POEMS AS TIME MACHINES ~ A WRITING WORKSHOP WITH 

PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST DANEZ SMITH

Monday, July 28, 3:00-5:00

The Garden House, Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center

152 Main St., Ridgefield, CT

ONLY A FEW SEATS LEFT!...join us for Poems as Time Machines, a generative writing workshop with 2025 Pulitzer Prize Finalist Danez Smith! Says Danez of the workshop: "Since the beginning of time we’ve been obsessed with time. How does it move? How are we held within it? How can we move in and out of it? In this workshop we’ll read a sampling of poets going forward, backwards, and deeper into time before designing our own machines (hint: it’s poems) that will move us across the timeline to discover what waits for us and our ambitions if we dive into the stream and let it carry us further into our imaginations."

This workshop is open to writers of all experience levels/genres. Registration is limited to 20 participants.

Workshop fee: $115

Special discounted rates are available for high school and college students - inquire at info@keelertavernmuseum.org. 

ABOUT DANEZ SMITH

“[Smith’s] poems are enriched to the point of volatility, but they pay out, often, in sudden joy.” —The New Yorker 

Danez Smith burst into national recognition in 2014, when their poems about the Black Lives Matter movement found piercing resonance in a time of social and political change. They are the author of Bluff, Finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and an NAACP Image Award nominee; Homie, which won the Minnesota Book Award and was a Finalist for both the National Book Critics Circle Award and the NAACP Image Award; Don't Call Us Dead, Finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Forward Prize; [insert] Boy, winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award; and two chapbooks. Most recently, Smith edited Blues in Stereo: The Early Works of Langston Hughes.

In poetry slam, Smith was a 2011 Individual World Poetry Slam finalist and the reigning two-time Rustbelt Individual Champion, and was on the 2014 championship team Sad Boy Supper Club.

You can enjoy "Dinosaurs in the Hood," one of Danez's best-known spoken-word performances, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJwiOTeKDOQ

The Stratford Library has announced that Circulation Department Assistant Gawain Mosher will host a new book club for readers from ages 21 to 30.  The inaugural meeting for the Wordy Under 30 Book Club will take place on Thursday, August 14 from 6-7 pm.  It is open to all readers within the age limit.

Wordy Under 30 is an exciting new book club for young adults. Anyone from 21 to 30 will be warmly invited to join; members don’t have to be from Stratford or have a library card (though it is recommended). Readers will meet once a month and will discuss whatever members are interested in reading. Meetings will be fun and relaxed - no rigid structures or prewritten guides, just conversation.  Light refreshments will also be served.  With this group, Mosher hopes to cultivate community and practice making time in busy lives for activities like reading that can bring wonder and peace.

Gawain Mosher is the recipient of the American Library Association (ALA) 2025 Century Scholarship.  The $2,500 scholarship funds services or accommodation for a library school student with disabilities admitted to an ALA-accredited library program. Mosher says his passion for librarianship began when he worked as an undergraduate student in the Purchase College library.  After graduation, Mosher worked at a public library providing services to those who relied on the library for a variety of resources. Mosher says, “Providing these services to patrons was more fulfilling than any work he had ever done.” This realization led Mosher to make the decision to become “an educated, official librarian.”

Wordy Under 30 will begin at 6 pm on August 14.  It will be held in the Board Room located in the Library’s lower level.  For further information, email: gmosher@stratfordlibrary.org or call the Library:203-385-4161

• A new 48-seat screening room: Dramatically expanding programming flexibility and capacity.
• Full ADA compliance: Integrating a lift and fully accessible restrooms for universal access.
• New, comfortable seating: Enhancing the viewing experience in both historic auditoriums.
• State-of-the-art technology: Implementing 4K laser projection and immersive Dolby surround sound.
• Historic exterior and interior restoration: Including comprehensive repairs to the roof and brick façade as well as the Oscar Glas murals.
• Redesigned and expanded public spaces: Featuring an enhanced lobby, modern concession area, and a new wine/cocktail bar.

Westport Country Playhouse’s Classic Film Series Continues with “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” on August 6

Westport Country Playhouse’s classic film series will present the iconic family musical, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” based on Roald Dahl’s enchanting tale, on Wednesday, August 6, at 6 p.m. The cast includes Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, and Peter Ostrum. Director is Mel Stuart.

Join the expedition visiting legendary Candy Man Willy Wonka, played by Gene Wilder. Coated with flavorful tunes and production design that constantly dazzles the eye, this effervescent musical never fails to enchant the young and old. On a whirlwind tour of Willy’s incredible, edible realm of chocolate waterfalls, elfish Oompa-Loompas, and industrial-sized confections, a boy named Charlie will discover the sweetest secret of all: a generous, loving heart. The musical’s soundtrack includes “Candy Man” and “Pure Imagination.”          

Running time is 98 minutes; rated G.

The Playhouse’s celebration of timeless films will continue with “The Sting,” with Paul Newman and Robert Redford, on Monday, August 18 at 7 p.m.; and Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” featuring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh, on Friday, October 10 at 7 p.m., including a post-screening discussion.

Tickets are $20 each; $10 each for three of more films. General admission; seating unreserved.

For full details, visit:  https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/willy-wonka-chocolate-factory/

GREENWICH, Conn., July 24, 2025— The Greenwich Historical Society Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Carol B. Cadou as the organization’s new Executive Director and CEO, effective August 25^th. Cadou brings over 30 years of museum management and curatorial experience with historic sites, libraries, archives, and fine and decorative arts collections, with prior leadership tenures at The National Society of Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA), Winterthur Museum, and George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

Cadou joins the Historical Society following the previously announced retirement of Debra L. Mecky, who over the span of 30 years at the helm as Executive Director and CEO dramatically advanced the organization’s mission, transformed its site and operations, and expanded its reach and audience to become one of America’s foremost regional history museums.

 “The search committee and Board of Trustees are thrilled to welcome Carol Cadou at an exciting and pivotal time of growth for our organization,” said Historical Society Board Chair Catherine Tompkins. “Looking ahead to next year and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence as well as to Greenwich Historical Society's centennial milestone in 2031, we believe Carol’s leadership will help us fulfill our mission to preserve and interpret Greenwich history to strengthen the community’s connection to our past, to each other and to our future.”

 Cadou will lead all operations and initiatives of the nationally accredited museum campus, encompassing a robust year-round schedule of dynamic art and history exhibitions, adult, family and school programs, community partnerships and events. “Carol Cadou, with her extensive experience and enthusiasm, will work closely with the staff and Board to sharpen the Historical Society’svision for the future and further strengthen its position as the sole organization in Greenwich dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the town’s history, and stewardship of the National Historic Landmark Bush-Holley House,” said Peter Malkin, Honorary Trustee and member of the search committee.

 In her positions as Executive Director of the NSCDA and the Charles F. Montgomery Director and CEO of Winterthur Museum, Cadou guided two AAM-accredited institutions through the creation of new strategic plans with forward-looking mission and vision statements, the introduction of needed infrastructure and technology, governance discussions, and fundraising for high-quality exhibitions and ambitious capital projects.

At the NSCDA, Cadou completed a $2.5 million capital campaign for Dumbarton House Museum that included new lecture and meeting rooms, state of the art technology for on-site and virtual educational programming, a new Visitor’s Center, accessible entrances, and restored historic period rooms.

At Winterthur, she oversaw the preservation, conservation, exhibition, scope and content of Winterthur Museum’s collection of 200,000+ fine and decorative arts exhibited in 190 historic house museum rooms, and developed and managed a $20 million annual operating budget, collaborating with external auditors and investment managers to ensure fiscal responsibility and sustainability of a $350 million endowment.

"At a time when historic buildings and collections are threatened due to lack of funds, and American history is receiving less attention in K-12 curricula, Greenwich Historical Society has doubled down on its commitment to historic preservation and education,” said Cadou. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and schools on this critical work.”

Born and raised in Ohio, Cadou holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College. She taught English in Japan before earning an American Arts certification at Sotheby's Institute of Art and a Master of Arts degree from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture at the University of Delaware in 1996. She later received an MBA from Ohio University in 2019.

Cadou has authored, edited, or contributed to numerous books on American decorative arts, architecture, and historic preservation. In 2018, the University of Virginia Press published her edited volume entitled Stewards of Memory: The Past, Present, and Future of Historic Preservation at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Her forthcoming publication on the NSCDA’s 60+ historic sites is Great American Treasures: Women Preserving History Since 1891.

Artists are asked to submit up to 9 pieces that will be reviewed by a selection committee. Up to 9 artists will be selected to exhibit at the SAA Townhouse Gallery in Stamford, CT.

If accepted, the artists will pay an additional exhibition fee of $100 for members and $120 for nonmembers. SAA will provide gallery coverage Fridays-Sundays, 12-3, and PR coverage. Artists may arrange for access at other times.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Tuesday, July 22nd at 11:59PM.

Exhibition Dates: August 7-21
Receiving: Friday Aug 1 12-2, Sat Aug 2 12-2
Reception: Thursday, Aug 7 5:30-7
Art Pickup: Fri Aug 22, 12-2, Sat Aug. 23 12-2

Categories: Painting, Mixed Media, Photography, Drawing, Printmaking, Sculpture weighing less than 50 pounds.

Entry Instructions:
ELIGIBILITY
Work that is considered offensive to gender, race, religion will not be accepted.

Criteria: Except for photographs, prints of any kind (lithographs, etchings, computer generated art etc.) should be signed and numbered as a limited edition. Unframed canvas should have sides painted. Artists must self-insure their work.
Size limitation: No larger than 48'X 60'' framed. Work has to remain up for the duration of the show.

Peace Talks juried exhibition

Opening Reception: Sunday, September 7, 1 to 3 PM

The Crown Gallery at Metro Arts Studios is proud to present Peace Talks, a juried exhibition in all mediums, invites artists and viewers alike to reflect on the many dimensions of peace — personal, political, spiritual, and environmental. The title is both literal and metaphorical. Peace Talks references the formal negotiations between nations or opposing forces, but it also evokes quiet conversations, collective or individual protest, internal reckonings, and the soft language of reconciliation. the exhibit centers on the idea of dialogue: between cultures, between generations, and within the self. Juried by Caitlin Monachino, the Curatorial and Publications Manager of The Aldrich Contemporary Museum in Ridgefield, CT. Since 2018, Ms Monachino has collaborated on many exhibitions at the museum including Frank Stella’s Stars and 52 Artists, and organized the first East Coast solo museum exhibition with artist Yvette Mayorga in 2023.

Participating artists include:

Nancy Bardach, Roy Cacek, Lidia Costa, Manal Deeb, Charles Douthat, Susan Dumas, Charlotte Easterling, Barry Jordan, Vince Quevedo, Margaret Roleke, Suzanna Schlemm, Rosalind Shaffer, Susan L Smith, Jeff Smudde, Susan Taylor Murray, and Joan Wheeler

The exhibit runs from August 3 to September 20, 2025.

Gallery hours: Thursday through Saturday, 12 to 4 PM and by appointment.

www.metroartstudios.org/crowngallery

Free, ADA accessible, ample on and off street parking available.

www.metroartstudios.org/crowngallery

203-450-6720

Monday, July 21, 2025 · 7 p.m.
Walled Garden at Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center (KTM&HC), 152 Main St., Ridgefield

FREE

On Monday, July 21, at 7:00, Poetry in the Garden: Voices from Marginalized America welcomes National Book Award winner Mark Doty and UCONN Assistant Professor Trace Peterson. The evening will also include a short reading by the winners of the 2025 PRIDE Poetry Contest.

Poets' books will be available for signing.

Free for all! Bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the readings, held in KTM&HC’s beautiful walled garden. In the event of inclement weather, the reading will move inside the Garden House. Ample parking on-site. Venue is fully accessible. Poetry in the Garden 2025 is generously supported by Ridgefield Library, The Fountain Inn, Books on the Common, A.C.T. of Connecticut, 068 Magazine, Manhattanville University MFA in Creative Writing, and the Estate of Ray Lee West.

HERE ARE STILL A FEW OPENINGS FOR MARK DOTY'S AFTERNOON WORKSHOP!

Being Ourselves on the Page ~ July 21, 3:00-5:00

Says ground-breaking LGBTQ+ poet Mark Doty: “A deep paradox in American poetry lies in the fact that while LGBTQ+ individuals are generally thought of as outsiders, a glance at a list of major American poets — Whitman, Dickinson, Crane, Bishop, Rich, and many more—reveals that we’re an extraordinary mainstream.” Come explore the challenges and opportunities by being ourselves on the page!

This 90-minute generative workshop is open to writers of all experience levels/genres and takes place in the Keeler Tavern Garden House.

Registration is limited - reserve your space at bit.ly/4j7jwq1

Workshop fee: $115 For a student discount, contact: info@keelertavernmuseum.org

Summer Salon features new work by the Silvermine Guild of Artists working in a broad range of styles and the artists explorations within their medium. This annual summer exhibition celebrates our extraordinarily accomplished painters, sculptors, printmakers, mixed media and fiber artists. For the seasoned or new collector, Summer Salon features a wide range of price points and styles—from contemporary to traditional, with art for every budget and aesthetic preference.

Emily Kelting's photo, "Prancing" earned the "Digital Photo of the Year" Award at the Stamford Photography Club's 2025 End of Year competition.  It will also be exhibited at the Rowayton Arts Center's Photography and Sculpture Show.  The show opens this Sunday, June 22 with a reception from 4-6 pm. The exhibit ends on July 20th.  Check the Rowayton Art Center's website for gallery hours. 

Jam out to Southern Fried - Playing Hot and Crispy Classic Rock, Blues and R&B!

June 29th 2025, 5:30pm-7:00pm 

Weston History & Culture Center: 104 Weston Rd. Weston, CT (Parking and Entrance on High Acre Road)

Member: $15 per person, Non-member: $20 per person, Kids 12 and Under: FREE

 All Music at the Barn Concerts take place outside on the beautiful grounds of the historic Coley Homestead at the Weston History & Culture Center. If there is inclement weather, the concert will be rescheduled. Bring your own lawn chairs! Leashed dogs allowed! BYOB!!! No Food Truck at this concert. BRING YOUR OWN PICNIC.

Music at the Barn Outdoor Summer Concert Series is generously sponsored by Fairfield County Bank, Pullman & Comley, Esthetic Dental Group of Westport and Aquarion Water Company.

SONO Arts Festival - August 2 - 3, 2025 Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm.

The SONO Arts Festival is a vibrant annual celebration of creativity, culture, and community held in the heart of South Norwalk, Connecticut. Known for its eclectic mix of fine art, handmade crafts, live music, and engaging street performers, the festival transforms the historic SONO district into a lively open-air gallery.

This family-friendly event showcases the work of both emerging and established artists from across the region, offering everything from painting, sculpture, and photography to jewelry, ceramics, and textiles. Visitors can explore a curated selection of vendors, enjoy live performances on multiple stages, and sample local cuisine from food trucks and nearby restaurants.

With its colorful puppet parade, interactive art installations, and festive atmosphere, the SONO Arts Festival has become a beloved tradition that draws thousands each summer for a weekend of inspiration and fun.

The event is free and family friendly.