The Westport Library Events

Tuesday March 3 10:00am - 11:00am EST

The Westport Library Board Room, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Books & Bites

Come share your reading recommendations on the first Tuesday of each month in the Board Room (Room 210.) Enjoy coffee and tea and light refreshments while we continue to share our top reads for the month. This is a ‘no commitment’ group, so you can simply share your tit......More

The Westport Library Board Room, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Tuesday March 3 12:00pm - 1:30pm EST

The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Writing Sprints with Tessa Smith McGovern

Stay accountable with two free weekly virtual writing workshops from WestportWRITES! The Westport Library is delighted to present two, free weekly Writing Sprints to Prompts and an AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) with award-winning author and teacher Tessa Smith McGovern. This is like a write-in but with extras …it's writing time followed by a 30-minute Q&A where you can ask Tessa anything about writing, publishing, or marketing your stories (including where and how to submit for publication). When?: Daytimes: Every Tuesday from 12-1:30 pm ET Evenings: Every Wednesday from 7-8:30 pm ET We’ll chat for the first few minutes and then Tessa will share some prompts and first lines which writers can use, tweak or ignore. The time can be spent on new words or world-building, revising – anything at all – doesn’t even have to be creative writing. Then we’ll write for 50 minutes, after which we'll have a 30-minute Q&A where we discuss writing goals and obstacles (and tips to overcome them) for the coming week, as well as that week's submissions. Email Tessa to register for these virtual workshops. Tessa Smith McGovern has taught writing for 22 years and, for the last ten years, at the Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College. Tessa is an award-winning writer whose linked short story collection, LONDON ROAD: LINKED STORIES, received a ‘Featured’ review from Kirkus, is an Amazon best-seller, and a gold medal winner in the 2012 eLit Awards. Her non-fiction book, COCKTAILS FOR BOOK LOVERS (Sourcebooks), is also an Amazon best-seller. Her many publication credits include the Connecticut Review and Equinox, a UK poetry journal archived by the English Arts Council at the Southbank Centre, London. She’s currently writing a contemporary fantasy novel inspired by British mythology and pursuing her MFA in Writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is founder and editor of eChook Digital Publishing. eChook won a silver medal in the 2012 eLit Awards and its stories have been read by thousands of readers in 100+ countries. Tessa is also host, writer and producer of BookGirlTV (BGTV), an award-winning digital channel that promotes books and reading. BGTV has 6 million+ minutes viewed on YouTube and 10,000+ likes on Facebook. Creative Writing Resources for Writers Short Stories

The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Tuesday March 3 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST

Room 210, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Language Conversation Group: Spanish

The Westport Library's Spanish conversation group meetings are each Tuesday from 2 to 3 pm in The Board Room (Room 210 on the Library's upper level). This is a conversation group rather than a language class — there are no textbooks, homework, or formal lessons. Partici......More

Room 210, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Tuesday March 3 6:30pm - 7:30pm EST

The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Verso University Presents: Career Coaching: Career Renewal for Experienced Professionals

Course DetailsCareer Coaching: Career Renewal for Experienced Professionals Tuesday, February 17 and 24, 6:30 to 7:30 pm (McCall) Individual appointments: Tuesday, March 3, 6:30 to 7:30 pm (Reserve with instructor) Verso University presents Reignite Your Career Momentum: A Two-Part Series for Seasoned Professionals with Career Wing Woman Jodi Rabinowitz — turning experience into advantage and transition into opportunity. Whether you’re redefining success, exploring a new industry, or seeking renewed meaning in your work, this two-part series helps accomplished professionals move from reflection to results. Blending strategic focus, personal clarity, and modern tools, including how to use AI effectively in your job search, you’ll refine your professional brand and position yourself for what’s next with purpose and confidence. You’ll learn how to: Reconnect with your core strengths, values, and motivators to clarify what matters most nowEvaluate career options through the lens of purpose, flexibility, and financial goalsRefresh your résumé, LinkedIn profile, and professional narrative to reflect both impact and evolutionUse AI to research markets, tailor your materials, and prepare for high-stakes interviewsNetwork with intention and tell your story with authority and authenticityNavigate transitions and secure early wins once you land your next roleCourse attendees participating in the classroom sessions will receive individualized support, personal feedback, interview prep, or next-step strategies. Designed for experienced professionals (10+ years of experience or senior-level roles), this program combines expert guidance, peer connection, and practical tools to help you move forward wiser, sharper, and stronger than ever. Because your next chapter isn’t about starting over … it’s about moving forward with purpose. About the InstructorJodi Rabinowitz, known to clients as the Career Wing Woman, brings more than 25 years of executive experience in talent acquisition, leadership development, and organizational design. Her career spans innovative technology leaders such as Zoom Video Communications and cultural institutions like The Metropolitan Museum of Art, giving her a rare ability to navigate both high-growth corporate environments and mission-driven organizations. Blending corporate expertise with a clinical foundation in social work, Jodi approaches every engagement with equal parts strategic precision and heartfelt empathy. She specializes in helping professionals who feel stuck, uncertain, or blindsided by career disruption rediscover their confidence and direction. She is especially effective because she has lived it herself — five times over — experiencing firings, reorganizations, relocations, and reinventions, and emerging stronger each time. Her own nonlinear journey fuels her conviction that career setbacks are simply plot twists on the way to something better. Known for her warmth, wit, and unflinching honesty, Jodi helps clients transform anxiety into action, frustration into focus, and transition into triumph. As the Career Wing Woman, she meets every client exactly where they are and designs a process that reflects their unique strengths, story, and aspirations. Jodi earned both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two labradors, Bosco and Nilla, and is the proud mother of two grown sons. Jodi owns the career consultancy, Congratulations, You’re Fired, where loves serving as her clients’ Career Wing Woman. Outside of work, she channels her creativity into vibrant paper collage art, along with hiking, yoga, and home cooking. Important Information About Verso University ClassesClasses are usually structured as a consecutive series.Class size is often limited.Each series has a one-time fee registration fee covering all classes in the series.Registration is mandatory.The Westport Library wants to ensure that all interested students are able to participate in Verso University courses. If the registration fee is a barrier to entry for you, please contact [email protected] University is the Library’s lifelong learning and education initiative, serving up year-round offerings of classes, workshops, and lectures designed to further education and learning. Offerings run the gamut of educational opportunities, ranging from one-time lectures to ongoing courses to classes that meet weekly or perhaps monthly. Verso University programs are made possible by the generous support of the Nancy J. Beard Lifelong Learning and Education Fund. Business, Investing and Career Resources Relaunching Your Career Networking Groups

The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Tuesday March 3 7:00pm - 8:30pm EST

The Trefz Forum, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

CANCELED: 'The Pursuit of Liberty': Jeffrey Rosen in Conversation with Stephen G. Bowling

Note to patrons: This event has been canceled, with no makeup date yet determined. Please stay tuned to The Westport Library website for more. Event DetailsPresident and CEO of the National Constitution Center and professor of law Jeffrey Rosen will be on hand to discuss his new book, Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America. Professor Rosen will be in conversation with award-winning author Stephen G. Bowling of the Prometheum Foundation. Why You Should ComeMore than ever, the clash between Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian ideals resonates today in our most urgent national debates over the question of whether modern presidents are consolidating power and subverting the Constitution — the very threat to American democracy that both Hamilton and Jefferson were determined to avoid. The Pursuit of Liberty is a compelling history of the opposing forces that have shaped our country since its founding, and the ongoing struggle to define the balance between liberty and power. About Pursuit of LibertyThe best-selling author of The Pursuit of Happiness shows how the opposing constitutional visions of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton have defined our country for 250 years, influenced presidents from Washington to Trump, and continue to drive the debate over the power of government today. In The Pursuit of Liberty, best-selling author and president of the National Constitution Center Jeffrey Rosen explores the clashing visions of Hamilton and Jefferson about how to balance liberty and power in a debate that continues to define — and divide — our country: Jefferson championed states’ rights and individual liberties, while Hamilton pushed for a strong Federal government and a powerful executive. This ongoing tug-of-war has shaped all the pivotal moments in American history, including Abraham Lincoln’s fight against slavery and southern secession, the expansion of federal power under Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, and Ronald Reagan’s and Donald Trump’s conservative push to shrink the size of the federal government. Rosen also shows how Hamilton and Jefferson’s disagreement over how to read the Constitution has shaped landmark debates in Congress and the Supreme Court about executive power, from John Marshall’s early battles with Andrew Jackson to the current divisions among the justices on issues from presidential immunity to control over the administrative state. Book description courtesy Simon and Schuster. About the SpeakersJeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, where he hosts We the People, a weekly podcast of constitutional debate. He is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. He was previously the legal affairs editor of The New Republic and a staff writer for the New Yorker. Rosen’s new book, Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle over Power in America, came out in October 2025. His other books include New York Times best-sellers The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America and Conversations with RBG: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law, as well as biographies of Louis Brandeis and William Howard Taft. Rosen is a graduate of Harvard College Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar and Yale Law School. In 2024, the French government recognized him as a Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Stephen G. Bowling is an award-winning author, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Much like Peter Pan, Bowling never wanted to grow up. Or rather, while he didn’t mind getting older, he never wanted to lose the child-like enchantment of imagination and wonder. Creating colorful worlds and stories for children has allowed Bowling to both preserve his own imagination while sharing the joy of learning with children worldwide. Bowling has a BA in political science from Brandeis University. He is an entrepreneur who has worked on, and holds, several U.S. patents. He heads the Prometheum Foundation, a nonprofit philosophical organization that helps teach students critical and analytical thinking, freedom of thought, and entrance into the marketplace of ideas. Bowling moderates discussions and debates of all types. He has been conducting the Franklin Forum high school programs for more than 20 years. This Forum places students in the arena of public debate in which they are obliged to think about issues and public policy. It allows them to test their opinions, hear opposing views, and debate current issues, all in a setting with a free and open exchange of ideas. The Forum teaches civility in civil discourse the ability to disagree and still be agreeable even in a passionate exchange of views. Students develop self-confidence, self-esteem, respect for the opinion of others and the ability to effectively communicate their views. He is a lifelong weightlifter, an avid student of history and philosophy, and has a fascination with astrophysics.

The Trefz Forum, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Wednesday March 4 10:00am - 11:00am EST

Virtual Event

Language Conversation Group: Beginner/Intermediate French

The Westport Library's beginner/intermediate French conversation group meetings are each Wednesday from 10 to 11 am via Zoom. This is a conversation group rather than a language class — there are no textbooks, homework, or formal lessons. Participants engage in unscript......More

Virtual Event

Wednesday March 4 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

Komansky Room, The Westport Library

Anyone Can Use: Avoid a Scam

Registration for this session will begin on February 11, 2026. Think you could spot a scam? Scammers are getting sneakier every day—but anyone can learn to outsmart them. In this class, you’ll learn how scams work, how to recognize red flags, ways to protect your person......More

Komansky Room, The Westport Library

Wednesday March 4 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST

Room 210, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Language Conversation Group: Italian

The Westport Library's Italian conversation group meetings are each Wednesday from 2 to 3 pm in The Board Room (Room 210 on the Library's upper level). This is a conversation group rather than a language class — there are no textbooks, homework, or formal lessons. Parti......More

Room 210, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Wednesday March 4 4:30pm - 5:30pm EST

The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Sit & Stitch

January 14 - March 18 Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 pm Ages eight to adult. Location ( subject to change) Jan. 28 - McCall Room #216 Feb. 4 – Komansky Room Feb. 11 – March 18 - McCall Room #216 Bring a work in progress or your own yarn and needles or hooks. Don't know how to k......More

The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Wednesday March 4 6:00pm - 7:30pm EST

The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Writing Sprints with Tessa Smith McGovern

Stay accountable with two free weekly virtual writing workshops from WestportWRITES! The Westport Library is delighted to present two, free weekly Writing Sprints to Prompts and an AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) with award-winning author and teacher Tessa Smith McGovern. This is like a write-in but with extras …it's writing time followed by a 30-minute Q&A where you can ask Tessa anything about writing, publishing, or marketing your stories (including where and how to submit for publication). When?: Daytimes: Every Tuesday from 12-1:30 pm ET Evenings: Every Wednesday from 6-7:30 pm ET We’ll chat for the first few minutes and then Tessa will share some prompts and first lines which writers can use, tweak or ignore. The time can be spent on new words or world-building, revising – anything at all – doesn’t even have to be creative writing. Then we’ll write for 50 minutes, after which we'll have a 30-minute Q&A where we discuss writing goals and obstacles (and tips to overcome them) for the coming week, as well as that week's submissions. Email Tessa to register for these virtual workshops. Tessa Smith McGovern has taught writing for 22 years and, for the last ten years, at the Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College. Tessa is an award-winning writer whose linked short story collection, LONDON ROAD: LINKED STORIES, received a ‘Featured’ review from Kirkus, is an Amazon best-seller, and a gold medal winner in the 2012 eLit Awards. Her non-fiction book, COCKTAILS FOR BOOK LOVERS (Sourcebooks), is also an Amazon best-seller. Her many publication credits include the Connecticut Review and Equinox, a UK poetry journal archived by the English Arts Council at the Southbank Centre, London. She’s currently writing a contemporary fantasy novel inspired by British mythology and pursuing her MFA in Writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is founder and editor of eChook Digital Publishing. eChook won a silver medal in the 2012 eLit Awards and its stories have been read by thousands of readers in 100+ countries. Tessa is also host, writer and producer of BookGirlTV (BGTV), an award-winning digital channel that promotes books and reading. BGTV has 6 million+ minutes viewed on YouTube and 10,000+ likes on Facebook. Creative Writing Resources for Writers Short Stories

The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Wednesday March 4 6:30pm - 9:00pm EST

Room 212, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Chess Club for Adults

Drop by for a chess game on Wednesdays! There will be both open play and instruction for adults and high school students who know how to play the game. For more information, please contact the group contact, Rodney Garcia at [email protected]. Need a Hobby? Sports! Sp......More

Room 212, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Thursday March 5 5:00pm - 6:00pm EST

The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Craft and Chat

Register Here Thursdays, November 6, December 4, February 5, March 5, and April 2 Grades 6-8 5-6 pm Higgins Room February 5 - Pop-up Cards Unwind with friends while crafting! Bring your own project or try the Library's project for the day. We will have supplies and inst......More

The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Thursday March 5 6:00pm - 7:00pm EST

The Trefz Forum, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

Event DetailsParents and college-bound students are invited to join best-selling author Jeff Selingo for an informative talk that explores how students can define and find their ideal college experience — one rooted in growth, belonging, and opportunity. In his newest book, Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You, Selingo uses more than two years of research and a survey of some 3,000 parents to give families permission to think more broadly about what signals a “good” college, offering the tools to help them discover their dream school. Copies of Dream School will be available for purchase at the event. Why You Should ComeGetting into prestigious schools has become a kind of lottery. “Plan A” may work out, but increasingly it doesn’t. In Dream School, Selingo urges families to ditch the “Top 25 or bust” mindset and look beyond the usual suspects. Hidden-gem schools with incredible value and rich opportunities are waiting to be discovered.  Backed by unparalleled research — and an eye-opening survey of more than 3,000 parents — Dream School reveals what really matters in a college: strong job prospects after graduation, hands-on learning experiences, and a sense of belonging.  To help students find their perfect match, Selingo highlights 75 accessible and affordable colleges that will satisfy those priorities. The list of 75 "New" Dream Schools are colleges that might not (but perhaps should) be on your radar. It isn't a ranking, nor is it a comprehensive catalog. It’s a sampling of schools designed to expand your thinking — and your search. About Dream SchoolFrom the best-selling author of Who Gets In and Why, a must-have playbook for families coping with a more stressful era of startling low admission rates and sky-high prices — one that widens the aperture beyond the Top 25 schools and connects students, parents, and counselors with quality, affordable choices. Attending college has long been a rite of passage for millions of teens and a bedrock of the American dream. But that well-worn path has lately taken a wrong turn, denying admission even to super-achievers and putting intolerable stress on family finances. Now, in Dream School Jeffrey Selingo shifts the spotlight from how colleges pick students to how students can better pick colleges. Organized into three easy-to-digest sections, Dream School explains why elite college degrees turn out to matter less than you think, why many parents and students are choosing value over prestige, and how to make sure the degree really pays off. In these pages, Selingo’s engaging style and expert insights turn what is often an unnavigable maze into a clear roadmap. Destined to become the ultimate guide for families crossing the perilous college admissions landscape, Dream School isn’t just a book — it’s a lifeline for those who can find themselves trapped in an overwhelming process. About the AuthorJeff Selingo has written about colleges and universities for more than 25 years and is a New York Times bestselling author of four books. His latest, Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You (September 2025), draws on more than two years of research and a survey of some 3,000 parents to give families permission to think more broadly about what signals a “good” college and then the tools to discover their dream school. He is also the author of Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, named one of the New York Times’s 100 Notable Books of the Year in 2020. A regular contributor to The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, Selingo is a special advisor to the president and professor of practice at Arizona State University. He writes the biweekly newsletter Next and co-hosts the podcast Future U. He lives near Washington, D.C., with his family.

The Trefz Forum, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Friday March 6 10:00am - 11:00am EST

Other, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Language Conversation Group: Japanese

The Westport Library's Japanese conversation group is available in a hybrid format, both in person and via Zoom. Meetings are held each Friday from 10 to 11 am in Room 216 on the Library's Upper Level and simultaneously online. This is a conversation group rather than a......More

Other, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Friday March 6 10:30am - 12:00pm EST

Westport Center For Senior Activities, 21 Imperial Ave, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

WestportREADS 2026: Discussion at the Center for Senior Activities

Register Here Join friends and neighbors at the Westport Center for Senior Activities for a community discussion of All the Water In the World, this year’s WestportREADS selection. Registration is required through link or in person at the Center. Digital and audio copies are available. For copies of the book, please call 203-291-4807. New participants are always welcome! About All the Water in the WorldAll the Water in the World is told in the voice of a girl gifted with a deep feeling for water. In the years after the glaciers melt, Nonie, her older sister, and her parents and their researcher friends have stayed behind in an almost deserted New York City, creating a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. The rule: Take from the exhibits only in dire need. They hunt and grow their food in Central Park as they work to save the collections of human history and science. When a superstorm breaches the city’s flood walls, Nonie and her family must escape north on the Hudson. They carry with them a book that holds their records of the lost collections. Racing on the swollen river toward what may be safety, they encounter communities that have adapted in very different and sometimes frightening ways to the new reality. But they are determined to find a way to make a new world that honors all they’ve saved. Inspired by the stories of the curators in Iraq and Leningrad who worked to protect their collections from war, All the Water in the World is both a meditation on what we save from collapse and an adventure story ― with danger, storms, and a fight for survival. In the spirit of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Parable of the Sower, this wild journey offers the hope that what matters most ― love and work, community, and knowledge ― will survive. "When the world collapses, will our love for each other? Eiren Caffall answers the hard questions in this luminous novel. All the Water in the World is a masterful story of a family fighting to not be drowned by a changing world. Each sentence is a treasure. Read this and be changed." — Rene Denfeld, best-selling author of The Child Finder and Sleeping Giants About WestportREADSCreated in 2002, WestportREADS is a way for the Westport community to bond over a book and is designed to deepen our community’s engagement in literature. Throughout January and February, there will be events and programs centered on All the Water in the World, book discussions, celebrations, and much more. It is a chance to not only read a great book but to engage with the community, meet new people, and celebrate our shared love of reading. WestportREADS is funded by the estate of Jerry A. Tishman. All the Water in the World: A Reader's Guide for WestportREADS 2026Climate Change Museum Passes

Westport Center For Senior Activities, 21 Imperial Ave, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Friday March 6 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

Room 210, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Language Conversation Group: French

This conversation group is for advanced French speakers who have proficiency in speaking French. There is a beginner/intermediate group that meets on Wednesdays. In order for all participants in the Library’s language groups to have the opportunity to meaningfully use t......More

Room 210, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

Friday March 6 7:00pm - 8:30pm EST

The Trefz Forum, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

VersoFest Storytellers: Susanna Hoffs, in Conversation and Song, with Alisyn Camerota

Event DetailsSusanna Hoffs, co-founder of the Bangles, will be one of the lead acts for VersoFest 2026, appearing alongside award-winning journalist and rock memoirist Alisyn Camerota. This event is presented by the Lance Lundberg Family Foundation. VersoFest is The Westport Library’s annual music and media conference and festival where knowledge is shared and inspiration is discovered. Hoffs’ appearance is one of two events being held in advance of the main VersoFest weekend, March 26-29, along with a February 27 concert by the rising rock band The Thing. This year’s festival includes a conversation with folk-rock legend Ani DiFranco (March 26), a concert performance by Wyclef Jean (March 27), a VersoFest book talk with actress/performer Gina Gershon (March 28), and much, much more. Why You Should ComeAn international icon, Hoffs has written and performed hits with the Bangles, the multi-platinum band that ruled MTV and the airwaves. She has since excelled in a multi-faceted career with a string of solo albums and collaborations, most notably with Matthew Sweet, Elvis Costello, and Rufus Wainwright. Hoffs also published a novel, The Bird Has Flown, in 2023, that was hailed by The New York Times and praised as a “valentine to music” by NPR. And she has become a sensation on Instagram, garnering 866,000 followers. For her evening at the Library, Hoffs will discuss all this and more with Camerota, in addition to playing songs from the varied points of her career. Copies of The Bird Has Flown will be available for sale at the event. And this is your opportunity to see Hoffs in an intimate venue, as one of just 450 attendees in the Library’s unique Trefz Forum space. About Susanna HoffsBoasting one of pop's most beloved voices, Susanna Hoffs was born and raised in Los Angeles with an ever-present soundtrack of 1960s music. She loved to sing and play guitar, going on to study dance and art in college. Stirred by punk and new wave, Susanna started her first band with David Roback (Mazzy Star) while at UC Berkeley, and co-founded The Bangles, a seminal band of the ’80s with a string of hits from three platinum-selling albums, including “Eternal Flame” and “In Your Room,” both co-written by Hoffs. Susanna’s debut novel This Bird Has Flown (Little, Brown) has been hailed by The New York Times as the “smart, ferocious rock-star redemption romance you didn’t know you needed.” Her solo career began in 1991, and she has released Under the Covers, her acclaimed three-volume album series with Matthew Sweet. Her on screen credits include Austin Powers, in the band Ming Tea. Susanna’s latest albums include the archival release The Lost Record, The Deep End produced by Peter Asher, and Bright Lights. Her next solo album will be released in 2026. About Alisyn CamerotaAlisyn Camerota is a journalist, author, anchor, and correspondent for CNN. In her three decades in journalism, Camerota has covered stories nationally and internationally, earning two Emmy Awards for her breaking news coverage of the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the on-air arrest of Roger Stone. She has also received the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for her breaking news coverage of Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico, and a duPont-Columbia Award for her coverage of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Camerota's debut novel, Amanda Wakes Up, was selected by National Public Radio as one of the best books of 2017, and by Oprah Magazine as “a must read.” Her 2024 memoir Combat Love instantly became an Amazon best-seller. She is on the national advisory council of The News Literacy Project, which works to teach middle and high school students how to spot misinformation and fake news. About VersoFestVersoFest is The Westport Library’s annual music and media conference and festival where knowledge is shared and inspiration is discovered — a forum for media creators, artists, and fans to converge. VersoFest includes conversations where experts share their perspective and vision. Intimate workshops provide creators the opportunity to deconstruct, improve, and hone their craft. Performances entertain and inspire. This year’s festival, our fifth, is shaping up to be the best yet, headlined by a February 27 kickoff concert by rising rock band The Thing, our March 26 Verso Visionary conversation with folk-rock legend Ani DiFranco, and a special March 27 Friday night performance featuring Grammy Award-winning artist, producer, composer and Fugees co-founder Wyclef Jean. Our weekend guests include actress, author, and performer Gina Gershon David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) Adria Petty on the legacy of her dad, Tom Petty, and the legendary Heartbreakers a VersoFest author talk with Claire Dederer on her book, Monster a conversation with renowned music promoter Peter Shapiro (Capitol Theare, Brooklyn Bowl) an appearance by the African dance and music troupe Cumbe Dance an interactive art installation exhibited by award-winning, video-based artist Holly Danger and a screening of the film Baristas vs. Billionaires, directed by Academy Award nominee Mark Mori. Past VersoFest guests include hip hop legend Chuck D established hit-makers the Wallflowers, Spin Doctors, and the Smithereens up-and-coming bands Sunflower Bean and the Lemon Twigs the Roots lead emcee Black Thought hardcore punk pioneer Henry Rollins rockers Lez Zeppelin famed producers Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band) and Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex) Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler the Doors drummer John Densmore Cramps drummer Miriam Linna Alice Cooper Group bassist Dennis Dunaway hip-hop originators Tony Crush and Grand Wizzard Theodore David Letterman music director Paul Shaffer SNL Beehive Queen Christine Ohlman and a wide array of authors, photographers, artists, and thought leaders. Visit our VersoFest website to see the lineup and schedule for 2026 (with announcements on all guests coming throughout January and into February). Refund PolicyPrograms, prices, and dates are subject to change. Tickets are transferable. There are no refunds unless The Westport Library cancels an event. If you are unable to use your tickets, please notify us more than three hours prior to the start of the event in that case, the cost of the tickets can be considered a tax-deductible contribution supporting the Library. In the case of a postponed or rescheduled event, the Library is not obligated to offer refunds if the event is rescheduled within 12 months of the original date. No cash refunds.

The Trefz Forum, The Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT, 06880, United States

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Writing Sprints with Tessa Smith McGovern

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Verso University Presents: Career Coaching: Career Renewal for Experienced Professionals

CANCELED: 'The Pursuit of Liberty': Jeffrey Rosen in Conversation with Stephen G. Bowling

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Anyone Can Use: Avoid a Scam

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Sit & Stitch

Writing Sprints with Tessa Smith McGovern

Chess Club for Adults

Craft and Chat

Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

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WestportREADS 2026: Discussion at the Center for Senior Activities

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VersoFest Storytellers: Susanna Hoffs, in Conversation and Song, with Alisyn Camerota

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