The collaborative series “Glass House Presents at New Canaan Library” is pleased to present a discussion on the niche magazine a+u – Architecture & Urbanism – a magazine in Japanese and English that provides information on architecture around the globe to a global readership. A panel of three industry professionals will participate in and moderate the discussion. The event will be held in the Library’s Adrian Lamb Room on Thursday, October 22 at 6:30 p.m., preceded by a light reception at 6 p.m. Please register online at newcanaanlibrary.org. A recent issue of a +u magazine examined fourteen Mid-Century Modern houses in New Canaan, designed by nine architects between the years 1947-1979. The evening will introduce guest editor and architect Alan Goldberg, and photographer Michael Biondo for a conversation with writer Gwen North Reiss about the New Canaan houses featured in the magazine.
In partnership with United Methodist Church of New Canaan, New Canaan Library invites and encourages the community to participate in a very important and thoughtful evening that commemorates and examines the tragic events of the Emanuel African Methodist Church shooting that occurred on July 17, 2015. We all remember the headlines that blazed the story: Churchgoers Gunned Down during Prayer Service in Charleston, South Carolina. On Tuesday, September 17 from 7 – 9 p.m., the Library and United Methodist are honored to host “Miss Polly” Sheppard and Rose Timmons, two members of Emanuel African Methodist Church who directly experienced the enormous impact of that tragic day. Ms. Sheppard, a 72-year-old retired nurse and longtime member of Emanuel Church, was in the Bible study when the shootings took place and is one of only three survivors. Also speaking will be Rose Simmons, daughter of Rev. Daniel Lee Simmons Sr., who was killed in the church.
Author and journalist Kumiko Makihara will discuss the competitive Japanese school system, as well as the questions all parents face regarding education, when she introduces her memoir, Dear Diary Boy. Join New Canaan Library in welcoming Ms. Makihara on Tuesday, September 17 at 10:30 a.m. in the Curtis Gallery. This program is presented in partnership with Elm Street Books; copies of the book will be available for purchase. Please register online at newcanaanlibrary.org. When Makihara’s five-year-old son passed the rigorous entrance exams for a top Japanese school, she assumed that the hard work had been done.
The dark side of two young women’s friendship against the backdrop of Hollywood glitz frames The Paper Wasp, the debut novel from Lauren Acampora, author of an acclaimed short story collection, The Wonder Garden. Join New Canaan Library in welcoming Ms. Acampora on Wednesday, September 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the Adrian Lamb room. This program is presented in collaboration with Elm Street Books. Please register online at newcanaanlibrary.org. The Paper Wasp, Acampora’s electrifying debut novel, tells the knife-edge story of two women’s dark friendship and twisted ambition set against the backdrop of contemporary Hollywood.
Steeped in the academic tradition of painting, but with a unique contemporary perspective, Katelyn Alain draws from the compositional structure, historical motifs, and virtuosic brushwork of master painters across a diverse range of genres. Her most recent work can be viewed within her one-person show, Vision and Metaphor: A New American Epic, set to open on August 27, 2019 at New Canaan Library’s H. Pelham Curtis Gallery. The show runs from August 27 – October 7, with an opening reception on Thursday, September 5 at 6 p.m. A Q & A with the artist begins at 6:30 p.m.; all are welcome to attend. Employing a palette of rich hues to deep blacks and browns, Alain references both traditional master artists as well as contemporary images to equate visual context with well-known history paintings. Alain upends a tradition that glorifies and romanticizes the male figure and gaze.
