Experience nature, memory, abstraction, and form through a uniquely personal lens with three new art exhibits currently on display at The Westport Library now through October 5.
Closing out the summer are Steve Moen’s Circling Back in the Library’s Sheffer Gallery, Tom Kretsch’s A Symphony of Color in the South Gallery, and Linn Cassetta’s Eggcentric in the Jesup Gallery. True to the experiences that have shaped each artist, these works are connected through their shared narrative themes and artistic processes.
Each exhibit will have an accompanying reception and artist conversation with Miggs Burroughs. Moen’s reception will take place on Wednesday, August 13; Kretsch’s will take place on Wednesday, August 27; and Cassetta’s will take place on Wednesday, September 17. Each reception will take place from 6 to 7 pm, with the accompanying conversation running from 7 to 8 pm.
For Moen, painting is a process of returning — both to physical places and emotional landscapes. Circling Back began with visits back to Westport, where Moen's childhood memories live in the tidal marshes and the rocks and boulders along the shore.
Each piece starts with small studies created on-site — watercolors, quick oils on tin flashing, or digital sketches on an iPhone — then evolves in the studio into larger works. Color perception, memory, and emotion guide the process. Poetry, especially haiku, often plays a quiet role, offering focus and emotional resonance.
Moen considers painting a problem-solving adventure, one that engages both intellect and emotion. Each piece, large or small, finds its own path to completion, however long that may take. Over days or weeks, a dialogue unfolds between poem and image.
"I begin with intuition, follow with exploration, and embrace the challenge of making something both thoughtful and felt,” Moen said. “In the end, I aim for a painting where composition and color speak deeply to the viewer."
Kretsch captures the quiet poetry of the land and sea and places in-between. From misty harbors, sun-drenched porches, abandoned structures on the plains, and old barns that ooze with texture, his compositions often feel like memories: soft, still, and filled with a sense of place.
With a painter’s eye for light and balance, Kretsch brings an artful calm to everyday scenes, making the ordinary extraordinary. This soulful serenity is highlighted in A Symphony of Color.
Kretsch’s background as an educator and lifelong traveler informs his ability to see beauty in the simple and the small. Peaceful environments shine through his work — particularly in his two published books On the Road, Five Visions and Touching Maine. The latter was a labor of love, with essays and photographs made over a 10-year span from visits to the coast of Maine.
Kretsch is active in outdoor art festivals throughout the area, with awards from numerous shows, including the Bruce Museum Show, The Brunswick Arts Festival, and the Wilton Library Annual Photography Show. His work has been featured in projects by Sloane Kettering Hospital, Morgan Stanley, and locally in Rizzuto’s Restaurant, as well as at The Nylen Gallery in Westport and Frame & Save in Fairfield and Norwalk.
“It is a great honor to have been given a chance to share my work here in this beautiful library,” Kretsch said. “Our family has lived in this vibrant town for just over 50 years, and it has truly been a sweet, special sanctuary to call home."
Eggs are represented in every piece of art Cassetta makes, culminating in Eggcentric. Her connection to eggs goes back to some of her earliest experiences as a young girl in western Pennsylvania, where she spent her days wandering in the woods, drawing organic forms of nature, and finding feathers, broken eggs, and nests.
"At my aunt's chicken farm, I'd sit for hours, mesmerized by the eggs going down the conveyor belt, enchanted by their perfection, enchanted by the calm I felt." Cassetta said. "As a structure, it has magical qualities. A shape and form that has existed forever, it represents beginnings, hope, and perpetuity. An egg equals creation, simultaneously strong and fragile."
After receiving her BFA with honors from the Rhode Island School of Design, Cassetta became the first American accepted to the fashion department at the Royal College of Art in London, where she earned her MA.
In the first chapter of her career, Cassetta became an established figure in apparel and footwear design. At 25, she launched her own highly acclaimed apparel label Linn Callahan Designs. Later in her career, she refocused her talent on interior design, decorative and tromp l'oeil painting, and tabletop design. Her work has been featured in Martha Stewart's book, New Old House, among others.
From her work on the first Calvin Klein shoe collection, her own apparel collection in Saks Fifth Avenue, an earthenware collection for Deruta of Italy, and her restoration of a 1900s French style villa featured in numerous publications including House Beautiful and Connecticut Cottages and Gardens, Cassetta’s wide range of interdisciplinary art transcends boundaries.
In 2021, Verso Studios, the media arm of The Westport Library, kicked off its Crew Call program to give community members the opportunity to be trained in live, hands-on video production.
Just four short years later, they’re already bringing home hardware.
Crew Call was recently honored with four Telly Awards, earning three silvers and one bronze in the general-student category for its production of Library events.
The Telly Awards showcase the best work created within television and across video, for all screens, encompassing efforts from advertising agencies, television stations, production companies, and publishers from around the world. The awards recognize work that has been created on behalf of a client, for a specific brand and/or company, or self-directed as a creative endeavor. There are more than 13,000 entries annually for the Telly Awards, from six continents and all 50 states.
The silver medals were awarded for “Read to Grow: 25 Years of Building Literacy from Birth”; “Andrew Wilk Presents, The Westport Library Medical Series Part III: Cardiac Valve Disease”; and “The Night a Library Got Stoned,” which celebrated Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards receiving the Governor’s Award of Excellence at The Westport Library.
The bronze medal was awarded for “BOOKED for the evening with Billie Jean King.”
Crew Call began as a six-week training course led by Emmy Award-winning Verso Studios Video Producer David Bibbey. The idea was to train the Crew Call community members in a live, hands-on environment, recording and editing the programming and events produced on the Library’s Trefz Forum stage and occasionally on location.
“Our mission is to create content for the community, by the community, and share it with the world,” Bibbey said.
The Crew Call program welcomes community participants from all levels of experience and age, with participants currently ranging from 14 to 80. Complimented by a world-class programing department and audio recording team, an ever-growing number of its participants have weekly opportunities for hands-on training in production.
“Having just come back from the US Open and then working and being trained as crew for an event featuring Billie Jean King, I mean, hello, who gets to do that?!” said Eva Slossberg, a Crew Call high school student.
Said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer: “Crew Call is an absolute success in every way. It fulfills a critical component of our mission as a library by offering hands-on training and practical skills, and it engages our community members in an actionable way. Crew Call is such an important part of making our in-person and online experiences first-rate. We absolutely couldn’t do what we do without their great work.”
Although there are occasional off-site video production training activities, Verso Studios training is primarily for video production of live, on-stage events.
“The program is an opportunity for teens to seniors to gain real-world experience in video recording and live production in a real Broadcast Control Room setting,” said Bibbey.
Those looking to learn more and/or are interested in joining Crew Call can express interest by filling out this online form.
For his new podcast with Verso Studios at The Westport Library, groundbreaking journalist Jay Schadler set out to tell the stories of Westporters’ life transitions — each podcast focusing on a different story, with Schadler serving as the interviewer and a town resident as the guest.
The result was something special, five intimate interviews with a range of community members at all stages of their lives.
All five episodes are now available for listening on the Verso Studios podcast page, via the Turning Point webpage, and through regular podcast distributors such as Spotify, Apple, and Amazon.
“Turning Point is dedicated to capturing and sharing the impactful stories of Westporters,” said Schadler, a two-time Emmy Award winner and a seven-time nominee. “These interviews will delve into the unique experiences of the remarkable people who compose this remarkable town, offering valuable insights and wisdom derived from their life transitions. The shared narratives will serve as guiding beacons for others facing similar milestones.”
Schadler is a journalist, photographer, and artist. For more than three decades, he traveled the world as a correspondent and anchor for ABC News, 20/20, Nightline, Good Morning America, National Geographic TV, and others, and his work has also been featured on Bravo and Discovery. He was honored with an Emmy for Best Investigative Journalism (Network News Magazine) and Best Feature Hour (Network News Magazines), in addition to winning the National Environmental Media Award.
In the five episodes of Turning Point Season 1, he explores living a life with no memory with Doug and Patti Brill, the grief of loss and the gift of love with Jenny and Anthony Capalbo, a new heart and a new life with Gerardo Lambert, turning tragedy into legacy with Jim Kudzo, and exploring talent and opportunity with Andrew Wilk. Each is as memorable as it is unique.
“These five episodes are some of the most moving and captivating we’ve ever recorded at Verso Studios,” said Verso Studios Audio Producer Travis Bell. “Jay is a master storyteller, and in this series, he’s truly discovered unforgettable stories to tell.”
Verso Studios is the media arm of The Westport Library. The Library created the Verso Studios Community Producer Partnership initiative in keeping with the studio’s mission to produce content with the community.
To learn more about Verso Studios’ mission and offerings, visit the Verso Studios page on the Library website.
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Schadler is also looking to expand the podcast in Season 2. To be considered as a guest for the series, please fill out the form below. Completing it should take 5-10 minutes. Those selected will then be contacted, with a goal of scheduling the podcast interviews later this year.
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BOOKED for the evening, The Westport Library’s signature fundraising event, will celebrate its 26th edition this fall by welcoming Emmy Award-winning actor, producer, publisher, and businesswoman Sarah Jessica Parker.
Parker will be honored in the Library’s Trefz Forum on Wednesday, September 10.
Tickets for the event will go on sale to the public on Tuesday, August 12, at 10 am. Sponsorship opportunities are available now on the BOOKED for the evening page or by contacting Development Director Robin Powell at [email protected].
“Sarah Jessica Parker is not only an esteemed actor and successful producer. She is also a powerful voice speaking about the importance of reading and of literature, and the important role that libraries play as American civic institutions,” said Bill Harmer, The Westport Library’s executive director. “We could not possibly be more delighted to have her coming to the Library, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce her to all her fans and admirers in Westport.”
BOOKED for the evening annually honors an individual whose work reflects the purpose of the Library: to nurture a love of learning and to enhance our understanding of the world.
Previous award recipients include 2024 guest of honor Billie Jean King, as well as luminaries such as Tom Brokaw, E.L. Doctorow, Calvin Trillin, Wendy Wasserstein, Pete Hamill, Martin Scorsese, Arthur Mitchell, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Halberstam, Oscar Hijuelos, Adam Gopnik, Will Shortz, Patti Smith, Barry Levinson, Jon Meacham, Nile Rodgers, Lynsey Addario, Ron Chernow, Alan Alda, Justin Paul, Frederic Chiu, Itzhak Perlman, Shonda Rhimes, and Laura Linney.
Parker, a notable advocate for literature and libraries, has built a distinguished career both as an entertainer and champion of the written word. In 2023, she launched SJP Lit, a literary imprint focused on underrepresented voices, and she previously served as editorial director for SJP for Hogarth. She currently serves as a judge for the Booker Prize and received the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award earlier this year.
Her commitment to literature extends beyond publishing. Parker has served as honorary chair of the American Library Association’s Central Book Club and as a board member of United for Libraries. She also executive produced The Librarians, a film about the fight against book bans which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
“Reading fiction is the gateway to other cultures, traditions, smells, sounds, personal triumphs, and disappointments,” Parker said. “It is the transport to empathy, compassion, and greater understanding of lives wonderfully different from my own.”
As an actor, Parker has won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy Awards. She currently stars as Carrie Bradshaw in the HBO series And Just Like That, the acclaimed revival of Sex and the City. Her film credits include L.A. Story, The Family Stone, Honeymoon in Vegas, State and Main, Ed Wood, and Footloose. Through her production company, Pretty Matches Productions, she developed HBO’s Divorce, in which she starred for three seasons and received a Golden Globe nomination.
Parker has also maintained a strong presence in theater since 1976, when she debuted on Broadway in The Innocents. She most recently starred opposite Matthew Broderick in the revival of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite, earning a nomination for Best Actress at the 2024 Olivier Awards.
Through her literary work, Parker has championed diverse voices and stories. SJP Lit’s recent titles include They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar, Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski, A Quitter’s Paradise by Elysha Chang, and Coleman Hill by Kim Coleman Foote. With SJP for Hogarth, Parker published A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza, Golden Child by Claire Adam, and Dawn by Selahattin Demirtas.
Throughout Parker’s work, her advocacy for intellectual freedom and library access has been unwavering.
“To censor a book is to limit imagination, curiosity, connection, empathy and inspiration,” she said during her PEN America Gala acceptance speech. “Libraries aren’t just buildings with shelves. They are a beacon. They are warm in the winter and cool in summer, and they are sanctuaries of possibility. They are a heartbeat of the neighborhood.”
In addition to her career, advocacy, and literary work, Parker served on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities during the Obama administration and is currently vice chairman of the board of directors for the New York City Ballet.
A new fiscal year means new members for The Westport Library Board of Trustees, with Christy Charise, James Corgel, Darcy Travlos, and Ashley Zwick all joining the board for the 2025-26 term.
There is also a new face at the helm, with current Board of Trustees Senior Vice President Robert Boroujerdi succeeding Pat Wieser as the board’s president. Wieser will remain on the board as a member, and Krishna Patel will succeed Boroujerdi as senior vice president.
The other officers for the 2025-26 term are Treasurer Ben Chan, Secretary Sheri Gordon, Finance Committee Chair Scott Bennewitz, Governance and Nominations Committee Chair Martina Sze, and Development Committee Chair Mark Silverstein.
The Westport Library’s upcoming fiscal year runs July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
Boroujerdi is a former Partner at Goldman Sachs and later joined Third Point LLC, an institutional asset manager, as the head of markets. He is an active investor and advisor across public and private markets. He and his family live in Westport.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have such a remarkable library at the heart of our town,” Boroujerdi said. “Alongside my fellow board members, I’m honored to help steward this shared resource — a gift we all benefit from and help shape. The Library truly stands as a reflection of our community itself: curious, welcoming, and always learning.”
Those cycling off the board are longtime contributors Andrea Berkely, Randy Herbertson, Celeste La Croix, Jay Norris, and Andrew Wilk.
“We look forward to the new ideas and energy that we know this outstanding group of new board members will bring, but we’ll of course miss seeing our longtime board members at our regular meetings,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “The great news is that they’ll stay on as patrons and volunteers, and we look forward to working with everyone — new and old — for this coming term and in the many years to come.”
Here’s a closer look at the board’s newest members:
Christy Charise started her career at Goldman Sachs, leaving to pursue her MBA at Cornell, where she was selected as one of 26 Park Leadership fellows in her business school class (a fellowship recognizing professional and academic excellence). After completing her MBA, Charise joined Bain & Co. as a strategy consultant in their New York office, spending time in both the general practice and their private equity group. She subsequently joined the Connecticut-based boutique consultancy Casey Quirk, focusing on strategy work for public and private asset managers and hedge funds. In 2009, Charise and her husband co-founded Saugatuck Financial, where she led the daily operations and growth initiatives for more than a decade. She continues to lead various aspects of the practice, including business development, marketing, and strategic initiatives.
Charise holds a BS from Cornell and an MBA from the Johnson School at Cornell. She loves living in Westport with her husband, Justin, and two children, Austin and Ashley. Aside from spending time with family and friends and their two mini-goldendoodles (Pineapple and Bailey), Charise loves traveling, cooking, and a good cup of coffee.
James Corgel is an experienced business executive who has been involved with several nonprofits in leadership and team roles since his retirement. His focus has largely been education, management excellence, and career development. Corgel retired in 2013 after an extensive career at the IBM Corporation, where he served in a number of key general manager roles with global responsibility. He was appointed a member of IBM's Integration and Values team in 1997, a senior management group responsible for strategy implementation.
Corgel graduated from Notre Dame in 1973 and earned his MBA from the university in 1975. He is a member of the University of Notre Dame Advisory Councils and a board member of the Graduate Studies and Research Advisory Council. He also was named chairman of the Undergraduate Experience Advisory Council and continues to serve on the board. In addition, Corgel is a board member of Earthplace, serving as board chairman from 2020 to 2022, and was a board member of the American Management Association from 2003 to 2013. Corgel and his wife, Chris, have lived in Westport for more than 35 years.
Darcy Travlos is a capital markets specialist, investor, and entrepreneur with deep experience across technology, media, industrial, and consumer sectors. A former investment banker and equity research analyst, she has advised more than 200 companies and led more than 70 technology and consumer-related transactions. She was one of the most-read contributors to Forbes.com and has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business, and national radio. Her forward-thinking work in digital media was featured in The Economist, and she is widely recognized for identifying early investment opportunities in transformational technologies.
Travlos holds an MBA in finance from The Wharton School at Penn and a BA in economics from Brown, where she received the Financial Executives Award for academic achievement and the Brown Bear Award, the university’s highest volunteer honor for outstanding personal service. She has served on Brown’s board of governors, the Brown Club of Fairfield County, the Fairfield Theater Company board, and the Greater Philadelphia Venture Group. Travlos moved to Westport in 2000 with her daughter and now lives with her black labrador, Robert. She is also a member of the Library’s Verso advisory board and enjoys travel, tennis, and long walks with Robert.
Ashley Zwick has more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and education sectors. She currently serves as the executive director of the Tuck Initiative on Workplace Inclusion at Dartmouth and teaches courses on social impact at NYU. As a strategist and connector, Zwick is driven by a passion for solving big problems and creating opportunities that empower as many people as possible to lead lives of abundance. In every role she holds, her focus is on building inclusive teams and people-centered organizations to create a more just world.
When Zwick moved to Westport in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, she had one non-negotiable: to live within walking distance of The Westport Library. Fortunately, she and her family of passionate readers found a home on Evergreen Avenue — and to this day, the Library remains her favorite part of living in Westport.
L to R: Olufunke Grace Bankole, Nicole Cuffy, and Jennifer Haigh
The Edge of Water by Olufunke Grace Bankole, O Sinners by Nicole Cuffy, and Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh are the finalists for the 2025 Westport Prize for Literature, awarded annually to honor an original work of literary fiction that is both relevant and timeless.
This year’s winner will be announced in late summer/early fall and honored at The Westport Library on Thursday, November 6. The conversation with the winning author will be moderated by The Yale Review editor Meghan O’Rourke.
This is the third year for the $10,000 prize, whose inaugural grant was awarded in 2023 to renowned novelist Zadie Smith for The Fraud, which was named as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and The Independent. The 2024 recipient was Alejandro Puyana, honored for his acclaimed debut novel, Freedom is a Feast.
The Edge of Water is the first novel for Bankole, the Nigerian American writer and Harvard Law School graduate whose work has appeared in various literary journals, including Ploughshares, Glimmer Train Stories, AGNI, Michigan Quarterly Review, New Letters, The Antioch Review, and Stand magazine. She won the first-place prize in the Glimmer Train Short-Story Award for New Writers and was the Bread Loaf-Rona Jaffe Scholar in Fiction at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.
Prior to O Sinners, Cuffy wrote Dances, which was longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. Cuffy, who has an MFA from The New School and is a lecturer at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University, has also been published in the New England Review; The Masters Review, Volume VI (curated by StoryFest 2024 keynote speaker Roxane Gay); Chautauqua; and Blue Mesa Review.
Haigh is the author of seven best-selling works of fiction. Her first, Mrs. Kimble, won the PEN Hemingway Award for debut fiction, and her book prior to Rabbit Moon, Mercy Street, was named a Best Book of 2022 by The New Yorker and won the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. Haigh is a Guggenheim fellow and graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
“Once again this year the community response to this project has been fantastic!” said Candice Savin, chair of the Westport Prize for Literature steering committee. “I am so pleased with the quality of the submissions this year. The prize is attracting impressive literary talent. No doubt the winner in conversation with Meghan O’Rourke on November 6 will be a very special evening at The Westport Library.”
Submissions for the 2025 prize were read and vetted by a team of volunteer readers — numbering nearly 50 for this year — with the best-reviewed manuscripts advancing to the jury that will select this year’s winner.
The jurors for 2025 are playwright and author Tommy Greenwald, book blogger and aggregator Suzanne Leopold, publishing industry veteran Erica Melnichok, The Lifeboat author Charlotte Rogan, and nonfiction writer and former Book of the Month Club judge Nina Sankovitch.
The Edge of Water by Olufunke Grace Bankole
In Ibadan, Nigeria, a mother receives a divination that foretells danger for her daughter in America. In spite of this warning, she allows her to forge her own path, and Amina arrives in New Orleans filled with hope. But just as Amina begins to find her way, a hurricane threatens to destroy the city, upending everything she’d dreamed of and the lives of all she holds dear. Years later, her daughter is left with questions about the mother she barely knew, and the family she has yet to discover in Nigeria.
“An artfully constructed, beautifully told, and utterly moving book. A thrilling debut.” —Jami Attenberg, author of A Reason to See You Again
O Sinners by Nicole Cuffy
Faruq Zaidi, a young journalist processing the recent death of his father, a devout Muslim, takes the opportunity to embed himself in a cult known only as “the nameless,” because its members refused to label themselves. Based in the California redwoods and shepherded by an enigmatic Vietnam War veteran named Odo, “the nameless” adhere to the 18 Utterances, including teachings such as “all suffering is distortion” and “see only beauty.” Faruq, skeptical but committed to unraveling the mystery of “the nameless,” extends his stay over months, as he gets deeper into the cult’s inner workings and alluring teachings. But as he gets closer to Odo, Faruq himself begins to unravel, forced to come to terms with the memories he has been running from while trying to resist Odo’s spell.
“A gorgeously written literary excavation of belonging and belief.” —Emma Donoghue, The Boston Globe
Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh
Four years after their bitter divorce, Claire and Aaron Litvak get a phone call no parent is prepared for: their 22-year-old daughter Lindsey, teaching English in China during a college gap year, has been critically injured in a hit and run accident. At a Shanghai hospital they wait at her bedside, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. The accident unearths a deeper fissure in the family: the shocking event that ended the Litvaks’ marriage and turned Lindsey against them. Estranged from her parents, she has confided only in her younger sister, Grace, adopted as an infant from China. As Claire and Aaron struggle to get their bearings in bustling, cosmopolitan Shanghai, the newly prosperous “miracle city,” they face troubling questions about Lindsey’s life there, in which nothing is quite as it seems.
“Capturing both the possibilities of reinvention and the scars carried from a traumatic past, Haigh's searing novel examines the interplay between choice and chance.” —Booklist
Friday, June 27; Doors/DJ (Tim “Journeys by DJ” Fielding): 6 pm; Show: 7:30 pm
From honoring the legendary Keith Richards in March, to breaking the record for World’s Loudest Library during four unforgettable days of VersoFest 2025 in April, The Westport Library has had a rockin’ spring season.
Now, Verso Studios and DinkinEsh Presents are kicking off the summer with Mystic Bowie's Talking Dreads for a can’t-miss Reggae Dance Party on Friday, June 27.
The show will take place in the Library’s Trefz Forum. Doors open at 6 pm, featuring a live DJ set from Tim “Journeys by DJ” Fielding to get the groove going. Mystic will take the stage at 7:30 pm. Tickets are priced at $37.50 and are available for purchase here.
Prepare to hit the dance floor with classic Talking Heads songs reimagined through the pulse of roots reggae, ska, and lover’s rock. Not your typical cover band, Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads’ infectious island rhythms transform new wave anthems like “Psycho Killer” and “Burning Down the House” into funky Caribbean bangers — applauded by Chris Frantz, drummer for Talking Heads, as “a total home run!”
Known as the “Head Dread” of the Talking Dreads, lead singer Mystic Bowie traces his passion for the Talking Heads back to his early days performing at hotels in Jamaica, when he heard “Wild Wild Life.” In 1996, he joined Tom Tom Club, the side project of Talking Heads’ founding members — and Fairfield County residents — Frantz and Tina Weymouth. For nearly 20 years, he performed alongside them on vocals, making an appearance on their 2000 album The Good, the Bad, and the Funky.
Since debuting the Talking Dreads in 2015, Mystic has performed across North America, dazzling longtime Talking Heads fans and winning new ones along the way.
“Talking Dreads is much more than a cover band,” Mystic said. “I am very much drawing on my own musical culture and history to make these amazing songs my own, while at the same time preserving the integrity of the Talking Heads songs. I’ve always felt that reggae’s dance-inspiring, feel-good vibe is universal, as are many of the band’s songs.”
The Talking Dreads debut features an amazing lineup of legendary reggae figures, including singer Freddie McGregor, whose recording career dates back to his 1980 album Bobby Bobylon; ska guitar master Ernest Ranglin, who has worked with Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and Monty Alexander; singer and Soul Train Award nominee Tarrus Riley; and saxophonist Dean Fraser. The sole non-Jamaican featured in their debut ensemble is Cindy Wilson of the B-52s, harkening back to the new wave heyday in a dreamy, soulful rendition of “Heaven.”
“Talking Dreads’ sound is tight,” applauded Frantz. “We had a blast the night of the show and we walked away with a definite bounce in our step.”
In their first single off their 1979 album Fear of Music, “Life During Wartime,” the Talking Heads declared, “This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco” — but with Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads, it absolutely is.
Starting that party will be ace DJ Tim “Journeys by DJ” Fielding, who opened for Gang of Four during VersoFest 2025. A graduate of the Balearic school of DJing, Fielding is one of the key figures behind two of London’s most storied clubs: The Brain and The End. The founder of Brainiak Records (which released the world’s first album of live electronica bands, Live at the Brain) and of seminal imprint Journeys by DJ (the first legit series of DJ-mix CDs), Fielding produced legendary works by DJs including John Digweed, Paul Oakenfold, Farley & Heller, Coldcut, and Gilles Peterson, reflecting his own eclectic taste and broad range in music.
“I tend to play the smaller rooms,” said Fielding, “but they are usually packed with smiling faces, and people who are seriously getting down.”
The Artists Collective of Westport will explore the inner world of physical, metaphysical, and emotional spaces through the visual arts with an all-member show at The Westport Library this summer.
The Artists Collective of Westport’s two-part exhibition will encompass all three of the Library’s galleries — Interiors: A Look Inside in the Sheffer Gallery and South Gallery, and Piece by Piece in the Jesup Gallery.
The two exhibits will open Friday, June 6, and run through Tuesday, July 29, with the artist’s reception and reveal of Piece by Piece to be held on Friday, June 6, from 6 to 8 pm.
For Interiors, each of the Artists Collective members were invited to display a work in the medium of their choice that explores what “interiors” means to them. Contributors this year include Bonnie Edelman, Lynn Carlson, Peggy Dembicer, and Ros Shaffer, as well as Norm Siegel, Suzanne Benton, Julie Leff, Diane Pollack, Miggs Burroughs, Kat Evans, Niki Ketchman, and more.
Piece by Piece is a 6-foot by 8-foot art installation composed of the work of 48 Artists Collective members. Each artist received a 12-inch by 12-inch blank panel along with a 12-inch square section randomly selected from a well-known modern painting. The artists created their individual piece, replicating a part of the larger painting in their own style, without knowing what the final painting will look like until it is revealed at the opening reception.
Each 12-inch by 12-inch “piece” of Piece by Piece will be available for purchase starting the night of the reception. Each square will be $100, with 50% of the proceeds supporting the Library’s art programs and 50% going to the artist. The additional artworks on display in the Sheffer and South Galleries will also be available for purchase, with a percentage of the proceeds also going to benefit the Library’s art programming. Additional exhibit support is provided by The Drew Friedman Community Arts Center.
“Now in its fourth year, this multi-gallery exhibit with over 100 artists participating showcases the robust visual arts community flourishing in Westport today and continues to be an important and exciting collaboration between the individual artists, the Library, and the community at large,” said Carole Erger-Fass, the Library’s exhibit curator.
The Artists Collective of Westport is a nonprofit organization composed of 150 local artistswho have joined forces to discuss, create, and develop dynamic experiences for the Fairfield County community. The collective is open to all active artists in pursuit of expanding their careers and in developing a strong, diverse arts community.
Summer is right around the corner, and The Westport Library is once again turning up the heat on reading with the return of our Kids’ Summer Reading Program and Adult Summer Reading Challenge! Whether you’re a seasoned challenger or a first-time reader, there’s plenty of fun for people of all ages in this year’s ultimate page-turning season.
Kids’ Summer Reading Program
From June 1 through September 1, kids of all ages are invited to participate in our Summer Reading Program, sponsored by the Bridgeport Islanders.
Join the club and read anything, anytime, anywhere all summer long. Hone literary skills while earning free books and a chance to win a special prize! Every minute counts, and every reader wins.
Register online and log your minutes read. Each registered reader will be given a bingo card to fill out as they read.
Read and log 500 minutes to choose and take home a free book from our prize cart. Earn another free book for every 1,000 minutes logged OR for scoring a “bingo” on a bingo card. Complete the entire bingo card and be entered into a special drawing to win four tickets to the Bridgeport Islanders’ opening game this October!
Adult Summer Reading Challenge
The 9th Annual Adult Summer Reading Challenge is back and better than ever, running June 2 through August 29.
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 thrilled to have you!
Between longtime bookworms, returning champions, and challenge newcomers alike, enjoy 25 brand new categories that will inspire your reading list. Brave them all or just one — as long as you have fun reading.
The rules are simple and there are only two:
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 join your fellow readers in our Westport Reading Challenge Facebook Group to talk books, share recommendations, and stay motivated throughout the challenge. Connect with a good book — and your community!
If you’re still unsure about joining in on the summer fun, trust the reviews from our past year’s participants:
"It was really gratifying to see what everyone has read and to challenge myself to read as much as my friends!"
"This challenge was very impressive! I loved that you could see other people's suggestions."
"I look to see what is suggested by the library as well as what other participants are reading. I am continuing to read the authors I have discovered as a result."
Step out of your comfort zone and ignite your love for reading this summer!
Read With Us!
From picture books to beach reads, to epic journeys and everything in between, The Westport Library challenges you to find your new favorite book this summer. Don’t miss out on the fun!
Formed in 2002, the (almost) all-physician rock band DNR has been a community favorite for two decades, playing rock and roll staples from the 1960s and 70s, including the music of Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, and the Beatles.
On Saturday, June 14, they’ll bring their vintage rock sensibilities to the Trefz Forum for a special fundraiser benefiting The Westport Library. The show kicks off at 7 pm.
Click here to buy your $40 ticket to this can’t-miss event — and support the Library in doing so!
In this special performance at the Library, DNR will talk about their history between songs and share some behind-the-scenes stories.
The band has previously performed at The Levitt Pavilion and has donated its time at many charitable events, including fundraisers for pancreatic and breast cancer, ALS, and the Norwalk Hospital.
“DNR is a Westport treasure,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “They’re a great group and an great show. We can’t wait to have them rock the forum, and we very much appreciate their support in helping us raise the money we need to provide free and low-cost programming to our community year-round.”
The Westport Library annually hosts more than 1,000 free programs, bringing together a remarkable 85,000-plus individuals — three times Westport's population — and offering a multitude of offerings for patrons of all ages. Westport provides 77% of the Library’s funding. That leaves 23% that the Library must fund itself, through a mix of generous donations, individual contributions, and fundraisers like this one.
“As a Library, we strive each and every day to provide free and engaging programming for our patrons,” said Robin Powell, Westport Library development director, “and the vast majority of our offerings are hosted at no charge. We want to continue to provide those programs, but we need your support to do so. That’s what makes fundraisers like this one so wonderful — it will be a great show, and you support the Library by attending. It’s a win-win!”
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DNR Rocks the Forum: A Benefit for The Westport Library
Saturday, June 14
7 pm
BUY TICKETS
Grammy-nominated artist, trailblazing singer-songwriter, and Westport resident Sophie B. Hawkins will be showcasing her new original musical drama Birds of New York in an exclusive script-in-hand performance at The Westport Library on Monday, June 9, at 6:30 pm.
The event will take place in the Library’s Trefz Forum. Tickets are $40 and available for purchase here.
True to the trademark authenticity and soulfulness that has defined her diverse career, this special performance offers an early look at Hawkins’ playwriting debut, with original music, wholehearted storytelling, and emotional depth that promises to resonate with fans and theater lovers of all ages.
Currently in development, Birds of New York is directed by acclaimed Broadway and West End choreographer/director JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock, Bad Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and features an ensemble of Broadway and local talent, including actors Liz Larsen, Carlos Velasquez Escamilla, Sarah Stiles, Ren King, and Alysha Umphress.
Birds of New York brings to life the story of an estranged daughter who returns home to New York City with her 7-year-old son to reconnect with her dying father. Amid the tensions of old conflicts with her mother and sister, she seizes on the opportunity to create a new family. When a painful childhood memory resurfaces, it sets the stage for forgiveness, healing, and redemption.
This performance comes in tandem with Hawkins’ 2025 tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of her second album, Whaler. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, producer, and performer, Hawkins is best known for her platinum debut album Tongues and Tails and timeless hits like “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” and “As I Lay Me Down.” Her most recent album, Free Myself, was released in 2023 to international acclaim.
Hawkins’ multifaceted career has defied genre and industry expectations, with six studio albums, multiple awards, sold-out concerts, and songs featured in movies and on television — from recent hits Stranger Things, Euphoria, Ozark, and PEN15, to landmark series such as Beverly Hills 90210, Dawson’s Creek, The L Word, and more. Her memorable onscreen appearances include the celebrated NBC series Community, the acclaimed documentary film The Cream Will Rise, and a critically lauded performance as Janis Joplin in the nationally touring play Room 105.
“One thing I’ve heard from people is that my songs have been like teachers to them, and helped them along on their journey," Hawkins said. “I hope my music helps people feel more connected to their own heart. I hope it brings them closer to whatever makes them feel special and valuable. That’s what the music I love most has always done for me.”
The Westport Library Medical Series returns on Tuesday, June 3, with Dr. Lisa Phuong and Dr. Jeanne Capasse visiting the Library’s Trefz Forum to discuss the exciting progress in the diagnostics and therapeutics of breast cancer.
Phuong is a board-certified medical oncologist at Nuvance Health; she will discuss the medical aspects of breast cancer care. Capasse, a board-certified breast surgeon specializing in breast cancer at Nuvance Health, will focus on surgical approaches and reconstructive surgery of patients with breast cancer.
The Westport Library Medical Series is presented by Andrew Wilk, the five-time Emmy Award winner and former producer of Live from Lincoln Center, and will be moderated by longtime Westport internist Dr. Robert Altbaum.
After the talk, there will be time provided for questions from the audience.
The event is free to attend. Click here to register.
The Westport Library Medical Series is an opportunity for the community to learn about important medical issues, aiming to provide both practical and thought-provoking information that can help individuals navigate the complex world of medicine.
The topic for this year's series is cancer, a word that strikes fear and anxiety in everyone. Fortunately, there have been remarkable advances in the field of oncology. We are witnessing a revolution in cancer care that is allowing patients to live longer, healthier, and even experience cures from previously fatal cancer.
The first event in this year’s series took place on Tuesday, April 22, and focused on advances in cancer research. The guest was Dr. Richard Frank, system chief for clinical and translational cancer research at Nuvance Health, who discussed how chemotherapy, targeted DNA treatment, and immunotherapy have transformed the cancer treatment landscape. (Click here to watch the full recording.)
The third and fourth sessions will both be held in the fall, focusing on prostate and urological cancer and advances in lymphoma and leukemia, respectively. More information on those two events will be coming soon.
About the Speakers
Lisa Phuong is a medical oncologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. She completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Connecticut, and her hematology/oncology fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y. Phuong incorporates evidence-based medicine, clinical research, and compassionate care into her daily practice at the Whittingham Cancer Center in Norwalk. She helps patients understand the biology of their disease, as well as treatment options based on the most recent research developments and clinical studies. She also believes it is important to address patient challenges, including treatment-related side effects, financial concerns, and the psychological and emotional impact of being diagnosed with cancer.
Phuong is the principal investigator of several clinical trials investigating new drugs, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies for breast cancer. She has had several peer-reviewed articles and abstracts published, as well as poster presentations at national cancer conferences. Phuong is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Jeanne Capasse is a surgeon specializing in breast diseases and a medical director of the Smilow Family Breast Health Center in Norwalk. A native Westporter, Capasse received her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Cornell University, followed by her medical degree at Weill Cornell in New York. She has been practicing in Norwalk for 30 years.
In addition to caring for and educating patients regarding breast health issues, her passions include skiing, crossword puzzles, travel, and spending time with family.
Robert Altbaum is a recently retired physician who practiced as an Internist in Westport for 40 years. He graduated from New York University, followed by Harvard Medical School, and completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Yale University. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics.
For the past 40 years, he has enjoyed caring for the people of Fairfield County in the group practice, Internal Medicine Associates of Westport. He was awarded Fairfield County and Connecticut’s Top Doctor award for 24 consecutive years.
Currently retired, he continues to teach medical residents at Norwalk Hospital and coordinates the Andrew Wilk Westport Library Medical Series. He also plays in the (nearly) all-physician rock band DNR, which will be performing a fundraising concert at the Library on Saturday, June 14; purchase your tickets here.
Event Information at a Glance
Andrew Wilk Presents The Westport Library Medical Series: Advances in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Tuesday, June 3
7 pm
Trefz Forum, The Westport Library
