Occupation: I’m a potter and a pottery teacher. I have my own studio in a barn on my property. I teach kids and adults.

Family: My husband, Matt Kastner, who is an electrical engineer and musician. His band is Washboard Slim and The Blue Lights; it’s a jug band. Paul, our son, just graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is also an electrical engineer and musician.

Pets: We have two cats, Mulligan and Thelonius. Thelonius is 13 years old and Mulligan is 7 years old. We have a fish tank inside and a fishpond outside, too.

How long have you lived in Newtown? We have lived here 21 years. We moved here just before Paul was born.

What do you like to do in your free time? I play tennis, I walk, I ride my bike, and I do yoga. I play the violin and I read. Let’s see, what else? I garden. I just got a new bike and we just came back from a bike and barge trip in Holland. It’s a weeklong trip that starts and stops in Amsterdam. It’s 30 to 40 miles a day; but it’s flat there, so it’s not terribly strenuous, except for the wind sometimes.

Do you have a favorite book? Right now I’m reading Philip Roth’s American Pastoral. I like to read books that examine human behavior. I’m also reading a book called, The Know It All, by A.J. Jacobs. He started out to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, and it is very humorous.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? I love to travel. From the bike and barge trip, we also went to Poland and Paris. In Poland we visited the parents of a friend Paul made in school. We also have a summer place on Block Island. It’s a family place and I’ve been going there since 1980. I feel when I step on that ferry, time stops. It’s just a little piece of heaven.

What is the best thing about Newtown? It’s the sense of community. I feel like we look out for each other’s children, I always run into somebody I know at the grocery store, and when there’s someone in need, we pull together to help. I feel proud to live here.

If you could spend a day with anyone, who would that be? Madeleine Albright. I think she’s one of the most intelligent women I can think of. Her world experience and her outlook on how the world should be are things I admire.

Do you have a personal philosophy? It would have to be the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would wish they do unto you.” I try to treat people the way I want to be treated.

What is the most important lesson you have ever learned? If you’re one of the “haves” it’s important to give back to the “have nots.” You could be one of those “have nots” in the blink of an eye.