The Perrot Memorial Library will host a virtual discussion with author Phillip Goodrich and audiobook producer and director May Wuthrich, who is an Old Greenwich resident.
The event is set for Wednesday, March 9, at 7:00pm.
They will discuss adapting and producing the award-winning full cast recording of Goodrich’s nonfiction title, Somersett: Benjamin Franklin and the Masterminding of American Independence.
Part courtroom drama, and part political thriller, five actors bring over 30 historical characters to life in a powerful dramatization of this little-known story of the founding of our country.
James Somersett, mentioned in Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times 1619 Project, became the first enslaved person freed by the British Supreme Court.
Pursued behind-the-scenes by Franklin and an inner circle of highly placed London abolitionists, this judgment became an important motivating factor in convincing reluctant slaveholders to join the Revolution.
The book, formerly published under a different title, has been updated and expanded to reflect the changes made for the audio production and became available in print and eBook editions after February 28.
The audiobook has garnered much praise, including an Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine, which also named it a Best Audiobook of 2021. It is a Gold Winner from the Hear Now Festival, a finalist for The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS) 8th annual Voice Arts® Awards in the History/Biography category, and most recently a 2022 Audio Publishers Association (APA) Audie Award finalist in the same category.
Short audio clips from the program will be featured in the event.
Founded in 1904, Perrot Memorial Library is located in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, and is a private, 501(c)(3) institution, owned by the Perrot Library Association and affiliated (sharing a catalog) with the larger Greenwich Library system. The Library located on Sound Beach Avenue includes a children’s wing, a selection of 28,000 children’s books, over 29,000 adult books, with several different collections ranging from CDs and DVDs/Blu-Rays to periodicals. The main library also offers meeting space, public computers and WiFi. Youth Services and Adult Services host dozens of free programs throughout the year for Perrot members and the local community. The library is temporarily closed to the public but contactless curbside pick-up is available as well as digital resources, including e-books and e-audio books.
For more information about Perrot Memorial Library, including how to become a member of the Perrot Memorial Library Association, please visit www.perrotlibrary.org. Follow Perrot Library on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up-to-date on all programs and events. To register for adult programs visit: http://perrotlibrary.org/events.html