CNN anchor and author Alisyn Camerota will be at The Westport Library on Wednesday, March 27, at 7 pm to launch her new memoir, Combat Love.
This free event will be held in the Library’s Trefz Forum and feature Camerota in conversation with fellow memoirist and Westporter Gabi Coatsworth. Registration is strongly encouraged.
Wednesday evening is the first of two upcoming appearances for Camerota at the Library. The two-time Emmy Award winner will return on Saturday, April 6, for VersoFest 2024, in conversation with The Doors drummer John Densmore about his book, The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison's Legacy Goes on Trial.
“We’re remarkably fortunate to have Alisyn Camerota in the Library, and to have her twice in the span of 10 days is incredible for us and a real treat for everyone who loves great music and first-rate storytelling,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer.
Combat Love is Camerota’s story of growing up longing for stability and attachment as the foundation of her family crumbled. Set on the Jersey Shore in the 1980s, Combat Love centers around Camerota’s relationship with a local punk rock band named Shrapnel — the book title derives from one of their songs — and the band’s diehard fans. Camerota's memoir chronicles her near-misses and misadventures at clubs like CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, coupled with the sex, drugs, and punk rock of 1980s New Jersey.
“The story is about my long search for belonging — and home,” Camerota said in a social media post announcing the book's release.
The early reviews of the book are dazzling.
“Combat Love is far more than an audacious coming-of-age story; it’s a reminder that beneath a successful adult’s polished exterior is the wildness of youth, vulnerability, and loss,” wrote Adrienne Brodeur, the best-selling author of Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me. “Camerota shows us the hard-earned work of finding your voice. So, while you might pick up Combat Love because of the author’s familiar face, you won’t be able to put it down for her candor, wit, and storytelling. In an embarrassment of riches, Alisyn Camerota is as singular a writer as she is a broadcast journalist.”
Kirkus Reviews, meantime, called Combat Love “a candid chronicle of hard-won survival.”
Related: Where Westport Meets the World Podcast Conversation: Alisyn Camerota
Camerota is a journalist, author, anchor, and correspondent for CNN. In her three decades in journalism, she has covered stories nationally and internationally, earning two Emmy Awards and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award. Her debut novel, Amanda Wakes Up, was selected by National Public Radio as one of the best books of 2017 and deemed a “must-read” by Oprah Magazine.
Coatsworth is the author of the memoir, Love's Journey Home, and a novel, A Beginner's Guide to Starting Over, as well as a contributor to several anthologies. She runs monthly meetings for writers at The Westport Library.
Wednesday, April 3, is Library Giving Day 2024, a 24-hour online giving day to support the resources, programs, and innovation of The Westport Library. Every dollar raised today will ensure the Library continues to thrive and provide essential services and programs to our community.
Library Giving Day is a special day for supporters like you, who depend on and enjoy public libraries, to donate to The Westport Library, your community hub. And in turn, your support will go back to the community of Westport through the Library’s programs, services, and materials.
Make your Library Giving Day donation to The Westport Library today, and thank you for your continued support!
For more on Library Giving Day, click here. And please donate below!
A visionary music and media festival calls for visionary talent.
Enter Steve Lillywhite.
The lauded record producer, whose credits include the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, U2, the Psychedelic Furs, XTC, Morrissey, the Pogues, Dave Matthews Band, Guster, Phish, the Killers, and many more, has been confirmed as a headliner for VersoFest 2023.
VersoFest is The Westport Library’s annual music and media conference and festival where knowledge is shared and inspiration is discovered — a forum for media creators, artists, and fans to converge.
Lillywhite will be appearing on Saturday, April 1, in conversation with renowned Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club drummer Chris Frantz.
“Hello Versoites, come and watch my good friend Chris Frantz and me share some stories from the past on April Fool’s Day,” Lillywhite said. “What could possibly be better?!”
Lillywhite’s career began as a staff producer with Island Records, flowering with the emergence of new wave music. Island Records is widely regarded as one of the all-time forward-thinking popular record labels and rosters. With grand success in pioneering recording ethos and technique, as well as popular sales, Lillywhite was made a Commander of the Order of The British Empire (CBE) for his contributions to music in 2012.
Lillywhite’s VersoFest 2023 booking capitalizes on Verso Studios’ Island Records alumni connections, including Frantz and Grammy-winning producer and engineer Rob Fraboni, both key Verso Studios contributors and VersoFest 2022 alums.
“VersoFest celebrates the creative community, with a focus on innovation and inspiration,” said Bill Harmer, executive director of The Westport Library. “Steve Lillywhite perfectly embodies this spirit. He has left an indelible imprint on music and popular culture. His production credits are legendary and helped to define the soundtrack of a generation. It’s an honor to have him headline VersoFest 2023.”
VersoFest 2023 will run from Thursday, March 30, through Sunday, April 2, and include panels and keynotes where experts share their perspective and vision; intimate workshops provide creators the opportunity to deconstruct, improve, and hone their craft; and performances that entertain and inspire.
Contributors and artists will continue to be added to the festival. Sign up for Verso Studios e-news for all the latest VersoFest and Verso updates.
Billy Collins is making his much-anticipated return to The Westport Library.
Sixteen years after headlining The 2006 Malloy Lecture in the Arts, the former U.S. poet laureate will be in the Library’s Trefz Forum on Friday, December 9, for a conversation with Connecticut Poet Laureate Antoinette Brim-Bell. The two will discuss his new volume, Musical Tables, which focuses on short-form-poetry, or small poems, while keeping to his trademark themes of nature, animals, poetry, mortality, absurdity, and love.
“Whenever I pick up a new book of poems, I flip through the pages looking for small ones,” Collins said. “Just as I might have trust in an abstract painter more if I knew he or she could draw a credible chicken, I have faith in poets who can go short.”
The event begins at 7 pm. Tickets are $26 (same price for one or two patrons) and include a signed copy of Musical Tables.
“If you know Billy Collins' work, then I’m sure I don’t have to encourage you to see him live,” said Jessica Noyes McEntee, Westport’s poet laureate. “If you haven’t yet explored his oeuvre, this night promises to be delightful. His work has a magical and effortless quality that many of us in the poetry community emulate — and envy!”
Collins is the author of a dozen volumes of poetry, including the bestsellers Aimless Love, The Trouble with Poetry, and Sailing Alone Around the Room. He is also the editor of Poetry 180, 180 More, and Bright Wings. He was poet laureate of the U.S. from 2001 to 2003 and subsequently served as New York State poet from 2004 to 2006. In 2016, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
“Billy Collins is perhaps the most revered poet writing in America today,” said Bill Harmer, executive director of The Westport Library. “Most communities would count themselves fortunate to see him once in a lifetime. To have him back in Westport for a second time is a thrill beyond measure. And to be joined by Antoinette is a true gift.”
Brim-Bell is the author of three full-length poetry collections, These Women You Gave Me, Icarus in Love, and Psalm of the Sunflower. Her poetry has appeared in various journals, magazines, textbooks, and anthologies, including Poetry Magazine and Poem-a-Day. She is a Cave Canem foundation fellow, an alumna of Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA), and a professor of English at Capital Community College in Hartford.
For more on Billy Collins Returns to Westport and to purchase your ticket, please visit our dedicated event page.
Ed. note: As of December 6, tickets are now sold out for in-person seating. Please visit here to watch from home on December 9.
Chris Frantz is bringing his Emerging Musicians series back to The Westport Library.
The famed member of the Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club will reprise the series on Saturday, November 19, with two Fairfield County acts: Residual Groove, a funk-fusion, improv-heavy dance band, and contemporary singer-songwriter Brian Dolzani.
The show begins at 7:30 pm in the Library’s Trefz Forum and will run until 10 pm. Doors open at 7 pm.
The Chris Frantz Presents Emerging Musicians series at The Westport Library features up-and-coming regional, national, and international music, hand-picked by Frantz, with the goal of bringing new music to new ears and to be an incubator for rising talent. The concert is a music collaboration and production by Verso Studios at The Westport Library and the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce.
“I’m excited to be resuming the Emerging Musicians Series at The Westport Library in the beautiful and innovative Verso Studios,” Frantz said. “Both Residual Groove and Brian Dolzani are Fairfield County mainstays deserving of a larger platform. A fun night is in store.”
Previous sessions of the Emerging Musicians Series featured Lulu Lewis, The Problem with Kids Today, Daniprobably, and Enid Ze.
“Chris is one of the landmark figures in rock and roll, and we’re thrilled to partner with him once again to bring these incredible artists to our stage,” said Bill Harmer, executive director of The Westport Library. “When we planned and executed the Library’s transformation, we imagined creating a space that could feature creativity in all its forms and deliver first-class events to Westport, Fairfield County, and beyond. The Emerging Musicians series is another example of delivering on that vision and another opportunity to demonstrate the full capabilities of our Verso Studios.”
Residual Groove is a five-piece Funk-Fusion band out of Norwalk, featuring brothers Previn Edwards (guitar/vocals) and Kiran Edwards (keys/vocals), Miles Livolsi (bass/vocals), Henry Thomas (drums), and Garrett Halstead (percussion). Their bio reads: “With a healthy mix of groovy originals and surprising covers, Residual Groove joins their influences and creations together through tasteful segues and spontaneously improvised segments.” Westporters will recognize Residual Groove from its continued Dunville’s residency.
The storytelling roots of Dolzani’s music are in the singer-songwriter tradition of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and Credence Clearwater Revival, among others. He has played at famed stages such as the World Cafe, Daryl’s House, New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall, The 5-Spot in Nashville, and the Blue Plate Special radio program in Knoxville, among many others.
The Westport Library’s Anyone Can Use… series is returning to the Library, with a series of four classes being held throughout November and December.
The classes offer live tech instruction and are open to all patrons. They will focus on using your Library card to download books, music, movies, and more (November 2); using Microsoft Excel (November 16); learning a language with Pronunciator (December 7); and using NoveList and Goodreads to review, rate, and share books (December 21).
All four events will be held from 11 am to 12 pm in Brooks Place, near the checkout desk.
Similar classes had been offered in previous years but were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re very excited to once again be offering the Anyone Can Use… series,” said Melanie Kelly, reference manager at the Library and the organizer of the series. “Recent advances in technology can be hard to keep up with and at times overwhelming to navigate. We hope these classes will help flatten that learning curve, and all in a way that patrons will find fun and engaging.”
For more on the Anyone Can Use… series and other offerings at the Library, visit our events calendar.
Dana Buckmir’s most recent memoir, Everything Will Be Okay, is a cautionary tale of online dating and domestic violence. On October 12, the Connecticut native will bring her story to The Westport Library for a conversation with Ann Rodwell-Lawton, associate director of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center.
The event, a collaboration between the Library, The Domestic Violence Crisis Center, and the Westport Domestic Violence Task Force, will be held in person, streamed live, and recorded.
“Domestic violence and abuse impacts thousands of people, especially women, each day, in every community,” said Kerri Gawreluk, programming associate at The Westport Library. “Dana’s ability to articulate her own personal story from a place of clarity, strength, and empowerment is truly inspiring, and we’re incredibly grateful to host her at the Library.”
In addition to her work as a memoirist, Buckmir serves as a writing coach and tutor. Her first book, Plenty of Laughs: One Woman’s Journey Navigating the Online Dating Waters, was a comical, first-person account of her experiences dating in the age of modern technology.
“Storytelling brings people together to reflect on the human experience,” Buckmir said. “I'm looking forward to sharing my story in this beautiful space, with the goal of discussing domestic violence and reminding others that they're not alone.”
More information and registration for the event, whether in-person or via livestream, is available on The Westport Library website.
As a Westport Library card holder, you have access to a wide variety of materials you can take with you almost anywhere, thanks to our comprehensive suite of digital services. From popular books, magazines, audiobooks, music and movies, we have the technology to quickly connect you to a wide range of interesting digital materials. Library staff are here to help you with everything from setting up accounts to choosing and selecting materials. Call our tech help line at 203-291-4802 or email us at support@westportlibrary.org.
For eBooks, check out Cloud Library, Freading, and Hoopla
For eAudiobooks, check out Cloud Library and Hoopla
For Music, check out Hoopla and Freegal
For Movies and TV, check out Hoopla and Kanopy
For Magazines, check out Flipster
To learn a language, check out Rocket Languages
Westport, CT –The Westport Library announces the unveiling of the digital “River of Names,” an innovative feature of the transformed Library. The interactive “River of Names” will feature the storied tile donor wall that was originally located on the Library’s lower level prior to the renovation project. This innovative digital presentation and website will showcase Westport’s history, as well as past, current and future generations of Library supporters. The transformed “River of Names” will now provide viewers with a multifaceted content experience enabled by an interactive website linking the historic depictions in the mural to additional information about Westport’s rich history. The 43” touch-screen digital mural will be on view and accessible to all on the upper level of the Library.
“We are at an exciting time in our history,” said Iain Bruce, President of the Westport Library Board of Trustees. “While we are physically updating and improving our physical space, we are also reassessing ways in which we can make our collections and materials more accessible and engaging for all of our patrons. Taking this opportunity to present the “River of Names” in this way addresses the challenge we faced with finding an appropriate location for the wall itself in the renovated Library. This new digital mural also offers maximum accessibility, interactivity and continuity for our community today, and for generations to come.”
When construction began on the Library’s Transformation Project in September 2017, the Library embarked on a comprehensive plan for the numerous installations, original artwork and other objects in the Library collection during the nearly two-year renovation project. One of the first phases of the plan was the removal and storage of the more than 150 works of art that had been on display throughout the Library’s public spaces, reading and program rooms and staff offices. The objects werereappraised, cleaned, photographed, packed and then transported by art handlers to a professional fine art storage location. Other pieces like the famed 1935 W.P.A. mural “Pageant of Juvenile Literature” by Westport artist Robert Lambdin, found homes at other public spaces in town like Staples High School and Town Hall.
To ensure the proper protection of all the pieces in the Library’s art collection, and to manage the considerable costs, volunteers from the Westport Arts Advisory Committee, the Westport Public Art Collection Committee, the Artists Collective of Westport, and interns from Staples High School and Norwalk High School worked together under the leadership of consultant Kathleen Motes Bennewitz, who also serves as the art curator for the town of Westport.
Among the items moved was the “River of Names” tile donor wall on the Riverwalk Level. The Westport Library originally commissioned the creation of the tile wall to acknowledge donors to a capital campaign in 1997-98. The tile wall included the names and messages of past library donors and historic pictorial scenes from more than 350 years of Westport’s history. The plan for the transformed Library presented logistical challenges with keeping the 26’ long x 6’ high “River of Names” in its original location. The Westport Library Board of Trustees made the decision that the physical tile wall would not be reinstalled in the building at this time and would remain in storage. The Library worked with Westport artist Miggs Burroughs to professionally photograph and document each tile of the wall before the installation was professionally taken down and placed in storage under the care of a company specializing in such work.
“When we commissioned the tile wall for the Library, the goal, conceived by Betty Lou Cummings, with Dorothy Curran joining her as co-chair of the campaign, and designed and executed by ceramicist Marion Grebow, was to tell the story of Westport’s history through images of significant events and the names of all the contributors,” said Ann Sheffer, a donor as well as chair of the River of Names Task Force Committee. “Now, in 2019, I am thrilled that all this will be available to many more generations of Westporters through digitization, which will have the ability to link to other artistic and historic perspectives on our Town’s history, in a truly 21st-century demonstration of the role of libraries in preserving our heritage while charting our future.”
“Having this virtual exhibition available will now allow more people, teachers and students, not only in our community but also across the state, nation and even the globe, to have access to the ‘River of Names’ mural and gain an understanding of Westport’s and The Library’s rich history,” said Kathleen Bennewitz. “I can see students leveraging this as a resource in their own research. They will be able to explore, with just a few clicks of the mouse or a simple keyword search, a wide array of information — descriptions, narratives, maps, photos, and ultimately, audio and videos clips. I can see many more people, and younger generations, having access to the ‘River of Names’.“
The digital “River of Names” was developed by Square Squared, a Westport company, under the direction of Michael Bud. Square Squared’s services range from print and digital design to audio and video production; the firm is known for dynamic and individualized creative solutions.
For more on the specific elements of the Transformation Project, please visit wltransformationproject.org
