and novices alike.”
Speaking of Music is a continuation of Kaufman’s 60-year passion for the performance, promotion, and preservation of rhythm and blues. In 2016, he successfully helped the Smithsonian acquire, archive, and exhibit donations by the celebrated guitarist and composer/producer Steve Cropper (“Midnight Hour,” "Knock on Wood," "Dock of the Bay") at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. And he has worked closely with Smithsonian curators and deserving artists to archive and preserve their work, including a 2018 exhibition by Weston resident Jose Feliciano.
The November 11 Speaking of Jazz performers include the Brian Torff Group, the Jones Factor Lite, and the Tim DeHuff Quartet featuring vocalist Audrey Martells.
Joining the performers are a distinguished panel of experts that includes jazz author and critic Bill Milkowski; jazz saxophonist Rabbi Greg Wall; bassist Dave Anderson; and bassist, author, and music educator Torff. Kaufman will moderate the discussion.
The panel will provide insights into the fluidity of jazz's definition and also share their unique insights into the evolution of jazz — from its African and European origins to its Southern/Delta roots of call-and-response blues, spirituals, and the gospel to the early New Orleans influences of ragtime, the swing era, the bop & bebop revolution, West Coast jazz innovations, soul jazz, fusion, and contemporary Jazz.
About the Performers
The Brian Torff Group features Torff (bass, guitar, vocals), Wes Lewis (saxophone), and Ryan Sands (drums), with special guests Matt De Champlain (piano) and John Fumasoli (trombone).
Torff is a renowned bassist, composer, author, and educator who currently serves as the music program director at Fairfield University. He has recorded and performed with pianists Mary Lou Williams and Marian McPartland, gypsy jazz violin virtuoso Stephane Grappelli, and with the big bands of Oliver Nelson and the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. Alongside pianist George Shearing, he was featured on The Tonight Show and Merv Griffin; the two also hosted their own PBS special from the Café Carlyle in New York City.
The Jones Factor Lite is a six-piece band formed in 1986 by trombonist/bandleader Fumasoli. The group features trombonist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Fumasoli, saxophonist and flautist Bill Harris, trumpeter Ben Kibbey, pianist Rob Aries, bassist Anderson, and drummer Tyger MacNeal.
Fumasoli has performed or recorded with Gerry Mulligan, Tony Bennett, Cab Calloway, John Tropea, Gerry Niewood, The Rippingtons, The Gil Evans Band, Diana Ross, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Johnny Mathis, Wayne Newton, Sammy Davis Jr., Melissa Manchester, and others. His teaching experience includes more than 40 years in the Fairfield public schools as a band director, and he has been on the faculty of Fairfield University for 25 years where he teaches jazz history.
The Tim DeHuff Quartet includes DeHuff (guitar), Aries (pianist), Anderson (bass), and MacNeal (drums).
Longtime Westporter DeHuff has performed with Joe Beck, David Benoit, Jeff Berlin, Larry Coryell, James Cotton, George Duke, Charlie Karp, Jan Klemmer, Dave Liebman, The Main Ingredient, John Mehegan, Blue Mitchell, Alfonse Mouzon, Pee-Wee Ellis Band, Lee Ritenour, Ronnie Spector, David Spinozza, and Johnny Winter, among others. In addition to recording, performing, producing, and arranging, DeHuff teaches guitar practice in Fairfield County.
Jazz vocalist and actress Martells, meantime, just returned from an Asian tour with Westport's Nile Rogers and Chic. Her Speaking of Jazz performance will celebrate the groundbreaking influential voices of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan, all of whom played pivotal roles in shaping the history of jazz.
From now through December 21, and starting up again after midterms in January, The Westport Library will be teaming with students from Staples High School to establish a near-peer tutoring program.
The program, to be held in the Children’s Library space, will feature Staples students tutoring local middle school and elementary school students in a variety of subjects. This is a drop-in program available between 4 pm and 8 pm, Monday through Thursday, with the tutor availability being posted weekly. (Click here to see the weekly schedule.)
“We’re so excited to bring back this program and thrilled to partner with these amazing students from Staples to provide this service,” said Jeanmarie Ryan, Westport Library teen services librarian. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for younger kids who need some extra help to get it in a supportive environment, while also benefitting the Staples students who get the chance to give back to the community.”
Tutors will focus on specific subject areas including English, math, science, social studies, and even programming and Mandarin. All tutors are past participants or have received a letter of recommendation from a current or previous teacher.
Adults with students under the age of 12 are required to stay in the Children’s Library while their child is being tutored.
Tom Henske (right) in The Westport Library recording studio with audio engineer Travis Bell
Tom Henske has been a leader in the financial industry for nearly three decades — building an enviable resume and retiring in 2020 to focus on his current passion project: Total Cents. Total Cents endeavors to help parents, grandparents, and guardians get comfortable with teaching their kids about money and the importance of finances. A successful venture has become something even more, including a community partnership podcast that Tom hosts and produces in conjunction with the Library.
Tom is also a dedicated Westporter, having lived in the town for 18 years with his family. A former three-time NCAA champion soccer player at the University of Virginia, he served as an assistant coach with the Staples High School boys’ team for 11 years, and he has been actively involved in a myriad of community projects.
He recently took some time to talk with us about his podcast, engaging with the local community, and why he chose to invest his money — and time — with the Library.
Westport Library: How did you first get involved with the Library?
Tom Henske: I first crossed paths with The Westport Library during its transformation from a traditional library to a state-of-the-art hub for the community. Bill Harmer, introduced to me by [former Staples boys’ soccer coach and 06880 Blog founder] Dan Woog, reached out with an intriguing proposal: a podcast partnership. But as we brainstormed, we both had this "aha moment": Why not go beyond a standard personal finance podcast and create something that engages the entire community?
We realized that financial literacy is a universal need — it touches students, parents, grandparents, schools, local businesses, and professionals. So, we set out to make the Library a rallying point for financial education, a place where the whole community could come together for a common cause.
How did that involvement evolve into engagement and giving?
As the project gained momentum, I found myself flooded with speaking requests. Whether it was corporations, financial advisory firms, or parent groups at schools, everyone wanted to hear about financial literacy. That's when it hit me: I could turn these speaking engagements into opportunities for giving back. Instead of accepting speaker fees, I asked the venues to donate to The Westport Library. It was my way of showing gratitude for the Library's early belief in my vision. It's a win-win, really. They supported me, and now I get to support them in return.
In your view, why do libraries matter?
Libraries are more than just buildings filled with books. They're sanctuaries. They're places where people can study, meet friends, or simply escape into a good read. Our library, one of the few five-star libraries in the country, is a cornerstone of our community. It's a place where I know my kids are safe, whether they're studying or just hanging out. And honestly, how many places can offer that kind of peace of mind?
Why do you give to support The Westport Library?
I've been a financial advisor for 27 years, and I always say, “Your checkbook reflects your values.” The Westport Library aligns perfectly with my values. They're doing incredible work that benefits everyone in the community. While I may not be setting any donation records, I make it a point to contribute whenever I can. Every little bit helps, and it sends a strong message: We, as a community, believe in the power and potential of our library.
What would you tell others considering donating to support the Library?
Supporting the Library is really an investment in our community. So, when you contribute, you’re not just enriching a single institution; you're touching the lives of everyone who engages with the Library’s resources and services.
L to R: Yanone C by Hiromitsu Takahashi, courtesy WestPAC; Tilted Finish by Norm Siegel; and Continuum by Suzanne Benton
Three new exhibits are coming to The Westport Library to bring some color, curiosity, and energy to the end of fall and the start of winter.
Suzanne Benton’s All About Color will be featured in the Sheffer Gallery, with Norm Siegel’s Visual Curiosities in the South Gallery, and Showtime!, a series of selection from the Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC), going up in the Jesup Gallery.
All three exhibits will run from October 27, 2023, through January 8, 2024, and all three will host artist receptions in the Library’s Trefz Forum: November 1 for Benton, November 8 for Showtime!, and November 20 for Siegel. The Benton and Siegel events will include a talk with the artists after the receptions.
“These are three brilliant exhibits for us to close out our collections for 2023,” said Carole Erger-Fass, the Library’s exhibit curator. “I’m thrilled we’ll be able to share these works with our community and welcome the artists into our space.”
Benton is a native New Yorker who has been based in Connecticut for 64 of the 70 years she’s practiced her many-faceted art. Her exhibitions include more than 200 solo shows, and her artwork is represented in museums and private collections worldwide. Author of The Art of Welded Sculpture and numerous articles, Benton is and has been listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Art, and Feminists Who Changed America 1963-1975. In April 2023, she received a Lifetime Recognition Award from the Women’s Caucus of Art in Florida.
“In this ninth decade of life, and as a working artist for nearly 70 years, I’d become interested in the concept of Late Style as described by the literary theorist Edward Said, who said, ‘Each of us can supply evidence of late works, which crown a lifetime of aesthetic endeavor,’” recounted Benton. “My Late Style arrived as a surprise during the Covid pandemic. Sheltering in place ushered in an uncanny level of solitude that only painting could voice. Reaching for the purist of colors, I entered a world of Neo-Transcendental paintings large and small that I call All About Color.”
Siegel was inspired to become an artist during a sixth-grade field trip to the to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, mesmerized by a Willian Harnett still life and an Albert Bierstadt Yellowstone landscape. He subsequently attended the High School of Industrial Arts and The Cooper Union, going on to a career as an art director that included helping to help launch The Discovery Channel. He returned to painting in retirement and has had his work exhibited at The Salmagundi Gallery in New York, The New Britain Museum of American Art, the Billis Gallery in Westport, and at the Kershner Gallery at The Fairfield Public Library, among others.
“Unlike many artists, it’s difficult for me to put into words what I put on the canvas,” said Siegel. “What you see is what I intend you to see. I’m not one to experiment with new techniques, materials, or mediums. Spontaneity and intuition are not involved. I do experiment with subject matter to satisfy my past and current influences and my sense of humor using the skills I’ve honed over decades, with brush and paint on canvas or panel.”
Showtime!, meantime, celebrates the performing arts in Westport. A cultural asset to Westport, WestPAC holds more than 1,800 works of art in a broad range of media — paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, illustrations, cartoons, photographs, sculptures, and murals — by notable American artists, giants of the international art world, and important artists who established their homes and studios in the Westport-Weston community. WestPAC’s artworks were acquired primarily through gifts, mostly given by the artists themselves or donated by heirs and collectors.
***
Pictured above (clockwise from top left): Suzanne Benton, Norm Siegel, the WestPAC logo
Stephen Graham Jones and Neil Gaiman during the Friday evening StoryFest keynote conversation/Fall 2023 Malloy Lecture in the Arts.
Three days, 20 programs, 50 authors. StoryFest 2023, The Westport Library’s sixth annual literary festival, was its biggest and most diverse yet, drawing authors from a wide variety of genres to provide something for any reader and every fan.
Hosted throughout the Library — most events were held in the Trefz Forum, while also utilizing Brooks Place, the Hub, and the Komansky Room — StoryFest featured a keynote conversation with acclaimed author Neil Gaiman; a series of panel conversations on Saturday ranging from inclusivity in children’s literature to women writing crime fiction to exploring humor in horror; intimate author talks; a live recording of Clay McLeod Chapman’s Fearmongers podcast; a staged reading of Eric LaRocca’s new psychological thriller; a Pink or Treat book reading and Halloween Parade with Pinkalicious author Victoria Kann; a TeachRock workshop; and a live score of the Spanish language Dracula by guitar virtuoso Gary Lucas.
“We had high hopes for this year’s StoryFest, and the actual event managed to exceed them,” said StoryFest co-founder and event organizer Alex Giannini. “It’s always pure magic to get this many amazing authors together in one place, and everyone who came out could not have been friendlier and more enthusiastic. We’re definitely going to take some time to enjoy this one, but I’m already excited for 2024.”
The running theme throughout the weekend was an appreciation for writers, readers, libraries, and community. As moderator Stephen Graham Jones said to the 350-plus patrons at the start of Friday evening’s keynote conversation with Gaiman, “Thank y’all for showing up tonight and supporting libraries. It’s so important.”
“Libraries are so special to me,” said Angie Kim, author of The New York Times best-seller Happiness Falls. “I’m an immigrant. I came from Korea to the U.S. as an 11-year-old, and public libraries were my haven. It’s where I hid out from the bullies in middle school and where I got help learning English. So, to have this sponsored by The Westport Library, which is so beautiful and so accessible, has been amazing.”
Kim was one of the many authors who stayed for the full StoryFest experience, visiting the Mercy Learning Center in Bridgeport during the day on Friday, attending Gaiman’s talk Friday night — one of nearly 30 authors who ringed the mezzanine for the keynote conversation — and appearing on two panels and signing books afterward on Saturday.
“This is my favorite event that I’ve done, and it’s even better this year,” said Black Sheep author and StoryFest veteran Rachel Harrison. “It’s just such a great crowd, a great environment. The programming is so thoughtful. There’s just something for everybody.”
Added A Likeable Woman author May Cobb: “This is absolutely one of my favorite festivals for books and storytelling. It’s just such an engaging, intimate experience, where you get to interact with readers and other writers. It feels like we’ve built a community … and I feel like I’m part of a family. It’s very special.”
Joining Kim at the Mercy Learning Center was Mitzy Sky. In addition, Tommy Greenwold, Dan Poblocki, Lorien Lawrence, and Janae Marks all gave talks on Friday at local Westport schools; and Patricia Dunn, John Palisano, and Wendy Walker traveled to Norwalk High School and P-Tech Norwalk.
“This has been an awesome experience,” said Sky, who first came to StoryFest as a fan and was making her first appearance as a panelist. “I’ve been here since 2017. It’s my favorite thing to do.”
In addition to the events and programs, StoryFest included a fully stocked bookstore with autographed titles from the participating authors, including 600 signed volumes from Gaiman, as well as posters and other memorabilia.
“The festival has been great,” said Sidik Fofana, author of Stories from the Tenants Downstairs. “It’s the perfect motivation to start writing, because I want to be invited again. What a great way to spend three days.”
L to R: The book cover for Head Over Heels; Melissa Newman
The Newman family is a Westport institution, and fittingly, the latest chronicle by and about the family will get its unveiling in their hometown.
Westport's own Melissa Newman will celebrate the launch of her extraordinary new book, Head Over Heels: Joanne Woodward & Paul Newman, A Love Affair in Words and Pictures, in The Westport Library's Trefz Forum on Tuesday, October 10. She will be in conversation with longtime friend and filmmaker Doug Tirola, sharing insights into her affectionately curated and lushly illustrated book, which offers a fresh perspective on her parents, both storied legends, putting their relationship front and center.
The event kicks off at 7 pm ET; please click here to register. The event is free to attend. Copies of Head Over Heels will be on sale, with Newman signing copies after her talk.
“Music, visual art, and drama have always been a big part of the family DNA,” Melissa said. “It’s been fascinating, certainly, to be an insider to my parents’ artistic process as well as the nuances of their relationship. The two things are inexorably intertwined. The more I thought about it, the more I felt the photographs and writings in this book needed to be collected and sent into the world in a particular way, and that perhaps I brought enough of a distinct perspective to make something unique.”
Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, longtime Westport residents, were most famous as movie stars and stage actors, but they also were artistic collaborators, political activists, and philanthropists whose legacies are expansive and enduringly modern.
With 120-plus photos of the couple together, including many that have never been published, Head Over Heels celebrates the enduring power of love. It features handwritten notes, snapshots, letters, and family treasures — offering revelatory and intimate insights into the private lives of these towering figures in American public life.
“I wanted to capture some of the layers, the humor, the beauty and complexity of their 50-year love affair,” Melissa Newman said. “I wanted it to feel immersive, the way I think they were immersed in each other. Once I began this journey, I was gobsmacked by the list of photographers who chronicled them. I tried to include not only unseen material, but also some of the less obvious choices from familiar series.
“My friend, co-creator, and editor Andrew Kelly was a sleuth of the highest order. We let the images lead us, reveling in unexpected visual and textual juxtapositions. Together we pared away until we felt we had something we felt was worthy of them.”
Primarily an artist and jazz vocalist, Melissa is also a writer and a third-generation teacher whose eclectic career has included singing jingles, teaching in a women’s correctional facility, and leading art and vocal workshops. As a visual artist she has designed everything from packaging to theater posters to tattoos. She continues to perform regularly with her jazz trio and quartet.
Tirola, also a Westport resident, is an American filmmaker and writer who has worked as a director and executive producer. He is the owner and president of 4th Row Films, a movie and television production company.
***
About the Event:
Book Launch: ‘Head Over Heels: Joanne Woodward & Paul Newman, A Love Affair in Words and Pictures’
Tuesday, October 10
7 pm
Westport Library, Trefz Forum
Register (seats are limited)
StoryFest Saturday is shaping up to be a blockbuster, with Clay McLeod Chapman, Angie Kim, Gabino Iglesias, Caroline Kepnes, and Wendy Walker among the 40-plus authors slated to be at The Westport Library for the biggest day of the largest annual literary festival in Connecticut.
The day will feature a host of panel discussions starting at 10 am in the Library’s Trefz Forum. In addition, in Brooks Place on the Library’s main level, there will be picture book readings for children and teens starting at 10 am, author conversations running from 12 to 4 pm, and a special live taping of Chapman’s Fearmongers podcast at 5 pm featuring readings and insights from New York Times best-selling author Stephen Graham Jones and Josh Malerman, author of the Netflix sensation Birdbox.
“Saturday at StoryFest is a true celebration of authors, writing, and the creative process,” said Alex Giannini, The Westport Library’s associate director of programming and co-founder and organizer of StoryFest. “There’s something for every reader, with authors representing every genre. It’s a dream day for anyone and everyone who loves writing and literature, and it’s all happening at StoryFest!”
Saturday will close with a staged reading of Gentle Hacksaw, the new play from award-winning author and playwright Eric LaRocca.
Now in its sixth year, StoryFest is The Westport Library’s annual celebration of reading, writing, ideas, and community. This year’s festival runs Friday, October 20, through Sunday, October 22, and will feature a keynote conversation with renowned author Neil Gaiman on Friday and a writers’ workshop, Pinkalicious author Victoria Kann, and virtuoso guitarist Gary Lucas on Sunday.
Here's a closer look at the lineup for Saturday, October 21 (visit our Saturday event listing for descriptions of all eight panels; register for your free Saturday day pass here; and click here to purchase tickets for the staged reading of Gentle Hacksaw):
Book covers from the StoryFest 2023 authors
10-11:30 am
PICTURE BOOK READING FOR CHILDREN
BROOKS PLACE
10-10:30 am: Tommy Greenwal
Reading from his new book, The Rescues Finding Home
10:30-11:00 am: Stephen G. Bowling
Reading from the Mom’s Choice Award-winning picture book, Grandma’s House is Haunted
11-11:30 am: Sivan Hong & Sally J. Pla
Reading from the best-selling Super Fun Day book series (Hong) and from The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn (Pla)
***
10 am-6 pm
PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND CONVERSATIONS
TREFZ FORUM
10-11 am: Peek-a-Boo, I See You: Inclusivity in Children’s Literature
With Sally J. Pla, Sivan Hong, Dan Poblocki, Lorien Lawrence, Janae Marks. Moderated by Meagan Flynn. Sponsored by Black Rock Books.
11 am-12 pm: Putting It Together: Ellen Datlow Presents…
With Cassandra Khaw, Josh Malerman, Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, and Bracken McLeod. Moderated by Ellen Datlow.
12-1 pm: Killer Women: Writing Crime from a Female Point of View
With Manju Soni, Elise Hart Kipness, Emily Arsenault, Wendy Walker, and Lynne Constantine. Moderated by author and co-president of Sisters in Crime CT, Tessa Wegert.
1-2 pm: On Leaving and Returning: Writing the Body Home
With Mitzy Sky, Oliver Radclyffe, Namrata Patel, Sonya Huber, and Sidek Fofana. Moderated by the Director of the Connecticut Writing Project and Associate Professor of Literacy in Educational Studies and Human Development at Fairfield University Dr. Bryan Ripley Crandall.
2-3 pm: Community Into View: Writing Race, Culture and Identity
With Stephen Graham Jones, Magogodi Makhene, LaQuette, Angie Kim, and Cassandra Khaw. Moderated by Connecticut Poet Laureate Antoinette Brim-Bell. Sponsored by Kindred Thoughts Bookstore in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
3-4 pm: Scream with Me: Heartache, Humor, and Horror
With Clay McLeod Chapman, Gabino Iglesias, Eric LaRocca, Rachel Harrison, and Owen Egerton. Moderated by the former president of the Horror Writers Association, John Palisano.
4-5 pm: The Incredibly True Adventures of… Twists and Turns on the Writer’s Path
With Lynne Constantine, Travis Myers, Dave Hill, Lizzie Stark, and Josh Malerman. Moderated by two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Jay Schadler.
5-6 pm: On the Edge of Our Seats: Writing Suspense and Anticipation
With Caroline Kepnes, Angie Kim, May Cobb, T.M. Dunn, and Gregory Galloway. Moderated by award-winning and bestselling author Gabino Iglesias.
***
12-4 pm
TINY TABLE TALKS WITH KERSTIN RAO
BROOKS PLACE
Deep-dive, intimate conversations with StoryFest authors and artists, all moderated by Westport’s own Kerstin Warner Rao.
12-12:30 pm: Rowan MacColl and Connor McCann on Comic Art
1-1:30 pm: Eric LaRocca and Owen Egerton on Writing for the Stage
2-2:30 pm: Gabino Iglesias and Ellen Datlow on Editing Anthologies
3:30-4 pm: Lizzie Stark and Cassadra Khaw on Game Writing
***
5-6 pm
FEARMONGERS PODCAST – LIVE!
BROOKS PLACE
Clay McLeod Chapman will stage a live recording of his Fearmongers podcast live with Josh Malerman and Stephen Graham Jones.
***
7-9 pm (Doors: 7 pm; Show: 8 pm)
STORYFEST 2023 PRESENTS: A STAGED READING OF GENTLE HACKSAW BY ERIC LAROCCA
TREFZ FORUM
From Eric LaRocca, the award-winning author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, comes a startling new drama of religion, identity, and violence.
***
Related Stories:
Pinkalicious Author Victoria Kann to Headline Kids’ Events at StoryFest 2023
***
Pictured at top of page (clockwise from top left): Angie Kim, Josh Malerman, Caroline Kepnes, and Gabino Iglesias
