WESTFIELD — The Westfield Memorial Library has announced two upcoming programs, including the return of a popular musical duo and the latest entry in the library’s Virtual Author series. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.
The duo of violinist Deni Bonet and Westfield resident and guitarist Chris Flynn will be back together again at the library on Tuesday, June 18, at 7 p.m. Ms. Bonet and Mr. Flynn are a New Yorkbased Americana, folk-rock duo whose blend of voices, virtuoso violin, guitar and humor have entertained and captivated audiences at a wide range of venues.
Ms. Bonet’s voice and violin, and Mr. Flynn’s guitar and voice, have echoed through the United Nations and the White House, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, as well as Mountain Stage. They have shared stages with REM, Cyndi Lauper, Warren Zevon and Sarah McLachlan, among many others, and have performed their original music as soloists with several full symphony orchestras.
For the last five years, they have performed across Europe and America, from festivals to house concerts, libraries to radio stations. Their lively and humorous shows are full of self-penned songs and instrumentals, and the warm banter of two people completely at one on the stage. To register for this program, access https:/ /events.wmlnj.org/event/12553372, or visit the library’s website at wmlnj.org.
The Virtual Author Series will continue at the library with “Unpacking a History of Systematic Racism in the American Education System with Tiffany Jewell” on Thursday, June 20, from 2 to 3 p.m.
Author Tiffany Jewell will highlight the inequities Black and Brown students face from preschool through college as she presents lessons and knowledge from her new book “ Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School.”
The overarching nonfiction narrative follows Ms. Jewell from early elementary school through her time at college, unpacking the history of systemic racism in the American educational system along the way. Throughout the book, other writers of the global majority share a wide variety of personal narratives and stories based on their own school experiences.
An anti-bias antiracist (ABAR) educator and consultant, Ms. Jewell is the author of the number-one New York Times and number-one Indie bestseller “This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action and Do the Work,” a book for young people and others about becoming antiracist, as well as “The Antiracist Kid: A Book About Identity, Justice, and Activism.”
Ms. Jewell has been working with children and families for nearly two decades and has worked as a Montessori educator for 15 years. She is the co-founder, alongside Britt Hawthorne, of ABARatSchool, an organization that strives to support educators and caregivers in their anti-bias anti-racist journeys.
To receive the Zoom link for this virtual program, register at https:/ /events.wmlnj.org/event/12571100 or visit the library’s website at wmlnj.org.
Library hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The library will be closed this Sunday, June 16, for Father’s Day and again on Wednesday, June 19, for Juneteenth.
