Dear Readers,
Happy Friday. 2021 is proving to be, well, historic to say the least. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we want to say *thank you.* We are so grateful for the tremendous support you showed us during the 2020 holiday season. In the coming winter months we will continue to offer in-town (Darien and Rowayton) delivery, back door pickup, and our website is open 24/7. Our doors also remain open for browsing.
Read on for links to several upcoming events, many in partnership with local organizations and businesses, and a bumper crop of brand-new books. The week got away from us so Friday Five will return in two weeks time.
As always, if you want to connect in between, you know the drill: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. We share what's new in-store, recommendations, and up-to-date event information on the daily.
See you soon.
PS: look out for a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT on Monday; we're partnering with The Darien Foundation and The Corbin District to bring you some exciting news about Corbin Cares. Stay tuned.
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Dr. Simran Singh
Representation Matters
Tuesday, January 26
7PM
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We are proud to partner with the Darien Library and eight other community partners to present a special lecture by an award-winning educator, activist, and scholar, Dr. Simran Jeet Singh.
Can you imagine what it feels like to be so invisible that people don’t even know who you are? Now imagine how empowering it would be, after decades of being invisible, to finally see yourself publicly represented. So much of Dr. Singh’s work has centered around increasing visibility of Sikhs, not just to build community power, but also as a matter of survival. Dr. Singh will share accounts of his trailblazing efforts and historic firsts in diverse fields – such as children’s literature, podcasting, and chaplaincy – as a way of illustrating the power of representation, and why it matters so much to so many.
Seats are limited for this one of a kind event.
ABOUT DR. SIMRAN JEET SINGH
Dr. Simran Jeet Singh is an award-winning educator, activist, and scholar who speaks regularly on diversity, equity, and inclusion. He facilitates workshops on these topics for a variety of audiences, from preschools to university campuses, and from local community centers to corporate boardrooms.
While he is an accomplished professor with graduate degrees from Harvard and Columbia, Dr. Singh uses personal stories, dad-jokes, and a love for pop culture to connect with people where they are. Dr. Singh understands that marginalized groups will not lecture their way into dignity and that empathy is really built when we connect with one another as human beings.
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Elizabeth Lesser
Thursday, January 28
7:30PM
with Everwell
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The stories we tell have a profound effect on our human experience - historically, in real time and in our future as ancestors. Barrett Bookstore + Everwell are thrilled to sit down with author, Elizabeth Lesser, to discuss her stunning book Cassandra Speaks: When Women are the Storytellers, The Human Story Changes.
Elizabeth Lesser is the cofounder of Omega Institute and the author of Marrow: Loss, Love, and What Matters Most; The Seeker's Guide; and the New York Times bestseller Broken Open. She has given two popular TED talks and is a member of Oprah Winfrey's SuperSoul 100, a collection of one hundred leaders who are using their voices and talents to elevate humanity. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley with her family.
Log on to hear from Elizabeth Lesser herself, or dive into Cassandra Speaks even further by joining a pre-event discussion series co-hosted by Barrett Bookstore Marketing Director Page Berger and Everwell Co-Founder Lindsay Hurty. We will break down the book into three separate conversations about "the stories culture tells, and how those stories shape culture."
Join the single session with Elizabeth Lesser on January 28th or all three sessions — you choose!
ABOUT ELIZABETH LESSER
Elizabeth attended Barnard College, where she studied literature, and San Francisco State University, where she received a teaching degree. In 2011 she received an honorary doctorate from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, in Palo Alto, California. Early in her career she was a midwife and birth educator. Today, besides writing and her work at Omega Institute, she lends her time to social and environmental causes, and is an avid walker, cook, gardener, friend, mother, grandmother, and homebody. She and her husband live in New York’s Hudson River Valley.
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Derek Brown
Saturday, January 30
7PM
with Mather Homestead
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On Saturday, January 30, Mather Homestead will host Derek Brown, writer, mixologist and expert on the history and culture of spirits and drinks, for a virtual cocktail hour discussion. His book, Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World, tells the story of the cocktail, "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet," according to H.L. Mencken.
Derek will regale us with stories of what the Founding Fathers drank (spoiler alert ... it wasn't water). He will also show us how to mix up some fabulous cocktails (fire involved, do not try this at home).
$100 for two -- includes book, food (hearty hors d'oeuvre box) + cocktails (one of Derek's concoctions), and evening of fun! Pickup of book+food+drink at Mather Homestead will be on Saturday, January 30 between 4 and 5 pm.
ABOUT DEREK BROWN
Derek Brown is a leading spirits and cocktail expert and president of Drink Company, which owns and operates 2017 Spirited Award winning "Best American Cocktail Bar" Columbia Room as well as PUB, a rotating pop-up bar that's housed the wildly-popular Miracle on 7th Street, Cherry Blossom PUB and Game of Thrones PUB. Playboy magazine named him as one of "The 10 Entertainers, Thought Leaders and Heroes Who'll Save Us in 2017."
Derek’s passion for spirits has taken him across the globe, where he’s learned about the integral role food and drink play in the culture, customs and values of communities worldwide. He’s also written about drinks and drinking for The Atlantic, The Washington Post and Bon Appetit magazine, among other publications.
Derek is a spirits judge at the prestigious San Francisco World's Spirit Competition and works with many charities and organization in a role as advisor, including the DC Public Library Foundation, BevCon Charleston and Share Our Strength.
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Additional January Events
with Darien Library
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Marta McDowell
Thursday, January 21
10AM
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Historical Fiction Panel
Thursday, January 21
7PM
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New on the Shelf: Fiction
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*Pro tip: You can click on any of the images below and travel to our website where you can read synopses, reviews, and place an order for in-store pick up or delivery. Most books are in stock but if we don't have a copy on the shelf, we can easily order one for you!
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New on the Shelf: Non-Fiction
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