Hello!

Although my own school days and those of my children are distant memories, the month of September always signifies a time of new beginnings for me.

It's a wonderful time to learn something new - like computer skills, reading and appreciation for literature, photography, English, or how to write for publication. It's a terrific season to savor a new artist - like Daryl Hawk, or Dena DeRose. It's a great opportunity to meet an author (new or well-known) like Gail Tsukiyama or Scott Ventrella. And it's a perfect time to make new acquaintances at our 8th annual Ladies' Soiree - with its theme of doing things with and for friends.

Come to the Library for all these new beginnings - I look forward to seeing you here!

Kathy Leeds, Director

From Wednesday, September 5th through Friday, September 28th, the Norwalk River Watershed Association will sponsor their annual Photography Exhibit. The relatively short Norwalk River has great aesthetic, historic, cultural, recreational, economic, and environmental significance in its seven Fairfield and Westchester County watershed towns. The river impacts our lives and livelihoods, our activities, and assets. Its health ensures the health of its communities. Come see the ways in which local photographers have captured its essence.

From Sunday, September 9th through Friday, September 28th, Daryl Hawk will show his magnificent photography in an exhibit entitled Quiet Moments. For the past twenty-five years, international documentary photographer and explorer Daryl Hawk has traveled alone to some of the most remote and isolated places in the world, telling stories with his camera. Since the 1970's, Mr. Hawk has also photographed the woods, waters and small towns of New England using primarily black and white film. He has also taken his camera to the streets of Manhattan documenting the people, landscapes and buildings that reveal New York's true character. Join us at the opening reception for this exhibit of his exceptional work from 11:30 am to 1 pm on Sunday, September 9th.

Joanne Dobson teaches English at Fordham University. Her first Professor Karen Pelletier academic mystery, Quieter Than Sleep (1997), was an Agatha nominee, of which Publisher's Weekly said: "Deftly balancing its literary and mystery elements, Dobson's debut sparkles with wit and insight." It was followed by The Northbury Papers (1998), The Raven and the Nightingale (1999), and Cold and Pure and Very Dead (2000).

In her scholarly work, Professor Dobson has concentrated on the recovery of the neglected literature of nineteenth-century American women writers. Professor Dobson is a founding editor of Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers and a general editor of the Rutgers American Women Writers reprint series.

Please join us for this annual "meet and make friends" evening - it will be a great chance to catch up with everyone after vacation. The price of admission is $50 per person and for further details, call Anne Rowlands at 762-3950, ext. 216. To RSVP, you may register online or call 762-3950, extension 270.

http://www.libraryinsight.com/eventdetails.asp? jx=sip&lmx=128860

It's no small accomplishment to be thought of as "The most creative and compelling singer-pianist since Shirley Horn", but that's exactly how Joel Siegel of the Washington City Paper described Dena DeRose.

As a recording artist, Dena has 5 CDs to her credit, all of which have received superior accolades. Cadence Magazine gave her both their Album of the Year and Best Vocal Jazz Album awards for Another World and I Can See Clearly Now. Christopher Louden of Jazz Times says that the MaxJazz label "takes another big leap forward" with the release of her latest, A Walk in the Park. It also received three Grammy considerations.

Astoundingly, Dena has also found time to hone her skills as a jazz educator, and is on the faculty at some prestigious education venues, including the New School and Purchase College in New York, The Hartt School of Music in Connecticut and the Groningen Conservatory of Music in The Netherlands. She frequently teaches at clinics and workshops, such as the Dave Brubeck Institute, the NJPAC Jazz for Teen Program, the Stanford Jazz Workshop and several summer jazz camps. She has served as a judge at both the Thelonious Monk Competition and the NJ Star Ledger Scholarship Awards. Come meet her - and her talent - on September 9th.

If you have not yet made the plunge into the digital world or if you're thinking of upgrading your equipment, this class will fill the bill! Michael and Mary Anne Franco are not only tremendously knowledgeable, they're also lots of fun and a great way to bring your photography skills into sharper focus.

Jessica Bram's commentaries are regularly heard on the National Public Radio station WSHU during NPR's All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Her personal essays have been published and syndicated in national and regional newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Child Magazine Women's Journal, Country Accents and the Gannett Newspapers. Jessica Bram is currently on the adjunct faculty of Norwalk Community College where she teaches literature and writing. She has also taught courses in memoir, essay, and creative nonfiction writing at the Lifetime Learners Institute, Norwalk Community College's Extended Studies and Workforce Education program, and Westport Continuing Education. We are thrilled to welcome her as part of our Writers' Block series.

Discover first-hand why Susan's lunchtime gatherings are so popular by reserving a spot in her session on Wednesday, September 12th, from 12 noon to 1:30 pm. Bring your lunch, if you like and we will supply the liquid refreshments. All are welcome, but please register in advance.

Simply search the catalog for the desired item, and click on the "First Available Copy" button located directly above the Copy/Holding information green line. Only use the "Request This Copy" link when you want to place a hold on a specific disk of a multiple-volume set of DVDs (for example, disk 3 of Season 2 of Lost). Once you enter your Library card nmber and pin (the last four digits of your telephone number), you will be in line for the first copy returned to the Library and we'll give you a call to pick it up.

Additional dates in coming months are November 17th for strings, March 22nd for percussion and May 3rd for brass. Bring the whole family and learn from the professionals how the instruments work and what it's like to be part of an orchestra. And get set for boundless fun and inspiration. Please register all attendees in advance so that we may save your seats.

~~ Thursday, September 6th: Basic Word from 12:30 to 2 pm. Participants will learn how to create and format a basic document. Please register in advance.
~~ Thursday, September 27th: Basic Excel from 12:30 to 2 pm. Students will learn how to create and use spreadsheets. Please register in advance.
~~ Thursday, September 27th: Rosetta Stone from 6:30 to 8 pm. Speakers of other languages will learn English proficiency using this computer program. Please register in advance.

• Ones and Twos ~~ Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 10:15 to 10:45 am
• Twos and Threes ~~ Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 10:15 to 10:45 am
• Threes and Fours ~~ Wednesdays from 11:30 am to noon
• Fives and Sixes ~~ Mondays or Tuesdays from 2 to 2:45 pm

Call 762-3950, extension 217, for more information

From the publisher: Her name is synonymous with elegance, style and grace. Over the course of her extraordinary life and career, Audrey Hepburn captured hearts around the world and created a public image that stands as one of the most recognizable and beloved in recent memory. But despite her international fame and her tireless efforts on behalf of UNICEF, Audrey was also known for her intense privacy. With unprecedented access to studio archives, friends and colleagues who knew and loved Audrey, bestselling author Donald Spoto provides an intimate and moving account of this beautiful, elusive and talented woman. Come talk about the book with fellow actress, Maureen Canary!

A dynamic and popular lecturer, respected educator, business consultant, life coach, and published author, Scott W. Ventrella offers a practical message that is equal parts philosophy, psychology, and spirituality.

Ventrella is the founder of Positive Dynamics, a consulting and coaching company devoted to helping people tap their inherent potential, as well as Executive Vice President for SAI Global, an international consulting firm where clients include executives from many Fortune 500 companies. Ventrella also works as an adjunct professor at Fordham University's Graduate School of Business.

If you'd like us to order multiple copies for your group, please stop by the Reference Desk to fill out a form. Please note that, because of budgetary constraints, we can purchase only those books available in paperback. We'll order the copies immediately and then let you know when they are available for group members to borrow. It's always best to place requests well in advance of discussion dates as titles are sometimes on backorder from the publisher or distributor.

When you make your request, we'll ask for your contact information so we can alert you to upcoming author events at the Library. Already on the calendar for this year are Gail Tsukiyama (in September - see details above), Charles Grodin (in November), and Dick Morris (in December). You can help us spread the word to the book lovers in our area!