Origins Of 'The Great Gatsby' At The Noah Webster Library Oct. 1

Press release from West Hartford Public Library:

Sept. 23, 2020

An Author Talk with author Westporter Richard “Deej” Webb who will discuss his book Boats Against the Current. Deej will chat about his book and do a live reading then take questions from viewers.

Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald honeymooned for five months in the summer of 1920 in a modest gray house in Westport, Connecticut. It was an experience that had a more profound impact on both of their collective works than any other place they lived. It was, for Scott and Zelda, their honeymoon. Having just gotten married and after being kicked out of some of New York city's finest hotels, they were, for the first time, in their very own place, albeit for only five months. It was a time that Scott Fitzgerald called "the happiest year since I was eighteen." He had, after all, just achieved success with his first novel, This Side of Paradise, and was suddenly awash with money.

The Fitzgeralds lived a wild life of drinking, driving and endless partying while living in suburban Connecticut. As it happens, living near the beach, they were neighbors to a larger-than-life reclusive multi-millionaire, F.E. Lewis.

Historian Richard Webb grew up in Westport a few doors down the street from where the Fitzgeralds had lived some forty years earlier. Fascinated with the Fitzgeralds, when Webb learned that author Barbara Probst Solomon, who grew up across the river from the F.E. Lewis estate, proposed in the New Yorker that Westport was the real setting for Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby, he was stirred to actively researching her claim.

Boats Against the Current tells the real story behind the famous novel and its tragic hero, debunking the long-held belief that the book was solely inspired by the Fitzgerald's time in Great Neck, across the Sound in Long Island, and lays out enough information about the fascinating Mr. Lewis that it is difficult not to believe that author Webb has located the true inspiration for one of the most captivating and iconic characters in American literature, the great Gatsby himself.
Registration is required, online at http://bit.ly/gatsby1001 or by phone, 860-561-6990.

Origins of The Great Gatsby
Thursday, October 1
1:00 PM

Virtual Program
(860) 561-6950
whpl@westhartfordct.gov
Contact:
Maura Beaudreault
pp@westhartfordlibrary.org
860-561-6959

Commit to Your Well-Being at the Noah Webster Library on October 14

There are many habits we can change to improve our health and quality of life. Join this interactive workshop to discuss changes that are important to you. You will learn about the stages of change and the ingredients of motivation. Through conversations and demonstrations, you will feel energized and more committed to your well-being.

Marie-Caroline completed a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at McGill University in 2002. She is licensed as a Psychologist in Quebec, Canada and as a Professional Counselor in Connecticut. She specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for individuals suffering from depression, anxiety and panic attacks. While working for several years in a substance abuse treatment center, she also developed an expertise in Motivational Interviewing (MI), which is a technique for exploring ambivalence and enhancing motivation for change. She teaches Motivational Interviewing to various health care professionals including therapists, social workers, medical students and psychiatrists. For more information about Marie-Caroline's practice, please visit www.counseling4changect.com

Registration is required, online at http://bit.ly/commit1014 or by phone, 860-561-6990.

Commit to Your Well-Being
Wednesday, October 14
1:00 PM

Virtual Program
(860) 561-6950
whpl@westhartfordct.gov

Contact:
Maura Beaudreault
pp@westhartfordlibrary.org
860-561-6959

This press release was produced by West Hartford Public Library. The views expressed here are the author's own.