A reminder: The upcoming Martin Luther King holiday includes 2 important local events.
The speaker for the 20th annual celebration is Jelani Cobb. The renowned journalist, scholar, and dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism will be in conversation this on Saturday (January 17, 1 p.m., Westport Library) with novelist, playwright, filmmaker — and Westport resident — Trey Ellis.
Cobb is a Peabody Award winner, Pulitzer Prize finalist, MSNow political analyst, and New Yorker staff writer. He has written books on Barack Obama and the hip hop aesthetic, in addition to editing other volumes and producing numerous documentaries.
The annual MLK celebration is a partnership between the Library, TEAM Westport, Westport Country Playhouse, Westport Museum for History & Culture, and the Westport/Weston Clergy Association. The event is free; click here to register.
Jelani Cobb
On Monday (January 19), the Westport Country Playhouse hosts a free screening of the Emmy-winning 2019 documentary “True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality.”
The film focuses on Stevenson’s life and career — particularly his indictment of the US criminal justice system for its role in codifying modern systemic racism — and tracks the intertwined histories of slavery, lynching, segregation and mass incarceration.
The film also documents the monumental opening of the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice, dedicated to the more than 4,400 lynching victims.
The screening is followed by a discussion with Ellis — one of the film’s executive producers — and TEAM Westport chair Harold Bailey Jr., along with questions from the audience. Click here for more information.
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The New York Times ran a photo of Lyman, Ukraine yesterday.
There were 2 connections to Westport — and an ominous caption.
The image — illustrating a story about Russian President Putin’s silence in the wake of President Trump’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro — showed a Ukrainian artillery brigade near Lyman. The town, in the Donetsk region has been a sister city of Westport since shortly after the Russian invasion.
The caption in the online version said simply, “A Ukrainian soldier from the 63rd Mechanized Brigade firing toward a Russian target in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday.”
The print version was much more ominous. It added: “Capturing Lyman is currently a top Russian priority.”
The other connection: The shot was taken by Tyler Hicks. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times photographer is a 1988 Staples High School graduate.
(Photo/Tyler Hicks for the New York Times)
Hicks had another Ukraine photo yesterday too — on page 1.
There is actually a third Westport connection. Ukraine Aid International — the boots-on-the-ground non-profit, founded by Westporters Marshall and Brian Mayer — continues to collect funds for our sister city.
To donate monthly or one time, just click here. Click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo.) (Hat tip: Bob Mitchell)
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Christmas — even all 12 days of it — are in the rearview mirror.
Also in the rearview mirror (if you’re parking a certain way at the Imperial Avenue lot): dozens of Christmas trees.
Hundreds are stacked neatly in the back.
Toni Simonetti — who sends this photo, with Max waiting patiently in front — wonders if this is where they’re stored, after being picked up by local Scouts.
However they got there, she says: “They smell glorious!”
(Photo/Toni Simonetti)
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Looking for an advanced astro-photography workflow tutorial?
The Westport Astronomical Society’s free lecture series has exactly that.
On February 10 (7 p.m.), veteran WAS astro-photographer Michael Southam offers tips on taking images from the planning stage, through data acquisition, subframe selection, stacking and processing. Attendees should bring a laptop. Click here to register. Click here to become a WAS member.
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Our daily “Westport … Naturally” feature looks for beauty, wherever our readers find it in town.
Ellen Wentworth spotted this arrangement the other day, at a Senior Center luncheon.
(Photo/Ellen Wentworth)
It’s a little touch, sure. But it sure goes a long way to brighten up this winter.
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And finally … Bob Weir — a founding member who helped catapult the laid-back Grateful Dead into the music stratosphere — died last week. He was 78.
Click here for a full obituary.
BONUS FEATURE: Back in the day, in his Westport studio, filmmaker/animator Jeff Scher made this video for the “Ace of Cups.” The all-female 1960s San Francisco band got reunited after 50 years. Bob Weir was one of several musicians who joined in.
The video is mostly abstract, but includes a portrait of Weir near the beginning.
(Another week, another Monday with a Roundup that roams from our sister city to outer space. And another reminder: “06880” relies on support from readers like you. Please click here to help. Thanks!)
