VersoFest 2025 weekend will be a vibrant roof-raiser, from a kickoff celebration hosted by renowned visual artist 5iveFingaz, to an illuminating evening with hardcore legend Henry Rollins and fellow musician Nabil Ayers — and now, The Westport Library is excited to welcome its newest Verso Visionary as part of this year’s annual music and media festival: three-time Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist and co-founder of The Roots, Black Thought.
The conversation between The Roots’ lead emcee and music industry executive, entrepreneur, and celebrated community leader June Archer will take place Saturday, April 5, 4-5:30 pm, in the Library’s Trefz Forum.
The event is free to attend. Click here to register. Copies of Black Thought’s 2023 memoir, The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are, will be for sale, with the author signing copies after the talk.
Crowned by HYPEBEAST as “one of the best lyricists in hip-hop history,” critically acclaimed musician Tariq Trotter, popularly known as Black Thought, has led a diverse creative career not only as a musician, actor, writer, and producer — but also as one of the most prolific, innovative, and powerful voices in hip hop.
Black Thought founded The Roots in 1987 alongside fellow hip-hop legend Questlove. From humble beginnings performing on Philadelphia street corners, to more than two decades of commercial success before expanding their reach in 2009 as the house band for both Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and later The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Roots’ eclectic, jazz-infused sound has transcended genres, with Black Thought’s influence and musical mastery rendering the group a hip-hop cornerstone.
In all, The Roots have produced 11 studio albums, including their debut, Organix (1993); the breakthrough Things Fall Apart (1999); the hard-hitting Game Theory (2006); the optimistic How I Got Over (2010); and countless more that have earned critical acclaim.
Beyond collaborations with Eminem, John Legend, J Dilla, Big Pun, Linkin Park, Logic, and Fall Out Boy, Black Thought also co-produced the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning original Broadway cast recording of Hamilton. He has also succeeded in in film and television, with work on projects such as HBO’s The Deuce and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Golden Globe-nominated Tick, Tick… Boom! — as well as live theater, in his roles as main composer and lyricist of the 2022 off-Broadway production Black No More, which he also starred in.
“I think a writer should always be aware of his or her surroundings,” Black Thought told The Paris Review. “The material is there. It’s already in the world. You have to be in tune with it to hear it and see it. The best essays, the best books, all wrote themselves. Same with paintings and dances — all of the best art ... comes from the universe. You have to master the art of being in tune enough when it’s time to create.”
Like Black Thought, Archer has led a diverse career, as an entrepreneur, music industry executive, motivational speaker, and educator. After getting his start in the music industry in 1995 as a member of the Elektra Records recording group Room Service, Archer transitioned into the business side of the industry. His accolades include gold and platinum plaques for his work on albums by Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Mario, Omarion, Beyonce, and more. A two-time Grammy and Soul Train Award nominee, Archer also previously served eight years on the Grammy Committee.
In addition to his current role as CEO of The Eleven28 Entertainment Group, Archer spearheaded the documentary Stepping Into the Shade — screened at The Westport Library in June 2024 — and he hosts the The Winner’s Circle podcast for rapper 50 Cent's 'This is 50' platform. Archer is the founder of The June Archer School of Arts, The Archer Foundation, The 100 Men and Women of Color Black Tie Gala & Awards, The New England Music Seminar, the Hot Chocolate Soul performance showcase, and June Archer's Celebration of Life AIDS/Breast Cancer Fundraiser. In 2013, he also added published author to his list of distinctions, with his children’s books, Yes! You Can and Yes! Every Day Can Be a Good Day.
VersoFest is four days of music, media, and creativity, running this year from April 3 to April 6 — a forum for media creators, artists, and fans to converge. In addition to Black Thought, this year’s guests include Patti Smith, Henry Rollins, and Paul Shaffer, with a Friday evening concert by the Wallflowers, the Saturday weekend kickoff event hosted by 5iveFingaz, and an all-star panel discussion on the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, plus art exhibits and workshops. In addition, VersoFest will host the kickoff event to legendary post-punk band Gang of Four’s farewell tour on April 18.
Past VersoFest guests have bridged connections between genre and medium, including hip hop legend Chuck D, established hit-makers Spin Doctors and the Smithereens, up-and-coming bands Sunflower Bean and the Lemon Twigs, rockers Lez Zeppelin, famed producers Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band) and Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex), Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler, the Doors drummer John Densmore, Cramps drummer Miriam Linna, Alice Cooper Group bassist Dennis Dunaway, hip-hop originators Tony Crush and Grand Wizzard Theodore, Manic Panic’s Tish and Snooky, and a wide array of authors, photographers, artists, and thought leaders.
Fans of thriller and historical fiction will be excited to learn that best-selling author David Baldacci will be coming to The Westport Library to launch and discuss his newest book, Strangers in Time, on its release date: Tuesday, April 15.
The event will take place at 7 pm in the Library’s Trefz Forum, with a keynote presentation by Baldacci followed by a book signing. Click here to register.
For this premier event, the Library will be including one copy of Strangers in Time with each ticket option. One seat with one copy of the book is priced at $40, and the option for two seats with one copy is priced at $50. Extra copies are also available on-site for $30 each.
Additionally, there will be a special opportunity to meet Baldacci one-on-one, with one copy of the book included, for $150 per ticket.
Strangers in Time tells the story of a bereaved bookshop owner and two teenagers scarred by the Second World War in 1944 London — and the healing and hope they find in one another.
Streetwise Blitz survivor Charlie Matters steals to get by, knowing any day could be his last. Uprooted by a large-scale evacuation, Molly Wakefield returns to a shattered London, only to discover her parents are gone. Their paths cross at The Book Keep, a literary sanctuary run by Ignatius Oliver, who, despite his own loss, offers them refuge. Together they form a kinship in each other, and as secrets surface and the perils of war rage on, they discover that their united trust in each other may be the only way for them to survive.
Early reviews for the book rave about Baldacci’s foray into historical fiction.
New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult called it “a meticulously precise account of what it was like to live through the Blitz in London — a visceral reminder that war not only levels social classes, but creates the most unlikely and indefatigable bonds between unlikely souls.”
And best-selling author Mitch Albom wrote: “A riveting story of secrets, betrayals, and unlikely friendships during World War II. An emotional web that keeps spinning — and keeps you guessing — right until the startling finish.”
For nearly 30 years, Baldacci’s novels have captivated readers with gripping narratives that blend political intrigue, espionage, and courtroom suspense. He has published more than 50 novels, all of which have been national and international best-sellers, and five of which have been adapted for film and television. His 1996 debut novel, Absolute Power, was an instant best-seller, adapted as a 1997 feature film starring and directed by Clint Eastwood. Other novels made into films include Wish You Well (2013) and The Christmas Train (2017).
Baldacci’s vast collection of published legal dramas can be attributed to his years practicing law in Washington, D.C. Published in more than 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide, Baldacci’s works span numerous best-selling series, including the legal-driven John Puller and Amos Decker thrillers, the action-packed Will Robie and Atlee Pine series, and the beloved King & Maxwell books. In addition to his adult thrillers, Baldacci has also expanded his reach across generations of readers with seven middle-grade novels, denoted by his entry into the fantasy genre with the Vega Jane series.
A lifelong writer, Baldacci credits his mother’s gift of a lined notebook as the spark for his literary ventures in childhood, later igniting his writing career — even if she later reported that her purpose was to keep him occupied, “because every mom needs a break now and then.”
With such an extensive anthology of works traversing many diverse genres, Baldacci doesn’t have to go out of his way to look for new story ideas — inspiration finds him in his everyday life.
“As a writer, you can never ‘turn off’ your passion for the written word and love of a great story,” Baldacci said. “So I watch life, listen intently, and basically drive everyone around me a bit crazy as I absorb my environment. When you’re naturally curious, you uncover storylines everywhere.”
Now in its fourth year, VersoFest is rising in the ranks as one of Connecticut’s premier music festivals, delivering on its mission to provide a forum to share knowledge, discover inspiration, and celebrate media in all forms. From April 3 to April 6, The Westport Library’s annual music and media festival promises all of this and more — with four days of insight from industry legends, show-stopping performances, artistic expression, and engaging opportunities for community collaboration.
Commencing this year’s lineup is a Verso Visionary conversation between legendary singer/songwriter Patti Smith and award-winning journalist and rock memoirist Alisyn Camerota on Thursday, April 3. Hit band The Wallflowers follows up with Friday night’s concert on April 4, and the weekend welcomes another Visionary conversation between hardcore punk legend Henry Rollins and Nabil Ayers, president of the record label Beggars Group, on Saturday, April 5.
Prior to Rollins and Ayers taking the stage, Saturday at VersoFest 2025 will be a celebration of boundary-defying artistic expression. Between interactive art exhibits and a graffiti workshop led by visionary artist 5iveFingaz, a weekend family kickoff celebration, and a panel discussion focused on the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, featuring an all-star cast of Springsteen collaborators and experts, the Saturday morning and afternoon run of events will be free to attend and open to all.
Saturday starts off with a bang — the VersoFest 2025 Weekend Kickoff Celebration will be a raucous curtain raiser to set the stage for a full weekend of VersoFest events. From 10 am to 12 pm, come celebrate music, media, and creativity in style, with DJs and other fun fare for the whole family.
Taking the stage in the Trefz Forum from 1 to 2:30 pm, Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run at 50 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Springsteen’s breakthrough 1975 album — a seminal work that is widely considered to be one of the greatest rock albums of the 20th century. This event is free to attend. Click here to register.
An all-star panel will lead the procession, including Mike Appel, Springsteen’s first manager and the co-producer of Born to Run. Described as a “managerial genius” by Springsteen himself, Appel had a pivotal role in the launch of Springsteen’s career. His mark on the production of Springsteen’s first three albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.; The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle; and Born to Run can be heard decades later in the albums’ musical risk-taking and lyrical romanticism.
“Mike was my musical brother in arms,” Springsteen said in his autobiography Born to Run. “He knew everything about the great groups, the fabulous hit records, every important nuance of the great singers' voices, the greatest riffs, the heart and soul that were in our favorite music.”
Joining Appel is former Columbia Records promotions director Michael Pillot, who spearheaded the album promotion for Born to Run and solidified Springsteen’s quintessential image. From 1974 through 1978, Pillot was directly involved in the promotion of Springsteen’s first four albums on Columbia Records.
Music historians Robert Santelli and Kenneth Womack will also offer insight into Born to Run's legacy. As the current executive director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, as well as the founding executive director of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, Santelli is a Grammy-winning authority in music preservation. Likewise, Womack’s work spans numerous volumes of literary and cultural criticism and poignant commentary for BBC, NPR, ABC’S 20/20, NBC’s Access Hollywood, and more; he also co-wrote the 2024 book, Bruce Songs.
The panel will be hosted by author and pop culture historian Arlen Schumer. In 1978, Schumer was the art director of Thunder Road, the first magazine devoted to Springsteen’s life and music. That same year, he created collateral artwork for two Springsteen concerts, one of which was Springsteen’s legendary Capitol Theater radio broadcast show.
Former music industry executive and Verso Studios advisory board member Dick Wingate will host alongside Schumer. While at Columbia Records, Wingate worked closely with Pillot, managing the marketing of Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town, as well as many other influential rock albums.
Launching in tandem with VersoFest 2025, globally renowned artist 5iveFingaz is bringing his bold signature style to The Westport Library in a series of art exhibits that will provide a vibrant and immersive backdrop to the festival. From March 29 to June 1, his work will span the Library’s Sheffer, South, and Jesup Galleries.
On Saturday, April 5, from 10 am to 2 pm, the South Gallery will feature an Interactive Community Participation Mural designed by 5ive, which will invite members of the community to help fill in and create their own masterpiece during VersoFest. By allowing the viewer to participate in the creation of the artwork, creative immersion and community contribution will be as much a part of the piece as the art itself.
5ive’s immersive exhibit Visual Verses will be displayed in the Sheffer Gallery, transforming the space as it merges the expressive power of visual art with the profound impact of language. Each painting in this collection transcends traditional boundaries by weaving together vivid colors, dynamic compositions, and original phrases crafted to evoke thought, emotion, and reflection. This fusion of imagery and language urges viewers to engage not only with the aesthetics, but also with 5ive’s deeper narratives and intentions behind each piece. More information on 5ive’s Jesup Gallery exhibit is forthcoming.
In addition to his art exhibits, 5ive will also lead two consecutive graffiti workshops, both of which will take place concurrently with the interactive mural. Presented by Verso University, Graffiti 101: Finding Your Voice as a Graffiti Artist will provide a space for participants to tap into their artistic expression and create their own unique pieces using spray paint and markers. This workshop contains two sessions: the first running 12 to 12:45 pm, and the second running 1 to 1:45 pm. Both sessions will cover the same content and are free to attend. Click here to register.
Sunday, April 6, will cap off the weekend with a VersoFest Oral History Podcast live recording with David Letterman Musical Director Paul Shaffer and SNL Tour De Force Christine Ohlman, followed by an afternoon event to close the festival. More details coming soon.
Since 2022, VersoFest has welcomed a number of celebrated global sensations including hip hop legend Chuck D, famed producers Steve Lillywhite and Tony Visconti, Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler, the Doors drummer John Densmore, Cramps drummer Miriam Linna, Alice Cooper Group bassist Dennis Dunaway, established hit-makers Spin Doctors and the Smithereens, up-and-coming bands Sunflower Bean and the Lemon Twigs, hip hop originators Tony Crush and DJ Grand Wizzard Theodore, and a wide array of authors, photographers, artists, and thought leaders.
All VersoFest performances, panels, and workshops are free or at market rates thanks to the generous support of donors, community partners, and Library programming funds. A selection of events will be recorded by Verso Studios Crew Call and available on-demand at a later date.
The complete VersoFest 2025 schedule, plus tickets and additional information, can be found here.
Three new art exhibits are currently on display at The Westport Library now through March 25: Good Bones: 60 Years of Multi-Dimensional Commentary by Nina Bentley in the Sheffer Gallery, City Sights by Susan Fehlinger in the South Gallery, and Art and Jazz by Jean Krasno in the Jesup Gallery.
A reception for the artists will take place on Wednesday, February 12, from 6 to 7 pm, followed by a conversation of artistic influences, inspiration, backgrounds, and creative processes between the three and Miggs Burroughs from 7 to 8 pm.
Bentley's work is often conceptual in nature, offering poignant commentary on a wide array of social issues. Good Bones: 60 Years of Multi-Dimensional Social Commentary is a retrospective of decades of her work, composed of sculpture, prints, pen and ink, and multimedia assemblages.
“I got more and more involved in found objects as time went on,” Bentley said. “I’m a big collector. Sometimes, I will get an idea and then I’ll find the materials to make that idea work visually. Other times I will bump into something, like a whole mass of cake choppers — I once got a carton of old knives — or multiples of an interesting material. That sometimes is what starts the project. ... Part of me is crazy wild, part of me is very controlled.”
Born in Brooklyn in 1939, and raised in Great Neck, New York, Bentley attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she studied fine art and graduated in 1962 with a bachelor’s degree in history. Over her 60 years as an artist, she has lived in Bologna, Frankfurt, London, Zurich, Santiago, and Caracas, and staged one-person shows in both Europe and the U.S. She has won a number of awards in regional juried shows and had her works featured in both galleries and private collections.
Bentley said she is moved by aesthetics and the complexities of the human condition, creating art that speaks to significant matters felt both personally as well as societally.
"I create art in order to gain some perspective on the world around me, while also trying to retain a sense of humor," said Bentley. "In short, my work can be seen as multi-dimensional social commentary."
Fehlinger worked for 35 years as a television producer in New York City. Yearning to paint, she left her job in 2003 and embarked on a career as an artist.
Represented by a number of galleries and solo shows, from Cape Cod to upstate New York, to Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, Fehlinger and her art have traversed many different landscapes. After relocating to Bridgeport in 2014, she found inspiration in the change of scenery, translating it into her art. She works in her studio at Metro Arts in Black Rock, where she paints or teaches on a daily basis.
Fehlinger’s painting style emphasizes an interest in texture, color, and light. Her tool of choice is a palette knife, which she uses to highlight structure, form, and shadow. Her compositions play with scale, placement, and negative and positive spaces, creating visual interest and an individual style.
“I discovered the palette knife … and found that I could apply paint on a canvas quickly, thickly, and spontaneously,” Fehlinger said. “I loved the textures I could produce with the knife, and I loved no brushes to wash. I am a self-taught artist. I wanted to create a strong sense of place — a familiar but somewhat abstracted place — and then capture it when the light is just right.”
As an artist, Krasno said she is deeply inspired by the magic of jazz music, conveyed through the rich voices, poetic lyrics, and rhythmic performances of artists like Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, and Duke Ellington.
Art and Jazz is a testament to that. The exhibit creates a sensory experience that combines her art with the music that sparked its creation, incorporating a listening component with accompanying QR codes that link to jazz songs and inviting the viewer to listen and take part in Krasno’s inspiration.
"I work to absorb this magic and tell these stories visually by combining torn paper with oil pastels, pencil, and ripped lithograph proofs from my own previous works," Krasno said. "I play with color, shapes, texture, tone, and storytelling to complement the sounds and lyrics of jazz greats in visual expression.”
Krasno’s paper collages been exhibited throughout the country and installed in many permanent collections. She also has published a number of books, including political texts such as The United Nations: Policy and Practice and Banning the Bomb: The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; the recently published Secrets and the Disappeared: A Tale of Brazil; and the mystery novel The Train to Skeleton Coast: A Tale of Murder and the Struggle for Freedom, featuring her own artwork on the cover.
With a BFA from the University of Illinois, an MFA from Stanford University in Art with an emphasis on painting and printmaking, and a PhD in international politics from the City University of New York Graduate Center, Krasno uses her political insights to inform her creative perspectives. As a full-time, tenured lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the City College of New York, as well as a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University, Krasno’s separate avenues of work speak to the power of one’s perspective when translated through a lens of both analytic processes and creative pursuits.
March 29 through June 1
Reception: Thursday, April 10, 6-8 pm, in the Trefz Forum; click here for more information.
(Reception kicks off at 6 pm, followed by a conversation between 5iveFingaz and Miggs Burroughs at 7 pm.)
Click here for more on VersoFest 2025!
In the Sheffer Gallery: Visual Verses
Visual Verses is an immersive art exhibit that merges the expressive power of visual art with the profound impact of language. Each painting in this collection is paired with original phrases crafted to evoke thought, emotion, and reflection. The artwork transcends traditional boundaries, using bold colors and dynamic compositions to amplify the messages embedded within the text. This fusion of imagery and words invites viewers to engage not only with the aesthetics but also with the deeper narratives and meanings behind each piece.
At its core, Visual Verses carries a strong social conscience, addressing themes of justice, equality, and human connection. The text-based elements of the exhibit deliver positive messages meant to inspire, uplift, and provoke meaningful conversations. Through this harmonious blend of art and language, the exhibit aims to spark awareness and foster a sense of community, encouraging viewers to reflect on their role in shaping a more compassionate and just world.
In the South Gallery: Interactive Community Participation Mural
This Interactive Community Participation Mural will be designed by 5ive, with members of the community to help fill it in on Saturday, April 5, from 10 am to 2 pm during the VersoFest 2025 Weekend Kickoff Celebration hosted by 5ive. This exhibit will invite the viewer to participate in the making of the artwork, interacting with the canvas and materials so that both tactile processes and community contribution are as much a part of the piece as the art itself.
In the Jesup Gallery: Graffiti Art Mural
More information regarding scheduled mural participation times and 5ive’s Jesup Gallery exhibit is forthcoming. Stay tuned and join in on the fun at VersoFest 2025!
In addition to his art exhibits, 5iveFingaz will also be leading two back-to-back sessions of his Verso University course Graffiti 101: Finding Your Voice as a Graffiti Artist on Saturday, April 5.
About 5iveFingaz
5iveFingaz is a visionary artist whose work seamlessly bridges the realms of street art, contemporary expression, and social consciousness. Renowned for his distinctive fusion of bold visuals and thought-provoking text, 5iveFingaz crafts pieces that resonate deeply with audiences, challenging them to reflect on both personal experiences and broader societal issues. His signature style often features vibrant colors juxtaposed with powerful, concise phrases that speak directly to the heart of human experience, exploring themes of love, resilience, unity, and justice. Emerging from a background rich in urban culture and creative exploration, 5iveFingaz honed his artistic voice through a unique blend of trained and self-taught techniques and active community engagement. His art transcends traditional canvases, finding life on walls, public spaces, and unconventional surfaces, transforming everyday environments into platforms for inspiration and dialogue. The artist’s work has garnered global attention not only for its striking aesthetic appeal but also for its profound ability to connect with diverse audiences on an intimate level.
At the core of his practice lies the "Love More Than Ever" movement, a heartfelt initiative that underscores the importance of uplifting one another with kindness and understanding. 5iveFingaz’s unwavering commitment to positive messaging and social awareness drives his creative process, with each piece serving as a rallying cry for change. His work urges viewers to reflect on their roles in fostering a more compassionate and equitable world. Through exhibitions, collaborations, and public art projects, he amplifies voices that are often unheard, using art as a powerful tool for empowerment and community building. As his influence continues to grow, 5iveFingaz remains steadfast in his mission to spark meaningful conversations and inspire action, solidifying his place as a transformative figure in the contemporary art scene.
Paul Shaffer (photo courtesy of CBS) and Christine Ohlman
The ability to light up a stage with showmanship and natural charisma is a rare gift. For half a century, Legendary Saturday Night Live performer and David Letterman musical director Paul Shaffer has effortlessly displayed both, translating virtuosity into an improvisational caricature that defined late night television.
On Sunday, April 6, Shaffer will deliver his unique mix of music, comedy, and entertainment to a Westport audience as the featured guest for the VersoFest Oral History Podcast conversation at VersoFest 2025.
The event, sponsored by the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston, will take place at 11 am in the Library’s Trefz Forum and feature an extended conversation as well as Shaffer on piano for a musical performance. Tickets are $25 and available for purchase here.
Shaffer will be joined for the discussion by fellow SNL alum and iconic Beehive Queen Christine Ohlman, who will host the conversation fresh off her appearance at the Library for her annual Winter Dance Party with her band, Rebel Montez.
The Westport Library’s VersoFest is four days of music, media, and creativity, running this year from April 3 to April 6— a forum for media creators, artists, and fans to converge. Previous years have featured a diverse array of local and global talent including hip hop legend Chuck D, established hit-makers Spin Doctors and the Smithereens, up-and-coming bands Sunflower Bean and the Lemon Twigs, rockers Lez Zeppelin, famed producers Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band) and Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex), Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler, the Doors drummer John Densmore, Cramps drummer Miriam Linna, Alice Cooper Group bassist Dennis Dunaway, hip hop originators Tony Crush and Grand Wizzard Theodore, Manic Panic’s Tish and Snooky, and a wide array of authors, photographers, artists, and thought leaders.
For decades, Shaffer and Ohlman have contributed to the lasting legacies of some of America’s quintessential late-night programs. Best known for his 30-plus years as the musical director for David Letterman, both on Late Night with David Letterman and The Late Show with David Letterman, Shaffer’s prominent role skyrocketed him to stardom as the wisecracking maestro sidekick of the show’s titular host. Shaffer’s musical leadership and tongue-in-cheek chemistry with Letterman were cornerstones of the nightly program, evident in Letterman’s praise of Shaffer as a “musical genius.”
Shaffer got his start in musical theater before joining the house band for SNL, where he remained as the show’s keyboardist from 1975 to 1980. To date, he is the only SNLBand member to become a featured performer on the show, working alongside comedy icons like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, and many other celebrated cast members featured in the show’s first five seasons.
Shaffer has recorded a number of albums of his own, including Coast to Coast (1989), The World’s Most Dangerous Party (1993), and Paul Shaffer and the World’s Most Dangerous Band (2017). He wrote the famed 1980s dance hit “It’s Raining Men,” has performed with Diana Ross and Yoko Ono among many others, and has served as the musical director for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony since 1986. He has also appeared in the movies This Is Spinal Tap, Scrooged, and Blues Brothers 2000.
Ohlman has been a featured vocalist with the SNLBand for 31 years, appearing on both the 25th and 40th Anniversary SNLtelecasts. Additionally, she is a VersoFest veteran, having served as a featured guest and moderator at the Library’s past two festivals.
Dedication to preserving the soul in rock n’ roll has been the hallmark of Ohlman’s work. In total, Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez has released six albums to date: The Hard Way (1996), Radio Queen (1997), Wicked Time (2000), Strip (2003), Re-Hive (2008), and The Deep End (2010).
Shaffer and Ohlman share a unique talent that renders their work timeless. The mark of true artistry shows in the enduring soundtracks of countless nights connecting performers to their audience.
In his podcast Reasonably Happy, comedian Paul Ollinger featured Shaffer for a discussion on the deep impressions left by musical artists in listeners’ adolescence and persisting throughout adulthood. Ollinger posed the question: “What is it about the music we hear when we’re awakening that sticks with us?”
Shaffer answered: “These simple three chords of rock ‘n roll sound like the secrets of the world when you’re just hearing them for the first time.”
Daring, incendiary, no-holds-barred. Since his rise to recognition as one of the forerunners of the hardcore punk scene, the words of Henry Rollins have struck a chord with radical thinkers everywhere.
Rollins has held many titles in the past 45 years: singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, producer, radio host, and outspoken frontman for Black Flag and the Rollins Band. On Saturday, April 5, he will be assuming the role of Verso Visionary in a keynote conversation at VersoFest 2025.
The event will be held at 7 pm in The Westport Library's Trefz Forum. Tickets are $35 and available for purchase here.
Moderating the conversation with Rollins is fellow author and musician Nabil Ayers. No stranger to the inner workings of the music industry, Ayers comes from a background of recording and touring globally as a drummer in several bands. He has held the position of president of record label Beggars Group US since 2022.
Ayers also hosts Identified, a podcast about exploring family dynamics, and has contributed to the New York Times, The Guardian, and GQ on topics of family, race, and music. In 2022, he published his memoir My Life in the Sunshine, which explores his journey to connect with his father, jazz musician Roy Ayers.
After achieving international renown with the seminal punk band Black Flag in the early 1980s, Rollins established his own record label and publishing company, 2.13.61, through which he released an array of books and his acclaimed spoken word albums.
Throughout his illustrious career, Rollins has offered an intimate look into his complex mind. His writing spans more than 25 titles, including Get in the Van, his memoir composed of journal entries from his time with Black Flag; the cathartic and brutally honest Solipsist; the raw psyche of Sic; his Black Coffee Blues trilogy, which serves as a cross between poetry anthology, memoir, and travel diary; and many more.
Rollins also has hosted a number of radio shows, including the weekly show he currently hosts on L.A.’s renowned NPR affiliate KCRW. He has also appeared as an actor in TV and movies, including a recurring role in Sons of Anarchy, and has been a columnist and essayist for Stereophile, Rolling Stone Australia, and LA Weekly.
“We couldn’t be more excited to feature Henry Rollins as a vital part of our 2025 VersoFest program,” said Westport Library Director of Programming and Events Alex Giannini. “As a hardcore legend, as well as a tremendously talented writer and pioneer of spoken word, Henry Rollins speaks to both the Library’s and Verso Studios’ shared mission as a cultural hub of inclusive and empowered learning.”
VersoFest 2025 is The Westport Library’s four-day music and media festival and conference taking place Thursday, April 3, through Sunday, April 6. VersoFest provides a forum for media creators, artists, and fans to converge, including panels where experts share their perspective and vision; intimate workshops that provide creators the opportunity to deconstruct, improve, and hone their craft; and performances that entertain and inspire.
Previous years have featured a diverse and eclectic mix of performers and subjects including hip hop legend Chuck D, The Lemon Twigs, Spin Doctors, the Smithereens, Sunflower Bean, Grand Wizzard Theodore (inventor of scratch DJing), producers Steve Lillywhite (U2, Talking Heads, Dave Matthews Band) and Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex), Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs), Dennis Dunaway (Alice Cooper), John Densmore (the Doors), Miriam Linna (Norton Records, Kicks Books, Kicksville Radio), actor/producer Michael Jai White, Little Steven’s TeachRock Foundation, and much more.
In his essay Iron and the Soul, Rollins wrote, “I believe that the definition of definition is reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. Completely.”
This, too, resonates with the philosophy behind VersoFest: be the loudest version of yourself, and within that, embrace true community.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: cheer abounds, snow is in the forecast, and winter is upon us — and with it, The Westport Library’s Winter Reading Challenges for all ages!
There’s nothing better than cozying up with a good book in the colder months, which is exactly why we’ve decided to carry over the momentum from our most successful Adult Summer Reading Challenge to date. This season, take part in our very first Adult Winter Reading Challenge!
Adults don’t get to have all the fun: Kids and their families also will have an opportunity to take advantage of their reading lists this season with our Winter Reading Program for Families.
Whether you’re up to the challenge of checking boxes for all our respective categories over six weeks, or you just want to take your time and dive into a good book, everyone is invited to read along with our vibrant community at The Westport Library this winter.
2024-2025 Adult Winter Reading Challenge
Our very first Adult Winter Reading Challenge started in December and runs through Friday, January 31.
If you’ve participated in our past reading challenges, you’ll be familiar with the rules — and if this is your first time joining us, we're glad to have you!
Inspire your reading with 10 interesting categories. Tackle all of them, just one, or anything in between. The main goal is to enjoy your reading!
There are only two rules:
Once you've finished a book that fits a category, you can submit it through the form on our website. Track your progress on our leaderboard, where you can follow the challenge’s rankings and see what other participants are reading.
You can also dive deeper with your fellow readers by joining our Westport Reading Challenge Facebook Group to discuss books, share recommendations, and stay motivated throughout the challenge.
If you’re on the fence about joining, trust the reviews from our summer participants, who said, "The summer reading program reminded me how much I love to read, and I want to experience this joy every season!"
So, are you up for the challenge this winter? We can't wait to see what you'll read!
Winter Reading Program for Families
From Thursday, January 16, through Sunday, March 16, children and families of all ages are invited to participate in our annual Winter Reading Program.
The objective of this program is simple: read anything, anytime, anywhere, as much as you like!
Reading will be measured in minutes — so every minute you spend reading counts toward your goal. From books, to comics, to magazines, poems, or even the back of a cereal box, read what you like and tally up all your time spent reading for a chance to earn free books!
Register online starting January 16 and get your activity sheet and six fox dot stickers from the Children’s Library to begin your reading journey. You can use these color-coded stickers to contribute to our communal art piece throughout the program. The more you read, the more stickers you’ll receive, with everyone’s stickers merging to create a beautiful picture to enjoy in the Library this winter!
Keep track of your minutes read and make sure to log them online throughout the season. Every 50 minutes spent reading will earn participants an additional six stickers. You can also earn a book of your choosing from our prize cart selection by reading a total of 500 minutes or completing all 10 activities on your activity sheet.
Most importantly, read what you enjoy — you might find your new favorite book!
While the rest of the world turns over a new leaf, the start of 2025 marks the halfway point of the school year. New Year’s celebrations give way to study sessions and project planning, a daunting prospect for many students — which is why The Westport Library remains committed to facilitating a welcoming, conducive space for teens during midterm season.
The Library will be opening early at 10 am on back-to-back Sundays, January 5 and January 12, exclusively for high school students preparing for midterm exams and projects. Snacks and hot chocolate will be available for students to enjoy while they work.
Students must show their Schoology account or student ID to enter. Traditional library services, such as book checkout and tech help, will not be available during this time.
Doors will close at 12:30 pm for the Library to prepare for regularly scheduled opening. Any students in the building before 12:30 pm will be able to stay in the building until doors open for the general public at 1 pm.
Please note: On Sunday, January 12, the Library will be open in the morning but the Trefz Forum will not be accessible, as the Library prepares for an afternoon program.
“Teens are always welcome here, and we’re happy to have them,” said Jeanmarie Ryan, teen services librarian at The Westport Library. “We focus our efforts on providing a productive space for high school students all year round, but especially during a time when their studies take precedence.”
In addition to the early Sunday hours, the Library will also be offering students a chance to de-stress with therapy dogs (on Tuesday, January 7). These lovable companions are known to reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, and bring a sense of comfort and joy, making them the perfect remedy for a stressful day. Relax, recharge, and return to your studies refreshed and ready to go!
From left to right: Alchemy of Light by Claudia Mengel, Westport Skies by Jason Pritchard, and Journeys in Collage by Christine Timmons
Art is as much an amorphous sensation as it is a tangible form, inspiring highly individual experiences that transcend the boundaries of medium. This winter, The Westport Library aims to invoke such feelings with its three new art exhibits running from December 14, 2024, to February 4, 2025, in the Library’s Sheffer, South, and Jesup Galleries.
The Sheffer Gallery brings the idea of transcendence to life with Claudia Mengel’s Alchemy of Light, a series of paintings inspired by the essential mysticism at the heart of alchemy’s expression in the Middle Ages.
With its intention of turning metal into gold, alchemy was as equally associated with chemical experimentation, as it was with the spiritual belief in ultimate transformation. Thus, the viewer is invited to lend their own voice to the collection’s broader narrative by offering both an initial reaction to the individual works, including paintings New Beginnings and Moving Into Stillness, as well as the group as a whole. Only then can the viewer see the “gold” in this transformation, thanks to the artist’s role as alchemist.
Alchemy of Light epitomizes this duality with washes of pastels, layers of impasto, and the occasional collage, physically creating and capturing light on the surface, as well as in the eye of the beholder. Their patterns and textures create relationships that bring an energy — and perhaps even a magic — to the narrative they impart.
An opening reception will celebrate Mengel’s work on December 18 at 6 pm, followed by a conversation between Mengel and Miggs Burroughs at 7 pm.
Claudia Mengel with her painting, New Beginnings
In the South Gallery, Jason Pritchard’s Westport Skies exhibits a sense of connection, weaving together a collective narrative among this season’s three artists that echoes their individual understanding of the world and the environments from which they draw inspiration.
Using the medium of oil and the practice of en plein air painting to capture atmospheric coastal scenes, Pritchard's work serves as a love letter to his New England home. He creates with the intention of illustrating a sense of space and connection to the region’s landscape, evident in his paintings Compo Beach and Riverside Park — which invite viewers to connect to their own experiences.
"It’s important for me to visit the location to access the feeling of what it’s about to help replicate my sense of reaction back onto the canvas," Pritchard said. "Few things make me happier than taking a nice long walk along a beach, hearing the sound of the tide crashing nearby as I explore both physically, then later in my mind’s eye, the thoughts of my experience back into my painting. I embrace the process of unpacking those memories and calibrating the colors, the shifting light, and the changing weather as elements back in my studio. These variables prompt the brush movements, hues, and tones I enlist, which are often wrapped under an impressionistic skyline, intended to heighten the mood of my paintings further."
Pritchard will showcase his exhibit, along with fellow artist Christine Timmons, at their shared reception on January 9 at 6 pm, followed by an artist conversation with Pritchard, Timmons, and Burroughs at 7 pm.
Riverside Park by Jason Pritchard
Timmons’ Journeys in Collage, in the Jesup Gallery, offers a different approach to the enigmatic quality of art, with pieces like Evita’s Eyes and Cornell-ish Box. Both works exhibit mixed-media collage composed of materials such as various papers, vintage buttons, dead leaves, wire, and ticket stubs on wood panels.
Stemming from a lifelong interest and involvement with art, craft, textiles, design, and an enjoyment of working with her hands, Timmons began learning to work with encaustics (pigmented hot wax), which contain a "mysterious quality" that both intrigues her and informs her art.
"I love getting past the initial uncertainty of beginning a new piece and gradually discovering a path through the labyrinth of building a collage," Timmons said. "While working on a piece, I'm always looking for a visual tension and harmony among the elements ― many of them pieces torn from my trove of old monoprints and papers that I've painted."
The layers of each exhibit give their respective works a rich philosophy that colors not only the art itself, but the experience of the viewer as well. Observe and indulge in The Westport Library’s art exhibits this winter season and pose the question: What feelings do these works inspire in you?
Cornell-ish Box by Christine Timmons
Students are invited to participate in The Westport Garden Club's 2025 Youth Poetry Contest, presented in partnership with the Westport Arts Advisory Committee, Westport Poet Laureate Donna Disch, and The Westport Library.
The contest is affiliated with the National Garden Club’s Youth Poetry Contest and enables youth to embrace their creativity through the art of writing.
The theme for the 2025 competition is: “My Garden Has Vegetables to Spare That I Can Share – Helping Fight Hunger by Sharing Vegetables from Our Garden."
***
Who Can Enter:
-Students in kindergarten through ninth grade.
- Including public and private schools, home-schooled students, special education, English as a Second Language, and general education students.
***
Guidelines for Entries:
- All entries must be typed and titled.
- Include the participant's name, address, age, grade, and school on the back of the entry and the preferred email address for correspondence.
- All entries become the property of National Garden Clubs, Inc.
- Poems do not have to rhyme.
- Poems may be traditional verse, acrostics, blank verse, cinquains, diamond poems, limericks, or Haiku.
- The theme should not be used as the title of any poetry. (When judging, the title is worth 10 points.)
- Poems should be submitted by email to: westportctgardenclub@gmail.com by January 10, 2025.
***
Scale of Points
Title: 10%
Content: 40%
Creativity: 30%
Style: 20%
Total: 100%
***
Entries are due by January 10, 2025. The poems selected by a jury committee will then be submitted to the regional organization, New England Garden Clubs, for another round of judging. The region's final selections will then be submitted for National Garden Club Awards, where winning entries will be compiled into a booklet and made available to the winners.
Locally, poets will be invited to read from their work at a library event, open to the public to celebrate poetry in April 2025.
To view the 2024 winning entries, click here.
Among other storytelling mediums, books offer an extraordinary immersive experience, comparable to the joy of traveling to a new destination or engaging with a friend. Despite the solitude of reading, the act of getting lost in a good book is an enduring force of imagination that brings communities together to discuss, debate, and delight in its wonder.
In the Distance by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hernan Díaz isn’t just a good book, it’s a great book — and even better than that, it is the WestportREADS 2025 book selection.
The Westport Library is thrilled to announce this year’s selection and even more excited to welcome Diaz to the Trefz Forum on Thursday, February 13, for a conversation about his first novel, the story of a poor Swedish immigrant’s transformation into a legendary outlaw in the American West.
Limited copies of the book are available for borrowing now, with the full allotment of volumes arriving Friday, December 13. In the Distance is also available as a digital copy (e-book).
Part book club, part reading challenge — and more than anything, a season of literary revelry brought to life by the Library’s dynamic happenings — WestportREADS is a special community experience that is entirely its own. Created in 2002, this landmark event serves as an occasion to bond over a great book and is designed to deepen our community’s engagement in literature throughout Westport and across Fairfield County.
Each winter brings a new WestportREADS book selection, with unique events and programs that connect readers to the story — and each other — in thematically captivating ways. Throughout January and February, get ready to head out west and experience an unconventional hero’s journey in the age of the Gold Rush with book discussions, crafts for all ages, and other immersive events centered around In the Distance.
A lecture led by U.S. historian Kris Klein Hernández kicks off the WestportREADS festivities on Thursday, January 16, followed by a film series screening First Cow (2019), The Gold Rush (1925), and Meek’s Cutoff (2010) on Fridays, January 17 and 24, and February 7, respectively.
Discussion groups are recurring throughout January and February, with a Book Pub at Walrus Alley on February 4 offering a chance to meet new people, form connections, and unite in our shared love of reading. Take this opportunity to not only read a great book, but to engage with your community as well.
In the Distance was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award and the winner of the Saroyan International Prize, the Cabell Award, the Prix Page America, and the New American Voices Award, among other distinctions. It was also a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Book of the Year and one of Lit Hub’s 20 Best Novels of the Decade.
Much like his own journey growing up between Argentina and Sweden, and later settling down in New York, Díaz intended to subvert traditional stereotypes and story structures within the western genre.
Håkan Söderström, In the Distance’s protagonist, travels east in search of his brother, moving on foot against the great current of emigrants pushing west. Driven back again and again, he meets naturalists, criminals, religious fanatics, swindlers, Indians, and lawmen, and his exploits turn him into a legend. In the Distance defies the conventions of historical fiction and genre, offering a probing look at the stereotypes that populate our past and a portrait of radical foreignness.
Diaz told The Paris Review, "The experience of foreignness has determined my entire life. I wanted to recreate that feeling. In doing so, I tried to transcend the obvious fact that the protagonist is a foreigner. I tried to make genre and even language itself feel foreign. But at the same time, this is a very American story, which makes us remember that foreignness is part of the American experience to begin with ... I couldn’t think of a better way to say what I think about this country — which I love despite its enormous flaws — than through this book."
Past WestportREADS selections include The Art Thief by Michael Finkel, Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, Towards a More Perfect Union: Confronting Racism by Layla Saad, and Exit West by Moshin Hamid, among others.
For more past WestportREADS selections, and to learn more about the annual event, visit the WestportREADS homepage on The Westport Library website.
WestportREADS is supported through a generous bequest by the estate of Jerry A. Tishman.
