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Past Events, Programs and Art Exhibits at The Cornwall Library
 Poetry “Un-Slam”
Sunday, February 19th, 2:30 pm
Enjoy a Poetry “Un-Slam” at the Library on Sunday, February 19th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Cornwall poets are invited to read their own, original work for up to 3 minutes on the first round of readings. Not a poet? Come to listen and hear emerging talents and established writers. This “Un-Slam” is not a competition, but promises to be entertaining. A second "Un-Slam" will be held on Sunday, March 18th at 2:30 pm. In memory of Ken Keskinen.
 Saturday Night Movie at the Library
Saturday, February 11th, 7:30 pm
Join us as we kick off our Saturday Night Movies series with the film The Pirate, starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. This delightful film from 1948 features music and lyrics by Cole Porter and was directed by Vincente Minnelli. It tells the tale of a 19th Century Caribbean islander who’s madly in love with a fantasy figure - an infamous pirate named Mack the Black. Such an appropriate way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, including sweet treats for all! There is a suggested donation of $6 per person and $10 per couple.
 The 3rd Annual Jazz in January
Saturday, January 28th at 6:30 pm
Hibernation is for bears, not people. Join us on Saturday, January 28th at 6:30 pm for the 3rd annual Jazz in January and Dinner. This year’s music performers will be Bob Parker and his Jive by Five Band playing New Orleans jazz. A fabulous dinner prepared for you by the G.R.I.T.S (Girls Raised in the South) and the Friends of the Library will feature southern favorites such as shrimp and grits and pecan pie.
Tickets are $20 per person. A cash bar is available with wine at $4 per glass and beer at $3 per glass. Tickets must be purchased in advance at the Library or by calling 860-672-6874. Please R.S.V.P. by January 25th. Proceeds will benefit the Library’s programs for children. Don’t miss this sumptuous evening for the palate and the soul!
 Priscilla Gilman Speaks About The Anti-Romantic Child
Saturday, January 14th at 4 pm
On Saturday, January 14th at 4 pm, Priscilla Gilman will discuss her book The Anti-Romantic Child: A Story of Unexpected Joy. It’s a memoir about her experience raising her son Benj, who was diagnosed with a variety of special needs – including a rare disorder called hyperlexia – when he was about three. Ms. Gilman, herself the daughter of literary parents, is a former academic, a Wordsworth scholar with Romantic expectations for her son’s childhood. Her memoir is both inspiring and practical; her talk will be of interest to parents – especially parents of “special needs” children – but also to teachers and to anyone who is interested in the balance between heart and brain. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
 Boxing Day Reading
December 26th at 4pm
The Annual Boxing Day Reading with Tom Walker will be held on December 26th at 4:00 pm at the North Cornwall Meeting House. This year Tom’s author of choice is Sholem Aleichem. In Russia Aleichem has been called the Yiddish Pushkin and in America, the Yiddish Mark Twain. His stories of Tevye the Dairyman were the basis for the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” For many years Tom has wanted to read Aleichem on Boxing Day. Please join us for this special treat.
 Homer Page
November 8th - December 10th
An exhibit featuring the work of photographer Homer Page (1918-1985) begins November 8th. Page lived in Cornwall for over 20 years and died at his home here. He began his career in San Francisco in 1944 with the encouragement of documentary photographer Dorothea Lange and by 1947 his work was featured in a major show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. After moving to New York in 1948, he produced a series of extraordinary photographs of the streets of the city in 1949-50, some of which are featured in this exhibition. Page went on to assist Edward Steichen in creating “The Family of Man” exhibit at MoMA in 1955, and spent many years traveling the world as a photo-journalist.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, presented an exhibit, “The Photographs of Homer Page,” in 2009, and curator Keith F. Davis’s catalog places Page as an essential link between the work of Lange and Robert Frank in the history of American photography.
Dorothy Lapham Ferriss - Illustrated Vanity Fair Covers
October 25th - December 10th
Beginning October 25th, the glass display case will feature the work of Dorothy Lapham Ferriss. Read more about Ms. Ferriss and her brief but successful career as a magazine illustrator.
 Thanksgiving Weekend Bonus: The 14th Annual Talent Show
Friday, November 25th at 7:30 pm
With the promise of new talent, and the return of performers who have delighted and entertained us in the past, you won’t want to miss The Cornwall Library’s 14th Annual Talent Show. This year’s event will be held on Friday, November 25th at 7:30 pm at the United Church of Christ, Bolton Hill Road, in Cornwall. Whether the performers are local or come from a distance, they all have Cornwall connections. Attending the show is a wonderful way to complement a family Thanksgiving. Tickets are $15 for adults and $6 for children age 12 and under. You may purchase tickets at the Library in person, or by calling 860-672-6874. MasterCard, Visa, check or cash are accepted. Please purchase your tickets before Tuesday, November 22nd. Pre-purchased tickets will be reserved at the door.
 New York From The Air: A Story of Architecture with John Tauranac
Saturday, November 12th at 5pm
The Cornwall Library presents John Tauranac discussing his latest project, New York from the Air: A Story of Architecture. Author of several books and a designer of maps, Tauranac writes on New York's architectural history, a subject he also teaches and gives tours on. Working with photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Tauranac was responsible for the text and the maps in this completely updated third edition. Identifying familiar buildings from aerial shots at times proved difficult: hear the stories from the expert on New York City’s subways and architecture. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
'CatDogs Interrupted by Abstractions'
Michael Gellatly
October 4th through November 5th
'CatDogs Interrupted by Abstractions’ by Michael Gellatly will be on exhibit at The Library. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, October 16th from 3-5 pm.
Biogenetic Engineering Talk
Postponed due to weather
Saturday, October 29th, 4pm
The Cornwall Library presents Cornwall author and editor Fred M. Sander, M.D., who will talk about a new book on biogenetic engineering he has edited. Created In Our Own Images.com revives W.S. Gilbert’s Pygmalion & Galatea and serves as an introduction to the art, ethics and science of cloning. The authors in this collection include Tom Freudenheim, Jamie Love, Bill McKibben, Lee Silver and Carolyn Williams.
Ralph MacPhail, Jr, Professor of Theatre Emeritus, Bridgewater College of Virginia, commented, “From ancient myth to today’s headlines, Created In Our Own Images.com explores humankind’s impulse to replicate itself and the ethical issues that abound. W.S. Gilbert’s 1871 Pygmalion & Galatea provides a springboard for discussions in the sciences and the humanities, offering a banquet of food for thought for the reader.”
Dr. Sander will have books for sale and signing.
"The Way I See It" by Alden Weigold
In the glass display case, 8-year-old Alden Weigold will be showing his first photography exhibit entitled “The Way I See It,” a collection of digital photos taken with his Kodak EasyShare during summer vacation. Alden’s exhibit will run through October 22nd.
Author Talk with Jeremy Brecher
Saturday, October 15th at 4pm
Cornwall writer, filmmaker, activist, and historian Jeremy Brecher will be at The Cornwall Library to discuss his newest publication, Banded Together: Economic Development in the Brass Valley. Banded Together has been described by the University of Illinois Press as “providing incisive commentary on the historical and contemporary American working class experience, and documenting a community’s [the Naugatuck Valley] efforts to rebuild and revitalize itself in the aftermath of deindustrialization.” Books will be available for purchase and signing.
 Columbus Day Book Sale
Saturday, October 8th and Monday, October 10th
The annual Columbus Day Weekend Book and Bake Sale will be held on Saturday, October 8th and Monday, October 10th. Bring your wallet or checkbook on Saturday from 9 to 10 am as an Early Bird Shopper for the best selection ($10 fee), or stop by between 10 am and 3 pm at no charge. We will also be open on Monday from 10 am to 3 pm. Bargain hunters are welcome from 12 to 3 pm for the “Fill-A-Bag” special: only $5 per bag of books during those three hours.
“Anxious Chickens: Daily Painting Narratives” by Tilly Strauss
August 30th through October 1st
An award-winning artist, Elizabeth “Tilly” Strauss creates whimsical paintings and collaged map works that are inspired by both living the rural bliss and anxiously meditating on mortality. She elaborates, “Commonly recurring images of chickens are complicated with darker personal narratives. Once a chicken processing facility, my studio space is now filled with paintings, prints, books, and colorful objects. It embodies my interest in art history, the rural landscape, agriculture, housework, and motherhood. My muse and inspiration is the chicken.” Visit her website at www.TillyStudio.com
Cornwall Association Newcomers Tea
Saturday, September 10th at 4pm
The Cornwall Association will be holding its annual Newcomers Tea at the Library. Those new to Cornwall and “old-timers” are invited to attend, as this is part of the Cornwall Association’s Annual Meeting. First Selectman Gordon Ridgway will present the State of the Town address, and there will be brief reports from various Cornwall organizations, including one from the new CCS Principal, Michael Croft.
 Dick Frank Photography Exhibit
July 26th through August 27th
An opening reception for Dick Frank will be held on Sunday, July 31st, from 11 am to 2 pm.
Reception for Carla Bigelow
Sunday, August 14th from 4 pm to 5:50 pm
Join us for a reception honoring former Cornwall Library trustee, writer and teacher, Carla Bigelow. Many of her books for children and other memorabilia are currently on display in the glass case.
 Author Talk and Book Signing with the Rev. Christopher L. Webber
Saturday, August 13 at 4:00 pm
The Cornwall Library presents American to the Backbone: The Life of James W. C. Pennington, the Fugitive Slave Who Became One of the First Black Abolitionists written by Sharon resident and former pastor of Cornwall’s Chapel of All Saints, The Rev. Christopher Webber. He will discuss the incredible story of a forgotten hero of 19th Century America. James P. C. Pennington was a former slave who became a Yale scholar, congregational pastor and international leader of the Antebellum abolitionist movement. Pennington wrote the first “History of the Colored People” as well as a study of the moral basis for civil disobedience which was echoed many years later by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. “American to the Backbone brings to life this fascinating, forgotten pioneer, who helped lay the foundation for the contemporary civil rights revolution and inspire generations of future leaders.” Rev. Webber is a graduate of Yale University and the General Theological Seminary in New York. He is the author of several other works including a study of Christian marriage, Beyond Beowulf and A Year with American Saints. Books will be available for sale and signing.
 Biking with Rick Sowash
Wednesday, August 17 at 6:00 pm
Rick Sowash, cyclist and NW Corner summer vacationer, will talk about his new publication, The Moderately Lazy Biker’s Guide to Litchfield County (and just beyond). Among the sixteen rides in this booklet are the Cornwall to Canaan, Cornwall to Litchfield, Norfolk to Cornwall, and the Lake Waramaug Circle rides as well as the Bantam Lake Circle ride. Every ride has a map and answers the cycling enthusiast’s questions of How far? How long? How difficult? The lay of the land and surface? Sowash’s definition of a moderately lazy biker is one who loves a long downhill glide, has no complaint with more or less level terrain, but abhors a steep climb. Litchfield County offers many a glorious ride for the moderately lazy. The booklet also features lovely etchings of the Litchfield area by Connecticut artist and illustrator Beatrice Stevens and quotations by Odell Shepard, a well-admired regional writer. Booklets will be available for sale and signing.
 Bhutan with the Wolkowitzes
Saturday, August 20 at 4:00 pm
Barbara and Richard Wolkowitz will share their experiences teaching and living in the South Asian state of Bhutan. Please join us for an informative afternoon with our Cornwall neighbors before they answer the beckoning call to return to Bhutan.
 Author Talk and Book Signing with Bradford Martin
Saturday, July 30th at 4 pm
Brad Martin, Associate Professor of History at Bryant University in Rhode Island and a Cornwall writer, will read from and discuss his newly released book The Other Eighties: A Secret History of America in the Age of Reagan. As one reviewer wrote about this “…valuable new book… [Martin’s] '80s were more than simply the decade of Reagan's America or the triumph of a nostalgic, flag-wrapped conservatism." Copies of the book will be available to purchase and have signed.
Jeff Hammond Photography Exhibit
June 18th through July 23
 Poetry Workshop with Poet and Author Dolores Hayden
Friday, July 8th and Saturday, July 9th: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
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