Fairfield Downtown Bookstore Steps Into March With Four New Virtual Events

Virtual events for book lovers of all ages include: the annual One Book One Town celebration, a visit from a Fairfield alumna author, a chat with a popular children's fiction writer, and a kid’s story time and drawing demo.

Tues., March 2 | One Book One Town: Punching the Air
A new month of virtual events begins on Tuesday, March 2 when the Fairfield University Downtown Bookstore serves as a cosponsor of the Fairfield Public Library’s One Book One Town author talk, featuring the authors of this year’s title, Punching the Air, Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusuf Salaam. Starting at 7 p.m., the signature One Book One Town event will bring readers through this tale of tragedy and undue imprisonment, its effect on the community, and the strength drawn from the quiet influences of art and poetry. The virtual talk is free, and registration is required to attend.

Wednesday, March 10 | Dan Gutman: Houdini and Me
If a famous escape artist ever tried to come back to life, popular children's fiction writer Dan Gutman knows the perfect scenario for how he could utilize modern-day technology to pull off such a stunt. On Wednesday, March 10, the Bookstore will host Gutman for a free virtual read-aloud of his new book Houdini and Me, which tells the story of Harry Mancini, an 11-year-old boy who begins receiving text messages from someone claiming to be Harry Houdini communicating from the afterlife. This middle-grade novel is sure to keep young readers on the edge of their seats, as will Gutman's virtual visit which will take place at 6 p.m. on the Bookstore’s Facebook page.

Thursday, March 18 | Jennifer Smith Turner: Child Bride
The following week, Fairfield University alumna Jennifer Smith Turner MA'93, CT'02 will virtually return to her old stomping grounds for a Facebook Live event on Thursday, March 18 to discuss her third book and first novel, Child Bride. Starting at 6:30 p.m., Smith will lead readers in a discussion of her latest release, which tells the story of young Nell, a girl in the mid-1900s who is married off at age 16 and sent from the segregated South to Boston, where she is forced to navigate life amid unknown circumstances — both in her location and in her marriage.

Friday, March 26 | Joseph Belisle: What If Wilhelmina
The month's events wrap up on March 26 with a story time and drawing demo for children ages 4 to 8. Author and illustrator Joseph Belisle will host a read-aloud event to celebrate his latest release, What If Wilhelmina. Starting at 4 p.m. on Facebook Live, Belisle will share the vibrantly illustrated true story of a real family's mission to find their very real, very beloved — and potentially missing — cat, Wilhelmina.

To add any of these titles to your home library, the Downtown Bookstore offers curbside pickup daily between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Bring an email confirmation of the order, head to the rear entrance of the Bookstore, and simply call 203-255-7756 ext. 550; your order will be brought to the door. Face masks are required for pickup.