Adult Programs

Meet the Author events, lectures, workshops, and book clubs all reached audiences both virtually and in-person as pandemic restrictions allowed. We also resumed our tradition of holding concerts in the auditorium, and our attendance rates grew steadily. This past year we continued to offer a robust lineup of author events in addition to a new monthly book club, “Uncovering Shakespeare: From Folio to Fiction.” Led by Chief Librarian Christine Catallo, participants alternate between reading the original Shakespeare work and a modern retelling. For example, participants read The Tempest and then HagSeed by Margaret Atwood. Patrons look forward to continuing this book club in the coming fiscal year.

In addition, the Board of Trustees started the new fiscal year by hosting a Wikipedia edit-a-thon on June 25, inaugurating a project designed to increase the Library’s and Southport’s online visibility.

Pequot Library held its 132nd Annual Meeting on Oct. 24 to report on the prior year and vote on the new slate of trustees. We conducted it in person once again and honored 2021 volunteer award winners Joan Frost, Margaret Rieck, and Ruth Rolander. Vin Cipolla served as our guest speaker.

We hosted a virtual panel discussion called “The Intellectual Importance of Youth Fantasy Literature” in January. Fairfield University professors Dr. Betsy A. Bowen and Dr. Bryan Ripley Crandall served as our guests. The conversation was a deep dive into the YA fantasy genre with two experts in the field, offered in conjunction with the exhibition Magic, Mayhem, and Maturity: The Growth of Youth Fantasy Literature. The discussion was sponsored by the Connecticut Humanities. more. The Harrison Gordon Photography Exhibition, Magic, Mayhem, and Maturity: The Growth of Youth Fantasy Literature, and [Her]story: Women’s Roles Through History all went on display in-person, and in most cases they had online versions for perusal. Finally, we presented two exhibitions in the auditorium: Paint, Pen and Petal: Artists in the Garden in April with the Fairfield Garden Club and Picturing History: Historic Barns of Connecticut in December through January with Preservation Connecticut, formerly known as the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation.

State Senator Tony Hwang moderated a November 13 panel discussion called Update, Understand, Prevention, Action: Southport, CT: A Community Conversation with Panelists on Public Safety, which was designed to explain the law enforcement and institutional safety measures that protect students, faculty, and neighborhood residents. The Fairfield Police Department, State Representative Jennifer Leeper (132nd District), and Fairfield RTM members all participated. Attendees heard proactive steps that organizations and individuals can take to ensure safety around the community.

Pequot Library held a Nov. 17 talk about Connecticut’s Political Landscape with CT Mirror political reporter Mark Pasniokas. Pazniokas, one of CT Mirror’s founders and current Capitol Bureau Chief, is widely regarded as the best political reporter in the state. CT Mirror Publisher Bruce Putterman also spoke about the emergence of nonprofit newsrooms around the country and the role their publication occupies in a state whose traditional media have been contracting for years. A major highlight came in April when we hosted the two-day Pequot Library Climate Summit 2022 in conjunction with Earth Day. The programs included composting with Mary Hogue and Don Martens of Sustainable Fairfield, “Recycling: What’s In/What’s Out?” with Misty Beyer and Sustainable Fairfield, and a conversation with Patrick Horan (owner of Waldingfield Farm), Haley Lieberman (a fashion and tech entrepreneur with a focus on sustainable solutions), and Lori CochranDougall (Westport Farmers Market’s executive director). The featured guest speaker was landscape designer Edwina von Gal of the Perfect Earth Project. Attendees explored the Pollinator Pathway with Aspetuck Land Trust, and Pequot Library made lunches available for purchase from Herbaceous Catering, while Gruel Britannia provided scones. The event ended with a rousing performance by the band Barnstorm. This program is established as an ongoing series at Pequot Library as part of an essential conversation about climate change and nature conservation.

Exhibitions and related programming also filled the Perkin Gallery once