WestCollections Repository (Western Connecticut State University)

Tim O'Brien accepts a WCSU hat from a student

Stewart, Peggy

Tim O'Brien

Event Program Guide 2009
onebookdanbury.org
Hurry Down Sunshine
by Michael Greenberg
One Book, One Community is a partnership comprised of:
Danbury Library, Danbury Public Schools & Western Connecticut State University
Sponsors and Supporters
Event Sponsors                           Media Sponsors
Supporters
Advocacy Unlimited  l   Barnes & Noble  l   Borders Books & Music  l  Catholic Charities of Fairfield County  
l  Education Connection  l   Mental Health Association of CT  l   National Alliance on Mental Illness – CT 
(NAMI)  l  Northwest Regional Mental Health Board  l  St. Martin’s Press, MacMillan  l  Vintage Books,  
Random House, Inc.  l   Western CT Mental Health Network
The One Book, One Community program encourages the Danbury and Western Connecticut State 
University communities to read the same book during the summer and fall of 2009, then come together 
to discuss the text in venues throughout the city and university.  
Although many communities across America sponsor similar programs, ours is one of the few where 
a city public library, a school system and a university have formed a partnership for this initiative. 
Our hope is that many individuals, from all walks of life, will unite in discussion of this one book, 
making us one community.  
Our mission is to promote literacy, support intergenerational and multicultural book-centered 
discussions, and foster a sense of community by bringing people together through the reading 
of the same book.
Please visit our Web site at onebookdanbury.org.
PENNYSAVER
™Y
A
N
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Essay
Community Book Discussions
All book discussions are free and open to the public. Suggested book discussion 
questions can be found on the One Book, One Community Web site. Copies of 
Hurry Down Sunshine can be borrowed from the Danbury Library or purchased  
at Barnes & Noble and Borders Books & Music.
Thursday, Oct. 1
Danbury High School Library, 2 p.m.
(for DHS students & staff only) 
Danbury Library*, 6 to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 6 
WCSU Haas Library**, 6 to 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Barnes & Noble, 7 to 8 p.m.
15 Backus Avenue, Danbury 
Thursday, Oct. 8
Danbury Library*, 6 to 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 14 
WCSU Haas Library**, 7 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 15 
Borders Books & Music
110 Federal Rd., Brookfield, 7 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 21 
WCSU Haas Library**, 7 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 22
Danbury Library*, 6 to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 27
Danbury High School Library, 2 p.m.
(for DHS students & staff only)
*Danbury Library is located at 170 Main Street, on the corner of West Street and Main Street. 
**WCSU Haas Library is located on the Midtown campus at 181 White Street in Danbury. 
Danbury Library, Danbury Public Schools and W
estern Connecticut State University introduce our 2009 One Book, One Com
m
unity title
Essay Contest
New for 2009, the One Book, One Community partnership will have an essay contest 
in which applicants discuss Hurry Down Sunshine and ways in which the Danbury/
WestConn community promotes or could promote awareness of mental health  
issues. There are three categories: Danbury High School student, WCSU student, 
and community adult (age 18 and over and not a student at DHS or WCSU). A $200 
cash prize for the winning essay in each category will be awarded. Winners will also 
join Michael Greenberg for dinner on Oct. 28. Essays may be up to 1,000 words and 
must be received no later than Oct. 1. 
For entry forms and essay guidelines, please visit
onebookdanbury.org.
Entry forms are also available at the Danbury Library, Danbury High School Media 
Center and Western Connecticut State University Haas Library. 
Danbury Cultural 
Commission
A native New Yorker, Michael Greenberg 
dropped out of school when he was 16 and 
went to Argentina, where he worked as a 
reporter during the infamous Dirty War. His 
incisive and varied biweekly columns about 
New York and the vagaries of a writer’s life 
have appeared in The Times Literary Supple-
ment since 2003. His fiction, criticism and 
travel pieces have been published in The 
New York Review of Books, The Village Voice 
and Boston Review. 
He has worked as a screenwriter and 
“script doctor” with a variety of filmmakers 
and directors. Award-winning film director 
Jonathan Nossiter recently optioned one of 
Greenberg’s stories. 
Hurry Down Sunshine, his first published 
book, was named among the “Best Books of 
2008” by Time, Library Journal and the St. 
Louis Post-Dispatch, and the “Best Memoir of 2008” by Amazon.com. It also received a 
Ken Book Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness for an “outstanding literary 
work contributing to better understanding of mental illness.”
Wednesday, Oct. 14
Workshop: “What Does It Feel Like?”
Danbury High School Media Center, 7 to 9 p.m. 
The Communication Arts Department at Danbury High School 
invites participants to explore the themes of mental illness 
through hands-on improvisational games and activities.  
For ages 14 and over. No acting experience required.
Monday, Oct. 5 
Film Screening: “Awakenings”
WCSU, Midtown campus, Student Center Theater, 7 p.m.
Loosely based on a true story, 
“Awakenings” tells the story of  
a Bronx psychiatric hospital  
neurologist, Dr. Malcolm Sayer, 
who is put in charge of several 
seemingly catatonic patients. 
When the doctor is given permis-
sion to test a new drug on one of 
his patients, he chooses Leonard 
Lowe, who begins to respond and 
come out of his shell. 
Wednesday, Oct. 7 
Author Talk: Dr. Richard Frank
WCSU, Midtown campus, Warner Hall, 5 to 8 p.m.  
Limited seating — RSVP required, call (203) 837-8556.
Dr. Richard Frank discusses his recently  
published book, Fighting Cancer with  
Knowledge and Hope, a guide for  
patients, caregivers and health 
professionals that allows patients  
and family members to understand 
important concepts about treatment 
and care. Dr. Frank provides a  
‘how-to’ approach for those involved  
in the decision-making that occurs  
when confronted with a diagnosis  
that can lead to a bewildering 
array of questions and options. 
Thursday, Oct. 15 
Science at Night Program: Carolyn Spiro, MD and 
Pamela Spiro Wagner, authors of Divided Minds
WCSU, Midtown campus, Science Building, Room 125, 7 p.m. 
Divided Minds is a dual 
memoir authored by 
identical twins,  
one of whom is  
schizophrenic, the  
other, a psychiatrist. 
Told in the alternating 
voices of each sister, 
Divided Minds is a 
heartbreaking account 
of the far reaches of 
madness, as well as 
the ambivalence and 
loyalty that exists 
between twins.
Wednesday, Oct. 21 
Health and Wellness Fair 
WCSU, Midtown campus, Student Center, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Nourish your body, mind and soul at the Health and Wellness 
Fair! Learn more about depression, anxiety, addictions,  
interpersonal violence and safety; get a massage and relieve 
your stress; get your blood pressure checked; get a flu shot, 
plus dozens of free give-aways, tips and informational booths.
About Monday, Oct. 26 Film Screening: “The Soloist”WCSU, Midtown campus,  
Student Center Theater, 7 p.m.
 
This movie tells the true story of a Los 
Angeles Times reporter who meets a 
homeless man playing, rather well, a two-
stringed violin in a downtown park. Lopez 
learns that the man is a former musical 
prodigy whose bouts with schizophrenia 
landed him on the streets after two years 
of schooling at Juilliard. Lopez writes a 
column about Ayers and becomes  
more and more involved in his life as  
he attempts to make Ayers’ life better. 
Events All events are free and open to the public. Film screenings will be followed by a discussion with film buff Mark Hasskarl, Danbury Library Director, and a mental health professional. For directions and contact information, visit the One Book, One Community Web site at onebookdanbury.org.
Monday, Oct. 19 
Film Screening: 
“Girl, Interrupted”
WCSU, Midtown campus, 
Student Center 
Theater, 7 p.m.
Based on the true story of 
writer Susanna Kaysen’s 
account of her 18-month 
stay at a mental health 
hospital in the 1960s.
Wednesday, Oct. 28 
Author Talk: 
Michael Greenberg 
WCSU, Midtown campus
Ives Concert Hall
7:30 p.m.
Michael Greenberg will 
discuss his book, and a 
Q & A with the audience 
will immediately follow his 
presentation.
Tuesday, Oct. 27 
Program: “In Our Own Voice” 
Danbury Public Library, 
Farioly Program Room, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
A unique public education program, 
developed by the National Alliance on 
Mental Illness, in which two speakers 
share compelling personal stories about 
living with mental illness and achieving 
recovery. Audience members are encour-
aged to offer feedback and ask questions; 
the more audience members become 
involved, the closer they come to under-
standing what it is like to live with a mental 
illness and grapple with recovery.A
bo
ut
 t
he
 A
ut
ho
r
Hurry Down Sunshine tells the true story of Sally, a fifteen-year-old, who suddenly descends 
into madness. From her crack-up on the streets of Greenwich Village to her time in a  
psychiatric ward, her father chronicles the effects of mental illness on Sally and her family. 
More than 26 percent of Americans ages 18 and older, about  
one in four adults, suffer from a mental disorder in a given year 
(National Institute of Mental Health). Despite this fact, it is a topic 
that is not often openly discussed and still suffers from stigmas 
and misinformation. Reading this memoir will allow our communi-
ties to learn more about the causes and effects of mental illness. 
The story sheds light on the treatments and resources that enable 
those affected to live satisfying, productive lives.
Share your thoughts about this book with other community and 
university members and take advantage of the many programs this 
forum provides to explore new worlds and experience new learning 
opportunities. Events run throughout October, culminating with a 
presentation by the author of Hurry Down Sunshine, Michael  
Greenberg, on October 28. We hope to see you!  
About the Book


English

Event Program Guide 2009

A variety of research has been conducted on the effects of different types of music on cognitive abilities. Many of these studies are based upon the Mozart Effect, which claims that listening to classical music has an advantage over other types of music on learning. This study consists of two experiments which tested 54 college students ages 18-50. In Experiment 1, we hypothesized that participants exposed to Mozart would score significantly higher on a listening comprehension test than those exposed to rock music or silence. In Experiment 2, we hypothesized that listening to rock music would result in lower reading comprehension test scores than classical music or non-music groups. An ANOVA test indicated that the results for both experiments were non-significant

Harmon, Laura

Troester, Kristen

Pickwick, Taryn

Pelosi, Giovanna

The Effects of Different Types of Music on Cognitive Abilities

40 min.Interview with Teddy Bekele about his experience coming to Americ

Manning, Meghan--Interviewer

Bekele, Teddy

Oral Interview for Teddy Bekele

Frontmatter

A small group listens to Michael Greenberg during the afternoon of October 28, 2009.</p

Michael Greenberg Speaks at WCSU

Author Michael Greenberg speaks to a small group during the day on October 28, 2009.</p

Western Connecticut State University

Not a member yet

Tim O'Brien

Event Program Guide 2009

The Effects of Different Types of Music on Cognitive Abilities

Oral Interview for Teddy Bekele

Frontmatter

Michael Greenberg Speaks at WCSU

Michael Greenberg Speaks at WCSU

Press Conference

John Hartcorn Interview

Oral interview with Stacy Neoforidis

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