Scarpa to sign memoir, "Lessons from the Stage," at Shelton High School event

Gary and Francesca Scarpa

SHELTON - Author, director, and educator Gary Scarpa has released his newest book, Lessons from the Stage, a memoir celebrating 50 years of theater, marriage, and community alongside his wife Francesca and their daughters.

Scarpa’s fourth published work — and his first non-fiction title — looks back on more than four decades of creating theater in Shelton and beyond through school productions, summer theater, and professional stage work.

“Back in 1973, I fell in love with an art form and a girl, all in one fell swoop,” Scarpa said. “The rest is history.”

That journey began with a college audition and continued in 1976 when Scarpa, then a young teacher at Shelton High School, directed his first production, The Music Man. One month later, Gary and Francesca were married at Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven with the entire cast in attendance.

Over the decades, the Scarpas founded the Youth CONNection summer theater troupe in 1983 and later established Center Stage in 2005, inspiring generations of performers, students, and audiences along the way.

In Lessons from the Stage, Scarpa reflects on both the triumphs and challenges of a life devoted to live theater.

“It’s a look back at our entire life in the theater,” Scarpa said, “with all the moments that stay with you long after the curtain comes down — not only the highlights, but the difficult moments as well. Theater teaches lessons that last a lifetime.”

To celebrate the book’s release and the couple’s golden anniversary in theater and marriage, the Scarpas will host a free public book discussion and signing on June 6 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Shelton High School.

The event is open to anyone who performed under their direction, worked backstage, attended productions, or followed Scarpa’s writing career through the years.

Lessons from the Stage is available in paperback and hardcover through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and in digital format wherever e-books are sold.

For more information about the book, the June 6 event, or Gary Scarpa’s work, visit garyscarpa.com.

Derby libraries join for livestream conversation with bestselling author

DERBY - Join us in conversation with bestselling author and humorist Michael Perry @sneezingcow, whose collection of genre-spanning works encapsulates the experiences–and the magic–of rural town communities and the everyday people who reside in them.

In his memoir, Population: 485, Perry tells a frequently comic tale leavened with moments of heartbreaking delicacy and searing tragedy.

Jesus Cow, Perry’s fiction debut, is a hilarious yet sincere exploration of faith and the foibles of modern life.

Livestream will be Wednesday, March 4 at 2 p.m. in partnership with Derby Neck and Derby Public Libraries.

Register and ask questions of the author here: https://libraryc.org/derbyctlibraries/115576/register

Local author to give talk, sign book about Yankees at Derby Public Library

 

Derby Neck Library to host writers' workshop Tuesday

Derby Neck Library is at 307 Hawthorne Ave., Derby.

This is shared from the Library's Facebook page.

"A Child Called It' author virtually addresses Ansonia Middle School students

Author Dave Pelzer

By Patricia Villers

ANSONIA - Be good; you will succeed in life. That’s one of the pieces of advice bestselling author David Pelzer recently gave seventh graders at Ansonia Middle School.

Pelzer’s live appearance on a big screen set up in the auditorium was coordinated by health teacher Lisa Nicolari. 

Pelzer, who is also an inspirational speaker, lives in California. He was able to see the students and they were able to pose their questions for him through Nicolari. 

Her students have been reading Pelzer’s 1995 memoir, A Child Called It, that details the years of beatings and starvation he endured from his alcoholic mother. 

Pelzer, 61, said suffering psychological pain “is worse than physical pain.”

He was one of five brothers yet he was the one their mother targeted for her horrific abuse from about age 3 until he was 12.  

At that age several of his teachers helped him get out of the house. “I owe my teachers my life,” Pelzer said.

He subsequently lived in foster homes, where he also suffered abuse until he was 18 when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.

Pelzer’s mother had been abused by her mother, he said, referring to the abuse as a psychological cancer. “I broke the cycle with my son,” he said.

One of the questions posed by students was why he was the only sibling who was abused. 

Pelzer replied he was “selected at random” by their mother. 

Another student asked where his brothers went when he was taken out of the house. Pelzer said they stayed with their mother.

He urged students to ask for help if they need it and to work on taking care of themselves.

"I challenge you for greatness," Pelzer said.

Pelzer is the author of eight books, two of which are part of a trilogy that starts with A Child Called It. They are The Lost Boy, and A Man Named Dave.

Ansonia High School marks Black History Month with Book of the Week

 

Derby Public Library virtual Lunchtime Book Discussion to feature memoir

DERBY - The Derby Public Library Lunchtime Book Discussion scheduled at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 27 will feature “Educated” by Tara Westover.

One of the most acclaimed books of our time, "Educated" is an unforgettable memoir about a young woman who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge and emphasizes the importance of education to enlarging her world. 

She details her journey from her isolated life in the mountains of Idaho to completing a PhD program in history at Cambridge University.

There is a limited number of copies available on a first-call basis for patrons who place holds for vestibule pick-up.

Registration is required for this program online to receive the Zoom link and password.

This is shared from a Facebook event page.

Memoir is topic of book discussion at Huntington Branch Library in Shelton

SHELTON - The Huntington Branch Library book discussion selection for March is "Saturday Night Widows" by Becky Aikmen. 
The discussion will be held from 1-2 p.m. March 8.
This is a transcendent and infectiously wise memoir which explores surprising new discoveries about how people experience grief and loss. 

April’s selected title is "And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hossieni. 

Books will be available at the Huntington Branch Library, 41 Church St.

This is shared from the Shelton Library System Facebook page.

Memoir of Appalachian life is topic of Derby Public Library discussion

DERBY - Derby Public Library will host its next monthly Lunchtime Book discussion at 12:30 p.m. March 28.
The featured book is “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” by J.D. Vance.

This memoir is a powerful account of growing up in the rust belt of Ohio and in an Appalachian town in Kentucky. The author escapes generations of poverty and becomes a Marine and Yale Law School graduate. 

The book is a probing look at the struggles of America's working class. 
The Vance family story begins in postwar America. Vance’s grandparents were “dirt poor and in love,” and moved north from Kentucky’s Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the poverty around them. 

Ron Howard is directing and producing a movie adaptation of the book, which was a New York Times bestseller.

Lunchtime Book Discussions are held the last Wednesday of the month. They are free and open to the public. 
Multiple copies of the book will be available at the circulation desk. Drop-ins are welcome; registration is not required. 

The Library is at 313 Elizabeth St. 
For more information call 203-736-1482.

This is a press release from Kathy Wilson, Head of Adult Circulation, Derby Public Library.

Derby Public Library discussion to focus on memoir about love, cooking

DERBY - The Derby Public Library's next Lunchtime Book Discussion will be at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 30.  
The selected title is the pleasurable memoir Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard.  

In Paris for a weekend, Bard sat down to lunch with a handsome Frenchman, and never went home again.  

This is the chronicle of a young American woman caught up in two passionate love affairs – one with her new beau, and the other with French cuisine.  
It is a great, light read that lovers of food and romance will relish.  

Dessert and beverages will be provided.  

Registration is requested.  
For more information, stop by the Library, 313 Elizabeth St., call 203-736-1482, or visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org.

This is a press release from Cathy Williams, Director, Derby Public Library.

Author to discuss hiking memoir at Derby Public Library

DERBY - The Derby Public Library welcomes author, speaker, photographer, avid hiker, and former L.L. Bean catalog writer Jeffrey H. Ryan at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 6 to discuss his book, Appalachian Odyssey. 

This memoir highlights a 28-year trip, hiked one section at a time. 

Born and raised in Maine, Ryan encourages readers to set goals, chase dreams, and achieve them, one step at a time.

Modeled loosely on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, each section of the book is a self-contained story, touching on the trail's history and the mental aspects of doing the trail. 

More than 75 photos are included.  

Copies of the book will be available for purchase.  

For more information, stop by the Library, 313 Elizabeth St., call 203 736-1482, or visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org.   

This is a press release from Cathy Williams, Director, Derby Public Library.