Tag Archives: Westport Public Library

A Puzzling Library Development

Posted on November 13, 2010 | 2 comments

Only the Westport Public Library could make an annual report interesting — and interactive.

This year’s mailing — a usually stupefyingly dull listing of contributors, fleshed out with thank-yous emphasizing the importance of every contribution — features a large crossword puzzle, created by New York Times crossword contributor Elizabeth Gorski especially for the library.

Clues include “Westport’s ‘Twilight Zone’ mastermind”; “‘Little _____, (Saugatuck), part of Westport’s past”; “Westport Library benefactor Morris K. _____”; “Amy who threw a famous tea party atop Westport’s town dump,” and “It’s studied at the Westport school founded by Albert Dorne.”  (See below for answers.)

The large crossword puzzle, ready to be worked on in the Westport Public Library. Only a few answers were entered. C'mon, guys -- it's not THAT hard!

“The goal was interactivity, plays on words, and of course to hope people read it after checking their names,” says what-will-she-think-of-next library director Maxine Bleiweis.

Because the library does nothing halfway, a jumbo version of the puzzle has been placed just beyond the circulation desk.  Anyone can fill in the answers.

The puzzle is erasable, so it can be used over and over.

And, of course, so you can correct your neighbor’s mistakes.  How often do you get that chance in this town?

(Answers in order:  Rod Serling, Saugatuck, Little Italy, Jesup, Vanderbilt, art.)

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Dogging It

Posted on November 8, 2010 | 7 comments

Westport has been going to the dogs for years.

From Winslow Park to Compo Beach (October through March only!), we love our pooches.

But even the most avid dog-lover is a mere toy poodle, compared to the Great Dane that is Steven Kotler.

Steven Kotler

Co-founder of a New Mexico dog sanctuary, Kotler is also a dog writer.  Tomorrow (Tues., Nov. 9, 12 noon), he’s at the Westport Library.  The subject:  his new book, A Small Furry Prayer:  Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life.

In it, Kotler mixes personal experience and scientific inquiry in an exploration of many intriguing aspects of canine-human relations.

He’s clearly on the dogs’ side.

“For 50,000 to 135,000 years, we co-evolved with dogs,” Kotler says.  “We thoroughly merged with them.  We learned cooperation and teamwork from dogs.  Dogs in packs — their natural habitat — show incredible altruistic behavior.”

Being around dogs leads to lower stress levels in humans, along with lessened incidents of cardiac disease and depression, Kotler says.

Will the dogs Kotler sees on his trip to Westport be different than those out West?

“There’s a lot of breed devotion on the East Coast,” Kotler notes.

“But 10 years ago, the differences would have been massive.  But the rescue movement has grown so much that now more people are getting dogs there than from breeders.  The differences aren’t as great.”

So can Westporters’ dogs listen to Kotler too?

“That’s a question for the venue,” he says.

“I’ve found most libraries don’t like having dogs there.”


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Posted in Library, People

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About Those DVDs…

Posted on August 31, 2010 | 5 comments

Maxine Bleiweis — everyone’s favorite library director — enjoyed “06880”‘s recent shout-out about the Westport Public Library‘s DVD collection.

In true librarian fashion, she quickly offered up some background information, historical references and intriguing tidbits, so Westporters can better understand what a treasure the library collection is.

Maxine noted that when Downtown Video and Best Video (near Bombay Restaurant) went out of business, they offered their collections to the library.

Not only did the institution purchase both collections (with help from a generous supporter) — the library also got Jim Grosner on staff.

The longtime night manager of Downtown Video, Jim has worked every Monday through Thursday night at the library, ever since the store closed.

Maxine added said that the excellent DVD collection grew when a patron decided that — rather than amass his own film “library” — he would give money to the Westport Library, for everyone to enjoy.

This couple was recently spotted looking for Blu-rays at the Westport Library.

After the man get a Blu-ray player, he continued the tradition with Blu-ray DVDs.  “It’s a financial challenge to have a multiplicity of formats, so his donation was critical,” Maxine praised.  “We now have an excellent Blu-ray collection too.”

But wait!  There’s more!

“Beyond the collection itself is the community feeling you get while you select DVDs and audiobooks,” Maxine said.

“Strangers ask each other for advice.  Some say spontaneously, ‘Have you seen this?  It’s terrific’ to the person next to them.

“Our staff knows the collection well, and also makes great suggestions.  We have many of the Criterion DVDs — very special re-masterings — as well as all the TV shows.

“Our international film collection” — what used to be called “foreign films” — “is superb, and you’ll find every language imaginable. Many people have dropped premium services and Netflix because they find the collection, plus the camaraderie is more important to them.”

Maxine could go on and on, but she’s not that type of librarian.

“06880” has no idea what the next blockbuster trend in video will be.  Whatever it is, the Westport Library will embrace it.

Unlike, um, Blockbuster.

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Posted in Entertainment, Library, Local business

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Blockbuster Goes Bust

Posted on August 28, 2010 | 17 comments

The recent “06880” post on the local BP station “gas sale” drew nearly as many comments as the number of gallons of oil spilled in the Gulf Coast.

Meanwhile, across the street, another financial story is unfolding.

Blockbuster is about to file for bankruptcy.  (The chain, that is — not the local outlet, which saw the writing on the wall a while ago and shrunk by half.  The rest of the building now houses a big-and-tall men’s store, which for some reason I never patronize.  Go figure.)

Some see the demise of Blockbuster as a sign that the company failed to adapt to changing technologies and tastes.  It was done in, they say, by Netflix, Redbox and streaming video.

Others see it as market payback for a company that charged usurious late fees, advertised “2-day rentals” that were really 1 night only, and did not stock indie films or controversial documentaries.

As someone who avoids chain outlets whenever possible — Doc’s vs. Starbucks is a no-brainer — I see Blockbuster’s bye-bye as karma.

Back in the pre-Blockbuster day, Westport was awash in mom-and-pop video rental stores.  A funky hole-in-the-wall place next to Westport Pizzeria carried 1 copy of every film ever made, in countries even the UN never heard of.

There was a shop in Westfair, and others sprinkled around town.

Blockbuster drove them all out — and such was its domination, I can’t even remember their names.

I do recall Circuit City, Caldor and Sam Goody — area stores that Blockbuster may soon join in that great retail graveyard in the sky.

If you remember any Westport video stores — from that long-ago era of the 1990s — click the “comments” link.

In the meantime, if you’re not a Netflix, Redbox or streaming video fan — or you just want a change of pace — I’ve got 2 words for you:

Westport Library.

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Posted in Library, Local business, Looking back, technology

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Rod Serling Returns

Posted on August 1, 2010 | 2 comments

The press release was as simple as Rod Serling’s manner:

This Wednesday (Aug. 4, 7:30 p.m.), Douglas Brode visits the Westport Public Library to talk about his book Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone:  The Fiftieth Anniversary Salute. Included are photos; remembrances of Serling’s wife Carol; commentary on the series’ most memorable episodes, and analysis of why they were so impactful.

Brode will also screen the 1st-ever episode of “The Twilight Zone.”

Missing from that straightforward announcement was the most important item:  In the late 1950s Rod and Carol Serling, and their 2 daughters, lived in Westport.  In fact, he lived just a few doors down from the very young me, on High Point Road.

During television’s Golden Age — and Westport’s apex as a writer’s colony — one of the most important and influential TV writers ever was our neighbor.

Yet the library never mentions that fact.  Could Rod Serling’s Westport connection be lost in another dimension of sound, sight and mind — the twilight zone?

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Posted in Entertainment, Library, Looking back, People

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Food For Thought

Posted on July 31, 2010 | 2 comments

In 5 years as restaurant critic for the New York Times, Frank Bruni influenced millions of diners — and countless discussions of “where should we eat?”

For much of his life, his own answer was:  anywhere, any time.

Bruni was a voracious eater.  The results showed on his body — and, less visibly, his self-esteem.

Frank Bruni

Now average weight — and off the food beat — he’s written a book:  Born Round:  the Secret Life of a Full-Time Eater. He says it contains “elements of an addiction memoir and a food memoir, with lots of family issues and digressions.”

This Monday (August 2, 7:30 p.m.) Bruni will be at the Westport Public Library.  He’ll talk about restaurant writing, eating, self-loathing — and the intersection of all 3.

He’ll also answer questions from the audience.  If anyone asks him to compare his own youthful weight issues with today’s focus on childhood obesity, he’ll mention the importance of offering healthy options and environments.

And, he’ll note, that’s not always easy to do.

“Parents have to realize that kids model behavior from watching their parents — with food, and everything else.  If parents are sedentary or pig out in front of the TV, kids accept that as the norm.”

I wanted to dig in to another subject:  Westport’s culinary life.

“Sadly, I don’t know much about Fairfield County restaurants,” Bruni said.  “My knowledge ends with Westchester.”

So where will he dine before Monday’s library appearance?

“Unfortunately, I’ve got a lot of things to do here at the Times,” he said.  “My summer is crazy.

“I’ll probably just have a sandwich on the train.”

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Your Move, Mate

Posted on July 24, 2010 | Comments Off on Your Move, Mate

The Westport Public Library thinks of everything.

In the main area there’s now a chess table — with men.

A sign invites library-goers to make a move or two — or for 2 to play together.

It’s the continuing nature of the game that’s so intriguing.  People make moves throughout the day — quietly, unobtrusively, anonymously.

Another sign indicates whose move is next (White, around noon yesterday).

I’m not sure who will bask in the glory when the game ends with checkmate.

But that’s probably not the idea, is it?

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Oscar Hijuelos’ “Beautiful Maria”

Posted on July 23, 2010 | Comments Off on Oscar Hijuelos’ “Beautiful Maria”

What’s Westport in 2010 got to do with Havana of the 1950s?

Plenty, says Oscar Hijuelos.

Oscar Hijuelos

The American novelist — the 1st Hispanic to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction — says the connection between Cuba and the US goes so far back in history that “even ‘white suburban’ audiences feel familiar with the culture.”

For well over a century, he told “06880,” the island not far from Florida was a tourist destination, and source of tobacco and sugar.  Above all, “the Cuban psyche, via its music — of the rumba and the mambo — as well as its emotionality, have filtered into America’s consciousness in a way that few other Latin cultures have.”

Desi Arnaz had a big effect on Americans’ perceptions of Cuba too.

Lucy Arnaz Luckinbill — Desi and Lucille Ball’s daughter — now lives in Weston.  Hijuelos has known her since the early 1990s.  Two years ago, she helped arrange Hijuelos’ appearance at the Westport Public Library, where he received the Booked for the Evening award.

The riverside setting, the “elegance of the library” and the folks who attended all made a positive impression on the writer and his wife.

Now Hijuelos is set for a return appearance.  On Monday (July 26, 7:30 p.m.) he’ll talk about his new book, Beautiful Maria of My Soul.

A sequel of sorts to his famed The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, it’s an examination of the life of the muse of that novel as she moves from childhood to the fast lane in mid-20th century Cuba.  Her story involves fierce love, luscious sex and otherworldly beauty, as well as heartbreak and hardness.

It’s a story that should delight Westport readers — though most have never been to Cuba.  And anyone who heard Hijuelos 2 years ago knows how entertaining he can be.  Like any superb writer, he knows his audiences well.

“As exotic as my writing may seem in some ways, I always look for common cultural ground to draw my non-Cuban readers closer,” he says.  I try to create a world that both Cubans and Americans can relate to.”

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Posted in Arts, Library

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Room To Write

Posted on June 17, 2010 | 8 comments

Westport is crawling with writers.

Some write at home.   Others use the library or Starbucks.

Soon, they’ll have an actual writers’ room.  Or, to be grammatically correct:  The Writers’ Room.

Tish Fried and Patrick McCord relax in the Writers' Room.

That’s the name of the brainchild of Tish Fried and Patrick McCord.  Writers themselves — and editors and teachers — they’ve been giving under-the-radar workshops for adults and kids (most recently in Black Rock).

But they always coveted Westport.  Finally they’ve found a spot:  a cozy red clapboard building in Colonial Green.

With wooden beams, walls freshly painted in soothing yellow and green, and plenty of light, it’s the perfect spot for writing.

Add wooden tables, comfy lounge chairs, an espresso machine, wi-fi and trade magazines, and writers may never want to leave.

An added attraction:  Cell phones are prohibited.

A pre-launch party is set for this Friday (June 18, 7 p.m.).  Writers will be welcome gratis for a couple of months; beginning in September, Tish and Patrick will charge a small fee.  (Hey, they’re writers, not billionaires.)

Tish and Patrick envision The Writers’ Room as a place for book signings, poetry readings, story-telling, meetings with agents and editors, parties and other special events.

They’ll offer small-group workshops upstairs — everything from screenwriting and poetry to college essays.

It’s a welcome addition to Westport.  And — if writers ever get tired of writing — the Colonial Green location is perfect.

They can walk to the library or Starbucks.

(For more information, click on www.writeyourselffreenow.com; email tish@theeditingcompany.com, or call 203-557-4614.)

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Posted in Arts, Downtown, Library

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The Art Of Longshore

Posted on June 3, 2010 | Comments Off on The Art Of Longshore

Artists Neil Hardy (left) and Leonard Everett Fisher flank Helen Klisser, During, who curated the "Art of Longshore" exhibit. (Photo by John Hartwell)

The golf course.  Weddings.  Herb Baldwin.

It seems no aspect of Longshore is overlooked this year, as Westport celebrates the 50th anniversary of the town’s purchase of a failing country club — and subsequent redevelopment into a town jewel.

Now it’s art’s turn.

That’s art, as in oil paintings and photos.  Longshore offers almost unlimited opportunities — the tree-lined entrance, scenic marshes, handsome Inn — as well as historic subjects like the lighthouse and old apartment building that no longer exist.

Tomorrow (Friday, June 4, 6 p.m.), the Westport Public Library honors “The Art of Longshore” with an open-to-the-public reception.  Generations of artists’ works will remain on display through July 30.

Some of the prints, paintings and photos are old; some very recent.  Each presents a different facet of Longshore’s beauty.

None, thankfully, shows what might have been had Westport not acted so swiftly 50 years ago:  240 homes crammed together on what was  considered the most lucrative building site in town.

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Posted in Arts, Library, Longshore, Looking back

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