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Adult Events

The Oliver Wolcott Library offers a wide range of programming for adults, from continuing series like Monday Scholars,
to lectures, book discussions, and author talks. All events are free and open to all.

Continue your journey of lifelong learning with us!

 

January Events:

 

Washcloth Teddies


 

January Adult Take & Make - SOLD OUT!

Available beginning January 2*

*while supplies last

Now that we've reached winter, these snuggly washcloth bears are ready to hibernate. Stop by OWL to pick up all the supplies you'll need to make your very own washcloth teddy. Keep your teddy warm and cozy in your home all through the snowy winter months!

 

 

 

 

Capturing Modernism - Over 20 Years Documenting Architecture on Film


 

Presented by Jake Gorst

Live, In-Person & on Zoom:

Tuesday, January 21 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM

 Registration is required to attend In-Person. Register here

Zoom Participants Zoom Link - click here on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 PM


Film Director Jake Gorst has been producing documentaries about 20th century modern architecture for the past two decades. Hear “behind the scenes” accounts – from his first project discussing Long Island’s famed Leisurama houses in Montauk, to the 2-part biography on California’s Albert Frey, as well as his most recent New England historical perspective “New England Modernism”, and everything in-between.

Jake Gorst has spent the past two decades researching and documenting mid-century modern architecture, including the work of his grandfather, architectural designer Andrew Geller, in print and film. Gorst is an Emmy(R) award winning documentary filmmaker and the director of Mainspring Pictures Ltd. Recent films directed by Gorst include Modern Tide: Midcentury Architecture on Long Island (2012, Design Onscreen), William Krisel, Architect (2010, Design Onscreen), Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler (2009, Design Onscreen) and Desert Utopia: Mid-Century Architecture in Palm Springs (2006, Design Onscreen). His films Farmboy (2006, Jonamac Productions), and Leisurama (2005, Jonamac Productions), have been in national U.S. public television distribution. Gorst has also a contributing writer to VOX Hamptons, HOME Miami and Modernism magazines.

 

 

Armchair Travel to Argentina & Chile - with Nancy & Ed Schuler


 

Live, In-Person:

Wednesday, January 22 from 1:00 - 2:00 PM

In-Person Registration: Click here to attend in-person on Jan. 22

Join Nancy and Ed Schuler as they take you to South America. 

Travel from Buenos Aires, Argentina to the vineyards of Mendoza.  Mendoza is known for its Malbec wine. Cross the longest mountain range in the world, the Andes at 10,000 feet, to beautiful Santiago, Chile.  Learn about the once lost Carmenere grape from Europe and how the Chilean vineyards brought it back to life.

 

 

 

Both Sides of the Equator with The Joe Carter Samba Rio Trio


 

Live, In-Person & on Zoom:

Thursday, January 30 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM

 Registration is required to attend In-Person. Register here

Zoom Participants Zoom Link - click here on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 6:30 PM


“His show is a gift to those who, tired of noise, want to listen to music played in a sensitive and intelligent way.”
- Chico Nelson, Jornal Do Brasil, Brazil

“One can feel that Joe Carter plays only to create beauty.” - Francois Postiff, France


The Joe Carter Samba Rio Trio, led by guitarist Joe Carter, celebrates the music of Brazil – Samba, Bossa Nova, Choro, Baiao and more. Their repertoire features songs by Brazil’s classic composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Moacir Santos, Jacob do Bandolim, Luiz Bonfa, Pixinguinha, Baden Powell, Ary Barroso and others.  The Trio takes things a step further by using their Jazz backgrounds to add Jazz improvisation into the tunes, creating a sound known as Samba Jazz, a sound that blends the best of both worlds. In other words:  the best of Music from “Both Sides of the Equator”.

Joe Carter (guitar) is currently the Director of the Academic Music Program at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Joe has performed, taught, recorded and, occasionally, lived in Brazil.  He has recorded and performed with Jazz artists such as Art Farmer, Lee Koniz, and Cecil Payne. This, combined with performances and teaching in other places around the world - India, Germany, France - have helped him to form a sound and style based in “Samba Jazz”, a style that combines the improvisational nature of North American Jazz with the lyrical and rhythmical aspects of Brazilian Bossa Nova, Samba, Choro, Baiao and MPB.


Jeff Fuller (bass) has toured worldwide and recorded with saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Paquito D’Rivera.  He has played with jazz masters from all styles and eras including such diverse artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Mose Allison, “Papa” Jo Jones, Gerry Mulligan, and Clark Terry.  In 2014, he was presented with the annual Jazz Haven Award, “For all you have done in presenting and preserving the culture and music of jazz”


Jerrod Cattey (drums) holds his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from Western Connecticut State University. While attending WCSU he was the two-time recipient of the James Furman Award, which is presented to the student who best exemplifies the highest level of musical performance ability, scholastic standing, and contributions to the music department. He has studied drum set with Jeff Siegel, Dom Famularo, and Justin Foley, as well as classical percussion with Dave Smith and Brazilian percussion with José Mauricio de Faria and Daniel Oliveira.

 

 

Monday Scholars: The History of the U.S. Navy from its Origins through the Korean War


 

Live on Zoom:

Mondays from 1:00 - 2:30 PM 

Through February 3

ZOOM LINK: Click here at 1 PM Mondays beginning Nov. 18 to zoom to this program.

Monday Scholars combines the best of online learning and engaging discussion!

Join us for the full 9-weeks or drop in to explore your favorite topics. Each week, we will watch two lectures together and then engage in lively conversation afterwards. The conversation will be facilitated by OWL's Caroline Ugurlu. 

The story of the United States Navy offers essential perspectives on how the United States came to be, the unfolding of its history, the experiment of American democracy, and the nation’s transformation into a global superpower. Beyond all of this, the history of the US Navy is a spellbinding and deeply poignant human story—a chronicle of extraordinary commitment, ingenuity, valor, sacrifice, and patriotism, spanning the 250 years of its existence.

Your guide is Professor Craig L. Symonds of the US Naval Academy, a celebrated maritime historian who brings to the table astonishingly detailed and far-reaching knowledge of US naval history, coupled with a flair for engrossing storytelling.

Click here to read more about this series.

 

 

Move Your Mind; Move Your Body


 

Live, In-Person & Live on Zoom:

Tuesdays: 10:15 - 11:00 AM*
In-Person Space is limited. Registration is required. Register here

Zoom Participants Zoom Link - click here on Tuesdays at 10:15 am to Zoom to the Event.

* No class January 7 & 14

Note: This Class is designed for senior women.


The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2021 to 2030 The Decade For Healthy Ageing. The OWL has always been committed to expanding minds and now we would like to help our community expand their physical strength. 

Join Nancy Schuler in this exercise class for senior women. You can attend the class in person, here at the OWL, or online in the privacy of your home. The class features stretching and exercises that can be done in a chair or standing, and lifting of 1 or 2 lb. weights. All exercises are gentle and easy to understand. Exercise has been proven to help one's cognitive abilities, blood pressure, insomnia, digestive issues, depression, strength and independence. The Alzheimer's, Diabetes and Heart Associations all recommend exercise for healthy ageing.

No prior experience is necessary. Bring in a set of light weights for this class - 1 to 2 lbs.

 

February Events:

 

Blind Date with Books & Movies


 

Beginning February 1

This Valentine's Day, go on a blind date with some books and movies! 

How It Works:
The books and movies are wrapped up to hide their identities, but they each have a few clues listed about their contents so you can decide which ones you might like.

Pick a book/movie whose clues stand out to you and bring it to the circulation desk to check it out. Then unwrap to reveal your surprise book/movie and "go on a date" with it by reading or watching your selection!

 

 

 

 

Non-Fiction Discussion Group


 

Thursday, February 13

Non-Fiction Group: 2:00 pm 

Meeting will be held in the Library's Jamie Gagarin Community Room.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence. The author argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us versus them attitudes all comes down to language. Cultish language is something we hear – and are influenced by – every single day. Moderated by Tricia

 

 

 

Fiction Discussion Group


 

Thursday, February 13

Fiction Group: 3:30 pm 

Meeting will be held in the Library's Jamie Gagarin Community Room.

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

A New Zealand farm is abandoned, presenting an opportunity for Birnam Wood, a sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic gardening collective that plants crops where no one will notice. But an American billionaire also has an interest in the place. They’re poles apart politically, but the billionaire and the group might have enemies in common. Can Birnam Wood trust him? Moderated by Margaret

 

 

 

An Evening with Guitarist Kevin Sherwin


 

Live, In-Person & on Zoom:

Thursday, February 13 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM

 Registration is required to attend In-Person. Register here

Zoom Participants Zoom Link - click here on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 6:30 PM


As a guitarist, Kevin Sherwin made his solo debuts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Regent Hall in London, England. During the Fall of 2023, he returned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for two solo programs, the second of which was thematically paired with the Manet/Degas Exhibition. 

Sherwin has performed twice at the University of Cambridge with violist Mark Bailey in the Musica Vera Duo, including original compositions. He was also featured as a guitarist and conductor for the YoungArts New York Gala at the Metropolitan Museum’s Temple of Dendur, working with Tony Honoree, Michael McElroy. Following his interests in the legacy of American guitarists, Kevin worked in association with Jazz at Lincoln Center researching blues guitarists and he collaborated as a guitarist, composer, and arranger with vocalist Joshua Banbury to record an album called “Forgotten Folklore,” which shares the stories and music of America’s forgotten communities.

Sherwin studied at The Juilliard School and at Yale University where he graduated with Honors and is currently a Fellow at Timothy Dwight College, Yale University. 

 

 

Meet the Author: Tal Fagin


 

Live, In-Person & on Zoom:

Thursday, February 20 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM

 Registration is required to attend In-Person. Register here

Zoom Participants Zoom Link - click here on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 6:30 PM


Meet Author Tal Fagin as she discusses the concepts in her book, Sometimes I Think I Suck.  If you ever live with a negative inner voice that demeans and undermines you, insisting you're not smart enough, successful enough, fit enough, productive enough, or just not good enough, you're not alone.

In Sometimes I Think I Suck, Tal Fagin shares her personal journey from an ambitious, hard-driving lawyer to a contented, easy-going life coach, showing how she shed the perfectionism that once caused her so much pain. Drawing from years of experience coaching high achievers and other deeply self-critical clients, she offers practical tools and exercises to help you silence your inner critic, develop greater self-compassion, and find more profound satisfaction. 

Tal Fagin, a former attorney and now certified life coach, helps already successful people who continue to feel dissatisfied despite their many achievements. Especially with themselves! She appreciates nothing more than connecting deeply and meaningfully with others.This is her first book. 

 

 

Armchair Travel to South Africa - with Nancy & Ed Schuler


 

Live, In-Person:

Wednesday, February 26 from 1:00 - 2:00 PM

In-Person Registration: Click here to attend in-person on Feb. 26

Join Nancy and Ed Schuler as they take you to South Africa. 

Go on a safari to Krueger National Park; visit the home of Nelson Mandela in Soweto where he lived before he was arrested; explore the beautiful capital of Cape Town and much more!

 

 

 


 

About Our Zoom Events:

All of our Virtual Zoom Events are live. They are not recorded. To participate/join the event, you need to use the exact link connected to the event. Once you click on the link at the specified date and time, you will be prompted to open Zoom, the virtual meeting program we are using. All you need is an internet connection and a device or computer with a webcam and audio. Most computers have built-in webcams. No passwords or confirmation codes, just click the link and follow the prompts.

 

More security, more privacy: In response to concerns about privacy in a virtual meeting space, we have enabled additional security features in Zoom and updated our meeting links to be protected, private, and secure. These new, unique links can also be accessed through our e-newsletters. To receive secure information regarding these events, please subscribe to our e-newsletter! Click here to learn more about our e-newsletter offerings.