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.
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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)
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Related Stories:
Pinkalicious Author Victoria Kann to Headline Kids’ Events at StoryFest 2023
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Pictured at top of page (clockwise from top left): Angie Kim, Josh Malerman, Caroline Kepnes, and Gabino Iglesias
It’s Friday the 13th, just weeks before Halloween, and there’s no better place to celebrate than at The Westport Library — and with Fireside Mystery Theatre.
On October 13 in the Library’s Trefz Forum, Fireside Mystery Theatre, the award-winning audio theatre production company, will premiere Nightfall on the Nutmeg State, a set of original pieces written for The Westport Library.
Fireside Mystery Theatre performs unique shows reminiscent of the old-time radio mysteries of the 1930s. The troupe’s actors will read live on stage, in full costume, each standing in front of a mic and with scripts in hand. The live performance will be recorded and later featured on Fireside Mystery Theatre’s podcast feed, which has reached millions of listeners around the world — bridging the gap between the Golden Age of Radio and the podcast era.
Tickets are $20, and the event serves as the precursor to StoryFest, the Library’s annual literary festival, which runs October 20-22 featuring Neil Gaiman, Angie Kim, Gabino Iglesias, Caroline Kepnes, Eric LaRocca, Josh Malerman, and many more.
“We are so excited to be able to team with the brilliant minds at Fireside Mystery Theatre to bring this special production to the Library,” said Bill Harmer, Westport Library executive director. “They are the perfect partner for a library — delivering storytelling in its purest form, well-timed for Friday the 13th and a week ahead of StoryFest.”
Nightfall on the Nutmeg State is comprised of four unique stories, performed by an ensemble cast with live underscoring and three music performances. The stories are as follows:
Fireside Mystery Theatre invites all to come to this special show: “Thrill to an evening of strange sights, sounds, and stories specially sourced from Connecticut's darkest local myths, mysteries, and legends. Fireside Mystery Theatre's cadre of actors, musicians, and technicians will amaze you as they conjure unforgettable stories etched in sound — where the real meets the fantastic and the ordinary joins the bizarre.”
“We relish in thrilling and chilling our audiences wherever we go,” said Fireside Mystery Theatre presenter and actor Ali Silva. “But we especially look forward to this privilege of hand-delivering to the fine folk of Connecticut a lovingly crafted evening of our peculiar brand of dark and delightful entertainment.”
Led by co-creators and producers Silva and Gustavo Rodriguez, Fireside Mystery Theatre has been lauded by numerous outlets for its inventive storytelling and throwback feel. That includes Popsugar, which called Fireside Mystery Theatre one of the “10 scary podcasts to listen to on a dark and stormy night,” and The New York Times, which cited Fireside Mystery Theatre as one of the top five podcasts to bring into your home when theaters went dark in 2020.
“The episodes feature sound effects, musical acts, and a fully improvised score to bring the nostalgia to its fullest,” noted The New York Times. “Each play also brings a laugh and a chill as the group’s specialty is the eerie and macabre.”
For more on Fireside Mystery Theatre, visit its website at firesidemysterytheatre.com. And click here to purchase tickets to the special event at the Library on Friday, October 13.
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Event Information:
Fireside Mystery Theatre — LIVE at The Westport Library!
Friday, October 13
6:30-9 pm
Trefz Forum, The Westport Library
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Recommended Reading from Fireside Mystery Theatre:
The Devil's Rooming House by M. William Phelps
Clown: My Life in Tatters and Smiles by Emmett Kelly
Barnum's Own Story: The Autobiography of P. T. Barnum
The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy by Stewart O’Nan
The Speculative Fiction of Mark Twain
Legendary Connecticut: Traditional Tales from the Nutmeg State by David E. Philips
Navigating The Westport Library website has never been easier.
The homepage for westportlibrary.org has been fully redesigned, with a new look and feel and a fresh design to make finding what you need easier, more intuitive, and more rewarding.
Among the highlights of the new design are a simplified menu and a robust footer so patrons can more easily access the Library’s core offerings. The redesigned homepage also offers a primary content space at the top of the page for increased engagement, more ways than ever before to discover upcoming Library events and existing Library assets, and breakout boxes highlighting current Library content such as reference guides, videos, podcasts, news, and more.
The redesign also creates a user experience that is responsive and accessible, an important element in making sure that the Library’s front-facing digital platform is open to all.
“These changes were all made with our patrons in mind,” said Bill Harmer, Westport Library executive director. “Through months of thoughtful planning and collecting feedback, we worked to create the optimal experience to find what you need as well as all the things we offer that you never knew you needed. It’s a great advertisement for all the services and programs that the Library offers, and the right entry point to engage with us on whatever level you would like.”
Bella's Bartok
Halloween is coming to The Westport Library a few days early this year.
The Library, in partnership with the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce, is hosting a Halloween Concert and Costume Ball featuring Bella’s Bartok. The event will be held in the Library’s Trefz Forum on Saturday, October 28. Doors open at 7 pm, with the concert kicking off at 8 pm.
"Get ready for a hauntingly good time with Bella's Bartok, where music meets mayhem and costumes are your ticket to the freakishly fabulous,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer.
Bella’s Bartok is uniquely suited to perform at this event. Known for their raucous theatrical performances edging at times toward the macabre, the band plays a high energy mix of funk, pop, and folk that will have everyone dancing during their two full sets.
This nocturnal happening is the adult accompaniment to the Children’s Halloween Window Painting Contest that will be held earlier the same day (also run by the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce). Costumes are encouraged, with contests and prizes awarded for the best outfits in multiple categories. Specialty cocktail potions along with beer and wine will be available to allow patrons to pick their own poison.
“This night is about creativity both on and off the stage, a melding of concepts that I’m sure will get people’s imagination going,” said Matthew Mandell, executive director of the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce. “I am a big fan of the band. This will be a fun show!”
The event is the latest musical collaboration between the Library and the Chamber, including the Supper & Soul events featuring Cris Jacobs, Johnny Folsom 4, and more.
Tickets to the Halloween Concert and Costume Ball are $35 and are on sale now.
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Event Information:
Halloween Concert and Costume Ball Featuring Bella's Bartok
Saturday, October 28
7-10 pm (doors open at 7 pm; concert starts at 8 pm)
Trefz Forum, The Westport Library
Dave Briggs (far left) moderates a discussion with Jeremy Schaap (far right) following the showing of Schaap's documentary on the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins at the Library in February 2023.
Jeremy Schaap has enjoyed a long and illustrious career. He hosts both E:60 and Outside the Lines, ESPN’s showcase journalism and storytelling shows. He has interviewed the most famous, controversial, and groundbreaking athletes in sports over the past 30 years, establishing himself as one of the leading journalists in America today.
On Thursday, September 21, at 7 pm, the renowned reporter will visit The Westport Library to talk about his life, career, and more, discussing the stories behind the biggest stories in sports history and how he forged his path as a pioneer in sports journalism.
Longtime broadcaster and Westporter Dave Briggs will moderate the conversation. There will be a sports bar set up in the Library’s Trefz Forum at 6:30 pm, ahead of the talk. Register here to attend.
"This event is really a tremendous honor,” Schaap said, “and I am looking forward to speaking with Dave. The Westport Library is a great institution, and it means a lot to me to be able to discuss my career under its roof.”
One of ESPN’s most respected personalities, Schaap, a Cornell graduate and Westport resident, has been with the network since 1994. He has covered most major sports and sporting events, including the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, the Tour de France, the World Series, the Super Bowl, the US Open, Wimbledon, and French Open, the Men’s and Women's Final Fours, and even chess boxing.
In that time, Schaap has won two national Edward R. Murrow Awards as well as a Peabody Award, two National Headliner Awards, and 14 national Sports Emmy Awards.
It was Schaap who conducted the first interview with Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight after he was fired by Indiana University in 2000, and he also conducted the first interviews with Darryl Strawberry, then with the New York Yankees, after he was diagnosed with colon cancer; with Plaxico Burress, of the New York Giants, after he shot himself in a New York City nightclub; and with Manti Te’o, the Notre Dame linebacker, after it was reported that his supposed girlfriend had never existed.
But it has been Schaap’s reporting on sports issues around the world, especially those at the intersection of sports and society at large, for which he is best known.
Schaap’s three national Sports Emmy Awards in journalism recognized stories he reported on a Serbian basketball player convicted of a brutal assault, an Israeli soccer team’s anti-Muslim fans, and child fighters in Thailand risking their lives to support their families.
Schaap also won the national Sports Emmy Award for writing — an award named for his father, legendary sportswriter and broadcaster Dick Schaap — for his profile of chess champion Bobby Fischer. And his work has been honored by, among others, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications, and the United Nations.
In 2015, Schaap won the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Award for reporting on human rights and social justice issues, a first for ESPN. That same year, he was honored with a PRISM Award for reporting on addiction issues, for a story about Cowboys’ tight end Jason Witten and his abusive father. And he was nominated for a national News and Documentary Emmy Award for an E:60 profile of a survivor of extreme domestic violence; ESPN had never previously been nominated for a News Emmy Award.
In addition to his work in front of and behind the camera, Schaap is the author of Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History, a New York Times best-seller, and Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics.
Schaap has longstanding relationships with several charitable organizations, including the Greater New York chapter of the ALS Association, which has honored him with its Iron Horse Award; the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, which has honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award; and Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey, whose annual banquet he emcees. Additionally, the Muscular Dystrophy Association honored him with the Steve Ennis Hope Award in 2017.
“Jeremy Schaap is one of the premier sports journalists in the world,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “Beyond that, he is a fascinating and engaging professional who has carved out a unique space in the broadcasting landscape. His stories are amazing, but as great as they are, they’re still not as compelling as his personal story. This is an event not to miss for anyone who loves sports and thoughtful, compassionate, in-depth storytelling.”
Briggs has served as an anchor for NBC Sports, a news anchor for CNN and Yahoo Finance, the weekend host for FOX & Friends, and a digital content consultant for Moffly Media. He currently works as a March Madness studio host for Turner Sports and as vice president for business development for Cann, based in Westport. He also is an active member of the Library’s board of trustees.
Are you interested in volunteering but don’t know where to start? The Westport Library, The Town of Westport, and The League of Women Voters of Westport have you covered.
On Saturday, September 23, the three organizations will team with to host an adult volunteer fair in the Library’s Trefz Forum.
The fair will run from 10 am to 2 pm and feature more than two dozen local community organizations. Each organization will have a staff member on hand to provide information and answer questions.
“The wide range of volunteer activities at Volunteer Expo reflect the many talents and interests of our diverse community,” said Celeste LaCroix, director of development for the League of Woman Voters of Connecticut and past president of the League of Woman Voters of Westport. “Come, because you know that it's time to give back. Come, and you will be delighted with the array of opportunities.”
Said Bill Harmer, Westport Library executive director: “We hear all the time that people want to give back to the community, but they don’t always know where to start. This is the place. For four hours, we’ll have some of Westport’s most treasured local organizations and nonprofits in one space. It’s a great way to promote volunteerism in our community—and an even better way to find the right organization to fit your interests.”
In addition, the Library will host a volunteer expo for teens on Wednesday, October 4, from 4:30 to 6 pm featuring a handful of local youth organizations to engage teens.
Below is a list of organizations participating (subject to change) in the September 23 adult volunteer fair:
A Better Chance of Westport
AWARE
Center for Senior activities
Club203
Earthplace
FCJazz
Food Rescue
Friends of Sherwood Island
Guiding Eyes for the Blind
Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts
Staples Tution Grants
Sunrise Rotary Club
TEAM Westport
Town of Westport
Verso Studios at The Westport Library
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Wakeman Town Farm
Westport Book Shop
Westport Community Theatre
Westport Country Playhouse
Westport Emergency Medical Services
Westport League of Women Voters
Westport Library
Westport Permanent Art Collection
Westport Sunrise Rotary
Westport Woman's Club
Westport Young Women's Club
Westport-Weston CERT
Westport-Weston YMCA
Following much fanfare and plaudits from attendees, the Andrew Wilk Medical Series is returning to The Westport Library, this time with a focus on the brain.
The three-part series will debut on Thursday, September 7, at 7 pm in the Library’s Trefz Forum, with a deep dive into strokes and transient ischemic attacks. That will be followed by a look at headaches and migraines on October 30 and a talk focused on dementia on November 21.
Each session will feature renowned Westport physician Dr. Robert Altbaum in conversation with a fellow expert in the field. Dr. Daryl Story will be the featured guest on September 7, followed by Dr. Dario Zagar on October 30 and Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick on November 21.
The doctors will field questions from the audience after each presentation.
“Andrew and I envisioned the series as a wonderful opportunity to educate the community about important medical topics, emphasizing the newest technologies and treatments,” Altbaum said. “We are thrilled at the positive response by the public and hope to cover a wide variety of medical specialties. The medical field is undergoing an exponential growth in information and there is a lot to share.”
This is the second medical series presented by Wilk, a five-time Emmy Award winner and the former executive producer of Live from Lincoln Center. It follows a focus on cardiovascular health that debuted earlier this year to capacity crowds and rave reviews.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have Andrew leading this series and equally so to have Dr. Altbaum hosting these conversations,” said Bill Harmer, Westport Library executive director. “We entered into the series on cardiovascular health thinking this could be an asset to the community, and it most definitely was. The events were all well-attended, the sessions themselves were engaging and important, and the questions from the audience members were incisive and thoughtful. We look forward to more of the same in this series on the brain.”
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Full series at a glance (all events held in the Library’s Trefz Forum):
Thursday, September 7, at 7 pm
Andrew Wilk Presents: The Brain, Part One
Topic: Strokes and Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIA): Maximizing the chance for recovery
Presenters: Dr. Daryl Story and Dr. Robert Altbaum
Click here to register.
Monday, October 30, at 7 pm
Andrew Wilk Presents: The Brain, Part Two
Topic: Headaches and Migraine: Better understanding the diagnosis and the new therapies available
Presenters: Dr. Dario Zagar and Dr. Robert Altbaum
Tuesday, November 21, at 7 pm
Andrew Wilk Presents: The Brain, Part Three
Topic: What’s new in Dementia
Presenters: Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick and Dr. Robert Altbaum
Pinkalicious author Victoria Kann in the Library's Trefz Forum last year.
Victoria Kann is returning to the Library to headline the kids’ component of StoryFest 2023 with a Pink or Treat Halloween book reading and parade.
The famed Westporter and Pinkalicious author will read from her book, Pink or Treat, on Sunday, October 22, starting at 10 am. That will be followed by a Pinkalicious Halloween Parade featuring fun giveaways. Kids and their adults are encouraged to dress up and take part in the parade.
The event is free with registration, and there is also an option to purchase a signed copy of Pink or Treat for $15 — as well as signed copies of many other Kann favorites.
The sixth edition of StoryFest, the largest literary festival in Connecticut, runs October 20-22 and features writers of all forms and from all genres. Best-selling author Neil Gaiman kicks off StoryFest 2023 on Friday evening, October 20, in conversation with Stephen Graham Jones. Saturday features a host of author conversations and panel discussions, closing with a staged reading of Eric LaRocca’s new play, Gentle Hacksaw, with additional events to be announced for Sunday.
In addition to the Pink or Treat Halloween Parade, kids’ events at StoryFest will include a picture book reading on the Library steps on Saturday, October 21, starting at 10 am, with assembled picture book authors, and a Monster Lab where kids can make their own 3D Monster Figurine or a Halloween mask. The Moster Lab event runs from 2 to 4 pm, also on Saturday, in the Hub on the Library’s main level.
“Victoria Kann is a Westport treasure and a friend to kids everywhere,” said Mary Parmelee, Westport Library director or youth services. “All of which makes her the perfect guest for our StoryFest children’s celebration. We encourage kids and their caretakers from Fairfield County and beyond to come out for this special event, as well as to join us on Saturday for the picture book reading and the Monster Lab. They’ll be the ideal complement to a can’t-miss sixth edition of StoryFest.”
An award-winning author and illustrator, Kann co-authored and illustrated Pinkalicious and Purplicious as well as the play, Pinkalicious the Musical. She also wrote and illustrated Goldilicious, Silverlicious, Emeraldalicious, Aqualicious, and Peterrific, and many other titles, and is the co-executive producer of Pinkalicious & Peterrific on PBS Kids.
L to R: Stephen Graham Jones, Neil Gaiman, and Eric LaRocca
Two past favorites are returning in new roles at StoryFest 2023, with Stephen Graham Jones secured as the moderator for the keynote conversation with Neil Gaiman on Friday, October 20, and Eric LaRocca capping a full day of events on Saturday, October 21, with a staged reading of his new play, Gentle Hacksaw.
Both are ticketed events, with additional seats becoming available for the Friday conversation with Gaiman — the acclaimed author of American Gods, Coraline, and The Sandman Series, among many others — on Tuesday, August 22, at 10 am. Tickets will be available at that time on the keynote conversation registration page.
The conversation between Gaiman and Graham Jones is free to the public as part of the Fall 2023 Malloy Lecture in the Arts. Seats are limited for what will be a sold-out crowd of 400-plus.
Tickets for the staged reading of Gentle Hacksaw are $20 and are available for purchase now. Doors open at 7 pm for a reception, where guests can meet the StoryFest authors; small bites will be provided and there will be a cash bar. The performance starts at 8 pm and will be followed by a conversation with the playwright and cast moderated by best-selling author Clay Mcleod Chapman.
Now in its sixth year, StoryFest is the largest literary festival in Connecticut and one of the biggest annual literary festivals in the Northeast. This year’s edition will be held October 20-22. Friday night is the keynote conversation. Saturday features a series of panel discussions and conversations, with the full lineup to be announced in late summer/early fall. Sunday includes a writers’ workshop, a special children’s event, and additional programming, also to be announced soon.
In addition to Chapman, Gaiman, Graham Jones, and LaRocca, confirmed authors for StoryFest 2023 include Angie Kim, Gabino Iglesias, Caroline Kepnes, and Josh Malerman.
“StoryFest is my favorite event we put on all year,” said Westport Library Associate Director of Programming and StoryFest co-founder Alex Giannini. “Neil Gaiman alone is worth the price of admission, but adding in the bonus of Stephen Graham Jones as moderator — what a night it's going to be! Stephen is one of the most unique and compelling voices in fiction today, and he and Gaiman on stage together will be StoryFest magic.
“On top of it all, having the opportunity to close what will be a knockout Saturday with Eric LaRocca’s play is a treat for everyone who makes it out for this year’s StoryFest.”
Graham Jones and LaRocca both are StoryFest veterans who appeared at last year’s edition as panelists.
Graham Jones is a professor at the University of Colorado and a New York Times best-selling author of some 30 novels and collections, including Mongrels, The Only Good Indians, My Heart is a Chainsaw, and Earthdivers.
Among his many honors include the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Fiction, the LA Times Ray Bradbury Prize, the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, the Western Literature Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award, the American Library Association’s RUSA Award and Alex Award, the 2023 American Indian Festival of Words Writers Award, the Locus Award, four Bram Stoker Awards, three Shirley Jackson Awards, and six This is Horror Awards. In addition, he’s been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and the British Fantasy Award.
LaRocca is the Splatterpunk Award-winning and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and The Trees Grew Because I Bled There, a collection of short stories released in March.
Gentle Hacksaw is “a startling new drama of religion, identity, and violence about two high-profile gay men who become embroiled in a verbal cat-and-mouse game of utter cruelty when an unpleasant bargain goes awry. As social graces are discarded and basic human decency is abandoned, both men discover shocking truths about themselves and one another that will forever transform them.”
For more information on this year’s StoryFest, as well as past editions, visit westportlibrary.org/storyfest.
Top row (L to R): Immediate Past President Jeremy Price, President Barrie Rosen, Secretary Melissa Banks; bottom row (L to R): New board members Mark Silverstein, Bob Boroujerdi, and Martina Sze.
The start of the new fiscal year is a time of transition at The Westport Library, bringing with it new programs, priorities, and goals — and this year, a new president and three new members to the Library’s board of trustees.
Starting with the board’s July meeting, held July 19, Barrie Rosen has been elected as the new president of The Westport Library board, taking over for Jeremy Price, who will remain on the board as immediate past president.
Rosen is a longtime advocate for the Library and has served on the board since 2020. A communications executive, she currently leads marketing communications at Consumer Reports after earlier stints at YP (formerly Yellowpages.com), Fox News, News 12 Connecticut, and multiple public relations agencies. She also serves on the board of Staples Tuition Grants.
Before rising to president, Rosen was the secretary of the board. Assuming that role for the current term is Melissa Banks, who joined the board in 2022.
“Barrie’s work since joining the board has been outstanding and exemplary,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “She knows the community and the library so well, providing advice and feedback that are routinely brilliant and always on point. I am incredibly excited to work with her and the other members of the executive committee and the board at large as we continue to grow the Library over the next year.”
Said Rosen: “The Library has always been a special place for me and my family, even before we moved to Westport. It is the only place where you can simultaneously connect with friends, get a private room to work, flex your creative muscle, and enjoy the serenity of the Saugatuck River. It is my honor to give back to an institution that has offered so much to me, and so many others.”
Price steps down after serving two years as president of the Library board, a tenure that featured the full-time return to in-person events as well the fourth and fifth editions of StoryFest; the launch of VersoFest, the Library’s annual music and media festival; two successful BOOKED for the evening programs; and the return of the Malloy Lecture in the Arts — plus Camp Explore, Summer Learning Programs, and this year’s debut of Verso Records, Volume One, the first vinyl record ever recorded, produced, and released by a public library.
“Jeremy has been an indispensable ally in our efforts over the past year, and I cannot thank him enough for all that he has done,” Harmer said. “He is a true partner and a trusted friend, and I’m very glad that his important voice will remain on the board for the coming term.”
The Library’s fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30 each year. Board terms run four years, with each member eligible to serve two terms. The Library board is made up of 20 members in total; 10 are selected by the Library board, and 10 by the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), the town’s legislative body.
Joining the board for the coming term are Bob Boroujerdi, a former partner at Goldman Sachs who most recently served as a managing director at Third Point LLC, an alternative asset manager; Mark Silverstein, an internet technology and media executive who has worked at Spotify, Luminary, and HuffPost; and Martina Sze, the chief development officer at HealthVest, a behavioral healthcare company with a mission of treating all patients, regardless of income.
They replace departing members Rob Haroun, Jenna Markowitz, and Meena Pellerin, all of whom made marked contributions to the Library during their years of service on the board.
“We’re very excited to welcome our three new board members, though that comes with the sadness of saying goodbye to three members who have selflessly dedicated their time and talent to us over the years,” Harmer said. “Rob, Jenna, Meena, thank you for helping guide the Library’s vision during your time on the board, and for your support and counsel. You will be missed!”
Laura Linney (right) and moderator Lynne Meadow
“Tonight, we honor an artist of the highest caliber, Laura Linney.”
With that, Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer presented the 2023 BOOKED for the evening guest of honor with her award, eliciting a standing ovation from the capacity crowd of 450-plus who turned out for the 24th edition of the Library’s signature fundraising event — and who made this year’s edition the most financially successful BOOKED for the evening in the event’s history.
It was a stunning evening, replete with a cocktail reception, in-person tributes from former New York Times chief theatre critic Ben Brantley, actor John Benjamin Hickey, and playwright Donald Marguiles, and video tributes from actors Jason Bateman, Ethan Hawke, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeanne Tripplehorn, among others, all celebrating Linney’s life and career.
That was followed by an extended conversation between moderator Lynne Meadow, the longtime artistic visionary behind the Manhattan Theatre Club, and Linney, covering a wide variety of topics that included Linney’s introduction to acting, her process, her love of books, and much more.
“Where the arts and community intersect anywhere, it’s a really powerful and important part of our culture,” said Linney, whose remarkable career includes two Golden Globe and four Emmy Award wins and three Academy Award and five Tony Award nominations. “I think there is a profound need for community and the arts. And I’m so happy to be here and to see so many people here. The arts are essential for culture. They’re medicinal. They help us understand things we didn’t understand before and they make you understand things about yourself that you had no idea of — it’s a profoundly important thing to keep alive.”
Linney emphasized the special place the arts serve not only in her life, but for society as a whole — “Time in the arts is never wasted time,” she said — and how meaningful it was to receive this award from a library, an institution she reveres.
“Books are one of the first aspects of the arts that we all encounter — the small books as a child, things that you have, holding a book in your hand,” said Linney. “So, it’s really a joy to be here. I’ve had, in some ways, my most spiritual experiences in libraries — the library in my college, the library in my high school, the library I created in my home. I love being there. I love being quiet. I love staring at the books and they all talk to me as you remember what you’ve read, what those characters had to say. I find it such a wonderful, calming place to be.”
[Related: BOOKED for the evening 2023 photo album]
BOOKED for the evening 2023 closed with a song from American Idol finalist and Staples High School graduate Drew Angus, who performed a soaring rendition of Time for Me to Fly by REO Speedwagon, and with drinks and dessert in the Hub on the Library’s main level.
“The night was electric,” Harmer said. “It was everything we could have asked for and more. Once again, we realize how honored we are to live in such a vibrant arts community — and in a community that understands the importance of libraries and that supports our mission and goals. That an actress of Laura Linney’s immense talent would feel at home in our space is a testament both to the Library and the people who sustain it.”
“It was, start to finish, a remarkable evening,” said Westport Library Development Director Agata Slattery. “I cannot say enough about the incredible efforts of the BOOKED for the evening committee, led by co-chairs Wendy Brown and Candice Savin, all the Library staff members who have worked for months to make the event come to life, and of course all the patrons who came out to support the Library. We cannot wait to try to top this again next year when we celebrate 25 years of BOOKED for the evening.”
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Photos: Pamela Einarsen Photography
