Experience Flex at Westport Library
Pam Einarsen took pictures of the local authors at Experience Flex.
The Westport Library is a dynamic place! Experience Flex at the Westport Library is five days of events. The library is undergoing major renovation. The flexible use of space and the variety of programs the library can host are examples of how the new building will adapt to changing needs.
The outstanding video that I saw last week and again today highlights other features of the new library. Taking better advantage of the river view and improved entrance from downtown are two.
The opening event of Experience Flex was today’s Celebrity Lunch in the Great Hall. The keynote speaker was Sam Kass, former White House Chef. He was also Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition. He served as Executive Director of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign.
Sam Kass was the keynote speaker today.
Jane Green, well-known Westport author, was the Master of Ceremonies. Jane asked Sam about his 8-month old son. “I’m cooking all his food now,” Sam said. But referring to their family cooking patterns, he said, “He’ll be put to work fairly soon.”
In the Q & A someone asked, “Were there any disasters as chef for the Obamas?”
His answer was, “There’s no room for disasters at the White House!”
On Friday twelve local authors will give 15 minute talks or readings, with 5 minutes for Q&A. This event is called Flex: Unplugged. I’m one of the authors! We’ll also have a place to display and sell our books.
We were invited as guests for today’s lunch. “Mingle with local authors,” was part of the publicity for the $150 event.
The transformed hall with video screens.
For today’s Experience Flex Celebrity Lunch the library was transformed into an elegant hall. Curtains covered the windows from the 30 foot ceiling to the floor! We sat at long tables, with lovely yellow floral centerpieces, china, glass and silverware.
A demitasse with a delicious cold soup with bits of cucumber and other greens was at each place when we sat down. The entrée was a salad containing kale, red cabbage, and chick peas among other ingredients, and cold chicken dusted with something tasty.
Sally nearest me, Nina behind her. It was fun talking with them.
l sat next to Sally Allen and Nina Sankovich, two of the other local authors. Across from me was a friend from church and another woman whose name I’ve heard for ages. She said the same to me!
Door Prize
The authors were asked to contribute books as door prizes. I was thrilled to see the woman who won mine!
With door prize winner Ellyn Myers.
I had already signed the book. I asked if she wanted me to make it out to her. She said yes. So I wrote, “To Ellyn Myers, Enjoy Reading.”
The Celebrity Lunch was a fine example of the flexibility the new library will offer! It was elegant, brilliantly organized, and such fun.
The Osage Murders
At my Mount Holyoke Alumnae book group on Monday evening we discussed Killers of the Flower Moon, The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.
The true story of murders of the Osage Indians in the 1920’s is horrific. They became wealthy through oil found on their land. I wrote about it before.
We talked about the crimes and the venality of the people committing them. Sara said, “They could do this because they didn’t regard the Indians as people.”
Lynne in our group is an anthropologist. She supplied the word for this: pseudospeciation.
In Wikipedia I found this. “Pseudospeciation, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, refers to the tendency of members of in-groups to consider members of out-groups to have evolved genetically into different, separate, and inferior species to their own.”
Boko Haram and Kidnapping
In February 110 girls were kidnapped from their school in Dapchi, in north-eastern Nigeria, not far from the border with Niger. Early this morning, Wednesday, 101 of them were returned to the town, dropped off by their abductors, the militant Boko Haram.
According to one of the returned girls, five were killed as they were being taken away. No definitive news of the other four.
Over 100 of the girls from Chibok, kidnapped nearly four years ago, are still missing.
BBC online had a report about the return. The article said, “Among those to witness the release of the Dapchi girls were some of the Chibok parents, who had gone to the town to console its residents on their loss.”
Can you imagine how the parents of the missing Chibok girls felt? I’m sure there was resentment, though also joy for the reunited families. The parents want to have hope. But it must be incredibly difficult, not knowing whether or when they will ever see their daughters again. Such anguish.
The reporter believed there was ransom of some sort paid, though the government denied it. The army is facing criticism because they withdrew their troops from Dapchi the day before the kidnapping.
Nigeria’s President Buhari’s comments do not help. His government has stated more than once that they have defeated Boko Haram, only for the group to carry out another attack.
The flowers on the table today at the Celebrity Lunch
Margaret Anderson, The Persuasion Coach
I’ve interviewed my colleague and fellow blogger Margaret Anderson, “The Persuasion Coach.”
I enjoyed learning about her journey to becoming an expert in negotiation.
I’ll have the interview for you soon.
How do you think she became a “Persuasion Coach?” What do you think her title means?
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