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Ani DiFranco to Headline VersoFest 2026 at The Westport Library
VersoFest 2026 weekend opens with a landmark event featuring Grammy Award–winning musician, folk-rock legend, and cultural icon Ani DiFranco. On Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 pm, DiFranco will appear at the Trefz Forum at The Westport Library in conversation with Lauren Coyle Rosen, co-author of their new book, The Spirit of Ani, officially kicking off the four-day festival.
The evening centers on The Spirit of Ani: Reflections on Spirituality, Feminism, Music, and Freedom, an intimate and revealing collaboration that explores DiFranco’s creativity, spirituality, and evolving consciousness. Known for her fearless honesty and independence, DiFranco offers rare insight into her personal and artistic journey, expanding on themes from her New York Times best-selling memoir while reflecting on contemporary culture, gender and queer politics, the music industry, and climate change.
Tickets are $35 and include a copy of The Spirit of Ani, making the event both a live conversation and a lasting literary experience.
Over her decades-long career, DiFranco has released 23 albums, founded the pioneering independent label Righteous Babe Records, and earned a reputation as one of the most influential feminist voices in modern music. Her work spans music, poetry, visual art, and literature, and in 2024 she completed a five-month Broadway run as Persephone in Hadestown.
Joining her, Coyle Rosen brings a multidisciplinary perspective shaped by her work as an award-winning author, artist, cultural anthropologist, and former Princeton University professor. Her recent projects include the poetry and art collection of Veils of Athena and her debut album, Purify Flame.
DiFranco’s appearance launches VersoFest 2026: A Celebration of Music, Media, and Creativity, which also features performances by The Thing (February 27) and Wyclef Jean (March 27), along with keynote conversations, panels, and interactive art experiences.
For full details, visit VersoFest.org.
