Novel Evening Celebrates A Literary Form

Event Chair Louis Fazzano poses with his portrait

It was an patent fact that fiction ruled the evening, as the Newport Public Library at its annual fundraiser, paid homage to the art of the novel.

Since Thomas Malory first published L'Morte d'Arthur in 1485, authors through the centuries with stories to tell have written them down, and in so doing the form grew to include historical, modern, mystery, crime, romance, science fiction……and other extending genres, all under the "umbrella" term of novel – which of course, means "new." And the form is constantly evolving. Think of the creative language creations, derivations and deviations of novelists James Joyce, Anthony Burgess and Annie Proulx (all in the Library's collections.)

Louis Fazzano, who served as honorary Chairman of the evening, was congratulated by his daughter Mary Lou Fazzano and he moved among the guests and posed next an attractive portrait of him. Mary Ambrogi and her husband Jack Ambrogi moved among guests, and Library President Regina Slezak commented on the interesting silent auction items.

Happy readers enjoyed the party

ABC6's Steve Cascione served as auctioneer, and the live auction was indeed lively, featuring many sports experiences, including box seats at a Boston Celtics game with a dinner with the owner preceding, won by Library supporters Teddy Aspegren and Rob Bailey. President of the Board of Directors William W. Harvey II welcomed guests to the bidding on such items as a Nook readert, a golf foursome at The Carnegie Abbey Club, a private chinese food party for 6 catered by Wokdoc.

Seen browsing through the tomes were Tony Cavanagh, Patti Mascali, Dennis and Susan McCoy, Bernie Nemtzow, Leslie Reed, Jay Serzan, Michael Moitoza, Rita Slom, William Haas (of the Board of Trustees) and Lois Lang.

Mary Ambrogi coordinated the event

Oh, and Ernest Hemingway, Edith Wharton, John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, and Louisa May Alcott were there in spirit, between the covers of their monumental and enduring works.

Newport Seen finished the evening by bidding on a lovely necklace and leafing through E. M Forster's wonderful "Aspects of the Novel" (highly recommended.)

-- L.P.