Backgammon lessons kicked off Wednesday, Aug. 13, at The Hotchkiss Library. Instructor Roger Lourie works with Pam Jarvis of Sharon, while his wife, Claude, assists at a second board with Janet Kaufman of Salisbury.
In light of rising local interest in the centuries-old game of Backgammon, Wednesday afternoon backgammon instruction and play sessions are being offered at The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon. The first such session was held on Wednesday, Aug. 13, attracting two enthusiastic participants, both of whom resolved to return for the weekly sessions.
Expert player and instructor Roger Lourie of Sharon, along with his equally expert wife, Claude, led the session, jumping right into the action of playing the game. Claude chose to pair with Janet Kaufman of Salisbury, a moderately experienced player looking to improve her skills, while Lourie teamed himself with Pam Jarvis of Sharon, who was new to the game.
In 2023, Lourie formed Backgammon of Northwestern Connecticut with two objectives: to promote the game in the northwest corner of the state and to teach it to children and adults interested in learning. In addition to the Wednesday sessions at The Hotchkiss Library, an informal, casual group meets at Le Gamin in Sharon every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon.
Acting as co-chairman is Ed Corey who leads the Le Gamin sessions, offering advice and instruction. Both Corey and Lourie play competitively and have distinguished themselves by winning tournaments. There are no fees for participation at either Hotchkiss or Le Gamin. Children, ages 8 and up, are welcome to come and learn the game, along with adults of any experience level.
Lourie says that he can teach a person to play competitively in three lessons.
Sessions at The Hotchkiss Library will continue until the end of the year and perhaps beyond, depending on interest. Lourie will be the instructor until mid-November, when expert player Ed Corey will assume responsibility for the sessions at the Hotchkiss Library.
“We’re hoping for more people and also to see youngsters participating and learning the game,” Lourie said.
“The beginner can be the expert with the right dice,” said Lourie, explaining that it is a game combining chance and strategy. An understanding of mathematics and probability can be helpful.
Lourie summarized the randomness of dice and the strategy of poker. “I want to know the proper etiquette,” Kaufman offered, intent on knowing more about the proper moves, although her play indicated a credible level of skill.
Stopping in to observe the Hotchkiss session, executive director of the library, Gretchen Hachmeister said, “We know that people come to library game sessions. People love games, getting together to learn something new.”
Lourie learned the game under extremely unusual circumstances — as a detainee in a Soviet prison during the1960s missile crisis, while working in Naval Engineering to decipher code for the U.S. Office of Technological Security.
Imprisonment was not terrible, he said. There was predictable questioning by day when he repeated daily the details of his cover story. But at night, the guards — many the same age as the detainees — had finished their shifts and of interrogation.They unplugged the cameras to brew tea and the backgammon games would begin. That was how Lourie learned the game and became an expert.
Board games date back 5,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia. Modern backgammon goes back to 17th-century England, having evolved from a 16th-century game called “Irish.”It grew in popularity in the 1960s, leading to formation of a World Backgammon Club in Manhattan. And then in 2023, Backgammon of Northwestern Connecticut came to be.
To learn more about the Backgammon sessions at The Hotchkiss Library, visit: www.hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org or contact Lourie directly at Rlourie@gmail.com.
Following the memorable benefit reading last season of Charles Busch’s Tony-nominated Broadway hit, “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife,” the Sharon Playhouse will present a one-night-only staged reading of his riotous comic melodrama “Die Mommie Die!” on Friday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.
The production —a deliciously over-the-top homage to classic Hollywood mid-century thrillers — continues the Playhouse’s artistic partnership with Busch, who reprises his iconic role of the glamorous yet troubled songstress Angela Arden.
The playwright and performer is no stranger to the Playhouse and, luckily, he’s supported by a truly stellar powerhouse cast of top-notch comic actors — some returning to the Playhouse stage, and some making their debut. The cast includes Richard Kind; two-time Tony Award nominee Kristine Nielsen, who was part of the original New York cast; Tony Award winner Celia Keenan-Bolger; Andrew Keenan-Bolger; and Claybourne Elder.
The production also marks a fortuitous alignment of talent and history. It is directed by Sharon Playhouse Artistic Director Carl Andress, who performed in the play’s Los Angeles premiere in 1999.
“I have a long and happy history with this particular show,” Andress said. “At the Sharon Playhouse, we’re thrilled to offer unforgettable, one-of-a-kind live experiences. With Charles Busch and this phenomenal cast, ‘Die Mommie Die!’ will surely light up the Olsen Stage with laughter, wit and glamour.”
The original music is by Lewis Flinn, whose score for the 2007 Off-Broadway production is being adapted specially for this event.
The play is a classic Charles Busch concoction that, like all his work, lovingly and intelligently spoofs some of the greatest talents and tropes of stage and screen. The original production was praised by critics as his “funniest, most accomplished and, without question, raunchiest work.”
In 2003, Busch won the Best Performance award at the Sundance Film Festival for the film version of “Die Mommie Die!” His indelible contributions to American theater have been recognized with countless awards and he was recently inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
The event promises to be an unforgettable night of laughter, glamour and theatrical fun, with all proceeds going to benefit Sharon Playhouse’s productions and educational programs. The funds will help ensure that the Playhouse continues to thrive as a cultural destination for audiences and artists alike.
For tickets, visit: sharonplayhouse.org. Running time: 90 minutes.
Richard Feiner and Annette Stover have worked and taught in the arts, communications, and philanthropy in West Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, and New York. Passionate supporters of the arts, they live in Salisbury and Greenwich Village.
Poet, children’s book author, short story writer, essayist, and most recently, author of two books of creative non-fiction about the Holocaust, Gwen Strauss is what might be called a polymath of literary genres.
“The Nine” (St. Martin’s Press, 2021) tells the story of nine women who, near the end of World War II, escaped a death march from Ravensbrück — a political concentration camp for women — and managed to make it to the Western Front. It’s a riveting read and a New York Times bestseller.
Now comes “Milena and Margarete” (St. Martin’s Press, published this past August). Yet again, Strauss melds meticulous historical research with a profound and moving story of perseverance in the face of horror, this time focusing on the true story of two women prisoners who met at Ravensbrück and fell passionately in love.
Strauss says of her path to becoming a writer that it was “both foolish and brave in equal measure,” and adds that her life has “a nomadic trajectory.” The first part is fully accurate; the second, an understatement. Born in Haiti, she moved to Florida with her mother after her parents divorced when she was 10.
Her nomadism took off right after high school, when she spent a year with her boyfriend on a small wooden sailboat that had a motor but no shower or head. The trip took them to Central America, where they encountered a dangerous, secret war. During that year on the sea, Strauss dove deep into reading — and the writing bug bit her hard.
After Strauss returned home (and yes, broke up with the boyfriend), her nomadic impulse didn’t end. She spent a year in Kyoto studying Japanese women poets of the 11th century, earned a master’s degree in education, and then taught second grade for a year.
Her winding life was only getting started. In 1989, Strauss moved to Paris, where she wrote freelance articles for magazines, short stories and poetry. She also met her husband (they later divorced). Together, they refurbished a barge and spent the next five years as part of the bargee community, traveling the riverways of Europe.
During this time, Strauss gave birth to twins; a third child was born in 2000, after the couple had moved to Savannah, Georgia. In 2005, Strauss moved to the south of France with her three children. In 2007, she ceased wandering when she was appointed director of the Dora Maar House (now the Dora Maar Cultural Center), an international residency and cultural center in Ménerbes, France.
It turns out Strauss has roots in our area. After her parents’ divorce, she spent several summers and holidays with her sisters and step-siblings at the 375-acre former dairy farm in Amenia owned by her father, Julian Strauss. Today, she regularly returns to visit her father and stepmother, as well as her sister Tilly Strauss (town clerk of Northeast), who lives with her family on the farm.
Strauss’s peregrine past helps explain why her narratives so acutely express empathy for the dead souls whose lives were uprooted from their homes not by choice — as was the case with her — but by the cruelties of history.
As part of the White House Speaker series sponsored by Oblong Books, Gwen Strauss will be in conversation with Laurie Fendrich at The White Hart Inn on Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be reserved at the following website:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-white-hart-speaker-series-gwen-strauss-milena-and-margarete-tickets-1538087253379
Laurie Fendrich is a painter and writer living in Lakeville. She is a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow and is represented by Louis Stern Fine Arts in Los Angeles.
Vintage glassware from estate sale.
You never know when inspiration will strike. Sometimes it’s in the quiet of a local gallery or boutique — I’ve designed an entire space around a Karen LeSage canvas or an Italian petal bowl from Honeychurch Home in Salisbury.
But just as often, it happens in the hum of a fall farmers market — and we have plenty of those, too. With my market basket firmly in tow, I love to traipse through pop-up shops, tag sales, farm stands, you name it. I’ve found something fabulous at them all. You never know how décor-changing (or life-changing) that single piece you stumble across can be.
I have a good friend who left her TV job and started a thriving quilting business after finding a bag of rare quilt blocks at Brimfield! These finds are treasures — from handwoven baskets to antique accent chairs — they can become the seed that grows into an entire room.
Fall is the perfect season to discover these pieces. The events that pop up in September and October are more than community gatherings; for those of us who love design, they’re décor Disneyland. With farm stands bursting with harvest color and craft tents filled with one-of-a-kind artisanal goods, these markets offer more than cider and pumpkins. They offer unlimited inspiration.
Picture this: You’re wandering through a fall festival and come across a pottery stall. A deep plum vase catches your eye, its glaze shifting from violet to moss green depending on the light. That vase isn’t just something to sit on a shelf —it’s a color story waiting to unfold. Let’s do it: layer pillows in your living room in the same shades of plum, add a throw that picks up both violet and green, and hang artwork with hints of all three.
A design friend once said, “Think threes.” An accent color will be grounded in a room’s palette if it shows up in at least three ways. Now let’s add in natural textures — linen, rattan, unfinished wood — and suddenly your space feels curated yet cozy, all because of one object you loved enough to bring home.
In another corner of the market, a stack of vintage cookbooks or hand-carved wooden spoons might catch your eye. Instant kitchen design inspiration. Open shelving, a row of mismatched ceramic bowls, copper pots hanging on hooks — these touches, combined with your market finds, tell a story of warmth and gathering.
Fall 2025 trends lean toward saturated colors and layered materials, so play with rich terracotta, mustard and deep green alongside natural woods and stone. The layered effect feels both current and timeless.
And then there’s the bedroom. Maybe a fall festival revealed a quilt stitched in bold geometric patterns. It can be hung on the wall from a rustic stick as a tapestry or draped across the bed as a cozy centerpiece. From there, pull accent colors for the walls or side tables, choose lamps with sculptural bases to echo the quilt’s forms, and soften the space with layered rugs. Suddenly, what might have been a forgotten craft becomes the heartbeat of a personal sanctuary.
Even utilitarian rooms can be transformed. A handwoven basket bought at a craft fair can become the muse for your mudroom. Picture a bench topped with chunky knit pillows, walls painted in a warm clay tone, and hooks made of forged iron. The textures echo the weave of the basket, creating a room that feels intentional — even if its primary purpose is storing boots and coats.
This fall’s design mood is all about storytelling through objects. Designers are leaning into the trend of building spaces around meaningful pieces — things with a history, a heart, a handmade quality. Not the “buy everything from a single online vendor” vibe.
Metallics like chrome and nickel can add contrast to these earthy finds, while plush textures like velvet and wool keep things firmly planted in comfort. A farmers market candleholder, an estate-sale gilded mirror, a festival-made watercolor in a rustic frame — all can serve as anchors for bigger choices, from paint colors to furniture selection.
The trick is to let the object lead. Don’t try to match everything perfectly; instead, build harmony through layers. Pull two or three colors from your find and use them repeatedly in different materials — linen, wood, ceramic, even metal. Let texture do some of the work, too. A rustic carved bowl looks richer when paired with a sleek chrome lamp or a plush velvet pillow.
So this season, as you head out to sip cider, pick apples or browse handmade goods, keep your design eye open. The markets may come and go, but the story you bring home can last a lifetime.
Kerri-Lee Mayland is an Emmy award-winning news anchor and designer. She lives in Lakeville.
