Madison Bookstore Presents Iconic Television Producer And Author At Westport Event

WESTPORT, CT — Shonda Rhimes, the legendary television producer of such hits as Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and Bridgerton, will be the featured speaker at The Westport Library's annual literary festival, StoryFest, on Oct. 20, the library announced.

This year, the event expands to a full week that will include author talks, panel discussions and more.

The library is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Shondaland visionary's New York Times best-selling memoir, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person.

The event will kick off at 7 pm. Rhimes will be joined by special guests and share the new moments that shaped her life over the past 10 years, as well as the fears she conquered and the unexpected joy of embracing life with an open mind.

Tickets are $30 and include a signed copy of the 10th anniversary hardcover edition of Year of Yes, which features updates and exclusive new chapters. It is the same price for one seat and a copy of the book or two seats and a book.

This event is presented by the Library in partnership with RJ Julia Booksellers of Madison, Connecticut.

“This book is the same as before, but it also is not,” said Rhimes. “It is brand new. It has changed. Transformed. Evolved. Grown. Just like me.”

StoryFest 2025 runs October 13 to October 20, with individual evening events on Monday, October 13, and Friday, October 17, and the talk with Rhimes on Monday, October 20. Saturday, October 18, will feature a series of events and panels starting at 10 am and going until 6 pm.

Now in its eighth year, StoryFest is the largest annual literary festival in Connecticut and one of the biggest in the Northeast. It is a celebration of the story in all its forms and storytellers from across all media, each year drawing scores of authors and hundreds of readers, writers, and fans.

Past participants include National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds; Goosebumps author R.L. Stine; acclaimed essayist and memoirist Roxane Gay,New York Times best-selling authors Michael Lewis, Mitch Albom, Claire Messud, Angie Kim, Stephen Graham Jones, and Caroline Kepnes; young adult superstars Nic Stone, Tiffany Jackson, and L.L. McKinney; Emmy Award winner Sheila Nevins; best-selling memoirist Isaac Fitzgerald; Kirkus Prize recipient Saeed Jones; and Pinkalicious author/illustrator Victoria Kann.

StoryFest marks a return trip to the Library for Rhimes, who served as the BOOKED for the evening honoree in 2022. She also held a special screeningof her critically revered documentary Black Barbie last year and served as the guest of honor for Westport’s 19th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, held at the Library in January of this year.

“We are thrilled to welcome Shonda Rhimes back to The Westport Library to celebrate her seminal memoir, Year of Yes,” said Bill Harmer, executive director of The Westport Library. “This book has meant so much to so many people, and Shonda has meant so much to our Library community. We can’t think of a more perfect capstone to a remarkable week of events celebrating the power of stories and storytelling.”

About Year of Yes

In 2015, Rhimes, the CEO of global media company Shondaland and the trailblazing creative force behind some of television’s most beloved series, took on a challenge that would change her life forever. She decided to say yes to everything for a year, and the results were exhilarating. Hailed as “honest, raw, and revelatory” (The Washington Post) and “as fun to read as Rhimes’s TV series are to watch” (Los Angeles Times), Year of Yes quickly became a New York Times best-seller, captivating readers and inspiring them to undertake their own YES journeys.

In this celebratory and expanded anniversary edition, you’ll find more candid and transformational chapters that reveal how Rhimes, once a self-described introvert, achieved badassery worthy of a Shondaland character — and how you can, too.

About the Author

Rhimes is an award-winning television creator, producer, and author. She is the first woman to create three television dramas — Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal — that achieved the 100-episode milestone.

In 2017, Rhimes shifted the entertainment industry's business model by leaving network television for an exclusive Netflix partnership. Bridgerton, her first Netflix series, became a worldwide franchise with seasons holding three of Netflix's Top 10 English-language spots. She also created Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Inventing Anna, and executive produced The Residence and the documentaries Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker and Black Barbie.

In addition, she founded The Rhimes Foundation supporting arts, education, and activism, and serves on boards including the American Film Institute, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Dartmouth College, Lincoln Center, and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Rhimes also serves on special committees for the USC Film Council and Obama Foundation.

A three-time Time 100 honoree, Rhimes has been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire as well as inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.