The Westport Library will hold a special dedication ceremony on Thursday, September 26, to honor Julie and Rob Haroun for their charitable investment in improving and maintaining the landscaping around the Library.
The ceremony will be held from 4 to 5:30 pm on the Library’s Riverwalk Level. A plaque recognizing the Harouns has been placed at the front of the building, near the police parking lot.
Among the many improvements are a new irrigation system and new plantings along Jesup Green, the Riverwalk path to Library, and the hill below the café deck, with plans to maintain these areas moving forward.
“Julie and Rob have always been great friends of the Library, and throughout my tenure, I’ve appreciated their advice, counsel, and enduring support,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “This gift is truly special. It ensures that the grounds around the Library are representative of the world-class, five-star Library we endeavor to be every day. We couldn’t be more appreciative of their donation and how it will benefit our shared community for years to come.”
Julie and Rob Haroun
The Harouns worked diligently to see the project through to completion, coordinating with town officials and the Library to ensure all regulations were in full compliance.
Outdoor Design and Living was commissioned to execute the makeover, completing the work at a discount as a generous donation to the Library.
“Having worked as a real estate developer for over 30 years, primarily focusing on properties in Westport, I was intent on ensuring that the exterior of the building was properly landscaped to reflect the first-class facility that we all enjoy in this town,” said Rob Haroun, who served as a member of the Library Board of Trustees from 2016 to 2023.
“We are confident that these funds will cover the maintenance for the next five to 10 years. We have lived in town since 1992, raised three children, and have built a business in town. It is our way of giving back to an institution that is near and dear to our hearts.”
It was an evening fit for a King.
On Thursday, September 12, The Westport Library celebrated the 25th anniversary of its signature fundraising event, BOOKED for the evening, with the legendary tennis star and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King.
In the most successful BOOKED to date, more than 600 Westport Library patrons, donors, readers, writers, tennis fans, and community members packed the Library’s Trefz Forum to celebrate an icon in the fight for equality — and to support the Library’s mission to empower the individual and strengthen the community through dynamic interaction and the lively exchange of ideas.
The money raised during BOOKED for the evening goes to support the vast multitude of free and low-cost events the Library hosts throughout the year.
King was a most apt honoree for the 25th anniversary celebration, a believer in the power of knowledge and community to make a difference in the lives of so many.
After a special video introduction hailing her legendary achievements — featuring video tributes from, among others, John McEnroe, Pam Shriver, James Blake, and Christiane Amanpour — King took to the stage with the moderator for the evening, ESPN tennis host and Westporter Chris McKendry.
They were later joined by 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert, who attended the event to honor King and her remarkable legacy, as well as King’s wife and longtime partner, Ilana Kloss.
“This woman is the eighth wonder of the world, in my eyes,” Evert said of her friend and former on-court rival.
In a wide-ranging conversation, King and McKendry, complemented by Evert and Kloss, discussed the arc of the legend’s unparalleled life and career, from her achievements on the court to her work as an agent for change off it — and of course, her famed Battle of the Sexes victory over Bobby Riggs — mixing poignancy with humor and wit to delight the capacity crowd.
“I think I’m the first sports athlete you’ve ever had here, if you look at 25 years,” King said proudly, while discussing the recent successes of women’s sports leagues and the increased support for women in athletics. “Sports, and particularly women’s sports, maybe not intentionally, but women’s sports are always left out. But tonight, you included us, so I thank you. I don’t think you know what that means to me. … Tonight, for me personally, is a huge moment.”
In presenting the BOOKED for the evening award at the end of the ceremony, Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer summed up the power of King’s message and her achievements by saying, “You show us what’s possible when you stand up, speak out, and strive to make the world a better place.”
Before and after the event, attendees were treated to drinks and appetizers, arriving an hour prior to the start of the program and staying long after King had the last word on the evening, offering her thanks to the Westport community and a salute to the power of libraries.
“I cannot tell you how important libraries are to me, and have been my whole life, and to my family,” King said. “This is such a great community here. Without library books, I never would have had my dreams. So, I want to thank each and every one of you for your sponsorship and your love of learning. This has been the greatest night. I can’t think of a better night of celebration.”
Photos by Pam Einarsen.
Stories come in many different forms, giving life to new ideas and fostering communities of visionaries. In conjunction with StoryFest 2024, The Westport Library will be showcasing two art mediums that have created such narratives.
The history, present, and future of cartooning and an album cover art retrospective headline the three new exhibits running from September 7 to December 10 in the Library’s Sheffer, South, and Jesup Galleries.
Celebrate the colorful history of cartooning in Fairfield County with Cartoon County: The Golden Age of Cartooning in Connecticut in the Sheffer Gallery and explore the medium’s current condition and its vision for the future with The State of Cartooning in the South Gallery. Curated by cartoonist and comics historian Brian Walker with help from the Library’s Exhibit Curator Carole Erger-Fass, these exhibits bring together working cartoonists and cartoon historians for an in-depth exploration of the genre.
An opening reception and accompanying keynote presentation by Walker will be held at the Library Tuesday, September 10, from 6 to 8 pm.
Cartoon County: The Golden Age of Cartooning in Connecticut will display works from The Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC), featuring more than 40 original cartoons by some of the area’s greats, including Dik Browne, Mel Casson, Stan Drake, John Cullen Murphy, Leonard Starr, Jack Tippit, and Mort Walker — whose graphics on the gallery’s walls derive from Walker’s 1980 book The Lexicon of Comicana, which will be reissued by New York Review Books in 2025.
Cullen Murphy, author and son of the cartoonist behind Prince Valiant and Big Ben Bolt, refers to the history of cartooning in Connecticut with fondness.
“For a period of about 50 years, right in the middle of the American Century, many of the nation’s top comic strip cartoonists, gag cartoonists, and magazine illustrators lived within a stone’s throw of one another in the southwestern corner of Connecticut,” he wrote in Cartoon County, “a bit of bohemia amid those men in their gray flannel suits.”
The State of Cartooning will display works by active members of the Connecticut Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society, including Greg, Brian, and Neal Walker, who carry the legacy of their father, Mort Walker, the creator of Beetle Bailey. Other featured artists include Ray Billingsley, Bob Englehart, Bill Janocha, Sean Kelly, Maria Scrivan, and more.
As it did in the spring, which featured an exhibit of cover art from selected jazz albums, the Jesup Gallery exhibit will focus on country music this fall. Drawn once more from the collection of American blues keyboardist and record producer Mark Naftalin and his wife, Ellen Naftalin, Art of the Album: Country will showcase the art of country music, with album covers dating from the 1920s through the 1970s.
Clockwise from top left: Clay McLeod Chapman, May Cobb, Gabino Iglesias, ChaChanna Simpson, Jesse Freidin, GennaRose Nethercott, and Cynthia Pelayo
StoryFest Saturday will feature more than 50 authors, each coming to The Westport Library to discuss their work and experiences and to connect with fans, readers, and fellow writers. The common thread among this group is a gift for storytelling.
This central element to the crafting of books of all genres and for all ages will be on display Saturday evening when StoryFest’s signature day comes to close with The Lance Lundberg Masters Series Presents: The Power of Story, a unique storytelling event.
Featured authors include Clay McLeod Chapman, May Cobb, Gabino Iglesias, and Cynthia Pelayo. The evening also includes a performance from author and puppeteer GennaRose Nethercott, a story told by acclaimed photographer Jesse Freidin, and an appearance from Northeast Storytelling President ChaChanna Simpson, who oversees the Storytelling Sundays series held monthly at the Library.
The Power of Story kicks off at 7 pm in the Library’s Trefz Forum. Please register for this free event here. Light refreshments will be served.
StoryFest is The Westport Library’s annual literary festival. It is the largest annual literary festival in Connecticut and one of the biggest in the Northeast, with this year’s event running Friday, September 20, through Sunday, September 22. Friday will feature a special keynote conversation between acclaimed author, essayist, and editor Roxane Gay and memoirist and novelist Oliver Radclyffe. Saturday’s day session features a series of panel discussions, book readings, and live podcast recordings. And Sunday is a PitchFest workshop delivered by Bloom Writers’ Studio.
“Storytelling is a fundamental part of the human experience,” said Westport Library Programming Director and StoryFest co-founder Alex Giannini. “From ancient myths and legends to current novels and films, stories have the power to entertain, educate, and inspire. Having these master storytellers on hand for Saturday evening is the perfect capstone to what promises to be a busy and electrifying Saturday at StoryFest.”
In Chapman, Cobb, Freidin, Iglesias, Nethercott, Pelayo, and Simpson, The Power of Story highlights a diverse range of performers practiced in a variety of mediums. The goal of the Lundberg Masters Series is to bridge cultural, social, and generational gaps and to deepen our connection with one another and our shared understanding of the world.
Each storyteller will take the stage for roughly 10 minutes, sharing their personal stories with the assembled crowd.
GennaRose Nethercott
Chapman is the creator of the storytelling session “The Pumpkin Pie Show.” He is the author of novels What Kind of Mother, Ghost Eaters, Whisper Down the Lane, and The Remaking. His new novel, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, arrives in January 2025. Upcoming projects include the creator-owned comic limited series Seance in the Asylum. Quiet Part Loud, a 12-part horror podcast from Jordan Peele/Monkeypaw Productions, written by Chapman and Mac Rogers, is available on Spotify.
Cobb is the award-winning author of The Hollywood Assistant, A Likeable Woman, My Summer Darlings, and The Hunting Wives, which is being adapted into an eight-episode series for STARZ. She earned her MA in literature from San Francisco State University, and her essays and interviews have appeared in The Washington Post, Texas Highways, Good Housekeeping, and more.
Freidin is a queer-identified photographer, author, and educator. He was America's leading fine art dog photographer for the past 15 years, and now focuses his attention on elevating the experience of the trans/tgnc community through portraiture and interviews. His photography is part of more than 150 private collections, has been exhibited in galleries nationally, and has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, NPR, The Huffington Post, Insider, Them, Poz Magazine, Yahoo!, MTV, Live! with Regis and Kelly, Inside Edition, Garden and Gun Magazine, The New York Post and many more.
Iglesias is the author of the Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker Award-winning novel The Devil Takes You Home, as well as author of the critically acclaimed and award-winning novels Zero Saints and Coyote Songs. He is a writer, journalist, professor, and literary critic living in Austin, Texas. He is the horror columnist for the New York Times Book Review.
Nethercott is the author of a novel, Thistlefoot, and a book-length poem, The Lumberjack’s Dove, which was selected by Louise Glück as a winner of the National Poetry Series. A writer and folklorist alike, she helps create the podcast Lore, and she tours nationally and internationally performing strange tales (sometimes with puppets in tow). Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart — her latest book — marks her debut into short fiction.
Pelayo is a Bram Stoker Award-winning author. Her novels include Children of Chicago and The Shoemaker’s Magician. In addition to writing genre-blending novels that incorporate elements of fairy tales, mystery, detective, crime, and horror, Pelayo has written numerous short stories and the poetry collection Crime Scene. The recipient of the 2021 International Latino Book Award, she holds an MFA in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The current president of Northeast Storytelling, Simpson is a copyeditor, spiritual life coach, astrologer, puzzle addict, and stellar storyteller who enjoys sharing personal stories on various stages throughout Connecticut and New York. Specializing in mystery, thriller, and suspense, she has written flash fiction, short stories, personal essays, and poems and is currently working on her first fiction novel.
Freedom is a Feast, Alejandro Puyana’s acclaimed debut novel, a multigenerational saga of love and revolution set in the author’s native Venezuela, is the 2024 Westport Prize for Literature award winner.
Puyana and his work will be honored at The Westport Library on Saturday, September 21, between 1 and 2 pm, in conjunction with StoryFest, the Library’s annual literary festival.
Puyana will receive a $10,000 cash prize and appear at StoryFest, whose lineup of authors includes Roxane Gay, Christopher Golden, Claire Messud, Peng Shepherd, and Joyce Carol Oates. (The list of 50+ attending authors is available on the StoryFest website.)
“I’m so extremely honored,” said Puyana. “Venezuela is going through a rough time right now, with people out on the streets fighting for freedom and democracy. It means so much to have this Venezuelan story highlighted, at a time when we need voices everywhere to stand with us.
“I’m so grateful to the Westport Prize for Literature committee for this great gift, and hopeful that it’ll help put the book in the hands of many more readers.”
Now in its second year, The Westport Prize for Literature is awarded annually to honor an original work of fiction that explores issues in contemporary society. Renowned novelist Zadie Smith was the prize’s inaugural recipient 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, The Independent, and many more.
The other finalists for this year’s honor were How to Read a Book by Monica Wood and skin & bones by Renée Watson.
“Freedom is a Feast is a brilliant kaleidoscope of a novel, reflecting both the sweep of history and the triumphs and tragedies of individual lives,” said Charlotte Rogan, author of The Lifeboat and one of this year’s jurors. “This gorgeous yet propulsive story explores questions of what we owe each other and how to make a difference in turbulent times.”
Submissions for the 2024 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 Westport Prize for Literature jury, which selected this year’s winner.
In addition to Rogan, the jurors for 2024 include book blogger and aggregator Suzanne Leopold, publishing industry veteran Erica Melnichok, and nonfiction writer and former Book of the Month Club judge Nina Sankovitch.
About Freedom is a Feast
In 1964, Stanislavo, a zealous young man devoted to his ideals, turns his back on his privilege to join the leftist movement in the jungles of Venezuela. There, as he trains, he meets Emiliana, a nurse and fellow revolutionary. Though their intense connection seems to be love at first sight, their romance is upended by a decision with consequences that will echo down through the generations. Almost 40 years later, in a poor barrio of Caracas, María, a single mother, ekes out a precarious existence as a housekeeper, pouring her love into Eloy, her young son. Her devotion will not be enough, however, to keep them from disaster. On the eve of the attempted coup against President Chávez, Eloy is wounded by a stray bullet, fracturing her world. Amid the chaos at the hospital, María encounters Stanislavo, now a newspaper editor. Even as the country itself is convulsed by waves of unrest, this twist of fate forces a belated reckoning for Stanislavo, who may yet earn a chance to atone for old missteps before it’s too late.
With its epic scope, gripping narrative, and unflinching intimacy, Freedom Is a Feast announces a major new talent. Puyana has delivered a wise and moving debut about sticking to one’s beliefs at the expense of pain and chaos, about the way others can suffer for our misdeeds even when we have the best of intentions, and about the possibility for redemption when love persists across time.
“Epic doesn’t begin to describe this extraordinary novel,” said Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. “Freedom Is a Feast is as vivid and wondrous as your best dream, as unsettling and unforgettable as your worst. They say you can’t fit the entire world into a novel, but Puyana comes close. What a gift he has given readers, what a profound, shattering, inspiring gift.”
Related: New York Times Book Review: Fighting for Love and Survival as a Country Falls Apart
Former Westport Library board member Rob Haroun and his wife, Julie, have a long history with the Library, as patrons, volunteers, and donors. Their most recent contribution is one every Westporter will be able to see: A generous donation to improve the landscaping around the building, and notably, landscaping that is annual and low maintenance.
Among the improvements are a new irrigation system and new plantings along Jesup Green, the Riverwalk path to Library, and the hill below the café deck. All work is being completed by Outdoor Design and Living, and the Harouns worked assiduously with the town and the Library to ensure all regulations were in full compliance.
Rob recently spoke with us about why he chose to give to the Library, how he dedicated his time to this project, and why giving to the Library matters to him and makes a difference for all of Westport.
How did you first get involved with the Library and why?
I first became involved with the Library through Steve Smith of the Westport Building Department. Steve and I are friends and would often discuss Westport town projects. He recommended me for an RTM appointment for the Library to be on its building committee for the transformation project (the Library’s complete renovation project, completed in 2019). At first, I was a little hesitant, thinking that it was a little out of my comfort zone. However, Steve encouraged me, and in 2016, I became a trustee and eventually chair of the building committee.
What prompted your donation to upgrade the landscaping at the Library?
Julie and I have raised three children and regularly took them to the Library for various events, including the summer reading competition. As a trustee, I have noticed the incredibly generous donations that others have made toward the transformation project. These donations have contributed to upgrades in the Children’s Library and audiovisual equipment for the Versa Studios, significantly improving the interior facilities. It was clear that these donors placed great importance on how their donations were being utilized.
Having worked as a real estate developer for over 30 years, primarily focusing on properties in Westport, I was intent on ensuring that the exterior of the building was properly landscaped to reflect the first-class facility that we all enjoy in this town. However, landscaping the library's exterior posed a challenge due to the property being under the town's jurisdiction. Approval from various town bodies was required for any activity outside the building. Moreover, there were frequent debates between the town and the Library regarding maintenance responsibilities and the level of care.
To prevent further disputes, Julie and I decided to address this issue by setting aside funds from our donation for the proper care and maintenance of the external landscaping. We are confident that these funds will cover the maintenance for the next five to 10 years. We have lived in town since 1992, raised three children and have built a business in town. It is our way of giving back to an institution that is near and dear to our hearts.
What about your support for the Library is especially important or gratifying?
I am deeply gratified by the friendships we have formed over the years with fellow trustees, administrators, and staff. From Bill Harmer to Robin Powell to Melanie Myers, all have been great partners in our efforts. I'd like to give a special shout-out to all the dedicated trustees who devote countless hours to ensuring the proper governance and world-class functioning of the Library. They are the ones who deserve commendation.
What is your favorite thing to do at the Library?
There isn't just one thing! All the BOOKED for the evening events, speakers, music, kids programming... all that encourages a love for learning!
What would you tell other community members who are considering a donation to the Library?
What I would say to other families or members that are looking to get involved with the library is: DO IT! The Library is a gem in our town, offering endless learning possibilities for all ages.
I would also like to thank all the town bodies that made this approval process relatively smooth. Most notably, Mary Young at planning and zoning and Colin Kelly at the conservation department, who was instrumental in selecting many of the plantings.
Overall, Julie and I are extremely pleased with how the Library facilities are enjoyed by everyone. We are fortunate to have a world-class Library in our backyard, open to all and accessible to everyone.
Center: Sybil Steinberg unveiling her Sybil's List in the Library's Trefz Forum; Left and Right: Signed copies of The Joy Luck Club and Timequake, respectively.
During her lifetime as a reader and her storied career as an editor at Publisher’s Weekly, Sybil Steinberg amassed an extraordinary array of books: advance copies of some of the most revered works in American literature, first editions, and volumes signed by the authors and often inscribed to the beloved Westport literary icon.
Steinberg passed away earlier this year, leaving behind this remarkable personal collection. At StoryFest 2024, many of these editions will be available for purchase as part of the festival’s celebration of her memory and impact on the community.
Proceeds from the sale will go to benefit StoryFest, the Library’s annual literary festival which this year is dedicated to Steinberg’s memory. There will be a special dedication ceremony in her honor held Saturday, September 21, at 1 pm.
The available volumes will be part of a table dedicated to Steinberg at the StoryFest book sale, located in the Library’s Komansky Room. Among the items for sale: a signed, first-edition copy, inscribed to Steinberg, of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, and a signed copy of Kurt Vonnegut’s Timequake, plus a collection of hardcover, softcover, and advance review copies featuring authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, Peter DeVries, and Laura Z Hobson.
Also available will be a compilation of past Sybil’s Lists, a collection of her recommended books that she would unveil to a rapt audience during a special event held regularly at the Library.
“We are incredibly thankful to the Steinberg family for donating these books to support StoryFest,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “Sybil was an icon in the public library world and industry, an indelible part of the Westport literary community, and a true friend to the Library. We miss her terribly but look forward to honoring her, her memory, and her legacy at this year’s StoryFest.”
Steinberg graduated in 1954 from Smith College, where she served as editor of the student newspaper. After two decades as a stay-at-home mom, raising her three children in Westport with her husband, Harold, her professional career ascended when she took a job in the 1970s with Publisher’s Weekly.
By 1979, she rose to editor of fiction reviews, and in 1983, she began overseeing Publisher Weekly’s author interview department. As the fiction reviews editor, Steinberg introduced the boxed review concept to highlight promising talent; she selected Tan’s The Joy Luck Club as the first boxed review. As authors interview editor, she held conversations with Annie Proulx, Salman Rushdie, John Updike, and Fay Weldon, among others. In addition, she edited three volumes of Writing for Your Life, a series of books that featured interviews compiled from the magazine.
Her work was nominated for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Steinberg also served on the board of the National Book Critics Circle and made numerous television appearances on PBS, CBS, C-SPAN, and NBC.
Following her retirement in 2001, Steinberg continued to review books, maintaining her ties to the publishing industry. And she introduced her treasured Sybil’s List, in which she would introduce her favorite books of the year at a special event held at the Library. She would expand Sybil’s List to a biannual tradition, establishing it as the go-to guide for Westport’s community of writers and readers. She unveiled her final Sybil’s List in December 2023, in time for the holiday season.
Find adventure in your own backyard as The Westport Library celebrates the spirit of exploration with A Night at The Explorers Club!
Join Westport/Weston’s own Richard Wiese, president emeritus of The Explorers Club and host of the multi-Emmy-winning TV show Born to Explore, on Thursday, August 15, as he hosts an unforgettable evening alongside his colleagues and fellow explorers.
The performance runs 7 to 9 pm in the Library’s Trefz Forum. Tickets for this event are free. Register to attend here.
Accompanying Wiese on stage will be an extraordinary lineup of explorers, including Lhakpa Sherpa, who holds the record for the most Mt. Everest summits by a woman; Dr. Nina Lanza, principal investigator on the Mars Rover's ChemCam; and astronaut Richard Garriott, current president of The Explorers Club and a pioneer in private space exploration.
Also appearing will be a who’s who of notable world-class explorers: co-founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Morad Tahbaz; documentary filmmaker Brendan Hall; entrepreneur and founder of cultural preservation company Roots Studio, Rebecca Hui; and globally featured artist and writer James Prosek.
Since its inception, The Explorers Club has been dedicated to the mission of exploring land, sea, air, and space. Several of the club’s alumni have pioneered the “famous firsts” of 20th century exploration, including Matthew Henson and Robert Peary, the club's third president, who "discovered" the North Pole in 1909, followed by the discovery of the South Pole by member Roald Amundsen in 1911. Club members Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to summit Everest in 1953, and the lowest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, was attained by Explorers Club Honorary President Don Walsh and Club Fellow Jacques Piccard in 1960. In addition, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins reached the moon in 1969 carrying The Explorers Club flag.
Since he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro at age 11, Wiese has circled the globe, capturing powerful images and living one adventure after another — from traveling with Bedouins in Africa to cross-country skiing to the North Pole. He also achieved the first ascent of an unclimbed mountain in Alaska and discovered 29 new life forms on Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Growing up on Long Island’s north shore, Wiese recalls spending most of his time outside, fishing and exploring the woods. But even after journeying to all seven continents, tagging jaguars in the Yucatan jungles, leading expeditions to Australia’s Northern Territory, and participating in the largest medical expedition ever conducted on Mt. Everest, he still finds adventure anywhere — including the Westport and Weston area, where he now lives with his family.
Westport has served as Wiese’s home base since the inception of Born to Explore. Though its eight seasons traverse the globe, each episode was produced on Westport’s own Main Street. And Wiese has openly admired Connecticut’s accessibility to the Appalachian Trail, seeing a bald eagle swooping overhead while fishing with his sons on the Saugatuck River, and finding opportunities for adventure and exploration in the Nutmeg State.
"The world of exploration is a tapestry of diverse perspectives,” said Wiese, “each thread contributing to a richer understanding of our planet."
Wiese’s philosophy is as much about discovery of the natural world as it is about encouraging a positive understanding of the many distinctive cultures on earth. Throughout his career, Wiese has remained dedicated to uplifting voices from local communities around the world. He believes the most memorable aspect of any journey is not about reaching “the summit,” but the people you share your experiences with along the way.
“The moment you come to the Declaration of Independence, that every man has a right to life and liberty, an inalienable right, this case is decided. I ask nothing more on behalf of these unfortunate men, than this Declaration.” — John Quincy Adams, 1841 Amistad Case
On Sunday, August 11, The Westport Library is partnering with Southern Connecticut’s Rotary District 7980 and the Connecticut Lyric Opera to present Opus for Peace, an event series being launched with an abridged and narrated performance of Anthony Davis's powerful opera Amistad.
The performance runs 2-4 pm in the Library’s Trefz Forum. Tickets for this event are free. Register to attend here.
Sponsored by local Rotary clubs, including Mystic, Westport, Westport Sunrise, and District 7980, the Opus for Peace initiative aims to create an environment where dialogue, empathy, and artistic expression converge to uphold efforts toward peace and fostering a culture of unity and reconciliation that extends far beyond the Rotary community.
“Amistad” is the Spanish word for “friendship.” Dennis Wong, Rotarian peacebuilder of the Westport Sunrise Rotary Club, cited this as the inspiration for the Opus for Peace production of Amistad. One question fuels every decision behind the Rotary’s principles: “Will it build goodwill and better friendships?”
“We believe live performances are entertaining and fun ways to bring people together,” Wong said of the collaboration behind the production. “This partnership between The Westport Library and Rotarians achieves our shared purpose of serving our community.”
As an active member of the Rotary for almost 20 years, Wong hopes that this event, in conjunction with the rest of the Opus for Peace series, will build connections and inspire conviviality in everyone involved.
Based on the saga of the 1839 slave revolt aboard the Spanish ship La Amistad, Davis’s opera first took the stage at Chicago’s Lyric Opera in 1997. It incorporates elements of African mythology and musical genres including jazz, blues, and skat as a linguistic storytelling device to recount a pivotal fight for life and liberty. Amistad’s themes of social and racial justice still resonate deeply today, preserving a vital narrative that connects history with modernity — particularly in Connecticut, where much of the Amistad court case took place.
This abridged Amistad production is a collaboration with Harlem Opera Theater and Discovering Amistad. The production is part of a larger series of events spanning southern Connecticut throughout the year. It will culminate in a full production of Amistad to be performed across the state in May 2025.
Saturday at StoryFest 2024 promises to be blockbuster, with an array of best-selling and award-winning authors set to take The Westport Library’s Trefz Forum stage on September 21.
National Book Award winner Joyce Carol Oates returns to the Library for the first time since serving as the guest of honor at the 2008 Malloy Lecture in the Arts. She will be joined by award-winning young adult author Ryan La Sala, current New York Times best-seller Sarah Beth Durst, acclaimed fantasy writer P. Djèlí Clark, National Endowment of the Arts Fellow Peng Shepherd, and decorated novelist Claire Messud.
Past and current locals Cody Daigle-Orians, Hal Johnson, Chris Knapp, Lisa Korsten Price, Karen L. Swanson, and Diana Sussman will also be in the Library for Saturday’s program, as are returning favorites Clay McLeod Chapman, May Cobb, Gabino Iglesias, Rachel Harrison, Bracken MacLeod, and scores more — numbering more than 50 authors in all.
“This is, without question, our biggest and most diverse StoryFest yet,” said Westport Library Programming Director and StoryFest organizer Alex Giannini. “The range and quality of authors we have coming for StoryFest Saturday is more than I ever could have hoped for. We’re honored and thrilled to have them here, and we can’t wait for this year’s festival.”
StoryFest, The Westport Library’s annual literary festival, is the largest annual literary festival in Connecticut and one of the biggest in the Northeast. This year’s event runs Friday, September 20, through Sunday, September 22. Friday will feature a special keynote conversation between acclaimed author, essayist, and editor Roxane Gay and memoirist and novelist Oliver Radclyffe. Sunday is a PitchFest workshop delivered by Bloom Writers’ Studio.
P. Djèlí Clark, Joyce Carol Oates, and Joe R. Lansdale are among the 50 authors who will be appearing at StoryFest this year.
In addition to the panels, Saturday will include two live podcast recordings — a live Fearmongers recording with Clay McLeod Chapman and a special recording of Jennifer Baker’s podcast, Minorities in Publishing — the awarding of the 2024 Westport Prize for Literature, and a special ceremony for the late Sybil Steinberg, the former Publisher’s Weekly editor and beloved Westport icon to whom this year’s StoryFest is dedicated.
Visit the StoryFest website (and below) to see the full schedule for this year’s event.
Also at StoryFest 2024 is a special exhibit by Jesse Freidin, Are You OK? The Disappearing Faces of America’s Trans Youth, an interactive and educational traveling gallery featuring intimate portraits and interviews of trans youth with supportive families from across America. Each free-standing banner (see image below) includes a QR code that brings the voices of trans youth to life, making it an exhibit that leaves a true impression on the visitor. Please bring your own smart phone and personal headphones to activate interactive elements.
Freidin’s work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, Vogue, and more. He is a 2023 Critical Mass Top 50 award winner, the recipient of the 2024 Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant, and the author of three books: When Dogs Heal: Powerful Stories of People Living with HIV and the Dogs That Saved Them; Finding Shelter: Portraits of Love, Healing and Survival; and Are You OK? Volume One.
Here is a closer look at the Saturday schedule for StoryFest 2024:
In the Trefz Forum:
10 am
Dangerous Visions: Dreams Across Universes
Imaginary worlds, magical elements, supernatural beings… writers create stories where anything is possible.
With Christopher Golden, Sarah Beth Durst, GennaRose Nethercott, Jedidiah Berry, Peng Shepherd, and P. Djèlí Clark.
11 am
Thriller!
Masters of suspense share the tricks of the thriller trade and how to write a story that a reader can’t put down!
With Gabino Iglesias, May Cobb, Joe R. Lansdale, Caroline Wolff, K’wan, and Julia Bartz.
12 pm
Incorporating History: Past, Present, Future
With Galia Gichon (moderator), Claire Messud, Hugh Ryan, Chris Knapp, Elise Hart Kipness, and Anna Noyes.
2 pm
Live Podcast Recording: What I Wish I Knew as a Debut: Minorities in Publishing
With host and moderator Jennifer Baker and guests Shannon C.F. Rogers and Don P. Hooper.
3 pm
Words are Bricks: Building Community Through Writing
Though writing itself is a solitary act, building community as a creative is an integral part of the process.
With Charnaie Gordon (moderator), Kirsten Bakis, Cody Daigle-Orians, Courtney Preiss, Ainissa Ramirez, and Ryan La Sala.
4 pm
Ellen Datlow Presents: Fears
Horror’s preeminent editor sits down with today’s masters of horror to talk about their greatest fears.
With Ellen Datlow (moderator), Christopher Golden, Bracken MacLeod, Joe R. Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, and Eric LaRocca.
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In the Children’s Library:
10 am - 12 pm
Children’s Book Readings
With Diana Sussman, Isi Hendrix, Hal Johnson, Karen L. Swanson, and Lisa Korsten Price.
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In Brooks Place:
10 am
WestportWRITES Presents: Finding Your Writing Tribe
With T.M. Dunn (moderator), Marcia Bradley, Kathy Curto, and Jimin Han.
11:30 am
Live Podcast Recording: Fearmongers!
With host and moderator Clay McLeod Chapman and guests Rachel Harrison and P. Djèlí Clark.
2 pm
Thursday Authors
With Lynda Cohen Loigman (moderator), Jamie Brenner, Nicola Harrison, and Susie Orman Schnell.
3 pm
Connecticut Writing Project
With Bryan Crandall (moderator), Patricia Park, and Don P. Hooper.
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In the Sheffer Gallery:
2 pm
Cartoonists!
With Brian Walker.
And then there were three.
Freedom is a Feast by Alejandro Puyana, How to Read a Book by Monica Wood, and skin & bones by Renée Watson are the finalists for the 2024 Westport Prize for Literature, awarded annually to honor an original work of fiction that explores issues in contemporary society.
This year’s winner will be announced in August and honored at The Westport Library on Saturday, September 21, in conjunction with StoryFest, the Library’s annual literary festival. The recipient will also sit on one of the panels during StoryFest, whose lineup of confirmed authors includes Roxane Gay, Christopher Golden, Joe R. Lansdale, Claire Messud, Peng Shepherd, and many more. (The list of 40+ attending authors is available on the StoryFest website.)
Submissions for the 2024 Westport Prize for Literature were read and vetted by a team of Westport-based volunteer readers — numbering nearly 50 for this year — with the best-reviewed manuscripts advancing to the jury, who will select this year’s winner.
“The community response to this project has been fantastic!” said Candice Savin, chair of the Westport Prize for Literature steering committee. “Our core group of volunteer readers dug into the submitted novels with enthusiasm and a love of literature emblematic of Westport. I know everyone involved with this project is looking forward to seeing the winner at the Library on September 21.”
The jurors for 2024 include 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.
This is the second year for the prize, whose inaugural grant of $10,000 was awarded last year 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, among others.
L to R: Alejandro Puyana, Renée Watson, and Monica Wood
About the Finalists
Freedom is a Feast by Alejandro Puyana
In 1964, Stanislavo, a zealous young man devoted to his ideals, turns his back on his privilege to join the leftist movement in the jungles of Venezuela. There, as he trains, he meets Emiliana, a nurse and fellow revolutionary. Though their intense connection seems to be love at first sight, their romance is upended by a decision with consequences that will echo down through the generations. Almost 40 years later, in a poor barrio of Caracas, María, a single mother, ekes out a precarious existence as a housekeeper, pouring her love into Eloy, her young son. Her devotion will not be enough, however, to keep them from disaster. On the eve of the attempted coup against President Chávez, Eloy is wounded by a stray bullet, fracturing her world. Amid the chaos at the hospital, María encounters Stanislavo, now a newspaper editor. Even as the country itself is convulsed by waves of unrest, this twist of fate forces a belated reckoning for Stanislavo, who may yet earn a chance to atone for old missteps before it’s too late.
With its epic scope, gripping narrative, and unflinching intimacy, Freedom Is a Feast announces a major new talent. Puyana has delivered a wise and moving debut about sticking to one’s beliefs at the expense of pain and chaos, about the way others can suffer for our misdeeds even when we have the best of intentions, and about the possibility for redemption when love persists across time.
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
Violet Powell, a 22-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving 22 months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed. When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland — Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman — their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.
How to Read a Book is an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives. With the heart, wit, grace, and depth of understanding that has characterized her work, Wood illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.
skin & bones by Renée Watson
At 40, Lena Baker is at a steady and stable moment in life — between wine nights with her two best friends and her wedding just weeks away, she’s happy in love and in friendship until a confession on her wedding day shifts her world. Unmoored and grieving a major loss, Lena finds herself trying to teach her daughter self-love while struggling to do so herself. Lena questions everything she’s learned about dating, friendship, and motherhood, and through it all, she works tirelessly to bring the oft-forgotten Black history of Oregon to the masses, sidestepping her well-meaning co-workers that don’t understand that their good intentions are often offensive and hurtful.
Through Watson’s poetic voice, skin & bones is a stirring exploration of who society makes space for and is ultimately a story of heartbreak and healing.
About the Jury
Suzanne Leopold
Leopold is the creator of SuzyApproved.com, her website for sharing book reviews. Her platform is active across many social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where she has accumulated more than 10,000 followers. She is also the founder of SuzyApprovedBookTours.com where she aggregates her community of bloggers across social media platforms to support authors with book launches.
Erica Melnichok
As an 18-year veteran of the publishing industry from Penguin Random House, Melnichok has worked with hundreds of authors and facilitated literary events nationwide. Most recently, she has embarked on a public library career and is a member of the American Library Association. Melnichok has long championed the voices of authors while supporting the goal of libraries to connect books with readers. She firmly believes in the power of books to connect and transform us.
Charlotte Rogan
Rogan is the author of The Lifeboat, which was nominated for The Guardian first book award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and the Goldsboro Books and Historical Writers Association debut historical fiction prize. It has been translated into 26 languages and was included on Huffington Post’s 2015 list of “21 books from the last 5 years that every woman should read.” Her second novel, Now and Again, continues to explore issues of morality and justice.
Nina Sankovitch
Sankovitch is the author of four books of nonfiction, including Tolstoy and the Purple Chair and American Rebels, and has a fifth book coming out in 2024. She is both a former lawyer and a former judge for the Book of the Month Club.
The Westport Children’s Library is the introduction to reading for countless Westporters. Now, there are more options than ever get your child engaged — however and whatever they’d like to read.
The Children’s Library has purchased 379 new titles — books and audiobooks — to bolster their digital collection, adding offerings from some of the most famous and beloved children’s authors of today and all time.
“We consistently strive to meet kids where they are, to find ways to engage them in reading, and to foster their love of books,” said Westport Library Director of Youth Services Mary Parmelee. “This expansion helps advance our depth and breadth of titles for the digital age, while providing the same comfort that kids have found in great books for centuries.”
Among the authors added to the digital collection are Kwame Alexander, Dhonielle Clayton, Beverly Cleary, Suzanne Collins, Kate DiCamillo, Sarah J. Maas, Rick Riordan, Lemony Snicket, Jasmine Warga, and Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Other titles include works by Hanna Alkaf, John David Anderson, Victoria Aveyard, L. Frank Baum, Kiera Cass, Eoin Colfer, Leslie Connor, Lindsay Currie, Lamar Giles, Karina Yan Glaser, Tommy Greenwald, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Jenny Han, Varian Johnson, L.M. Montgomery, Garth Nix, Sara Pennypacker, Lisa Moore Ramee, Gary Schmidt, Brian Selznick, Christina Soontornvat, Angie Thomas, and Anne Ursu.
“We were very deliberate in the titles we chose,” Parmelee said, “because we know there are so many different types of readers with different interests. We hope this gives them more options to find a book they love, and we can’t wait to see them develop a love for books and learning. And then to come tell us about them! There’s nothing we love more.”
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Photo: Top Row (L to R): Kwame Alexander, Brian Selznick, Sarah J. Maas, Jasmine Warga, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Kate DiCamillo, and Dhonielle Clayton; Bottom Row (L to R): Rick Riordan, Karina Yan Glaser, Varian Johnson, Lemony Snicket, L.M. Montgomery, Beverly Cleary, and Suzanne Collins
