Frank Zappa once said, “If you want an education, go to the library.” On Thursday, August 1, his proteges are taking his advice to heart, with Zappa tribute act Banned From Utopia and the Paul Green Rock Academy bringing the authentic Zappa experience to the Trefz Forum at The Westport Library.
Doors open at 6 pm and the show runs until 9 pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.
Featuring Robert Martin, Ray White, and Scott Thunes, all former members of Zappa's touring band, Banned From Utopia has kept Zappa’s legacy alive since 1994, honoring his most intricate compositions and preserving the lively chaos of the signature Zappa show. After meeting the Paul Green Rock Academy and bonding over their mutual enthusiasm for the eccentric composer at the Zappanale festival in East Germany, the two bands decided to join forces and celebrate every era of Zappa’s music on their Summer 2024 We Love Zappa Tour.
Martin (vocals, keys, and brass), White (vocals and guitar), and Thunes (vocals and bass) played key roles in Zappa’s touring band from 1976 through 1988. After the loss of one of the most eclectic and influential figures in rock history, they channeled their knowledge, expertise, and love of Zappa’s genius into Banned From Utopia. With 25 years of touring under their belt, their ensemble now also includes colleagues Robbie “Seahag” Mangano (vocals and guitar), Jamie Kime (guitar), and Joel Taylor (drums) of fellow Zappa projects including Project/Object, Zappa Plays Zappa, and The Grandmothers of Invention.
The Paul Green Rock Academy (PGRA) is the latest music school from School of Rock founder Paul Green. Admission to the academy is audition-based and granted only to serious and ambitious young musicians looking to hone their skills under the guidance of the academy’s namesake. With an impressive portfolio of countless festivals, tours, and film productions, Green’s musical mastery is one to be rivaled. His students are no different — they’ve spent the last three years touring as the backing band for both Jon Anderson of YES and Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers.
Green’s students have similarly described their teacher, affectionately, as “eccentric,” making his musical philosophy and teaching methods a perfect stylistic match for Banned From Utopia. Green incorporates his favorite artists from his youth into his curriculum, from REO Speedwagon to Smashing Pumpkins and everything in between — especially Zappa, whose works he refers to as “one-stop shopping for music education.”
Aside from the presence of modal theory, time signatures, and the innovative genre crossovers woven throughout Zappa’s discography, Green’s eyes were opened to the fun and conviviality of Zappa audiences when School of Rock served as the supporting act for Project/Object at the Trocadero in Philadelphia in 2002.
Over the years, that love and enthusiasm for Zappa’s music has only amplified among his fans. And now it’s coming to The Westport Library.
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Ed. note: Story published July 22 and updated July 24.
The multi-talented Thomas Dolby will be at The Westport Library for a special book talk on Tuesday, July 16, discussing his latest volume, Prevailing Wind, with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and longtime Library supporter Chris Frantz.
The event kicks off at 4 pm — an afternoon start time to accommodate Dolby’s performance later that evening as part of the Totally Tubular Festival at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport (alongside Modern English and Men Without Hats).
This is Dolby’s only scheduled signing event in the tri-state area. All attendees who purchase a copy of Prevailing Wind may get the book and one additional item signed by the author. Registration is strongly recommended.
“Thomas is a true artist and an endlessly talented performer,” said Bill Harmer, Westport Library executive director. “We’re incredibly fortunate to have him here for his only local book talk and signing, and we’re thrilled to be able to present his conversation with our great friend Christ Frantz to the community.”
A renowned musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur, and teacher, Dolby played synthesizer for David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Roger Waters, and others during his eclectic career. He rose to fame on the strength of his hit 1982 single, “She Blinded Me With Science,” which he backed up two years later with a second smash, “Hyperactive!”
While the Englishman is primarily associated with the new wave movement of the early 80s, his later work expanded to cover a wide range of musical styles and moods. In the 90s, he founded Beatnik, a Silicon Valley software company that developed the polyphonic ringtone software and created the Nokia tune. Its technology was used in more than 500 million cell phones.
Dolby also has served as the music director for TED Conferences and joined the faculty at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University in 2014. In the latter role, he leads the Peabody’s Music for New Media program, which enrolled its first students in 2018.
Dolby has received four Grammy nominations in his career, two each in 1984 and 1988. Among his other honors, Dolby received a Lifetime Achievement in Internet Music award from Yahoo! Internet Life in 1998. In 2012, he was the recipient of The Moog Innovation Award, which celebrates “pioneering artists whose genre-defying work exemplifies the bold, innovative spirit of Bob Moog.” And in 2018, Dolby was awarded the Roland Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dolby also is an accomplished sailor and regatta champion with a passion for classic racing yachts.
Prevailing Wind is his first novel, billed as “a ruthless exploration of the vast chasm between rich and poor in the Progressive Age.” It is laced with breathtaking depictions of classic yacht racing moments and deep insights into the hearts and minds of working sailors and millionaire owners.
“Dolby takes us behind the scenes as an intense competition evolves into a high-stakes grudge match,” said America’s Cup Hall of Fame inductee Gary Jobson. “The quest for victory is an emotional roller coaster ride. Once you start reading, you won’t want to stop.”
Filmmaker J.J. Abrams described the book as “a ripping yarn … full of mysteries, passion, class struggle, and ruthless competitive spirit. Prevailing Wind is an absolute blast!”
Dolby’s memoir, The Speed of Sound: Breaking the Barriers Between Music and Technology, was published in 2018.
Frantz is a musician, producer, songwriter, and founding member of the Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club. A frequent guest of the Library and the host of the Library series Chris Frantz Presents, he also hosts the radio show Chris Frantz the Talking Head on WPKN 89.5 FM in Bridgeport. His recent memoir, Remain In Love, chronicles his artistic and musical journey, from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to his time as the drummer for Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club.
About the Book
As dark political clouds gather over Europe, the NYYC’s railroad barons control the U.S. from the squeaky leather couches of the 44th Street clubhouse. Far from the immigrant slums, the Suffragettes, and the Ludlow massacres, they wager small fortunes and pit their egos on their favorite distraction: big yacht sail racing. Its absolute pinnacle is the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in world sport.
For two penniless brothers, it’s the chance of a lifetime: to get the heck out of Deer Isle and etch their names in Cup history. But they’ll have to fight for places with the rival West Bay crew. There are old feuds to be settled on and off the water.
The Westport Library will start its new fiscal year by welcoming a new board slate and three new members.
Longtime board member Pat Wieser will begin her first full term as president, having stepped in for former president Barrie Rosen earlier this year, with Bob Boroujerdi serving as senior vice president and Ben Chan as treasurer. Melissa Banks will continue to serve as secretary.
Additional executive team members are returning Finance Chair Scott Bennewitz, new Governance and Nominations Chair Martina Sze, and new Development Co-Chairs Randy Herbertson and Mark Silverstein.
Stefano Pacifico and Sheila Ward are rolling off the board of trustees at the completion of their terms of exemplary service.
Joining the board for 2024-25 are attorney and community activist Sheri Gordon, leadership expert Kathleen Guion, and nonprofit executive and consultant Liza Van Gundy.
The Library’s fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30.
“We’re so excited to get started with this new team,” Wieser said. “A new year and new board members always bring a new energy as we continue to focus on serving the best interests of the Library and its patrons. Of course, we’re sad to say goodbye to Barrie and Sheila and Stefano, but we thank them sincerely for their great efforts over the years and know they’ll continue to stay active and engaged in the years to come.”
Sheri began her career as an attorney in New York City, first clerking for a U.S. District Court judge and then working for several years for a large international law firm. She became involved in local town government in 2007, when her family relocated to Westport. For the past 16 years, she has served on the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Board of Finance, including one year as chair. Sheri also has been an active volunteer in numerous organizations throughout the tri-state area, currently serving as chair of Yes She Can, Inc.’s board of directors and a member of the Temple Israel board of trustees. Sheri holds a JD from NYU and a BA from Cornell. She moved to Westport in 2007 with her husband, Paul, and three children, Tess, Max, and Chloe.
Kathleen brings decades of executive leadership to the table, 15 of those in C-Suite-level roles, and has a proven track record in spearheading corporate turnarounds. She has worked with worldwide brands like 7-Eleven and Dollar General, where she managed a workforce of 120,000 employees. Beyond her corporate achievements, Kathleen has held positions on the boards of various organizations, including Second Harvest of Middle Tennessee, Nashville Symphony, Tennessee Performing Arts Commission, Austin Shakespeare Theater, Zach Theater in Austin, and the Northern Virginia chapter of the Urban League. She has also served on several corporate boards, including True Value, The Pantry, FJ Management Family Office, and B&M European Value Retail. Kathleen and her husband, Harvey, relocated to Westport in January 2023 to be closer to family.
Liza brings more than a decade of nonprofit management experience leading ambitious and creative teams, either as early-stage startups or within larger organizations. Most recently, she served as chief of talent and operations at the Connecticut RISE Network, a New Haven-based nonprofit that partners with public schools across the region. As a nonprofit finance and strategy consultant, she has partnered with diverse nonprofit and public sector organizations to provide strategic analysis and leadership capacity to help them achieve their goals. Previous roles include fundraising, communications, and grants management positions at New Classrooms Innovation Partners and The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice. Liza moved to Westport in 2019 with her husband, Matt, and son, Robin.
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Pictured, L to R, Top Row: Ben Chan, Andrea Berkley, Peter Zakowich, Jay Norris, Bob Boroujerdi, Randy Herbertson, Jeremy Price, Scott Bennewitz; Bottom Row: Kathleen Guion, Andrew Wilk, Pat Wieser, Sheri Gordon, Melissa Banks, Martina Sze
Stacy Bass is a lifelong Westporter, former president of the Library Board of Trustees, and former chair of the Library’s Development Committee. She is also the co-founder and longtime co-chair of the Library’s annual fundraiser, BOOKED for the evening, which this year will welcome tennis legend and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King for its silver anniversary.
Bass recently sat down with us to talk about the early days of BOOKED, her favorite moments from 25 years of the event, and more.
Westport Library: Tell us about the early years of BOOKED for evening. What was the genesis of the event?
Stacy Bass: Essentially, BOOKED was born out of the opportunity to bring Tom Brokaw to speak at the Library in connection with his then-new book, The Greatest Generation. Then-President of the Board of Trustees Joel Davis shared with our ever wonderful former Library Director Maxine Bleiweis that Westporter Gordon Manning had a connection to Brokaw. Concurrently, the always-visionary Eileen Wiseman (before her Art Center role) was talking to us about the idea for an annual gala to benefit the Library and it all just started to come together. We had a tiny committee of only a handful of very passionate and creative people, and together we conceived the broad strokes and the myriad details of what would ultimately become BOOKED. It just grew and grew from there!
Did you think BOOKED would still be going strong 25 years later?
I’d love to say, “Of course I did!” But truly, not at all. Of course, we were hopeful that BOOKED would become a signature event for the Library and that we could continue to invite and attract a roster of incredibly impressive honorees who would inspire interest and excitement. But in so many ways, it has far exceeded our expectations.
A huge part of BOOKED’s staying power and success is the tireless work of the Library staff and our committee chairs and members — such a wonderfully committed group of volunteers who have given countless hours of their time to helping with fundraising, program devising, filmmaking, invite addressing, menu planning and so much more. This is not the place to name everyone who has a played a role in BOOKED’s success, but each and every one deserves my gratitude. Wendy Brown and Candice Savin have done an absolutely excellent job chairing the event these past bunch of years and were kind enough to welcome me back as a co-chair for the 25th anniversary. I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of BOOKED’s legacy and its enduring contribution to the community.
How have you seen the event evolve in its quarter century?
One of the things I love most about BOOKED is that while it has both evolved and improved over the years, it still stays true to its original spirit. We still faithfully adhere to our goal to “recognize an individual whose work reflects the purpose of the Library: to nurture the love of learning and to enhance our understanding of the world.” We still try to center the event around honoring the talent and craft of that individual, and in so doing, give our audience a chance to learn something new.
Every year, among the greatest compliments we get are: “How are you ever going to top this?” and “Wow, I had no idea about…” And finally, while we graciously rely on the financial support for the event to continue to provide the highest level of programming and services at the Library, we feel strongly that on the evening of the gala, everyone should be able to just come and enjoy. No auctions. No additional requests for funding. Just a moving and magical evening at the Library.
What is your favorite BOOKED moment? Or a few of your favorite moments?
It would be impossible for me to choose one or even a few! I can think of so many. … But I have especially loved when our honorees also happen to be Westporters (or former Westporters). The Lynsey Addario and Nile Rodgers events felt very special for that reason. For me, as a lover of film and theatre, it’s always thrilling to have honorees like Wendy Wasserstein, Martin Scorsese, Barry Levinson, Alan Alda, Justin Paul, Shonda Rhimes, and Laura Linney in the house. I’ve surely been fan-girling more than once! But, some of the most riveting presentations were more literary. I especially loved the Adam Gopnik and Jon Meacham events.
The best and truest answer to this question, though, is that EVERY year has offered something truly wonderful.
What would you tell someone considering donating to support this and future BOOKED events?
Being a part of BOOKED is the surest way to guarantee an exceptional, educating, elevating, inspiring. and uplifting experience. And in doing so, you are helping to support a huge range of programming every other day of the year, too. It’s an absolute gift to have access to the bright and shining 5-star brilliance of The Westport Library and to provide that for our community and far beyond. Join us!
Decorated journalist Jay Schadler is starting a new podcast, and he wants you to be part of it.
Turning Point with Jay Schadler will debut later this year as a Verso Studios at The Westport Library community partnership podcast, focusing on the life transitions — big and small, subtle and monumental — of Westporters of all stripes. Each podcast will focus on a different story, with Schadler serving as the interviewer and a town resident as the guest.
Step #1 in launching the podcast is surfacing the great personal stories of the Westport community. That’s where you come in. Let us know about your life transition, be it a career change, a new discovery, a challenge you faced or a hurdle you overcame — or didn’t, or are still struggling with — your biggest disappointments, most soaring triumphs, and more.
“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 our town, offering valuable insights and wisdom derived from their life transitions. The shared narratives will serve as guiding beacons for others facing similar milestones.”
To be considered 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 audio podcast interviews in mid-August.
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.
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Tickets for the 25th anniversary celebration of BOOKED for the evening, The Westport Library’s signature fundraiser, will go on sale Monday, July 15, at 10 am, available for purchase on the Library’s BOOKED for the evening landing page.
This year’s event honors tennis legend and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King, who will be appearing in person in the Library’s Trefz Forum on Thursday, September 12.
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. There is perhaps no other figure in the history of sports who has done more to fulfill that mission than King.
The International Tennis Hall of Famer is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, having won an astounding 39 Grand Slam titles, 12 in singles, and finished No. 1 in the world on five occasions. Yet, for her all accomplishments on the court, she is best known today for championing equality and fairness — in sport and in society.
In 1970, King launched the Virginia Slims Tour — the first professional tennis tour for women — and shortly thereafter formed the Women’s Tennis Association, serving as its first president. In that position, she lobbied for equal prize money at the US Open — and succeeded, with the US Open becoming the first major tennis tournament to offer equal prize money to both men and women.
Her victory over Bobby Riggs in the famed Battle of the Sexes match in 1973 remains, to this day, one of the seminal moments in the history of professional sports.
In the ensuing years, King has continued to exercise her voice as a champion for equal rights and gay rights, emerging as one of the world’s most outspoken advocates against discrimination and for fair treatment for all.
Among her many honors, King has been elected to the Women's Sports Hall of Fame, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and the National Women's Hall of Fame; had the US Open grounds renamed in her honor; and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Previous BOOKED for the evening award recipients include 2023 guest of honor Laura Linney, the award-winning actress and humanitarian, 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, and Shonda Rhimes.
The Artists Collective of Westport will explore the power of words through the visual arts with two summer exhibits staged at The Westport Library. The two-part exhibition will encompass all three of the Library’s galleries: Word: Visual vs Verbal will span the Sheffer Gallery and South Gallery, and Piece by Piece will be displayed in the Jesup Gallery.
Word: Visual vs Verbal will open Thursday, June 20, and run until Monday September 2. Piece by Piece will be revealed during a special reception, also on June 20, from 6:30 to 8 pm.
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 6-inch square section randomly selected from a contemporary painting. The artists created their individual piece, replicating a part of the larger painting in their own style, without knowing what the final exhibit will look like until it is revealed at the opening reception.
“The end result,” said Artists Collective member and longtime Library supporter Miggs Burroughs, “is an entertaining exercise in community, creativity, and collaboration.”
In addition to Burroughs, those contributing to Piece by Piece include Katherine Ross, Michael Brennecke, Nina Bentley, Susan Fehlinger, Dale Najarian, and Jay Petrow.
For Word, each of the Artists Collective members were invited to display a work in the medium of their choice — all inspired by a single word.
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 artworks on display in the Sheffer and South Galleries will also be available for purchase, with a percentage of the proceeds going to benefit the Library’s art programming. Additional exhibit support is provided by The Drew Friedman Community Arts Center.
To further support the exhibits, the Library will welcome an Art for Lunch event open go the community on Friday, July 19, in the Sheffer Gallery, and Westport Poet Laureat Jessie McEntee will host a lunchtime writing workshop on Tuesday, August 20, with Word: Visual vs Verbal serving as the inspiration and writing prompt.
The Artists Collective of Westport is a nonprofit organization comprised of 150 local artists who 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.
Award-winning producer and Shondaland visionary Shonda Rhimes is bringing her latest project to The Westport Library on Monday, June 17, holding a special screening of her documentary, Black Barbie, in the Trefz Forum.
The event will run from 6 to 9 pm, with the film being shown first, followed by a conversation between Rhimes and Bernicestine McLeod Bailey of TEAM Westport.
The current allotment of tickets has been claimed, but there is an option to join the waitlist. There is no charge to attend the screening.
“We are delighted to partner with the Library in welcoming this wonderful gift from Shonda Rhimes to the residents of Westport and Fairfield County during our ‘Season of Juneteenth,’” TEAM Westport Chair Harold Bailey Jr. said. “The documentary makes evident the seminal role of equity in delivering a sense of belonging in a very concrete way. We also thank Ngassam Ngnoumen for her role in enabling the event.”
Black Barbie, which will debut on Netflix on Juneteenth, tells the story of the three Black women at Mattel who were determined to create a doll who looked like them, and the impact that had on the Barbie brand as we know it.
In doing so, the film explores the history of Black dolls, their impact on civil rights and Black entrepreneurship, and the significant role of imaginative play in shaping children’s identity. It also juxtaposes the legacy of these three trailblazing women with the stories of a select group of Black women memorialized by Barbie dolls made in their image — all while highlighting celebrity and fan reflections on the impact of the iconic doll.
“If you’ve gone your whole life and never seen anything made in your image, there is damage done,” Rhimes said in the film trailer, adding, “I thought Black Barbie was magical.”
Rhimes, a Westport resident, was the Library’s honoree at the 2022 BOOKED for the evening celebration. She is the CEO of Shondaland; the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the hit shows Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, and Inventing Anna; and the producer of How to Get Away with Murder, Bridgerton, and many more.
The first woman to create three television dramas that have achieved the 100-episode milestone (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal), Rhimes has been inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. She has also received a Peabody Award and honors from the Writers Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, and Director’s Guild of America, plus several AFI Awards for Television Program of the Year and NAACP Image Awards.
In addition to her screenwriting, Rhimes published her memoir, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person, in 2015.
The start of June means summer is on the horizon, and The Westport Library has a pair of challenges to make sure any and every reader — of any and every age — has the opportunity to bury their nose in a book during the year’s warmest months.
So, whether you’re looking for something to read on vacation, at the beach, or on your couch, or whether you want to make sure your kids or grandkids stay sharp and build their literacy skills during the break, we have a challenge and a club for you.
Adult Summer Reading Challenge
The 8th Annual Adult Summer Reading Challenge runs June 1 through August 31.
The rules are the same as past challenges, this year with a fresh round of 25 categories (the categories will be unveiled June 1). You can do all of them or only one, or anything in between, just as long as you have fun reading!
The rules are simple and there are only two:
Once you have read a book that fulfills a category, you can submit it via the form on our website (also available starting June 1) and track your progress on our leaderboard.
The leaderboard is where you can see what everyone else is reading and give recommendations to our community of readers. You can also join our Westport Reading Challenge Facebook Group and talk books all summer long.
Why should you join the challenge? Because as Rita L., one of last year’s participants, said: “The Westport Library’s Summer Reading Challenge is one of the best in the state! I love seeing what everyone else is reading and getting ideas about books that I end up LOVING but never would have read otherwise! Reading is my favorite hobby, and the Summer Reading Challenge takes me to the next level every year!”
Kids’ Summer Reading Club 2024
Starting Saturday, June 1, children may sign up for our Summer Reading Program, which continues through Labor Day weekend, wrapping up September 2.
Read anything, anytime, anywhere all summer long.
Register online and keep track of minutes read. For every 100 minutes, you can decorate a summer sun that will be displayed in the Library. Earn a treat from Shake Shack at 500 minutes. When you reach 1,000 minutes, you can choose a book to keep from our selection of titles.
For more summer fun and prizes, stop in the Children’s Library to play summer bingo and earn more free books.
Tobacco has a long, storied, and complicated history in the United States, most regularly attributed to plantations and the Virginia-Carolina tobacco belt.
Stepping Into the Shade, the highly anticipated documentary series set to debut Saturday, June 1, at The Westport Library, tells the story of tobacco from a Connecticut perspective, illuminating the Nutmeg State’s integral role in the U.S.’s history of tobacco and tobacco farming.
The series is a production of the Eastern Connecticut State University Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre.
“All around the world you will find Connecticut’s mark on cigars,” said June Archer, the entrepreneur, music industry executive, and community leader who hosts and narrates the series. “In fact, the gold standard for cigar wrappers comes from tobacco grown in Connecticut.”
The June 1 event (free to attend; click here to register) will kick off at 5 pm with a reception. An exclusive screening of select scenes from the series will start at 6 pm in the Trefz Forum, shown on the Library’s state-of-the art, 18-foot videowall, followed by a panel discussion and interactive audience Q&A hosted by acclaimed journalist Leslie Mayes-Low and featuring Michael Chambers Sr., historian and co-founder of the Cricket Hall of Fame; Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar, professor of history and founding director, Center for the Study of Popular Music at the University of Connecticut; Jason Chang, associate professor of history at the University of Connecticut; and Fiona Vernal, director of Engaged, Public, Oral, and Community Histories (EPOCH) and associate professor of History and Africana Studies at the University of Connecticut.
The evening closes with a VIP reception featuring food representing the cultures and ethnicities presented in the series.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer our community a first look at this remarkable documentary series,” Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer said. “This is an important Connecticut story that many people may not know about, and we are proud to partner to present it. The story of Connecticut is brilliantly told and impeccably executed in this series. It promises to be a wonderful evening — and will surely make anyone who comes want to watch the entire compilation immediately.”
The producers of the Stepping Into the Shade — Archer, alongside co-directors Brian Day and Kristen Morgan of Eastern Connecticut State — describe the docuseries as “a love story about the people who toiled in the soil on the Connecticut tobacco farms.”
The series explores the history of Connecticut tobacco farming and the various stories of the people who worked on the farms and changed culture and Civil Rights. It began with a short film by Andrew Ellison, a student of Day’s and Morgan’s at Eastern Connecticut State, with the three then teaming up to create the episodic series.
“Stepping Into the Shade is a dynamic story full of interesting information and amazing people,” said Day. “It is a creative pleasure to discover the depth of the story of Connecticut tobacco and to take that information and create entertaining and engaging scenes that will hopefully connect to audiences in a personal fashion. … Learning about the history of tobacco farming in Connecticut and how the labor used to cultivate this crop ultimately changed culture and impacted Civil Rights has been an incredible journey of discovery.”
The full documentary series will be available by September, with a distributor still to be decided.
BOOKED for the evening, The Westport Library’s signature fundraising event, will celebrate its 25th anniversary in high style in 2024, welcoming one of the greatest figures in the history of sport and a revered trailblazer in the fight for equality.
Tennis legend and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King will be this year’s awardee, honored in the Library’s Trefz Forum on Thursday, September 12. Tickets for the event will go on sale to the general public in mid-July.
King comes to the Library fresh off the 2024 US Open, whose grounds were named in her honor in 2006. In that ceremony, she told the crowd of 20,000-plus, “Mi casa es su casa, my house is your house, this house is our house.” That demonstration of openness and emphasis on community has been an enduring hallmark of King’s unparalleled life and career — one which she’ll share on September 12, in conversation with Chris McKendry, a Westport resident and host for ESPN’s tennis coverage.
“We are delighted to welcome tennis great and sporting pioneer Billie Jean King as our 2024 BOOKED for the evening honoree,” said Bill Harmer, Westport Library executive director. “Having Billie Jean King as our guest of honor for this milestone 25th anniversary is especially significant. Her unparalleled achievements and unwavering dedication to equality and justice resonate deeply with the values our library and community.
“This silver anniversary is a time to reflect on our shared commitment to fostering knowledge, inclusivity, and progress, and there is no one more fitting to inspire us than Billie Jean King. Her enduring impact on sports and society makes her a beacon of hope and change, and we are thrilled to celebrate her remarkable legacy with our community.”
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. There is perhaps no other figure in the history of sports who has done more to fulfill that mission than King.
The International Tennis Hall of Famer stands as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She was one of the game’s premier stars in the 1960s and 70s, and in her career won an astounding 39 Grand Slam titles, 12 in singles, and finished No. 1 in the world on five occasions.
For her all accomplishments on the court, she is best known today for championing equality and fairness — in sport and in society. Her victory over Bobby Riggs in the famed Battle of the Sexes match in 1973 was a seminal moment in professional sports, and in many ways the culmination of her work championing equality in the years preceding.
In 1970, she launched the Virginia Slims Tour — the first professional tennis tour for women, a groundbreaking move at the time — and in 1971 she became the first woman athlete to earn more than $100,000 in prize money. Yet, when she won the US Open in 1972, she received $15,000 less than the men’s champion Ilie Năstase.
The following year, resolute to create lasting change, King leveraged her position and her clout to spearhead the formation of the Women’s Tennis Association, becoming its first president. In that position, she lobbied for equal prize money at the US Open — and succeeded. The US Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money to both men and women, something none of the other three Grand Slams accomplished regularly until the Australian Open followed suit in 2001, nearly three decades later.
In the ensuing years, King continued to exercise her voice as a champion for equal rights and gay rights, emerging as one of the world’s most outspoken advocates against discrimination and for the fair treatment for all people, all the time, everywhere.
“One thing we stressed in the WTA, and the older players at the time when we started, was: This is a platform,” King told PBS NewsHour at the 2023 US Open. “We have an opportunity. We actually have an obligation to help make this world a better place.”
King’s accolades are many:
She was elected to the Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1980, the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, and the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1990.
In 2006, the renaming of the US Open grounds — now recognized as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center — made King the first woman to have a major sports venue dedicated in her honor. (King grew up learning to play tennis on the public courts of Long Beach, California, and the National Tennis Center is the one of the world’s largest public tennis facilities, making this another fitting tribute.)
In 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama for her advocacy work on behalf of women and the LGBTQ community, becoming the first woman athlete to receive the distinction.
In 2014, she founded the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the critical issues required to achieve diverse, inclusive leadership in the workforce.
In 2020, the International Tennis Federation renamed the Fed Cup, the world cup of women’s tennis and the largest annual global team competition in women’s sports, the Billie Jean King Cup.
In 2021, she was honored with the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, the legendary magazine’s highest honor.
And most fitting for this occasion, King also has a library named after her. In 2019, the Long Beach City Council honored her by naming its new library the Billie Jean King Main Library.
“I believe in the power of dreaming big and never giving up,” King said, adding separately, “The legacy I would like to leave is that it’s OK to be yourself, and it’s OK to be different.”
Previous BOOKED for the evening award recipients include 2023 guest of honor Laura Linney, the award-winning actress and acclaimed humanitarian, 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, and Shonda Rhimes.
StoryFest is back for its seventh edition in 2024, with an accomplished lineup that features a genre-spanning cohort of some of the leading lights in letters.
The Westport Library’s annual literary festival — the largest annual literary festival in Connecticut and one of the biggest in the Northeast — will be held Friday, September 20, through Sunday, September 22, featuring acclaimed author, essayist, and editor Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist, Difficult Women), best-selling writer Christopher Golden (Hellboy, The House of Last Resort), and award-winning author Claire Messud (The Emperor’s Children, This Strange Eventful History), plus many more.
The event will also feature a special Library tribute to the late Sybil Steinberg and a PitchFest workshop delivered by Bloom Writers’ Studio. Steinberg, the former Publisher’s Weekly editor who shared her much-anticipated Sybil’s List with the Westport community every spring and winter, passed away earlier this year.
Among the authors currently scheduled to appear at StoryFest 2024 are Kirsten Bakis, Julia Bartz, Clay Chapman, May Cobb, Rachel Harrison, Isi Hendrix, Don P. Hooper, Gabino Iglesias, Hal Johnson, Chris Knapp, Ryan La Sala, Josh Malerman, GennaRose Nethercott, Anna Noyes, Courtney Preiss, Oliver Radclyffe, Ainissa Ramirez, Shannon C.F. Rogers, Hugh Ryan, Peng Shepherd, and Diana Sussman. In addition, Jennifer Baker will conduct a live recording of her podcast, Minorities in Publishing, and storied editor Ellen Datlow returns to the Library’s Trefz Forum for a panel discussion with authors from her latest anthology.
Additional attendees will be announced in the coming weeks and throughout the summer.
“Our little literary festival that could is turning 7 this fall, and it’s not so little anymore,” said StoryFest organizer and co-founder Alex Giannini, who serves as the Library’s associate director of programs and events. “StoryFest is always my favorite event of the year, and we can't wait to see friends old and new, and to talk about our favorite thing: books!”
L to R: Claire Messud, Roxane Gay, and Christopher Golden
StoryFest drew nearly 1,000 participants and more than 40 authors in 2023 — an amazing coterie of writers that included iconic author Neil Gaiman (American Gods, Coraline, The Sandman Series), Pinkalicious author/illustrator Victoria Kann, and New York Times best-selling writers Angie Kim (Happiness Falls), Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians), and Caroline Kepnes (You).
Other past participants include National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds; Goosebumps author R.L. Stine; New York Times best-selling authors Michael Lewis and Mitch Albom; young adult superstars Nic Stone, Tiffany Jackson, and L.L. McKinney; Emmy Award winner Sheila Nevins; best-selling memoirist Isaac Fitzgerald; Kirkus Prize recipient Saeed Jones; and famed fantasy writer Naomi Novik.
“StoryFest has always been and will forever be the bar which other author conventions are judged by,” said Chapman, who will be attending StoryFest for a third consecutive year. “The awe-inspiring roster of authors, the intimacy between writers and the audience, and the level of passion both onstage and off truly sets this festival aside from all the others.”
The multi-talented Gay will kick off the festival Friday evening, in discussion with author and memoirist Radclyffe. Gay’s writing has appeared in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others.
In addition, Gay is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, The New York Times best-seller Bad Feminist, the nationally best-selling Difficult Women, and The New York Times best-selling Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel.
Gay has several books forthcoming and is at work on television and film projects. She also has a newsletter, The Audacity, and previously hosted the podcast, The Roxane Gay Agenda.
Radclyffe is the author of Adult Human Male. His essays have appeared in The New York Times and Electric Lit, and his newest memoir, Frighten the Horses, is debuting in September through Roxane Gay Books.
The Saturday event honoring Steinberg will be the Westport book community’s opportunity to say goodbye to one of its most beloved members. Steinberg served as an influential and storied editor at Publisher’s Weekly for 25 years, a span that included stints as the fiction reviews editor and author interviews editor and included conversations with Annie Proulx, Salman Rushdie, John Updike, and Fay Weldon, among others.
Steinberg was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2015, served on the board of the National Book Critics Circle, and made numerous television appearances on PBS, CBS, C-SPAN, and NBC.
“Sybil was not just an icon in the public library world and industry, but also an innovator and a powerhouse who revolutionized how librarians manage book collections with her star system, which everyone else quickly emulated,” Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer said. “She also was an indelible part of the Westport literary community and a true friend to the Library. Her influence extended far beyond her 25 years as an influential editor at Publisher’s Weekly. She was a trusted source for some of the best books you could possibly read each year. We miss her terribly but look forward to honoring her, her memory, and her legacy at this year’s StoryFest.”
In addition, Saturday will feature panel discussions and conversations with the assembled writers, in addition to the live podcast taping with Baker.
Sunday’s PitchFest workshop will close out StoryFest with an opportunity for aspiring — and established — writers to learn tips and tricks on pitching their manuscripts to literary agents and publishers. Other elements covered will include writing a query letter, the best way to present material, and more.
