Jeff Greenfield, Anjelica Huston, Wally Lamb, to Speak

Jeff Greenfield in Darien (Tuesday), Anjelica Huston (Nov. 15) in Bedford, NY, Wally Lamb in Stamford (Dec. 5) and William Wegman in New Canaan (Dec. 15) are among the authors scheduled to speak in the area.

Here's where you can go in the area to see an author speak, sign books or both, or for lectures and other events that have some link to reading and writing (for more information about an event and to find out if you need to register for it, click on a link; this list is continually updated):

Saturday, Oct. 26

FAIRFIELD -- "Meet & Greet with Westport author Christine Pakkala. She will be signing copies of her new young reader, "Last But Not Least Lola Going Green", Saturday, October 26th from 12 noon to 3 p.m. Perfect for kids ages 7-10!" -- an announcement on the Fairfield University Book Store website

Sunday, Oct. 27

FAIRFIELD -- "Meet author Owen Palmiotti and his main character (in costume) Benjamin Manry. Palmiotti will be signing copies of his young adult novel Benjamin Manry and the Curse of Blood Bones, Sunday, October 27th from 12:00noon-3:00pm " -- an announcement on the Fairfield University Book Store website

GREENWICH -- "Sunday, Oct. 27 at 3:30 p.m., AuthorsLive@GreenwichLibrary and the India Cultural Center of Greenwich will present veteran journalist Anita Raghavan, author of The Billionaire's Apprentice in the Cole Auditorium. The program will be moderated by Greenwich resident, Rob Morris, founder/Managing Partner of the private equity firm, Olympus Partners. The Billionaire's Apprentice was recently short-listed for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year award. See more here." -- from an announcement on the Greenwich Library website

Monday, Oct. 28

NEW CANAAN -- "ArtScapades presents a look at Romanticism.   This lecture explains how Romanticism championed spiritualism over science, instinct over deliberation, and nature over industry.  Works by Goya, Friedrich, Constable, Turner and Delacroix will be presented." The lecture starts at 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 28, at New Canaan Library, 151 Elm St. -- from an event listing on New Canaan Patch

Tuesday, Oct. 29

DARIEN -- "The Darien League of Women Voters and Barrett Bookstore features best selling author Jeff Greenfield on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m. at the DCA [Darien Community Association], discussing his new book If Kennedy Lived. Tickets $10, available at Barrett Books, Darien LWV events and at the door. Please RSVP to marthabankslwv.@gmail.com" -- from an announcement on Darien Patch

DARIEN -- "In this lecture, we will follow the course of MoMA's beginnings and history and its alignment with the history of art. In addition to discussing the many great works of art that define MoMA's collection, we will introduce ways in which to frame a discussion of works of art. Molleen Theodore is the Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Fellow in the Education Department at the Yale University Art Gallery and a lecturer in the Education Department at the Museum of Modern Art." 7 p.m. in the Community Room, Darien Library -- from an announcement on the Darien Library website

RIDGEFIELD -- "Ridgefield author Linda Merlino will be at the Library on Tuesday, October 29 to discuss her latest novel, Room of Tears. About Room of Tears: At 9:59 a.m. on September 11, 2001, Diane O'Connor's life as a firefighter's wife changes forever, shattering her faith.  Four decades later, a note still hangs on her kitchen cabinet in Queens, the paper yellowed with age. [...] Please register." The event takes place 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Library Program Room at Ridgefield Library. Please register. -- from an announcement on the library website.

Oct. 30 (Wednesday)

RIDGEFIELD -- "Books on the Common and the Ridgefield Library present Rich Cohen who will join us to discuss his just released book Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football. [...] Rich Cohen was seventeen years old when the Bears won their first and only Super Bowl; he was in the Super Dome when they defeated the New England Patriots 46-10. In Monsters, he breathlessly recounts the thrilling narrative of their championship season. [...]" 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Library Program Room, Ridgefield Library. -- from an announcement on the library website

NOVEMBER

WESTPORT -- "National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a nonprofit event that encourages kids and adults to tackle the challenge of writing a novel in November. The Westport Library is an official registered location and will have a reserved space in the Great Hall for teens and adults to "Write In." There will also be a reserved area for kids in the Children's Library. We invite you to come to the library in November as we transform novel-writing into an achievable and fun community endeavor. Registered participants are invited to a community event on December 7 at 2 pm to share their experience with others. For more information about NaNOWriMo visit: http://nanowrimo.org/en." -- from an announcement on the Westport Library website

Nov. 1 (Friday) through Nov. 3 (Sunday)

WESTON -- Weston Library's book sale starts FRIDAY at 8 a.m., with a $20 entry fee from 8 to 9 a.m., then continues from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On SATURDAY, the sale continues from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On SUNDAY, the sale runs from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 (Friday)

STAMFORD -- "Joanna M. Leone, author of "Slices of Life Italian-American Stories" will be a Guest Speaker at the Stamford Senior Center on Friday, Nov. 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. during their Italian Celebration event. Joanna's speech will focus on holiday and travel stories." -- from an announcement on New Canaan Patch

Nov. 2 (Saturday)

WESTPORT -- "[A]uthor Matt Debenham will speak about reading for writers. Scene construction. Narrative voice. Point of view. These are all things that a reader may consider from time to time, but which a writer always considers. Join us as we unpack great passages of contemporary and classic fiction to learn the secrets of what makes them work. " 2 to 3 p.m., in the McManus Room -- from an announcement on the Westport Library website

FAIRFIELD -- "Meet local author Paul Ferrante, author of the young adult mysteries Last Ghost at Gettysburg and Spirits of the Pirate House. Books will be availabe to purchase." 2 p.m., Memorial Room, main Fairfield Public Library -- from an announcement on the Fairfield Library website

Nov. 4 (Monday)

WESTPORT -- "In the early 1960s, Dallas was brewing with political passions, a city crammed with larger-than-life characters dead-set against the Kennedy presidency. In Dallas 1963, Steven L. Davis (and co-author Bill Minutaglio) explore the swirling forces that led many people to warn President Kennedy to avoid Dallas on his fateful trip to Texas." 7 to 8 p.m., McManus Room. -- from an announcement on the Westport Library website

Nov. 5 (Tuesday)

NEW CANAAN -- "Former longtime New Canaan resident and current CBS News correspondent, Armen Keteyian, and Sports Illustrated contributor, Jeff Benedict, co-authors of The New York Times best-selling book, The System – The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football, will discuss their work and conduct a book signing on November 5 at 7:00 p.m. here at the Library." In the Adrian Lamb Room. -- from an announcement on the New Canaan Library website


Nov. 6 (Wednesday)

STAMFORD -- "Join us for an evening of wine, food and conversation as The Friends of The Ferguson Library hosts a panel of cookbook authors. The authors include Debra Ponzek, the chef and co-owner of specialty food store Aux Delices; Michele Stuart, owner and pastry chef of Michele's Pies in Norwalk and Westport; and Marina Marchese, the founder of Red Bee Artisanal Honey. Tickets are $15 and proceeds benefit the Library. Reserve online or call 203 351-8275. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a wine reception and appetizers generously donated by Boca and California Pizza Kitchen." The event takes place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Main Library Third Floor Auditorium." -- an announcement on the Ferguson Library website

DARIEN -- "Michael Sears, author of Mortal Bonds, will be our featured speaker. Mortal Bonds is the second novel in Michael Sears’s extraordinary series featuring Jason Stafford, a former Wall Street trader who, in the wake of serving a prison sentence for fraud, is forced to earn his keep investigating wrongdoings in the financial world he knows intimately. [...]" -- from an announcement on the Darien Library website

WILTON -- "Author Lynn Peters Adler, J.D. brings inspiration to life with her book, Celebrate 100, based on interviews and stories of more than 500 Centenarians.  With their personal anecdotes that encompass the Jazz Age, the Great Depression, two World Wars, the Space Age, the Digital Age and the 9/11 tragedy, Adler distills the wisdom from aging storytellers. Lynn Adler is the founder of National Centenarian Awareness Project, founded in 1989 and is a Centenarian Expert and Older Adults Advocate. Books available for purchase and signing courtesy of Elm Street Books." 7 to 8:30 p.m., Brubeck Room in Wilton Library; register beforehand. -- an announcement on the Wilton Library website

Nov. 7 (Thursday)

GREENWICH -- "On Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m., AuthorsLive@GreenwichLibrary will present maritime historian Lincoln Paine, author of The Sea and Civilization, in the [Greenwich Library] Meeting Room. In this new book, Paine retells human history through the lens of maritime travel. In an accessible work of scholarship, Paine reveals how people first came into contact with one another by ocean and river, and how goods, languages, religions, and entire cultures spread across and along the world's waterways." -- from an announcement on the Greenwich Library website

STAMFORD -- "Two authors focus on the fragile process of recovery in Cambodia after decades of rupture. Eve Monique Zucker, author of Forest of Struggle: Moralities of Remembrance in Upland Cambodia and Benny Widyono, author of Dancing in Shadows: Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge and the United Nations in Cambodia, discuss their work. Book sale and signing. Location: Main Library Third Floor Auditorium." At the main Ferguson Library, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. -- from an announcement on the Ferguson Library website

Nov. 9 (Saturday)

RIDGEFIELD -- "Join Sharon Louden, editor of the recently published book Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artists, along with fellow artists and contributing authors Richard Klein, artist and Aldrich exhibitions director, and Maureen Connor, Queens College CUNY professor, for a frank look at how they and other artists balance the competing demands of their creative and professional lives.  A book signing will follow the talk. [...] Price: Free for members of The Aldrich; Free with the price of admission ($10 adults/$5 seniors 60+ and students) [...] Please register as space is limited." From 2 to 3:30 p.m. -- from an announcement on the Aldrich Museum website

Nov. 12 (Tuesday)

GREENWICH -- Thomas Cahill speaks from 7 to 9 p.m. in Cole Auditorium at Greenwich Library: "The bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization writes passionately about the Renaissance and Reformation from the late 14th through the early 17th centuries in his new book Heretics and Heroes, explaining how the period's artistic and scientific innovations changed the Western world while establishing a new cultural balance." -- from an announcement on the Greenwich Library website

RIDGEFIELD -- "Kevin Peraino [...] will discuss his book Lincoln in the World: The Making of a Statesman and the Dawn of American Power (Crown Publishers, October 29, 2013).  Peraino grew up in Ridgefield, CT.  This program is co-sponsored by Books on the Common." 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Library Program Room, Ridgefield Library. -- from an announcement on the library website (See also: Nov. 21, author Rich Lowry speaks about his Lincoln book)

WILTON -- "Let's Talk: Adult Children and their Parents: Don’t miss this informative presentation hosted by Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County and the Wilton Library with guest speaker Shannon White, author of the new book, The Invisible Conversations with Your Aging Parents. This program and panel discussion will offer practical advice to adult children and their parents on how to communicate effectively about sensitive and important issues such as living arrangements, healthcare concerns, money, grief, memory loss, the ability to drive, living wills, advanced directives and much more. Panelists will include experts in elder law, healthcare, social work, end-of-life and dementia care. Registration recommended." 7 to 8:30 p.m. -- an announcement on the Wilton Library website

Nov. 14 (Thursday)

WESTPORT -- "Garden designer and writer Marta McDowell speaks about Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales. Her book combines rich visuals with quotations from the writer's works, letters and diaries to introduce the reader to Beatrix Potter's Lake District gardens." 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., McManus Room -- from an announcement on the Westport Library website

Nov. 15 (Friday)

BEDFORD, NY -- "Don't miss this terrific event. It will sell out for sure!!! A Story Lately Told with Anjelica Huston -- Friday, Nov 15, 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. $65 includes lunch and book — Reservations — RSVP: 914-234-7800. Join Academy Award-winning actress and director Anjelica Huston at the Bedford Post Literary Series for the first reading on her national book tour! "A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in Ireland, London, and New York" is the first in a two-part biography of Anjelica Huston's charmed, enviable -- and certainly unconventional life." -- from an announcement on the Elm Street Books website

Nov. 16 (Saturday)

STAMFORD -- "Hear a panel of authors discuss the traditional and non-traditional routes they took to get published. Moderator Laura Toffler-Corrie, author of The Life and Opinions of Amy Finawitz and the newly released, My Totally Awkward Supernatural Crush, will discuss traditional publishing and obtaining an agent. Sari Bodi, author of The Ghost in Allie’s Pool, will talk about working with a small press. Mary Beth Bass, author of Everything You Know, will discuss publishing an e-book. Elizabeth Yu-Gesualdi, author of Broken Road, will talk about the self-publication process. For teens and adults." 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Harry Bennett Branch of Ferguson Library -- an announcement on the Ferguson Library website

Nov. 20 (Wednesday)

NORWALK (ROWAYTON) -- "Join us at Rowayton Library for an author talk with Kate Manning [author of] My Notorious Life. Nov. 20. The Rowayton Community Room, Moose Room, 33 Highland Ave. 203-838-5038


Nov. 21 (Thursday)

DARIEN -- "Inventor and Innovation Sherpa Joe Nadan invented, innovated and/or worked on many products and services that are used by millions of people, including EZ Pass, CDROM, and 16:9 HDTV [...] Dr. Nadan will first show entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone wanting launch a new product, how to reduce risk by applying an Outcome-Driven-Innovation (ODI) method to their enterprise. In the second part of his presentation, Dr. Nadan will demonstrate a vastly-improved brainstorming technique to develop new business opportunities." 7 p.m., Darien Library -- from an announcement on the Darien Library website

NEW CANAAN -- "Rich Lowry, editor of National Review and a New York Times best-selling author [...] will speak about his latest release Lincoln Unbound, a persuasive blend of politics and history that argues a return to the dynamic, upwardly mobile political and economic climate that Lincoln promoted and exemplified." 7 p.m., Adrian Lamb Room -- from an announcement on the New Canaan Library website (See also: Nov. 12, in Ridgefield author Kevin Peraino speaks about his Lincoln book)

RIDGEFIELD -- "Josh Ruxin, who grew up in Ridgefield, discusses his just released book A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda [Little, Brown and Company; November 5, 2013] . When newlyweds Josh and Alissa Ruxin first moved to Rwanda from Manhattan in 2006, they arrived full of ideas about what should be done. Just twelve years after the genocide, poverty was deeply entrenched, but they were hopeful they could make a difference. [...]" 7 to 8 p.m. in the Library Program Room, Ridgefield Library. -- from an announcement on the library website

WESTPORT -- "Author Will Schwalbe will discuss his international bestseller, The End of Your Life Book Club, a memoir about his mother, her love of reading and how the two of them began a conversation about books that evolved into a meditation on life, death and the power of literature to transform, inspire and heal. A don't miss event for book clubs!" 7 to 8 p.m., McManus Room -- from an announcement on the Westport Library website

Nov. 25 (Monday)

STAMFORD -- "Advocate columnist Jerry Zezima discusses his latest book, The Empty Nest Chronicles: How to Have Fun (and Stop Annoying Your Spouse) After the Kids Move Out. Book sale and signing. Location: Harry Bennett Branch" 6 to 8 p.m. -- an announcement on Ferguson Library website

Nov. 26 (Tuesday)

DARIEN -- "Anne Umland, The Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Curator of Painting and Sculpture at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, will give a lecture on the great Belgian painter René Magritte’s early Surrealist years, with special reference to works of art included in the exhibition Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary 1926-1938, on view at MoMA through Jan. 13, 2014." 7 p.m., Darien Library -- from an announcement on the Darien Library website

Dec. 3 (Tuesday)

DARIEN -- "Nicholas Dawidoff, author of Collission Low Crossers: A Year Inside the Turbulent World of NFL Football, will be our featured speaker. Football is the country's most popular pastime, and yet most of what happens in today's NFL is a mystery. The New York Jets gave Nicholas Dawidoff a security code, a locker, an office in the scouting department, and for an entire year he lived with the team." At 7 p.m. in the Community Room. -- from an announcement on the Darien Library website

Dec. 5 (Thursday)

STAMFORD -- "Bestselling Author Wally Lamb Dec. 5, 6 to 8 p.m. at The Stamford Ferguson Library. Tickets are $15.00 All Proceeds benefit the Ferguson Library. Wine reception for program begins at 6 p.m. Program at 6:30. Register Now 203 964-1000" -- from an announcement on the Elm Street Books website

Dec. 15 (Sunday)

NEW CANAAN -- "Save the Date: Dec. 15 at the New Canaan Library: William Wegman," author of Flo and Wendell -- from an announcement on the Elm Street Books website

For more information on books, authors, literature and literary events in and around Darien, see the new "Books and Authors" category on Darien Patch. You can also bookmark it and subscribe to the category to make it easier to get to the bookish news in the area.