above: Westport Library is honoring Sarah Jessica Parker for her lifelong commitment to literature and libraries – Photography: Ryan Pfluger/August
On a September evening in Westport, a town where creativity and community thrive, an icon of stage, screen, and the printed page will be honored not for the red carpet roles that made her famous, but for her enduring devotion to the written word.
This fall, The Westport Library welcomes Sarah Jessica Parker, Emmy Award-winning actress, producer, publisher and businesswoman, as the guest of honor at its 26th annual BOOKED for the evening… celebration. Taking place Wednesday, September 10, in the Library’s vibrant Trefz Forum, the event pays tribute to Parker’s profound contributions to literature, libraries and culture.
“Sarah Jessica Parker is not only an esteemed actor and successful producer. She is also a powerful voice speaking about the importance of reading and of literature, and the important role that libraries play
as American civic institutions,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer. “We could not possibly be more delighted to have her coming to the Library, and we’re thrilled to introduce her to all her fans and admirers in Westport.”
While Parker is instantly recognizable for her role as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City and its revival And Just Like That…, her love of literature has long shaped her public and private life. It’s a connection that transcends hobbies and hashtags, rooted instead in belief that reading also moves us beyond ourselves.
“Reading fiction is the gateway to other cultures, traditions, smells, sounds, personal triumphs and disappointments,” Parker says. “It is the transport to empathy, compassion, and greater understanding of lives wonderfully different from my own.”
Through her imprint SJP Lit, has championed underrepresented voices with a growing list of critically acclaimed titles. Her publishing journey began as editorial director for SJP for Hogarth, where she helped bring nuanced global narratives like A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza and Golden Child by Claire Adam to American readers.
This year alone, her scope ranges from judging the prestigious Booker Prize to receiving the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, placing her among today’s most influential literary advocates.
A Library Advocate in the Spotlight
In many ways, Parker is a natural honoree, The Westport Library’s signature fundraiser each year celebrates individuals whose work reflects the Library’s mission to spark learning, understanding and community through knowledge.
She joins a prestigious list of past honorees who, like Parker, have used their platform to broaden perspectives and celebrate storytelling in all its forms.
But Parker’s connection to libraries is personal as well as professional. She has served as honorary chair of the American Library Association’s Central Book Club, a board member for United for Libraries, and executive-produced The Librarians, a 2024 Sundance-premiered film spotlighting the cultural fight against book bans.
“To censor a book is to limit imagination, curiosity, connection, empathy and inspiration,” she said during her PEN America Gala speech. “Libraries aren’t just buildings with shelves. They are a beacon. They are sanctuaries of possibility. They are the heartbeat of the neighborhood.”
Westport Welcomes a Woman of Wise Words
Though best known for her style and screen presence, Parker’s long-standing cultural influence is enriched by her literary leadership and civic engagement. A former member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, she now serves as vice chair of the board of the New York City Ballet, evidence of her lifelong passion for the arts in all forms.
In recent years, she returned to Broadway, starring opposite her husband Matthew Broderick in Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite, a performance that earned her a 2024 Olivier Award nomination. And with Pretty Matches Productions, she continues to create acclaimed content for television, including Divorce, And Just Like That…, and future literary adaptations.
But on September 10, the focus is on a quieter, deeper force behind her glamorous legacy: a woman who reads voraciously, publishes courageously, and defends the transformative power of books with the same energy she brings to every red carpet and green room.
As Westport welcomes Sarah Jessica Parker, it’s not just a celebrity that’s being honored. The library is honoring a storyteller, a steward of libraries, and a woman whose life has been written in style, story and substance.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER BY THE NUMBERS
0
Limits on her love for libraries
3
SAG Awards
26
Years since Sex and the City debuted
1
Booker Prize judging seat
4
Golden Globe Awards
2
Emmy Awards
6+
Published books under SJP imprints
1976
Year she first appeared on Broadway
SJ P LIT 7 Titles to Know
1 THEY DREAM IN GOLD
by Mai Sennaar
2 WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST
by Alina Grabowski
3 A QUITTER’S PARADISE
by Elysha Chang
4 COLEMAN HILL
by Kim Coleman Foote
5 A PLACE FOR US
by Fatima Farheen Mirza (SJP for Hogarth)
6 GOLDEN CHILD
by Claire Adam
7 DAWN
by Selahattin Demirtaş
The Legacy of BOOKED for the evening…
Celebrating 26 years of cultural icons with a look at some of the past honorees.
2024
Billie Jean King
2023
Laura Linney
2022
Shonda Rhimes
2011
Patti Smith
2006
Doris Kearns Goodwin
2004
Martin Scorsese
Mission: To honor those who enhance public understanding through their work in literature, journalism, the arts or culture.
For more information and tickets, visit westportlibrary.org/booked-for-the-evening/