Events
Friday Night Feature - "A Late Quartet"
Written by Erin S on 10/29/2012
Friday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. – A Late Quartet (2012) Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, and Catherine Keener; Rated R; 107 minutes. Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
On the eve of a world renowned string quartet’s 25th anniversary season, their beloved cellist, Peter Mitchell, is diagnosed with the early symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. When Peter announces he wishes to make the upcoming season his last, his three colleagues find themselves at a crossroad. Competing egos and uncontrollable passions threaten to derail years of friendship and collaboration.
"An auspicious feature debut for a director whose sensitivity to emotional harmonies is as rewarding as his reverence for timeless, transcendent music." -- Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
For more information, please watch the film's trailer. Check out the rest of our Friday Night Features in April.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
The Poet's Voice at the Library
Written by Erin S on 10/28/2012
The Poet's Voice, yearly readings in Fairfield County libraries by outstanding poets, returns to Darien Library Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. Poet Charles Hartman will read his poems at this annual event, which will be held in the Conference Room on the Library's Mezzanine Level.
Charles Hartman was born in Iowa City and graduated from Harvard in 1971 with a senior thesis on Bob Dylan. His Ph.D. dissertation, overseen by Naomi Lebowitz, became Free Verse: An Essay on Prosody (1981), which is still assigned in advanced courses.
He has taught at Northwestern, the University of Washington, and is currently Professor of English, Poet in Residence, and Co-Director of Creative Writing at Connecticut College. His musical talents and interest in language and computer arts bring elements of jazz and the singer-songwriter to his poetry, as well as a fresh approach to language and connections.
Charles Hartman is the author of several non-fiction books, compact discs, and eight volumes of original poetry.
The reading is supported by the Horace E. Manacher Poetry Fund and contributions to the Darien Library Annual Campaign.
A reception will follow the presentation.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behing Nielsen's).
Remember, Record, & Celebrate: A Guide to Creating Your Own Oral History
Written by Erin S on 10/27/2012
Tuesday, April 2, 2-4 p.m.
Develop the skills to record, preserve, and share your own life history. This two-hour workshop will provide an introduction to the methods and techniques used to create individual oral histories through hands-on practice and discussion.
This workshop will be led by Kristen La Follette from the Columbia Center for Oral History.
If you would like to record your own oral history, you can schedule an appointment to use the Digital Media Lab. There is equipment available to record and edit audio and video. Come preserve and share your story for the next generation!
This program is part of our One Book, One Community series. The book selected for the town-wide read is City of Thieves by David Benioff. The book selected for young readers is Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin.
Our Spring Book Discussion Series Continues
Written by Erin S on 10/27/2012
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Tuesday, April 9 at 7 p.m.
One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and thirteen-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed. He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude. Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared.
While his father, who is a tribal judge, endeavors to wrest justice from a situation that defies his efforts, Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation and sets out with his trusted friends, Cappy, Zack, and Angus, to get some answers of his own. Their quest takes them first to the Round House, a sacred space and place of worship for the Ojibwe. And this is only the beginning.
Praise for The Round House:
National Book Award Winner
“Erdrich threads a gripping mystery and multilayered portrait of a community through a deeply affecting coming-of-age novel.” — Karen Holt, O, the Oprah Magazine
Library staff members will lead the discussions.
We have copies of the books available for patrons to borrow, but prior reading of the books is not necessary to attend the discussions.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).
Spring Cleaning Series: Organizing the Entry and Exit Points of Our Homes
Written by Erin S on 10/26/2012
Tuesday, April 9 at 7 p.m.
Shoes, boots, gym bags, jackets, oh my! Find out ways to keep that mud room or foyer free of the usual trappings of an exit or entryway.
Presented by Susan Lovallo, CPA, CPO of Clutter Solutions and Jen Burke of JKB Organizing, both members of the organizing group F.O.C.U.S.
Check out our "Get Organized" LibGuide and join us for the rest of our Spring Cleaning Series:
- Organizing Others, Monday, April 22 at 7 p.m.
- Shop and Get Organized, Tuesday May 7 at 7 p.m.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
An Evening of American Roots Music with The Homegrown String Band
Written by Erin S on 10/25/2012
Darien Library Music Series Presents
THE HOMEGROWN STRING BAND
Thursday, April 11 at 7 p.m.
America's premier purveyor of family style original & neo-traditional acoustic American roots music, The Homegrown String Band is a high energy 21st century incarnation of the traditional family band. This quartet of acoustic musicians from Rocky Point, NY, utilizes unique instrumentation and many varied musical influences to take their audiences on a rollicking ride through the sounds of American music. Their repertoire consists of traditional and original music inspired by the rural string bands that recorded during the 1920s and ‘30s, as well all the great American roots music that followed. Their show is also interspersed with interesting historical notes and anecdotes about the songs and the instruments used to present them. The family that plays together has been performing at bluegrass, blues, and folk festivals, theaters, and libraries from Maine to Missouri since 1997.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Tax Aide at the Library
Written by Erin S on 10/24/2012
Every Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., February 1 through April 12
Tax-Aide, a FREE tax preparation and e-filing program administered by the AARP Foundation in conjunction with and under the auspices of the IRS, is coming to Darien Library. Tax-Aide is the nation’s largest volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service and is available to all individual filers regardless of income or age.
This service will be available every Friday, February 1 through April 12, from 9:30-1:30. Appointments are optional but can be made by calling 203-669-5236. There is no charge for the Tax-Aide service. Individuals should bring all 2012 tax forms (W-2s, 1099s, brokerage statements, etc.) Social Security and other official identification, and their 2011 return, if possible.
Friday Night Feature - 'Hitchcock'
Written by Erin S on 10/24/2012
Friday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. – Hitchcock (2013) Starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlet Johansson; Rated PG-13; 98 minutes. Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
This film lays bare the captivating and complex love story between Alfred Hitchcock and his steadfast wife and filmmaking collaborator, Alma Reville. It does so through the sly, shadowy lens of their most daring filmmaking adventure: the making of the spine-tingling 1960 thriller, Psycho, which would become the director’s most controversial and legendary film.
"Filmed with lots of style and a macabre sense of humor the master himself would have enjoyed." -- Richard Roeper, RichardRoeper.com
For more information, please watch the film's trailer. Check out the rest of our Friday Night Features in April.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Friday Night Feature - "Safety Not Guaranteed"
Written by Erin S on 10/24/2012
Friday, December 28 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. – Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) Starring Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, and Karan Soni; Rated R; 86 minutes; Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
When an unusual classified ad inspires three cynical Seattle magazine employees to look for the story behind it, they discover a mysterious eccentric named Kenneth, a likable but paranoid supermarket clerk, who believes he¹s solved the riddle of time travel and intends to depart again soon.
"Safety Not Guaranteed is droll and hilarious, but there isn't a cheap laugh in it, and the ending is so perfect it sends you soaring." -- Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
For more information, please watch the film's trailer. Check out the rest of our Friday Night Features in December.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Special Documentary Screening and Q&A - "Escape Fire"
Written by Erin S on 10/20/2012
Wednesday, January 23 at 6:30 p.m. - Escape Fire (2012) Documentary Feature; Rated PG-13; 99 minutes.
Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: how can we save our badly broken healthcare system? American healthcare costs are rising so rapidly that they could reach $4.2 trillion annually, roughly 20% of our gross domestic product, within ten years. We spend $300 billion a year on pharmaceutical drugs – almost as much as the rest of the world combined. We pay more, yet our health outcomes are worse. About 65% of Americans are overweight and almost 75% of healthcare spending goes to preventable diseases that are the major causes of disability and death in our society.
It’s not surprising that healthcare is at the top of many Americans' concerns and at the center of an intense political firestorm in our nation's Capitol. But the current battle over cost and access does not ultimately address the root of the problem: we have a disease-care system, not a healthcare system. The film examines the powerful forces maintaining the status quo, a medical industry designed for quick fixes rather than prevention, for profit-driven care rather than patient-driven care.
For more information, please watch the film's trailer.
A Q&A led by Dr. Henri Roca, Medical Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at Greenwich Hospital, will follow the film. Dr. Roca is a Diplomat of both the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Board of Holistic Integrative Medicine. He currently provides both primary care and consultation services across all ages. Dr. Roca serves on behalf of Yale as a member of the Executive Board of the Consortia of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine. He received his M.D. from Louisiana State University, completing his internship and residency in Family Medicine through Marshall University.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
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