A library full of Norwalk High School students gave sci-fi author Cadwell Turnbull their full attention. Throughout his one-hour long talk at the school, the StoryFest author gave thoughtful, candid answers to questions on subjects ranging from his creative process to the utility of an MFA to how television helped him learn to love stories.
“I would have loved something like this when I was a kid,” Turnbull said after his talk. “One of my teachers told me that I might want to consider being a writer, but I had no examples of it, so I didn't know what that meant. I think that it's really useful to be able to give students an example of what that would look like.”
Author visits like Turnbull’s are an element of The Westport Library’s annual literary festival that many of the event’s attendees may not be aware of, but one that has lasting impact.
“From day one, when we were creating the festival and talking about what its mission is, it has always been important to get the schools involved,” said Alex Giannini, the Library’s director of programming. “Every year, we send more authors to more schools around Connecticut, and we will continue to grow that part of the festival as we evolve.”
“StoryFest embodies the heart of our mission to inspire curiosity, creativity, and lifelong learning through the power of story,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “It’s not just a celebration of authors and books; it’s a celebration of connection. StoryFest brings our mission to life. It reminds us that stories build bridges across generations, backgrounds, and experiences, and that learning never stops.”
“When kids see an author in real life, their eyes just light up,” said Why I Love Horror editor Becky Spratford, who visited Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk with graphic novelist Koren Shadmi. “Then they go on to make the connection that they could do something like that too.”
Lynne Moore, principal of Norwalk High School, explained that “for students to see an author in the flesh, particularly in this case where we have an author of color, it helps students to see that they have within them the talent to write, to share ideas. And we love partnering with The Westport Library. We wouldn't really have an opportunity to bring in authors if we did not have that relationship with our neighboring town.”
Of course, it’s not just students who enjoy meeting writers. And as Connecticut’s largest annual literary festival, StoryFest gives readers from the community and beyond ample opportunities to engage with authors.
On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Native author Julian Brave NoiseCat kicked off the festival discussing his debut, We Survived the Night, with Ramin Ganeshram from the Westport Museum for History and Culture in front of a rapt audience. And Westport resident Shonda Rhimes closed out StoryFest 2025 with a celebration of the 10th anniversary edition of her book, Year of Yes, in conversation with Today show host Craig Melvin. Melvin reminisced fondly about taking his kids to Miss Mary’s story time at the Library during his early days in town, while Rhimes shared a previously untold story about Oprah Winfrey, teased actor Scott Foley in the audience, invited attendees to share what they’re saying yes to this year, and called The Westport Library “the best library I’ve seen anywhere.”
Between NoiseCat and Rhimes’s events were a slew of panels and signings with authors including Rachel Harrison, Charlie Jane Anders, Christina Baker Kline, Dan Poblocki, and Derrick Barnes, as well as workshops, a film screening, a dance party, and live recordings of the podcasts Minorities in Publishing (with Jennifer Baker) and Fearmongers (with Clay McLeod Chapman).
“The thing I love about Storyfest is it is both local and global,” said Spratford, “A lot of libraries are starting to do these types of festivals, but StoryFest was one of the first, and a lot of people model off of it. Because of where it is, and because of the resources they have, they can bring people from all over in addition to their local and regional authors. So then they can craft panels that truly show the breadth of storytelling that's out there.”
Attendee Justine Anastasia explained that the mix of authors keeps her coming back year after year. “They do a wonderful job of cycling in new voices, new speakers, new authors, with a lot of highly demanded favorites. So Clay [MacLeod Chapman] could probably get me here all on his own, but I love seeing all the new faces that show up, so that's a big draw for me.”
Programming staff work hard to achieve that balance. “We always try to put together an engaging mix of new and debut authors, and established and returning favorites,” said Giannini. “Then we create panels by themes, but that mix genres, so you can have a romance writer on the same stage as a horror writer, talking about character development and relationships.”
“A real point of pride for us is introducing our community to upcoming authors who we absolutely love, but who maybe haven’t yet broken into the mainstream,” he added. “From Jason Reynolds at our very first StoryFest, to Stephen Graham Jones, to Julian Brave NoiseCat this year, it’s really cool that these now-mega star, award winners have all been to StoryFest.”
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