Winter Wellness

Darien Library Health & Wellness Series

In the New Year, why not resolve to get organized, healthy, and active?

Darien Library is a destination for reliable information on health-related topics. This January and February, we present Winter Wellness, a series of lectures, expert panels, workshops, film screenings, and fitness activities designed to help you achieve an even better version of you. The schedule offers sessions on organization, stress management, active aging, healthy eating, brain fitness, and more.

Please join us for this exciting and enriching series.

Lectures, Expert Panels & Workshops
Meet the Author Events
Get Active at the Library
Health & Wellness Film Screenings

Lectures, Expert Panels, & Workshops

Get Organized! Panel Discussion

Thursday, January 5 at 7 PM
The entire month of January has been proclaimed a holiday in the organizing world, called “National Get Organized Month” by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). It is time to clean out those closets, deal with those stacks of paperwork, and organize those photographs! Organizing will help you live in the present, decrease feelings of being overwhelmed, and increase your quality of life. A panel of organizers from the group F.O.C.U.S. will share their expertise on topics ranging from clothing to paperwork.

Presented by Cara Brook of S.O.S. LLC, Janet Barnes of Connecticut Closet and Shelf, Jen Burke of JKB Organizing, and Susan Lovallo, CPA, CPO of Clutter Solutions, LLC. The panel will be moderated by Matt Baier of Matt Baier Organizing, LLC.

Secrets to Active Aging

Monday, January 9 at 10 AM
We’re told that exercise is important as we age, but what kinds of exercise? How much exercise do we need? Why is balance exercise so important? This program discusses why physical activity is critical to healthy aging and how we can incorporate it into our daily lives, no matter what our fitness level. This program is geared towards adults age 50 and over. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and shoes if they wish to practice simple exercises to improve balance.

Presented by Julienne Camhi, Certified Personal Trainer and Health Fitness Specialist at Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County.

Combat Stress in Chaotic Times: Reduce the 7 Symptoms of Stress

Wednesday, January 11 at 7 PM
According to the American Psychology Association, stress is taking a toll on people, contributing to health problems, poor relationships, and lost productivity at work. Heart disease, type-II diabetes, cancer, respiratory disorders, and health issues associated with being overweight and obesity are categorized as chronic diseases. Many of these illnesses can be traced back to a root cause: stress.

Presented by Dr. Robert Zembroski, a board-certified Chiropractic Neurologist at The Darien Center for Integrative Medicine.

Navigating Your Hospital Stay

Tuesday, January 17 at 10 AM
For most of us, a visit to the hospital is like travelling to a foreign country. We do not speak the medical “language” and we are expected to answer intimate questions from complete strangers. We worry about medication errors and healthcare-associated infections, but are not sure how to prevent them. We are awake when we should be sleeping, and sleeping when we should be awake. This program provides valuable information about what to ask before you go into the hospital, how to reduce your risk of infection or medication errors, how to get a good night's sleep, and important steps for planning your discharge and follow-up care.

Presented by Sue Worland, RN, Hospital Liaison and Intake Coordinator with Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County.

Reversing Chronic Disease

Thursday, January 19 at 7 PM
Often, individuals believe that once a diagnosis is made and a medication given, there will always be the need to continue that medication. Yet chronic disease can be reversed, often with straightforward modifications to the way we live. Understanding the driving forces behind disease allows us to be able to target our efforts. Dr. Roca will discuss the underlying processes that create illness and key changes you can make to begin the process of reversing chronic illness including hormone balance, reducing inflammation, increasing stress resilience, and enhancing detoxification.

Presented by Dr. Henri Roca, Medical Director at Greenwich Hospital’s Integrative Medicine Program.

Ask the Doctors!

Tuesday, January 24 at 7 PM
It’s time to take the anxiety out of the word “healthcare!” Doctors4Darien, a team of four esteemed community physicians, will discuss new research findings and information related to our bodies and our health. The panel will also focus on preventative healthcare from head to toe – literally! From dental care to foot care and everything in between, this is your chance to learn new and better paths to well-being.

Presented by Dr. Maryann Lehmann, D.D.S., Dentist; Dr. Brian P. McKay, D.C., Chiropractor; Dr. Brian S. Sheets, D.O., Ob/Gyn; and Dr. Josephine Velazques, D.P.M., Podiatrist.

Eating Right to Feel Great

Tuesday, February 7 at 7 PM
With all the choices we have in supermarkets today, food shopping can be overwhelming. What should we be eating? And how much? Local or organic? Our panel of nutrition experts will help address these food issues and more, including overeating, portion-size awareness, making healthful food choices for your family, the benefits of plant-based living, and how to be a budget organic. Healthy snacks will be provided by Whole Foods Market.

Presented by Tracy Gwodz, Holistic Health Counselor and owner of simplynourish; Maura Maier, Healthy Eating Specialist at Whole Foods Market; and Francine G. Blinten, Certified Clinical Nutritionist.

New Year, New You; Resolve to Keep Those New Year Resolutions!

Thursday, February 9 from 10 AM to 12 noon

You’re invited to a health and wellness fair sponsored by The Community Fund of Darien’s Human Services Planning Council and the Darien Community Association, to be held at the DCA, 274 Middlesex Road. Darien Library will be among dozens of groups, agencies, and companies that will be on hand to provide resources and demonstrations of techniques for stress relief, career counseling, health checks and more. Self-care is not selfish!

Ask the Pediatricians: A Panel Discussion

Wednesday, February 15 at 7 PM

When it comes to our children, we're always going to have a lot of questions related to their health. Luckily, our panel of pediatric sub-specialists are here to answer your questions about raising healthy, happy, and energetic kids.

Presented by Dr. Mitchell Lester, M.D., Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology; Dr. Sohail Kayani, M.D., Pediatric Pulmonologist; and Dr. Anthony Porto, M.D., Pediatric Gastroenterologist. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Jamie Roach Murray, M.D., General Pediatrician.

Long-Term Care Insurance: The Missing Link in Retirement Planning

Tuesday, February 28 at 7 PM
You’ve thought of everything – except for how to protect your assets should you need long-term care. Did you know that just one year in a Connecticut nursing home can cost more than $127,000? And Medicare and health insurance may only cover a fraction of these costs. Now there's a way to protect your life savings. If you’re 40 or older, long-term care insurance approved by the State’s Connecticut Partnership for Long-Term Care should be part of your retirement plan. These policies assure you of the highest quality standards. They’re affordable and provide asset protection, protect against inflation, and – most importantly – give you peace of mind through your retirement years. Come learn about how the State’s Partnership for Long-Term Care can help you plan ahead for your future needs.

Presented by Aldo Pantano, a representative from the CT Partnership for Long-Term Care, with the State Office of Policy and Management.

Meet the Author Events

Meet the Author! Nicole Straight

More Time to Eat!
Tuesday, January 17 at 7 PM
Award-winning local chef Nicole Straight has just published her second cookbook, More Time to Eat!, which aims to teach families how to streamline time spent in the kitchen, as well as make delicious meals in 15 minutes. The new cookbook is an evolution of Straight’s lengthy experience as a cooking instructor who has taught thousands of people how to bring their families back to the table and simplify the nightly 6 o’clock dinner-time dilemma. The book contains a collection of easy recipes, such as BLT Tortellini, Provencal Braised Chicken Thighs, Asian Quinoa Salad, and Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies. She teaches you how to simplify meal preparation while minimizing time spent in the kitchen for both family meals and entertaining friends. A book signing will follow the presentation. Book will be available for purchase at the event.

Nicole Straight, founder of the Time to Eat! cooking school, teaches 90-minute cooking classes at the Christopher Peacock Cabinetry Showroom in Greenwich, as well as in-home cooking classes. Her visit will include a cooking demonstration.

Meet the Author! Priscilla Warner

Learning to Breathe
Thursday, January 26 at 7 PM
For 40 years, Priscilla Warner suffered from anxiety and panic attacks so debilitating that they left her unable to breathe. So when she read about Tibetan monks who had meditated so effectively that they were able to change their brains, Warner wanted in. Learning to Breathe chronicles Warner’s mission to rewire her brain and her body in search of her own “inner monk.” She tries spiritual chanting, meditative painting, restorative yoga, immersion in a Jewish ritual bath, and quasi-hallucinogenic Ayurvedic oil treatments. Meditating in malls instead of monasteries, Warner becomes a monk in a minivan and calms down long enough to examine her colorful family history in a new light, ultimately making peace with her past. A book signing will follow the presentation. Book will be available for purchase at the event.

Priscilla Warner grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, and raised her two sons with her husband in Westchester County, New York. She coauthored the New York Times bestseller The Faith Club, and spent three years promoting the book while engaging in interfaith dialogue all across America. She has appeared on such national media outlets as the Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, CNN, and NPR, and writes for More magazine and The Huffington Post, among others.

Get Active at the Library

Yoga with Shelly

Friday mornings from 10 to 11 AM, January 6 through February 10
Connect mind with body, posture with breath, and the philosophical with the physical in this yoga series for practitioners at all levels (beginners are welcome). Each class will feature specific yoga techniques, and we will practice poses inspired by popular books. Participants are asked to bring their own yoga mats.

The class will be led by Shelly Ransom, Certified Yoga Instructor.

Registration for this series is a lottery and is open to all Darien residents, those who work in Darien full-time, and non-resident Friends of Darien Library at the Contributor Level (annual donation of $300). Register online at http://bit.ly/yogawithshelly from Monday, December 12 to Wednesday, December 21 with your Library card. Notification via email is Thursday, December 22. For more information, contact Erin Shea, Head of Adult Programming, at eshea@darienlibrary.org or 203-669-5232.

Wii Sports: Gaming for Adults

Wednesday, January 18, 10 AM - 12 noon
Wednesday, February 1, 10 AM - 12 noon
Who says video games are for couch potatoes? We're turning our Conference Room into a sports arena with Nintendo Wii! We will show you how to play, and then you can join in on a round of golf, go bowling, have an archery contest, and even throw a Frisbee! Enjoy the rush of video game-induced endorphins.

Health & Wellness Film Screenings

FAT: What No One is Telling You

Monday, January 16 at 1:30 PM
Open abuse of fat people is our last accepted prejudice. As the number of obese Americans climbs to frightening levels, the quest for answers is becoming even more urgent. Obesity experts have a sobering awareness of the complex human puzzle that is driving this epidemic and creating so much personal pain. This program gives viewers a window into the intense human dramas of those labeled obese and the difficulty of solving weight problems. Not rated; 90 minutes (2006).

The Brain Fitness Program

Thursday, February 16 at 1:30 PM
Can you exercise your brain to get it into better shape? Dr. Michael Merzenich and more than 50 neuroscientists around the world say, "Absolutely!" They have developed a scientifically-based system of exercises to help retain mental acuity throughout a lifespan of 80+ years. Designed to drive beneficial chemical, physical, and functional changes in the brain, The Brain Fitness Program will strengthen your brain and make it perform with greater agility, speed, and comprehension. Studies have shown an average improvement of more than 10 years in auditory, memory, and cognitive function. Not rated; 60 minutes (2008).

Have you ever dreamed of publishing your own novel, memoir, or cookbook of herring recipes passed down from your Norwegian grandmother? Well now you can! And you can do it all using Darien Library's brand new Espresso Book Machine. (The EBM was removed in August 2012. Please contact On Demand Books for information about publishing from an EBM)

On Thursday, February 2 at 7 p.m. in an event co-sponsored by On Demand Books, we will host a panel presentation to show the secrets of self-publishing.

Panelists include:

- Self-Published Author William Edgerton will speak about his experience publishing his mystery novel "Wine Killer."

- Self-Published Book Designer and Author Sandy Garnett will recount his experience with designing self-published books and publishing his memoir "Baloney Express."

- Award-Winning Author Adair Heitmann will discuss how to promote oneself as an author.

- Stephanie Anderson of WORD Brooklyn will discuss the decision-making process in purchasing self-published works to sell.

A Facebook RSVP is appreciated but not required to attend this event.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behing Nielsen's).

Darien City Directory, 1953

Saturday, January 21 at 2 PM

Co-sponsored by Darien Library and the Middlesex Genealogical Society, presented by Toni McKeen.

City directories are one of the most overlooked source of historical information about families. You will learn how and where to find city directories, the important and surprising clues they hold, and their use in finding those missing census records and vital records.

For the last 7 years, Toni McKeen has been teaching several levels of genealogy in her home town of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Toni also has been a popular lecturer at various genealogical societies in the New York, Connecticut, Boston, and Long Island areas. Toni has been a frequent presenter at MGS meetings. In her lectures, Toni shares the tips and tricks she has developed over the years to help locate difficult relatives who don’t seem to want to be found.

Effective Use of City Directories

Skill Building: Analyzing City Directories

Using City Directories in Genealogical Research

City Directories on Microfilm at the Library of Congress

Circa 1930 City Directories available at the National Archives

City Directories of the United States of America

Old Directory Search: Stamford, Connecticut, 1907

Your Guide to Finding Ancestors in City Directories

City Directories at DistantCousin.com

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).

Photo Courtesy of Billy Rose Theatre Collection, New York Public Library

The Importance of Being Honest: The Achievement of Tennessee Williams

A Discussion with Mark Schenker

Tuesday, November 29 at 7 p.m.

In a lecture on the enduring significance of the work of Tennessee Williams (whose centenary is being observed this year), Mark Schenker will focus on truth-telling in three of his most important plays, produced within the period from 1944-1955: The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, and A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. From Tom Wingfield's assertion that the dramatist gives us "truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion," through Blanche's protest, "I don't tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth," to Brick's declaration that "mendacity is a system that we live in," the question of the price of honesty is always central in Williams' plays.

Mark J. Schenker has been at Yale College since 1990.  He is currently an Associate Dean of the College and Dean of Academic Affairs.  Born and raised in New York City, he received his Ph.D. in English Literature from Columbia University and has taught at Columbia, New York University, and Trinity College (Hartford).  He has led book discussion series in public libraries in Connecticut for over 20 years through programs sponsored by the Connecticut Humanities Council and lectures frequently on literary topics for public audiences.  He was the recipient of the 2001 Wilbur Cross Award for Outstanding Humanities Scholar, presented by the Connecticut Humanities Council.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).

image courtesy Flick user Irish Typepad

Sources for Irish Records

Saturday, November 19 at 2 p.m.

This lecture will look at the types of records available both in the United States and in Ireland that will help you determine the origin of your Irish ancestors. Focusing on U.S. resources can help you find your way to the right place and time in Ireland.

Presented by Darien native Donna Moughty, former president of the Middlesex Genealogical Society and expert on Irish genealogy. She attended the National Institute for Genealogical Research at the National Archives, the Third and Fourth Irish Genealogical Congress in Ireland, the Salt Lake Institute – Irish Research and the Institute for Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University and in 2011 was an Instructor for the Irish course. She is a member of Association of Professional Genealogists and the Genealogical Speakers Guild.

This event is co-sponsored by the Middlesex Genealogical Society.

Tuesday, November 8 at 7 PM

Kennedy Center award-winning playwright and theatre producer Ron Song Destro will offer a lively examination of authentic Elizabethan primary source documents, plus additional narration by Sir Derek Jacobi, based upon years of research and a series of lectures Professor Destro has given at various venues, including Harvard University, City College of New York and Chautauqua Institution.

Siding with many of the world’s greatest authors, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Henry James and Mark Twain, Destro sets out to disprove the traditional theory that the plays and poems attributed to William Shakespeare came from the pen of the humble man from Stratford-upon-Avon. He proposes a different author, who used the name “Will Shake Spear” as a clever pseudonym. In addition to well-known writers, proponents of this theory include world-renowned theatre people such as Orson Welles, Leslie Howard, John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, Kenneth Branagh, Michael York, and former artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe in London Mark Rylance, as well as several U. S. Supreme Court Justices. The theory is also the subject of the new film Anonymous.

Professor Destro's presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with award-winning Shakespeare author Hank Whittemore, and Shakespeare on the Sound Managing Director Emily Bryan.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).

Stephanie Wear, Director of Coral Reef Conservation, The Nature Conservancy

Monday, November 7 at 7 PM

In an event co-sponsored by Northern Trust, we are proud to welcome Stephanie Wear, Director of Coral Reef Conservation for The Nature Conservancy to the Library for a presentation titled Healthy Oceans.

The health of our planet begins with oceans. Oceans span nearly three quarters of the earth’s surface and provide almost 60% of our essential, life-sustaining goods and services. More than one-third of the world’s population lives in coastal areas, and one billion people depend on fish and seafood as their primary source of protein.

But the demands of a growing population are damaging marine ecosystems and depleting ocean resources. With less than 1% of oceans currently protected, there has never been a more urgent time for innovative and sustainable ocean conservation that benefits both nature and people.

A marine scientist, Stephanie Wear began working with The Nature Conservancy in 2001. Based in the Caribbean, she managed conservation projects for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Currently, her work focuses on helping coral reef managers in the field solve local conservation problems through innovative methods and then share the lessons learned. Through the global network she has facilitated over the past several years, coral reef managers from Bonaire to the islands of Indonesia are collaborating and learning from one another.

To learn more:

Coral Reefs: Treasures of the Sea

Tips to Help Reefs

A wine and cheese reception will follow the presentation.

Northern Trust is a leading provider of investment management, asset and fund administration, fiduciary and banking solutions for corporations, institutions and affluent individuals worldwide.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).

Photo by Flickr User: Steve and Sara

Tuesday, October 25 at 7 PM

You know the Headless Horseman rides through historic Sleepy Hollow Cemetery on crisp autumn nights. But he’s not the only local with a dark tale to tell. “Murder, Mayhem and Mild Misdeeds” introduces a few of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery's other fallen angels and uncovers some malicious acts perpetrated by the cemetery’s long quiet residents.

You’ll meet both victims and perpetrators: the flamboyant businesswoman remembered as "the wickedest woman in New York," a debonair counterfeiter, and the celebrated opera singer who was alleged to have assaulted, extorted, and killed various of her seven husbands.

Join Sleepy Hollow Cemetery’s resident raconteur and guide Linda Ford for a slide show and lecture that reveals some of the shocking stories hidden behind hushed, stately vaults and pretty little headstones.

This program is open to the public but it is geared toward adults.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).

Mark Twain is currently keeping company on The New York Times bestseller list with contemporary pop and political icons George W. Bush, Keith Richards, Jay-Z, and Jon Stewart – and yet, he has been dead for an entire century! Never before has this author, dubbed “The Father of American Literature,” been more popular, and his new book, The Autobiography of Mark Twain is the dad gift book of the holiday season. He is a literary genius whose use of language and satire gave him critical acclaim, and so we couldn’t pass up the chance to host a presentation about Mark Twain (on his 175th birthday, no less!) by the other iconic Mark – Dr. Mark Schenker, Associate Dean of Yale University.

On Tuesday, November 30 at 7 PM, to an audience of 165 patrons, Dr. Schenker discussed the uses and mis-uses of language in Samuel Clemen’s fiction with a lecture entitled, “As Language Is My Witness: Language, Lies, and Laughter in Mark Twain”. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear about one of literature’s best from such an engaging and thought-provoking speaker.

Click here to view the entire lecture, or watch the video below.

Thank you to Channel 79 for recording this presentation, which will show at various times on the local television station this month. Click here for a schedule of current airings on Channel 79.

"As Webster Is My Witness": Language, Lies, and Laughter in Mark Twain with Mark Schenker from Darien Library on Vimeo.