NOTE: Please remember that all Y’s Women who participate in meetings held at the Westport Center for Senior Activities must be registered with the Center and check in before each meeting.
Book Group 2 will meet at the Westport Center for Senior Activities on Thursday, October 5 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. We will be discussing Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, and Doris Skutch will lead the discussion. For questions, please contact Arlene Bloom at bloomah@sbcglobal.net or Nancy Bloom at nancyerb@aol.com.
Book Group 3 will meet on Friday, October 13 at 10:30 am at the Westport Center for Senior Activities to discuss The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. Marie Coppola will lead the discussion. If you have any questions, please contact Doris Levinson at drjlevinson@gmail.com.
The Movie Club will meet on Wednesday, October 18 at the Westport Center for Senior Activities. We meet informally at 2:00 pm to give members a chance to socialize, and our discussion begins at 2:30. We ask all attendees to have been vaccinated. We are limited to 20 people, so please confirm your attendance with Margaret Mitchell by October 13.
We plan to discuss the movies Truth and Ray. Truth is scheduled for broadcast at 9:00 pm on Saturday, September 30 on the WNET network of PBS as part of Reel 13 Classics. Ray is available on Netflix. A DVD or streaming video of both movies is available at the Westport and Fairfield libraries.
Truth is a 2015 American historical political drama written and directed by James Vanderbilt in his directorial debut. It is based on American television news producer Mary Mapes’ memoir Truth and Duty: The Press, the President and the Privilege of Power. The film focuses on the Killian documents controversy and the resulting last days of news anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes at CBS News. It stars Cate Blanchett as Mapes and Robert Redford as Rather.
Ray is a 2004 American biographical musical drama focusing on 30 years in the life of rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. The independently produced film was co-produced and directed by Taylor Hackford and written by James L. White from a story by Hackford and White. It stars Jamie Foxx in the title role along with Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Terrence Howard, Larenz Tate, Richard Schiff, and Regina King in supporting roles.
If you wish to be added to the email list for future events, please contact Margaret Mitchell at 255-9094 or margaret06824@yahoo.com.
NewsTalk: Interested in national and world affairs? Join other Y’s Women for lively discussions at NewsTalk. We will meet on Thursday, October 26 from 10:00 to 11:30 am at the Westport Library, room 2216 (McCall Room). For more information, please contact Doris Skutch at 247-3656.
Local Happenings – Westport Playhouse Tour: How lucky we are to have so many jewels in Westport, and one of the brightest is the Westport Country Playhouse. We have been offered a free tour of this incredible building on Monday, October 30 at 10:30 am. For 90 minutes we will be guided behind the scenes, viewing the workings of how a production is put together. The tour will include set models, costume designs, the scene shop, dressing rooms, and the Green Room. Please contact Jilda Manikas at jildam00@lyahoo.com to reserve a spot on the tour, and include your full name and phone number.
Lunch & Trivia: The Lunch & Trivia group will meet at noon on October 19 at the VFW Hall. The cost is $25 (cash only). Please contact Annette Kirban at 505-1187 or lakirban@optonline.net if you would like to attend.
Solos will enjoy Afternoon Tea at Gruel Britannia, 2217 Post Road in Fairfield, on Wednesday, October 25 at 3:00 pm. Please let Terry Queirolo know if you have allergies or are gluten free or vegan; the restaurant will accommodate us. Parking is limited, so please carpool if possible. The cost is $32 per person, which includes tax and tip. For reservations, contact Terry at 847-4121 or tmq44@icloud.com and mail a check, made out to Y’s Women – Solos, to 305 Foxboro Drive, Norwalk, CT 06851 by Monday, October 16. Hope you can enjoy us for a lovely
afternoon.
It is also time to pay Solos dues of $20 to participate in our monthly activities. Mail a check, made out to Y’s Women – Solos, to Linda Cassuto, 107 Harvest Commons, Westport, CT 06880. Please include your address, phone, and email.
Tuesdays at the Beach:
Solos will continue to meet between 4:00 and 4:30 pm on Tuesdays into October as long as weather permits. If we’re not at Compo Beach to the right of the cannons, look for us in the pavilion. This is open to all Y’s Women, not just Solos members.
Wisest Investment Group: The stock market is up and the stock market is down, but the Wisest Investment Group continues to meet monthly on the fourth Thursday of the month. We welome members at our meetings at the Westport Center for Senior Activities. Please call President Louise Demakis at 254-6424 if you’d like to sit in at a meeting and consider joining the group.
The Mah Jong Group meets every Thursday at 1:00 pm at the Westport Center for Senior Activities. Advanced players only. You can find us in the back room. For information, contact Barbara Alfinito at barbsgetaway@aol. com or 205-533-1884.
The Memoir Writing Group is still going strong (and has been for 12+ years). Members come in and out, with a core of several members from the beginning. We meet monthly in someone’s home. The next meeting will be held at Sue Kane's house on October 24. If you’re interested, please contact Cary Peterson at carypeterson3@gmail.com or 226-7665.
Discussion Group for The New Yorker: This group meets remotely on Zoom on the second Tuesday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 am. Each group member selects one article for discussion. If you’re interested, please contact Ellen Cahill at 856-6561 or ellenjcahill@hotmail.com.
Tai Ji and Meditation Classes: Instructor Ruby Shih is an experienced long-time Tai Ji / Qi Gong and Meditation teacher and a founder of a Tai Ji School in Manhattan (Nanlaoshu.org). She offers two classes:
- Tai Ji (in person): Meets weekly on Wednesdays from 9:30 -10:30 am at the Saugatuck Congregational Church, 245 Post Road East, Westport, room 109. The class focuses on breath and slow movement for relaxation, grounding, and balance to enhance our physical and mental well-being. A fee of $10 per session will be used to offset rental and insurance costs.
- Meditation & Self-Care Massage (on Zoom): Meets weekly on Wednesdays at 7:30 - 8:30 pm on Zoom. It will start with a guided meditation suitable for beginners as well as advanced participants. At the end of each session, self-care massage will be taught to enhance relaxation, circulation, and wellness. Fee: $5 per session.
If you’re interested, contact Ruby at 917-816-6661 or Rubypalace88@gmail.com.
Carpool and Go!
On Friday, October 20, Carpool & Go will visit the Yale University Art Gallery, one of our favorite venues. We will have a docent-led tour of In the Light: Paintings from the Yale Center for British Art, followed by a self-guided tour of Mickalene Thomas / Portrait of an Unlikely Space. This unusual exhibit features pre-emancipation interiors with early American portraits of black women, men, and children – from miniatures and daguerreotypes to silhouettes on paper and engravings in books – along with works by Thomas and other contemporary artists in a variety of media also situated within her signature homelike environments, linking past and present. Afterward we will lunch across the street at Harvest Wine Bar and Restaurant, 1104 Chapel Street.
We will meet at the Trader Joe's / Wells Fargo parking lot at 9:45 am for a 10:00 departure. Please contact Lydia Menendez at lydiamnndz12@gmail.com or 319-1110 to reserve your spot. There is no admission charge for the Gallery (although contributions are welcome). Please bring $5 in cash for drivers and to share parking costs in New Haven. Also indicate if you are willing to drive – drivers are always needed and appreciated.