See Us At Mr. Barnum’s House For The Word On Bridgeport

Check out the panel discussion about Bridgeport on Tuesday. From Mr. Barnum:

On Tuesday, June 5 at 7 p.m., The Barnum Museum will present a lively panel discussion featuring three prominent Bridgeport authors and historians: Michael Bielawa, Lennie Grimaldi and Eric Lehman. Each has spent their lifetimes dedicated to researching, writing and speaking about Bridgeport’s rich history.

The panel discussion, The Word on Bridgeport: Author Panel will be moderated by Mr. Bielawa and focus on each person’s Bridgeport-related works, why the Park City should be celebrated and the craft of writing. The topics will range from sewing machines to helicopters and architecture to public parks. You will learn remarkable stories of struggles and triumphs from each of these specialists and explore how Bridgeport stands as a testament to the American dream.

Historian Michael J. Bielawa’s diverse writings have focused on Bridgeport and early baseball history and his essays have addressed such topics as the mysterious creature of Lake Champlain, Bridgeport’s crying stone statue and the bizarre disappearance of a Hartford minor league baseball manager. He has also addressed baseball symbolism in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Bielawa has lectured on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts in Louisiana and is a moderator for the Connecticut Humanities Council’s Literature for a Lifetime discussion series. Since the mid-1970s Bielawa has conducted research, interviews and journeyed extensively throughout the northeast in search of the unexplained. He has served as a guest curator to the Barnum Museum and as a special consultant to the Fairfield Museum and History Center. His latest books, Wicked Bridgeport (where true crime meets the paranormal) and Baseball Pioneers 1850 to 1870, have just been published and are available at major bookstores and at Amazon.com.

Lennie Grimaldi is host of the daily webzine Only In Bridgeport Dot Com and an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in hundreds of newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, TV Guide, Yankee Magazine and Connecticut Magazine. His books include Only In Bridgeport: An Illustrated History of The Park City; Chased: Alone, Black and Undercover, the life of mob infiltrator Billy Chase; Bow Tie Banker, a biography of David Carson, retired CEO of People’s Bank; and Connecticut Whistle Stops: Greenwich to New Haven. He has won awards for journalistic excellence from the Associated Press, United Press International and the Society of Professional Journalists, Connecticut Chapter.

Eric D. Lehman is Director of Creative Writing at the University of Bridgeport where he has taught for over fifteen years. He is the editor of the student literary magazine, Groundswell, and the faculty essay series, The Commons. His essays, reviews, poems, and stories have been published in dozens of journals and magazines, from the New Haven Review to the International Henry Miller Journal. He has written five books about Connecticut: Bridgeport: Tales from the Park City; Hamden: Tales from the Sleeping Giant; A History of Connecticut Wine; Insiders’ Guide to Connecticut; and A History of Connecticut Food.

What: The Word on Bridgeport: Author Panel

Where: The Barnum Museum, 820 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604

Visitors are asked to enter through the double glass doors at the back of the historic building, where it is connected to People’s United Bank. The front doors are closed.

Learn more at: www.barnum-museum.org or call 203-331-1104

When: Tuesday, June 5 at 7 p.m.

Cost: No charge, however donations are always welcome

The original Barnum Institute building, designed by the architectural firm Longstaff and Hurd, was completed in 1893. It is owned by the City of Bridgeport and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.