Southport's Pequot Library Announces 2023 Programs For All Ages

Press release from Pequot Library:

Dec. 22, 2022

Pequot Library ushers in the New Year with a range of programs, most of which are free and open to the public. January also sees the final weeks of our The Lure of the Garden: The Enduring Desire to Work and Shape the Land exhibition, which closes on February 5th.

Members of Fairfield Public Libraries and the Pequot Library will gather on January 10th at 10 a.m. for the grand reveal of this year’s One Book, One Town selection. Last year’s choice, TJ Klune’s House in the Cerulean Sea, was well-received. Join us at Fairfield Main Library to hear about the new title. This program is free and open to the public.

On January 11th at 11 a.m., join us for Uncovering Shakespeare Book Group: From Folio to Fiction, a book club led by Chief Librarian Christine Catallo and inspired by the Library’s Shakespearean collection. Explore Shakespeare’s plays by viewing their earliest publication within the folios and reading and comparing his original works and their modern interpretations. Our January read is Macbeth by William Shakespeare. This program is free and open to the public.

Also on January 11th, Play with Your Food, a not-for-profit producer of professional performing and visual arts programs in and around Fairfield County, returns for an all new season of irresistible short play-readings, lively talkbacks with the actors and director, and delicious boxed lunches from popular local restaurants (to stay or to go). The 2023 schedule also runs on Feb. 15th, March 22nd, and April 19th. Tickets cost $60, and a subscription of four months costs $224.

Children in grades 4 to 8 will enjoy our Lure of the Garden, Jr.: Build a Soda Bottle Composter program on January 18th at 4:15 p.m. In a 1760 book on New England farming that is currently on display in our The Lure of the Garden: The Enduring Desire to Work and Shape the Land exhibition, Jared Eliot includes a chapter on improving the soil with layers of manure and seaweed in a process that we would now call composting. This program, which is free and open to the public, will explore what happens in a modern composting bin, and participants will build mini-composters—using clear plastic bottles—to observe the decomposition process at home.

On January 19th, the Library hosts the kick-off of its new Silent Book Club between 6 and 8 p.m. Read, relax, and discuss your favorite books in our historic 1894 building. SBC will be hosted the third Thursday of every month. It’s a global community of readers and introverts, with 300 chapters. Members gather in person and online to read together in quiet camaraderie—an Introvert's Happy Hour! This program is free and open to the public.

Children will enjoy our January 20th Family Movie Night | Frozen Friday at 5 p.m., co-sponsored by the Sasquanaug Association, a nonprofit devoted to preserving and protecting Southport and its historical surroundings. There’s no better way to warm up in January than with the epic adventure: Frozen. Sing along with Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf as they set out on an icy journey to save Elsa and the kingdom! Kids can wear their pajamas, bring a blanket and their favorite stuffed animal friend. Popcorn provided. A group of cast members from Westport’s Bedford Middle School’s recent Frozen, Jr. musical will be on hand to kick off this magical evening with a few songs. This program is free and open to the public.

We have four digital Meet the Author events happening, starting with the January 7th (2 p.m.) chat with New York Times bestselling author Namina Forna of The Gilded Ones series. She’ll discuss her second book, The Merciless Ones. On January 12th at 6 p.m., we’re hosting a virtual conversation with William Maz, who’ll chat about his novel, The Bucharest Dossier. The triumph of love during years of atrocity and deprivation is brought hauntingly to life in this debut novel. Dana K. White joins us virtually on January 17th at 2 p.m. for a talk titled “Decluttering to Start Your New Year.” She’ll dispense expert tips on getting and staying organized to increase productivity. On January 31st at 2 p.m., Randall Munroe of What If? fame shares his sometimes wacky and always inventive insights about science and design. The programs with Forna, White, and Munrow are produced in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium, and they’re offered at no cost.

As always, Pequot Library also offers a number of ongoing programs for children and adults, from our January 14th Genealogy Roundtable to our newly-launched Great Lawn Astronomy, a children and teens' drop-in program on Thursday nights as the weather allows.

This press release was produced by Pequot Library. The views expressed here are the author's own.