Literary Liaisons: A Season of Celebration and Literary Encounters, 2011-2012

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1. A Walk Through the Pleistocene Landscape

Starling Childs Evokes Thoreau and Muir in the Norfolk Woods

Date: September 10, 2011
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Place: Great Mountain Forest and Tobey Pond
Hosts: Starling Childs and Michelle Childs, Betsy Gill
Cost: $35 per person
Limit: 20 people

Join Starling Childs, Adjunct Professor at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Science, for a 2-hour (or so) hike through the ancient landscape of the Norfolk woods, exploring the glacial terrain of eskers, erratics, and kettle holes. Enjoy a picnic lunch served lakeside at the end of the trail.

Suggested Reading:
• Any work by John Muir and H. D. Thoreau

2. Dinner At Doolittle

With Jonathan Dee

Date: October 1, 2011
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: 90 Deerfield Road, Doolittle Lake
Hosts: Betsy and Christopher Little
Cost: $125 per person
Limit: 10 people

Share a delightful dinner with author Jonathan Dee on Doolittle Lake at the peak of the leaf season—The Privileges indeed! Jonathan is no stranger to Northwestern Connecticut as his family began summering in Salisbury and then moved to Taconic when Jonathan began kindergarten at Salisbury Central School. He graduated from Indian Mountain, Andover, and Yale, is a former editor of The Paris Review, and now teaches at Columbia. Jonathan’s most recent book, his fifth, The Privileges, was published to critical acclaim in February 2011 with comparisons to John Updike, Don DeLillo, and Jonathan Franzen.

Suggested Reading:
• The Privileges and Palladio, Jonathan Dee

3. A “One-Night-Only” Book Group & Dinner Party

Explore Enduring Themes with Radhika Jones

Date: October 22, 2011
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Overlook, 26 Windom Road
Host: Patricia Deans
Cost: $125 per person
Limit: 16 people

This literary encounter provides a wonderful opportunity to have an in-depth conversation comparing and contrasting two novels on the theme of biography, written a century apart. Led by Radhika Jones, former managing editor of The Paris Review, current executive editor of TIME Magazine, and popular book group leader, the evening will be devoted to a discussion of Henry James’s The Aspern Papers, written in 1888 (the year our library was founded!) and A. S. Byatt’s Possession, written in 1990. Enjoy all this over drinks and dinner at one of Norfolk’s most unusual and lovely homes. Reading is required, not suggested, for admission to this lively, educational evening.

Required Reading:
• The Aspern Papers, Henry James
• Possession, A. S. Byatt

4. 84 Charing Cross Road

Performed by Megan McTavish and Edward Herrmann

Date: November 5, 2011 Time: 3:00 p.m.
Place: Church of Christ Congregational, 12 Village Green
Reception afterwards in the Great Hall of the Norfolk Library
Cost: $100 (preferred seating) / $50 per person

This true story chronicles the warm and witty 20-year correspondence between Helene, a writer in New York, and Frank Doel, the owner of a rare book store in London. It has been much loved in all its incarnations—a book, a play, and a movie. It celebrates not only a love of language and reading, but also the power of friendship during the turbulent years from 1949 to 1969. Emmy-award-winning writer and actress Megan McTavish plays Helene. Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor Edward Herrmann—perhaps best known for his portrayals of Franklin D. Roosevelt on TV—plays Frank. Please join us for a reception at the Library following their performance.

Suggested Reading:
• 84 Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff
• Ex Libris, Anne Fadiman

5. Food for Thought

With Mark Scarbrough and Bruce Weinstein

Date: December 3, 2011
Time: 3:00 p.m. –5:00 p.m.
Place: 508 Litchfield Road
Hosts: Pam and Dennis Collins
Cost: $35 per person Limit: 16 people

Join award-winning cookbook authors Mark Scarbrough and Bruce Weinstein for an afternoon of fun and games as they burst your soufflé with their latest book Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them and 100 Other Myths About Food and Cooking. Study up and bring your own long-held culinary beliefs (“a watched pot never boils,” “never eat oysters in a month with an r,” “butter is bad for you,” “butter is good for you,” etc.) to challenge the masters. In addition to a lovely tea served by Pam Collins, there will be a cooking trivia game (4 teams of 4) and prizes of some of the author’s 19 cookbooks awarded to the winners! This promises to be an excellent pre-holiday event for the competitive (or not) cook.

Suggested Reading:
• Any of Mark and Bruce’s 19 cookbooks
• Too Many Cooks, Rex Stout
• Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel

6. An Afternoon of Duplicate Bridge at Coolwater

Date: January 21, 2012
Time: Noon
Place: Coolwater, 100 Windrow Road
Hosts: Betsy Gill and Robert Dance
Cost: $50 per person
Limit: 16 players

Don’t be a dummy! Match wits with the best bridge players in the Northwest Hills of Connecticut by joining in this afternoon game of Duplicate Bridge. A light luncheon will be provided and double your pleasure with delicious bridge snacks while bidding your way to a slam or two. A perfect activity while your golf clubs and garden spades are in mothballs! No need to wear diamonds or pearls. The funds raised will help the Norfolk Library, so dear to our hearts. Prizes for the top 2 teams.

Suggested Reading:
• The Card Turner, Louis Sachar
• Bridge with Algy, Alfred Sheinwold
• The Devil’s Tickets, Gary Pomerantz
• And check out the whopping number of bridge books available at www.bridgeworld.com

7. Murder Mystery Dinner #1

A Killer Evening with Robert Dance & “Friends”

Date: February 11, 2012 (the dead of winter)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: 130 Litchfi eld Road
Hosts: Robert Dance and “Friends”
Cost: $125 per person
Limit: 14 people

Dinner and death—how divine! Enjoy fine food as you enact a murder mystery—but watch what you eat, it may kill one of you. Two weeks before the event, participants will receive a brief description of the characters they will play and details about period dress—but true natures will only be revealed as the mystery unfolds. Library President Robert Dance and “Friends” (whose identities must remain secret at this juncture) will host what they expect will be an event to die for.

Suggested Reading:
• Any of the Goldy (the caterer) Schultz mysteries, Diane Mott Davidson
• Any of the Faith Fairchild—caterer, wife, traveller, and detective— mysteries, Katherine Hall Page
• How To Solve a Murder: The Forensic Handbook, Michael Kurland
• http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/games/solve-the-murder.html
• Anything by Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle, Ellery Queen, Rex Stout, Dorothy Sayers, Elizabeth George…need we go on?

8. Family Matters

A Conversation with Peter and Maggie Pouncey

Date: April 14, 2012
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Place: Robin Hill, 281 Mountain Road
Host: Carol Stein
Cost: $125 per person
Limit: 16 people

Enjoy an invigorating evening of literary conversation with Peter Pouncey, President Emeritus of Amherst College, Dean of Columbia College 1972- 1984, and author of the critically acclaimed novel, Rules for Old Men Waiting, and his daughter, Maggie, author of the enthralling 2010 novel, Perfect Reader. Peter and Maggie will lead an exploration of their themes of family relationships and growing old (gracefully) during the cocktail hour, to be followed by a delicious buff et dinner at Carol Stein’s beautiful, historic Norfolk home.

Suggested Reading:
• Perfect Reader, Maggie Pouncey
• Rules for Old Men Waiting, Peter Pouncey

9. Wally’s World: How And Why I Write My Novels

A Talk by New York Times Best-selling Author, Wally Lamb

Date: April 28, 2012
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Place: Church of Christ Congregational, 12 Village Green
Reception afterwards in the Great Hall of the Norfolk Library
Cost: $100 (preferred seating) / $50 per person

According to Wally Lamb, “Writing novels is, in a sense, like raising children. You nurture them, bring them to maturity, and then relinquish your control… Th ey belong to those who read them.” Th e ferocious success of Lamb’s fi rst two novels—both New York Times bestsellers and Oprah Book Club picks (and both about growing up in a Connecticut family)—pleased and stunned him. He didn’t write another novel for ten years. During that time Lamb, a lifelong English teacher and former director of creative writing at UConn, gave generously of his talents by teaching writing to inmates at Connecticut’s York Correctional Institute. He published two collections of their essays to wide critical acclaim and, 12 years later, the program continues to thrive. Come listen to Wally describe the how and why behind his enormously successful— and remarkably diverse—books. Th en join him for a reception at the Library.

Suggested Reading…Books by Wally Lamb:
• Wishin’ and Hopin’
• The Hour I First Believed
• I’ll Fly Away
• Couldn’t Keep It to Myself
• I Know This Much Is True
• She’s Come Undone

10. Murder Mystery Dinner #2

A Diabolical Dinner with Coleen and Brett Hellerman

Date: May 12, 2011
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: 21 Golf Drive
Hosts: Coleen and Brett Hellerman
Cost: $125
Limit: 14 people

For those few survivors of Murder Mystery Dinner #1—as well as others with a taste for murder and mastication—we off er Murder Mystery Dinner #2. Th e basic format remains the same: exquisite fare, accompanied by the demise of one or two guests. Two weeks before the event, participants will receive a brief description of the characters they will play and details about period dress—but everyone will have to do some strenuous sleuthing to solve the mystery. Coleen and Brett Hellerman look forward to hosting a dinner at which all the guests are suspects. Won’t you join them?

Suggested Reading:
• Any of the Goldy (the caterer) Schultz mysteries, Diane Mott Davidson
• Any of the Faith Fairchild — caterer, wife, traveller, and detective — mysteries, Katherine Hall Page
• How To Solve a Murder: The Forensic Handbook, Michael Kurland
• http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/games/solve-the-murder.html
• Anything by Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle, Ellery Queen, Rex Stout, Dorothy Sayers, Elizabeth George…need we go on?

11. Tiptoe Through the Tulips

A Garden Luncheon with Mary Ann McGourty

Date: May 19, 2012
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Place: The Alfredo Taylor Stable House, 207 Litchfield Road
Hosts: Molly Ackerly and Michael Sconyers
Cost: $35 per person
Limit: 15 people

What better way to welcome Spring to the Norfolk hills than time spent with renowned garden expert, Mary Ann McGourty?! Join Mary Ann at Molly Ackerly and Michael Sconyer’s charming garden and historic home for an enchanting, educational and tasty few hours of garden lore, practical plant recommendations, and a delicious lunch. A perfect beginning to the Summer Season for all garden lovers.

Suggested Reading:
• Perennials — How To Select, Grow and Enjoy, Fred McGourty
• The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Gardening for Dummies

12. Drawing Connections

Dinner with Art Historian and Author Susan Galassi

Date: June 2, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Corner House, 309 North Street
Hosts: Caroline and Dyck Andrus
Cost: $125 per person
Limit: 12 people

Among the many talented and accomplished residents of Norfolk, perhaps none is more graceful and quiet in her illustrious career than Susan Galassi, PhD, senior curator at the Frick Museum and Picasso expert. Susan will share the insights and research that resulted in her most recent book, Picasso’s Drawings 1890-1921: Reinventing Tradition, published in conjunction with the exhibit she co-curated at the Frick that runs from October 4, 2011 to January 8, 2012. Go see the show to prepare and share your thoughts on this giant of 19th and 20th century art at this intimate dinner with Susan hosted by Caroline and Dyck Andrus.

Suggested Reading:
• Picasso’s Variations on the Masters: Confrontations with the Past, Susan Galassi

The Olympic Games — Ancient and Modern

A Dinner with Professor David Potter, Classicist and Sports Fan

Date: July 14, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: 220 Mountain Road
Hosts: The Potters
Cost: $125 per person
Limit: 8 people

What could be more appropriate in this Olympic year than a conversation with Professor David Potter, of the University of Michigan’s Department of Classical Studies, on the bizarre sporting events of the ancient world? Bull leaping, chariot racing, naked foot races—Professor Potter describes these and other ancient sports in his new book, The Victor’s Crown. This author editor of more than 10 books on the ancient worlds of Greece and Rome will share a deep knowledge and love of his subject over dinner at the Potte home on Mountain Road. This evening will be a fine way to get ready for the London games in August and to explore our deep connection to the past through the timeless games people play.

Suggested Reading:
• The Victor’s Crown, David Potter
• The Amateurs: The Story of Four Young Men and Their Quest for an Olympic , David Halberstam
• See Delphi and Die, Lindsey Davis