Darien Library

Darien Library welcomes authors Julie Gerstenblatt and Heather Webb, who will discuss their books, The Stargazer of Nantucket and The Hope Keeper. Come join the fun as these authors talk about their inspirations and just how they brought these imagined worlds to life. Whether you're a longtime fan of historical fiction or simply love hearing how a great story comes together, come be part of the conversation!Thursday, September 3rd at 7 p.m. in the Community Room.<a href="https://www.darienlibrary.org/event/heather-webb-julie-gerstenblatt-116829" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Register &gt;&gt;&gt;</a>
About The Stargazer of Nantucket and Julie Gerstenblatt In 1851 Massachusetts, eighteen-year-old Winifred Starbuck defies her parents, renowned trade captains Nell and Peter, by stowing away on their final merchant voyage from Nantucket to San Francisco and on to China. As the ship sails toward Canton, she's plunged into treachery and adventure on the high seas while uncovering a long-buried secret behind her parents' desperate fear. Charting her own course through danger she never imagined, Winnie must find the courage to face a world—and a truth—far bigger than herself.
Julie Gerstenblatt is the author of Daughters of Nantucket, which won the 2024 New England Society Book Award for Fiction, and The Stargazer of Nantucket, a USA Today bestseller. A former educator, Julie holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Teachers College, Columbia University, and her essays have appeared in Huffington Post and Grown &amp; Flown, among others. A native New Yorker who has been visiting Nantucket since childhood, Julie now lives in coastal Rhode Island with her family, where she works at Barrington Books.
About The Hope Keeper and Heather Webb In 1919 Washington D.C., after her twin brother Julien's sudden death leaves her to save the family jewelry business, Elisabeth Beaumont turns to Julien's wealthy former circle—led by socialite Evalyn McLean, owner of the cursed Hope Diamond—for work. Drawn deeper into Evalyn's glittering, toxic world, Elisabeth finds her sense of identity and loyalty unraveling as she's torn between duty to her father, fascination with the diamond's dark pull, and doubts about the life she's building. When a sudden tragedy shatters her bond with Evalyn and her new glamorous existence, Elisabeth is forced to confront the truth of her brother's death and choose what she truly values.
Heather Webb is the USA Today and international bestselling author of eleven historical novels, including her upcoming The Hope Keeper and her other recently published Queens of London, The Next Ship Home, and Christmas with the Queen. In 2015, Rodin’s Lover was a Goodreads Top Pick, and in 2018, Last Christmas in Paris won the Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award. Meet Me in Monaco, was selected as a finalist for the 2020 Goldsboro RNA award in the UK, as well as the 2019 Digital Book World’s Fiction prize. Three Words for Goodbye was a Prima Magazine’s 2022 Book of the Year. To date, Heather’s books have been translated to twenty languages. She lives in New England with her family and two mischievous cats.

Local Event: Author Talk: Julie Gerstenblatt, "The Stargazer of Nantucket" and Heather Webb, "The Hope Keeper"

Fairfield County

Darien

Connecticut

Author Talk: Julie Gerstenblatt, "The Stargazer...

Darien Library welcomes authors Julie Gerstenblatt and Heather Webb, who will discuss their books, The Stargazer of Nantucket...

Author Talk: Julie Gerstenblatt, "The Stargazer of Nantucket" and Heather Webb, "The Hope Keeper"

Darien Library and Barrett Bookstore are thrilled to welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Richard Russo, who will discuss his new book, Under the Falls. Richard will be in conversation with author, Kate Russo, his daughter.
Under the Falls is a spellbinding page-turner about a crime in a small town that exposes long-held secrets and betrayals among a group of lifelong friends. it is a gut-wrenching portrait of a tight-knit rural community undone by the sins of its past, and an unflinchingly honest depiction of how porous the line between right and wrong, good versus evil, can become. This is a stunning, deeply empathetic novel, one that takes Russo’s penchant for character-driven drama to thrilling new heights.
You will not want to miss this father/daughter conversation!Tuesday, September 8th at 7 p.m. in the Community Room.<a href="https://www.darienlibrary.org/event/richard-kate-russo-conversation-116523" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Register &gt;&gt;&gt;</a>
About Under the Falls When Tyler Sinclair left Stone Mountain at eighteen, he had no plans of returning. With only a duffel bag full of clothes, a few bucks stolen from his father’s dresser, and a guitar, his most prized possession, Tyler disappeared without so much as a goodbye. Eighteen years later, Tyler, now the frontman of a famous band aptly named Stone Mountain, finds himself returning to his hometown for a one-night-only benefit concert to support his old friend, Doc, who lost feeling in his legs following a childhood accident. As Tyler ascends the mountain, memories of his childhood come rushing back—memories of his abusive father and despondent mother, of the friends he left behind—and he quickly learns that, for many people on Stone Mountain, the past does not feel like so long ago, and not everyone has been eagerly awaiting Tyler’s return.
At the concert, resentment simmers just beneath the surface, and Tyler finds himself confronted with faces new and old: there’s Curt, Tyler’s childhood best friend, now Stone Mountain’s chief of police, and his star officer, Deb, an out-of-towner who may have bitten off more than she can chew by accepting a job in Stone Mountain. And then there’s Freddi, Curt’s wife and Tyler’s former lover, a woman whose questionable dealings and fraught history with Tyler will become the catalyst for a tragedy that will upend each of their lives and threaten to validate Tyler’s worst fear: that “Stone Mountain is the kind of place you might escape from once, if you’re lucky, but not twice.”
About Richard Russo Richard Russo is the author of ten novels, most recently Somebody’s Fool, Chances Are . . . , Everybody’s Fool, and That Old Cape Magic; two collections of stories; and the memoir Elsewhere. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls, which, like Nobody’s Fool, won multiple awards for its screen adaptation, and in 2023 his novel Straight Man was adapted into the television series Lucky Hank. In 2017 he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine. He lives in Port­land, Maine.
About Kate Russo Kate Russo is the author of Super Host and Until Alison. She grew up in Maine and now divides her time between Maine and the United Kingdom. Also an artist, she exhibits in both the US and UK.

Local Event: Author Talk: Richard Russo, "Under the Falls"

Author Talk: Richard Russo, "Under the Falls"

Darien Library and Barrett Bookstore are thrilled to welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Richard Russo, who will discuss his...

Darien Library and Barrett Bookstore are excited to welcome award-winning interior designer, Libby Cameron, who will talk about her new book, Notes From a Decorator's Life.
Libby Cameron opened Libby Cameron LLC in 1995 after spending 14 years at Parish-Hadley, Inc. in New York City, where she had become a partner in 1989. Her successful career as a designer has garnered her multiple awards and honors, including being named, several years running, by House Beautiful as one of the 100 Best Designers in the US.
In Notes from a Decorator's Life, Libby shares the secrets of her design, including incorporating color and pattern, upholstery, the art of imperfection, collaboration, and sustainability. She believes in creating rooms that provide comfort and shaping living spaces that tell a story.Thursday, September 10th at 7 p.m. in the Heron Room.<a href="https://www.darienlibrary.org/event/tentative-author-talk-libby-cameron-notes-decorators-life-112335" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Register &gt;&gt;&gt;</a>About the Author Libby Cameron is an acclaimed American interior designer known for her warm, layered approach to timeless living. She founded her firm, Libby Cameron LLC, in 1995 following a distinguished 14-year tenure at Parish-Hadley Associates, where she became a partner in 1989 under the mentorship of legendary decorators Sister Parish and Albert Hadley.
Over the course of her career, Libby has earned widespread recognition, including being named to House Beautiful’s Top 100 Designers in the U.S. for multiple years. Her work is defined by an effortless balance of comfort and sophistication, blending heirlooms with new pieces to create spaces that feel both refined and deeply personal.
Her recently released book, Notes from a Decorator’s Life, offers an intimate look at her journey and philosophy, sharing insights on color, pattern, upholstery, collaboration, and the beauty of imperfection. At the heart of her work is a belief that homes should tell a story: spaces that are inviting, livable, and full of character.
Libby’s portfolio spans residences across the United States and internationally, including projects in London and the Bahamas, each reflecting her signature style of understated, colorful, eclectic elegance. Libby is based in Greenwich, CT.

Local Event: Author Talk: Libby Cameron, "Notes from a Decorator's Life"

Author Talk: Libby Cameron, "Notes from a...

Darien Library and Barrett Bookstore are excited to welcome award-winning interior designer, Libby Cameron, who will talk about...

Author Talk: Libby Cameron, "Notes from a Decorator's Life"

At fifteen, Darien lawyer and poet Mary Keating became a paraplegic after a car accident, and everything she knew about the future changed. In the fifty-plus years since, magical things have happened organically to her—from scuba diving Trinity Caves in Grand Cayman to meeting Pope John Paul II outside the Vatican to getting married at Sweetheart Rock in Hawaii—alongside life’s challenges: losing her Labradors, facing thyroid cancer, and navigating the daily challenges of an inaccessible world.
In this candid and often humorous talk, Keating draws on her memoir in verse, Recalibrating Gravity, to explore what resilience really looks like when life does not go according to plan. She shares her discovery that trying to be invulnerable or “overcoming” adversity wasn't the way to live. When she became fluid, stayed curious, and accepted what she couldn't change, her life blossomed.
Join us for the unique opportunity to meet Mary Keating, hear her story, experience the music of her poetry.Wednesday, September 16th at 7 p.m. in the Heron Room. <a href="https://www.darienlibrary.org/event/mary-keating-104626" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Register &gt;&gt;&gt;</a>

About the Author Mary Keating is a poet, lawyer, and lifelong disability advocate. After a car accident at fifteen left her paraplegic, she went on to Yale Law School, led accessibility initiatives long before the ADA, and has been published widely in journals and anthologies.

Local Event: Author Talk: Mary Keating, "Recalibrating Gravity"

Author Talk: Mary Keating, "Recalibrating Gravity"

At fifteen, Darien lawyer and poet Mary Keating became a paraplegic after a car accident, and everything she knew about the...

Richard Kaufman

New York City Metropolitan Area

RJ Scofield

Norwalk

Stamford

New Canaan

Greenwich

Alfred Branch

Westport

Hayleigh Evans

Wilton

Westchester County

Port Chester

New York

Jeff Edwards

Bedford-Katonah

Hartford Metropolitan Area

Fairfield

6 South Avenue

Join the New Canaan and surrounding communities for the 10th Annual Vigil focused on shared stories of recovery, soothing music, and tributes from local clergy. LIve music starts at 6pm, the speaker program and candle lighting at 7pm.

Local Event: 10th Annual Vigil

10th Annual Vigil

Join the New Canaan and surrounding communities for the 10th Annual Vigil focused on shared stories of recovery, soothing...

Connecticut Ballet Center

September 14th will bring the start of formal dance training for young dancers ages 3 &amp; up! Connecticut Ballet Center, official school of Connecticut Ballet, has openings Creative Movement &amp; Pre-Ballet for three and four-year-old girls &amp; a new Boys Ballet Class for our Saturday class program. The new class is open to boys ages 5-8 who would enjoy dancing alongside other boys &amp; with a male instructor. Connecticut Ballet Center is celebrating its 30th year of high-quality recreational and pre-professional training for aspiring dancers. Placement classes will take place after-school on September 2-3. Interested parents may schedule an orientation visit by emailing mgr@connecticutballetcenter.com. The 2026-2027 year begins on Monday, September 14th. Need-based scholarships are available by calling 203-978-0771. All CBC students are eligible to audition for performance opportunities with the professional company, Connecticut Ballet. For further info about the school schedule &amp; tuition, visit <a href="https://www.connecticutballetcenter.com." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">connecticutballetcenter.com.</a>

Local Event: Connecticut Ballet Center presents Creative Movement and Boys Ballet Classes

Connecticut Ballet Center presents Creative...

September 14th will bring the start of formal dance training for young dancers ages 3 & up! Connecticut Ballet Center, official...

Connecticut Ballet Center presents Creative Movement and Boys Ballet Classes

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Author Talk: Julie Gerstenblatt, "The Stargazer of Nantucket" and Heather Webb, "The Hope Keeper"

SEP

3

7:00 PM

Darien Library, 1441 Post Rd, Darien, CT

Author Talk: Richard Russo, "Under the Falls"

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8

7:00 PM

Darien Library, 1441 Post Rd, Darien, CT

Author Talk: Libby Cameron, "Notes from a Decorator's Life"

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10

7:00 PM

Darien Library, 1441 Post Rd, Darien, CT

Author Talk: Mary Keating, "Recalibrating Gravity"

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16

7:00 PM

Darien Library, 1441 Post Rd, Darien, CT

10th Annual Vigil

Connecticut Ballet Center presents Creative Movement and Boys Ballet Classes

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