For an hour and a half yesterday, Josh Koskoff kept a packed Westport Library crowd rapt.
The Staples High School graduate — and lead attorney in the recent groundbreaking Alex Jones defamation lawsuit — took the Trefz Forum audience through the entire case.
Josh Koskoff, at the Westport Library. (Photo/Ted Horowitz)
The Y’s Men of Westport and Weston — sponsors of the very informative talk — recorded the event. Click below to learn all about “The Case Against Alex Jones.”
Fashionably Westport is back!
The raised runway event– sponsored by the Westport Downtown Association, and held in the Westport Library’s Trefz forum — has 2 key elements.
It showcases downtown Westport’s fashion and beauty merchants, while benefitting Homes with Hope.
Professional stylist Amy Guzzi returns as runway director. The date is Saturday, March 4.
But Fashionably Westport is also a 2-day event, with in-store activities and promotions.
VIP tickets include light bites, a DJ and gifts. Click here for all tickets.
And hey: Do you want to model? Click here for details.
For more information, including sponsorship opportunities, click here or email Jill Dunn: events@westportdowntown.com.
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Speaking of the Library:
First they announced that the Smithereens and Marshall Crenshaw would headline the Friday night (March 31) show at VersoFest 2023.
Now comes news of the opening act, on Thursday, March 30: Sunflower Bean.
The Brooklyn-based band kicks off the 4-day festival at the state-of-the-art Verso Studios’ Trefz Forum. Hysterica does the DJ honors.
Sunflower Bean singer-songwriter Julia Cumming returns to her home base of Fairfield County, hot off the band’s headlining presence at South by Southwest 2023.
The band’s “Headful of Sugar” was named #41 on Rolling Stone’s “100 Best Albums of 2022.”
Sunflower Bean formed in 2013. The next year, Jon Pareles of The New York Times described their sound as “… what might have happened if psychedelia had emerged after punk and the Police rather than before.”
The band has toured extensively with artists like Beck, Cage the Elephant, Interpol, Courtney Barnett, The Pixies, The Kills, DIIV, Courtney Barnett and Wolf Alice.
Tickets for the show are $25; click here.
Sunflower Bean
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A new mixed-use development — with 136 apartments, more than 6,800 square feet of retail space, and a pool, dog run and walking trails — has been okayed for the Westport border.
“Nancy on Norwalk” reports today that the Norwalk Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved plans for the proposal on Renzulli Road. It currently runs from Kings Highway South in Westport — between Rivard Crescent and Strathmore Lane — to Westport Avenue (Route 1) in Norwalk. Kings Highway South marks the Westport/Norwalk border.
Renzulli Road begins on the Westport/Norwalk border.
Renzulli Road would now become a cul-de-sac, with no outlet onto Westport Avenue.
The principal engineer for the project promises a “significant amount of landscaping” including trees around parking areas and the back property as a buffer with neighbors, and plantings throughout. The site will also include feature an improved storm water management system.
The site now houses a dry cleaner, and a vacant building that was once a liquor store.
The next step: approval from the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Westport Avenue is a state road. (Click here for the full story. Hat tip: Sal Liccione)
A rendering from Bruce Beinfield Architecture of the proposed Renzulli Road apartment and retail complex.
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Staples High School is justly proud of its Players theater troupe and Orphenians, the elite a cappella singing group. Both have been around since the 1950s.
But Soundings — the award-winning literary magazine — is a decade older.
Founded in 1947, it’s now an annual print and digital magazine showcasing student submissions ranging from prose, poetry and short stories to 2D, 3D and digital art.
But a few years ago, Board of Education funding was cut. Soundings now relies on a GoFundMe appeal. The goal is just $1,000 — but ever dollar helps. Click here for more information, and to contribute.
(Need more incentive? Click here to browse the archives.)
Meanwhile, Soundings seeks submissions from students. This year’s theme: “The world is your playground.”
Short stories, essays, visual media and more (and questions) can be sent to Soundings@students.westportps.org. To be eligible for a cash prize, include a $5 submission fee (not mandatory).
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Speaking of literature: Staples High School graduate Bruce Lawder reads his poetry at Westport Book Shop (February 2, 6 p.m.).
After graduating from Dartmouth College, and earning a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of Zürich, where he also taught, Lawder now lives in Europe.
Space is limited. RSVP: bookshop@westportbooksaleventures.org; 203-341-5141.
Bruce Lawder
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Speaking of reading: The Westport Library is sponsoring a winter program for kids.
It’s a way to decorate the Children’s Library with colorful mittens. Here are instructions for young readers (or their parents)
- Log into READsquared and create an account. Then start logging your reading.
- Keep track of reading progress in the READsquared program.
- For every 50 minutes read, you can decorate a mitten for display in the Library.
- When you’ve read 250 minutes, you’re halfway to the end. You’ll get a coupon for a free shake at Shake Shack.
- When you’ve read 500 minutes: congrats! Go to the Library to choose a free book to keep.
- Winter Reading ends March 4 — or when you’ve read 500 minutes.
Click here for details.
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Applications are now being accepted for an affordable 2-bedroom rental at 52 Church Lane.
The 822-square-foot unit must be rented to families whose annual income is equal to or less than 80% of the state median income (family of 1, $63,056; of 2, $72,064; of 3 $81,072; of 4, $90,080). The rental rate is $1,622 a month, plus utilities.
Email info@davidadamrealty.com, or wrote BW Church East, c/o David Adam Realty, PO Box 5040 Westport, CT 06881 to request an application.
52 Church Lane
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MoCA Westport’s “Cocktails and Conservation” series continues next Thursday (January 26, 6 p.m.).
This extra-special event includes a collaboration between several Westport-based female influencers, in the areas of art, fashion and design.
“The Intersection of Art, Fashion, and Lifestyle” conversation will be led by Sade Strehlke, editor of POPSUGAR of Westport.
Panelists include style maven and WEST owner Kitt Shapiro; noted photographer Jane Beiles; content creator and founder of Designport Jen Berniker, and social “artrepreneur” and founder of Invest in Her Art Diana Mashia.
Guests who arrive early can explore the Paul Camacho and annual high school exhibitions, and buy a drink or cocktail from the new bar service, The Cup Bearer.
Advance registration requested; click here.
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Pamela Kesselman spotted today’s “Westport … Naturally” scene at Compo Beach.
“You must always keep your guard up,” she warns.
(Photo/Pamela Kesselman)
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And finally … if you’ve never heard of Sunflower Bean, the band that kicks off this year’s Verso Fest on March 30 (story above), click below.
You won’t be alone. It’s already got over 3.7 million views.
(After you’ve finished listening to Sunflower Bean — and buying tickets to VersoFest 2023 — there’s one thing left. Please click here to support “06880,” Without us, you’d never know about stuff like this. Thank you!)
That’s right. For three-quarters of a century — more than half the existence of the school itself — Soundings has served as Staples’ creative literary magazine. It’s evolved a bit, of course: Photography, art and video have been added to the original prose and poetry. And it’s now published online.
