Newtown’s Authors & Illustrators Celebrated During Champagne Reception

On Sunday, June 28, more than 120 people attended a champagne reception at C.H. Booth Library to honor authors and book illustrators who live or lived in Newtown. The event, which had 45 authors and illustrators in attendance, was sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the Library Board of Trustees.

The event was planned and hosted by reference librarian and author Andrea Zimmermann and volunteer Mary Goebel. Library staff and board members created elegant appetizers and desserts for the occasion, and volunteers from the Young Adult Council served them.

One of the special collections at the library is the 300-volume Newtown Authors and Illustrators collection, with representative works by 150 Newtown writers and illustrators many of whom donated their work to the library.  It is a permanent, non-circulating collection including many genres and books for all age-levels.

The collection was recently moved to the reference area on the third floor of the library to increase visibility and provide space for expansion. A new sign to identify the section was painted by artist and library trustee Michelle Rosenthal, and comfortable reading chairs and a glass-front cabinet for fragile books were purchased by the board to enhance this area.

Martha Robilotti, president of the board of trustees, welcomed guests on June 28 and encouraged authors to hold book talks and signings at the library. Ms Zimmermann explained the history of the collection, its value to the community, and encouraged people to peruse the book of author and illustrator biographies compiled and edited by volunteer Debra Sennefelder. Selectman Herb Rosenthal then read a proclamation designating June 28 Newtown Authors and Book Illustrators Day in the Town of Newtown.

Honored guests were invited to sign and illustrate two canvases which now hang near the Newtown Authors and Illustrators collection, and to have portraits taken by photographer Alison Cole.

To find out more about the Newtown Authors and Illustrators collection, stop by the reference desk on the third floor of the library during regular business hours.