The Steering Committee for Greenwich Reads Together 2016 has released the program lineup for this year’s book, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, a National Book Award finalist. Greenwich Reads Together is sponsored by Lead Sponsor, Friends of Greenwich Library; Magazine Sponsor, Greenwich Magazine; and Essay Contest Sponsor, Greenwich Rotary Club.
The Greenwich community will have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities centered on the novel’s major themes – survival in the aftermath of a pandemic and the role of arts and culture in society – as well as community connections. In addition, ten adult, children, and teen book discussions will be held across Greenwich throughout the month of October.
Greenwich Reads Together is a community-wide reading experience that engages all of Greenwich in exploring a single book. Programs are open to all, except where noted. Reading Station Eleven is encouraged, but not necessary to attend. The book is available in multiple formats from the Library.
Visit www.greenwichreadstogether.org for a complete list of over 20 community programs, links to author interviews, book discussion guides, and reviews.
As part of the Greenwich Reads Together experience, the Technology Training Center at the Greenwich Main Library invites you to explore our Museum of Civilization. Various artifacts representing past technologies will be displayed around the Library to reflect how technology has changed. Share your thoughts and read what others have to say in the feedback books found at each exhibit. Can you guess each object’s purpose? What items would you include in your own Museum of Civilization?
Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich
Author Talk: Emily St. John Mandel
Wednesday, October 26, 7 PM
Emily St. John Mandel is the author of four novels, most recently Station Eleven, which was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, and won the 2015 Arthur C. Clarke Award. Her previous novel, The Singer’s Gun, was the 2014 winner of the Prix Mystere de la Critique in France. Her short fiction and essays have been anthologized in numerous collections, including Best American Mystery Stories 2013. She is a staff writer for The Millions, an online magazine covering books, arts, and culture.
Mandel will speak to Greenwich public and private school students earlier in the day.
Free and open to all, but seating in the Cole Auditorium is limited and will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Doors will open at6:00 p.m. The Essay Contest presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m.
For more information, please call (203) 622-7910.
Shakespeare and Station Eleven with Dr. Mark Schenker
Tuesday, October 4, 7 PM
Station Eleven examines the relationship between culture and community and between the art of survival and the survival of art—whether that of Shakespeare’s plays or of comic books. Mandel’s novel opens with a performance of King Lear and follows, after the collapse of civilization, the fortunes of The Traveling Symphony, a band of musicians and Shakespearean actors whose motto is “survival is insufficient.”
King Lear is one of several Shakespeare plays that explore the complexities of human life beyond the mere matter of subsistence. The series continues on November 1, with Romeo and Juliet, and December 6 with The Tempest.
Dr. Schenker is a Senior Associate Dean and Dean of Academic Affairs at Yale College. A former lecturer in the English Department, he received his Ph.D. from Columbia University with a concentration in 19th-century and early 20th-century English literature.
Cole Auditorium, Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich
Shakespeare Troubadour Company Vixens En Garde
Thursday, October 6, 7 PM
The Shakespeare Troubadour Company Vixens En Garde will perform abridged versions of Romeo & Juliet and Richard III. Appropriate for ages 10 and up.
Community Room, Byram Shubert Library, 21 Mead Avenue, Greenwich
Film: Blade Runner (1982)
Friday, October 14, 8 PM
With Harrison Ford, Edgar James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah, Joanna Cassidy. Directed by Ridley Scott. Way ahead of it’s time, this film is set in Los Angeles circa 2019 (not too far in our own future). L.A. has become a pan-cultural dystopia of corporate advertising, pollution, flying automobiles, as well as human-like androids with short life spans. Director’s Cut. 114 min. Rated R
Cole Auditorium, Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich
Survival Tactics
Thursday, October 20, 7 PM
Several Boy Scouts of Greenwich will present tips and tricks on how to survive in the woods.
Community Room, Byram Shubert Library, 21 Mead Avenue, Greenwich
Humanity Restoring: A Concert Program performed by ‘Scape Trio and Harpist Lisa Tannenbaum
Thursday, October 20, 7 PM
This hour-long concert will be filled with the music of Handel, Debussy, Strauss, Hasselmans, Stravinsky, and more. Taking an approach from The Traveling Symphony in Station Eleven, the musical pieces have been selected for their emotional and visceral effect upon the listener, sparking an immediate connection with what it means to be human.
Carnegie Hall veterans, ‘Scape Trio are master musicians, Nicole Sharlow, Joseph Dermody, and Adriana Maria Pera who have been performing together since 2007. The Trio, joined by harpist Lisa Tannenbaum, specializes in developing programs and performing alongside the works of living artists to present thought provoking concerts that create multi-sensory experiences. Free registration is required, call 203-862-6750.
Meeting Room, 2nd Floor, Greenwich Arts Council, 299 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich
Family Craft: Knots and Hooks
Saturday, October 22, 10:30 AM
Several Boy Scouts of Greenwich will demonstrate various knots and hooks with their uses.
Community Room, Byram Shubert Library, 21 Mead Avenue, Greenwich
Film: Contagion
Thursday, October 27, 7 PM
Much like the virus depicted in Station Eleven, Contagion examines the loss of social order during a pandemic. All star cast includes Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Bryan Cranston, and others. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. 2011, 106 minutes.
Community Room, Byram Shubert Library, 21 Mead Avenue, Greenwich
Pop-Up Museum: Lasting Relics
Saturday, October 29, 3 PM
When everything else is gone what object will you keep to help you remember? In Station Eleven, characters fight for scarce resources after the world is hit with a flu epidemic. To remind them of the world before this tragic event, many of the characters carry a meaningful, but unnecessary object with them as they travel.
Bring an object of personal significance that you would have a hard time leaving behind in a time of crisis. For the duration of this event, we will create a temporary museum filled with your objects and their stories. Light refreshments will be served and good conversation will ensue. Reservations are not required. This event is a collaboration between the Greenwich Historical Society and the Byram Shubert Library.
Community Room, Byram Shubert Library, 21 Mead Avenue, Greenwich
Children’s Book Donation
From October 3-14, Greenwich Alliance for Education will collect new or gently used children’s books in donation boxes at Greenwich Library and its Byram Shubert and Cos Cob branches. On October 19, donated books will be distributed to children at the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich. Please no reference or text books, magazines, or anything dusty or musty. For more information, please contact the Greenwich Alliance for Education at (203) 340-2323 or visit www.greenwichalliance.org.
Essay Contest
Greenwich Rotary Club will sponsor an essay contest for students attending Greenwich public and independent schools in grades 6-12. Cash prizes will be awarded at the October event in two categories (6-8th grades and 9-12th grades). $350 cash prize for the winning essay submitted by a high school student (grades 9-12); $150 cash prize for honorable mention. $350 cash prize for the winning essay submitted by a middle school student (grades 6-8); $150 cash prize for honorable mention. Winners will be honored the evening of October 26 at the Emily St. John Mandel author talk in Greenwich Library’s Cole Auditorium.
The 2016 GRT Essay Question is:
In Station Eleven Kirsten Raymonde carries a snow globe that Arthur gave to her the night before the pandemic wipes out most of the world’s population. In a similar crisis, what one non-technological object that means the most to you would you keep and how would it ensure your physical or psychological or emotional survival? In your response, please draw parallels to Station Eleven if you are a high school student or The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau if you are a middle school student.
Essays will be evaluated for clarity of expression, persuasiveness, and originality. Essays must be double-spaced, 1,000 words or less (exclusive of any citations), and submitted as a Word Document via e-mail on or before Tuesday, October 10, 2016 toGRTcontest@gmail.com. Please include the student’s name, grade, and school in the body of the e-mail. For full details, please visitwww.greenwichreadstogether.org.
Discussion Groups
Organize your own group or join with our community to explore Station Eleven at one or more of these discussion groups.
Join the online conversation- tag @gwlibrary on Instagram or Twitter and share the one personal item you’d grab in a disaster.
Greenwich Pen Women, a branch of the National League of American Pen Women, will provide leaders for book discussion groups of all ages, from teens through seniors. Call Lee Paine at (203) 637-3764 for further information.
Discussion Groups for Children and Teens
Bookworms Book Club
Wednesday, October 5, 4:30 PM
Students in grades 2-3 will read the Greenwich Reads Together companion book, Blackout by John Rocco. Registration required, limit 20 participants. Register and pick up a book at the Children’s Room Desk or call (203) 622-7940 for information.
Junior Book Club/Middle School Book Club
Thursday, October 6, 4:30 PM
Students in grades 4-8 will read the Greenwich Reads Together companion book, The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. Registration required, limit 20 participants. Register and pick up a book at the Children’s Room Desk or Second Floor Reference Desk or call (203) 622-7940 for information.
Greenwich Public Schools
Greenwich High School will hold Greenwich Reads Together Day on October 26 with programs for students, faculty, and staff, including a visit from author Emily St. John Mandel. A faculty and staff discussion moderated by GHS Headmaster Chris Winters and English Program Director Brigid Barry will occur after school on October 25. A number of English teachers will incorporate Station Eleven into their classes this semester.
Student discussions and group activities not open to the general public will take place at Central, Eastern and Western Middle Schools. Activities will be held for younger students at the following elementary schools: ISD, Julian Curtiss, New Lebanon, North Mianus, Old Greenwich, Parkway and Riverside.
Discussion Groups for Adults
Cos Cob Library will offer two book discussions which are open to all, but aimed primarily at adults. The Thursday Evening Book Club will meet on October 6 to discuss Station Eleven and the Brown Bag Book Club will meet on October 19 to discuss Station Eleven.
Cos Cob Library, 5 Sinawoy Road, Cos Cob
The Friends of Greenwich Library will host a drop-in book discussion of Station Eleven on Tuesday, October 11 at 1 p.m. All are welcome to attend. No registration required. For further information, call Anne Shafqat in the Friends Office at (203) 622-7938.
Meeting Room, Greenwich Library, 101 W. Putnam Avenue, Greenwich
The Byram Book Club will meet Tuesday, October 25, at 3:45 p.m. For more information, please call (203) 531-0426.
Community Room, Byram Shubert Library, 21 Mead Avenue, Byram
The International Book Club is open to adults on Tuesday, October 18 at 5 p.m. For more information, please call (203) 531-0426.
Community Room, Byram Shubert Library, 21 Mead Avenue, Byram
The Perrot Memorial Library will host a discussion on Wednesday, October 19, at 7:30 p.m. led by a member of the Greenwich Pen Women. For more information, please call (203) 637-1066.
Rand Room, Perrot Memorial Library, 90 Sound Beach Avenue, Old Greenwich
The First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich will host a discussion of Station Eleven on Sunday, September 25, at 11:20 a.m. led by Kimberly Lee. The public is welcome, no registration required. For further information, contact Terry Lohmeyer at Terryhl@aol.com.
2nd Floor Church Chapel, First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich, 1 W. Putnam Avenue, Greenwich
Each year Temple Sholom and Christ Church Greenwich, in their partnership as the Sholom Center for Interfaith Learning and Fellowship, host a discussion focusing on the book selected for reading throughout the Greenwich community for Greenwich Reads Together. Whether you have read the book or not, come to The Exploration Series on Sunday, October 16, at 10:10 a.m. and discover something about human relationship, connection, and imagination. For more information, contact Jean Tredinnick at 203-869-6600, ext. 13.
Christ Church, 254 East Putnam Avenue, Greenwich
At Home in Greenwich will host a discussion of Station Eleven on Tuesday, October 18 at 10 a.m. The public is welcome to attend. To RSVP, contact Lise Jameson at (203) 422-2342.
Location TBD
Supporting Organizations
At Home in Greenwich
Christ Church of Greenwich
First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich
The Friends of Byram Shubert Library
The Friends of Cos Cob Library
The Friends of Greenwich Library
Greenwich Academy
Greenwich Alliance for Education
Greenwich Arts Council
Greenwich Historical Society
Greenwich Independent Schools
Greenwich Library
Greenwich Library Board of Trustees
Greenwich Pen Women
Greenwich Public Schools
Greenwich Rotary Club
Perrot Memorial Library
Retired Men’s Association
Temple Sholom
About Greenwich Reads Together
Greenwich Reads Together is a community-wide reading experience which will engage all of Greenwich in exploring a single book. Several community organizations are leading this initiative including Greenwich Library, Greenwich Arts Council, Greenwich Historical Society, Greenwich Alliance for Education, Greenwich Pen Women, Greenwich Public Schools and Independent Schools and Friends of Greenwich Library. In 2015, almost 20 community organizations and more than 7,200 Greenwich residents participated in events around Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. Numerous adult, children and teen book discussions were held across Greenwich. Greenwich Reads Together is supported by Lead Sponsor Friends of Greenwich Library. For more information, visitwww.greenwichreadstogether.org.
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