From F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.D. Salinger to John Hersey and Peter De Vries, then on to A.E. Hotchner and Jane Green, Westport has long been a writer’s town.
Back in the day, a special Rabbit Hill festival celebrated the works of local children’s author Robert Lawson.
In 2018, the Westport Library introduced a new community-wide literary event. Dedicated to every genre imaginable, it celebrated the written word, in all its forms.
Because of COVID, StoryFest 2020 will be virtual. From Sepetember 15-29, more than a dozen live and pre-recorded events will feature top authors and creators in fiction, comics and young adult literature.
Highlights include:
- A live opening: “Stoker on Stoker,” featuring Dacre Stoker — best-selling author and great-grandson of Dracula’s own Bram Stoker (Tuesday, September 15, 7 p.m.), followed by “Beyond Stoker: Contemporary Visions of Vampires in Fiction” (8:30 p.m.).
- Bestselling thriller writes Wendy Walker and L.C. Shaw share their latest books, “Don’t Look For Me” and “The Silent Conspiracy” (Wednesday, September 16, 7 p.m.).
- A panel with speculative fiction writers Charlie Jane Anders, Sarah Galley, Stephen Graham Jones, Tochi Onyebuchi and Paul Tremblay, diving into “The World in the Mirror: How Genre Imagines the Present” (Wednesday, September 23, 7 p.m.).
- Josh Malerman explores the terrifying world of “Bird Box” and its recent sequel “Malorie” (Thursday, September 24, 8 p.m.).
Also scheduled:
- “Displays of Affection: How Love Stories Reflect the World” (Thursday, September 17, 7 p.m.).
- “What the Dark Teaches Us” (Friday, September 18, 7 p.m.).
- “How the Story Tells Itself: The Unexpected Narrative” (Monday, September 21, 7 p.m.)
- “In Our Next Issue: Comics and the New Worlds in Their Pages” (Monday, September 21, 8:30 p.m.).
- “Then and Now: How History Shapes Stories for the Present” (Tuesday, September 22, 7 p.m.).
- “Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles” (Thursday, September 24, 7 p.m.)
- “Valuing the Spectrum of Identities in YA” (Tuesday, September 29)
- “Finding Bravery Through Books (Tuesday, September 29, 4 p.m.).
All events are free. Click here for full details; click on an individual session to register. An email link will be sent 48 hours before the event.
Dan, The first paragraph should have been, “ From F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.D. Salinger to John Hersey and Peter De Vries, then on to A.E. Hotchner ,Dan Woog and Jane Green, Westport has long been a writer’s town.”
Thanks, Jack. But that second to last name would have been a terrible misprint!
Dan, as the inevitable day approaches when there is a “Woogs Way” somewhere in town, do you know where/if still standing was the “Rabbit Hill” home?
Thanks, Deej. Here is that great back story: https://06880danwoog.com/2017/06/17/methodist-church-celebrates-its-cornerstone/
And here’s some more info on what once was the Lawson place. Growing up on Oak St with a tattered, hand me down copy of RABBIT HILL, I was thrilled by the possibility that it took place very close to my neighborhood.
https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/1930s-connecticut-mansion-that-was-home-to-children-s-book-illustrator-robert-lawson-131686
I’m still a bit perturbed that Bowling Lane was named Bowling Lane and not Backiel Lane. Hunt Club Lane could also have been named Backiel Lane. We owned Bowling Lane since 1910! That should have been part of the sales agreement!