New Canaan Library's video: New Canaan Library Presents: Why We Swim

New Canaan Library Presents: Why We Swim on October 1, 2020. In collaboration with the New Canaan YMCA, this program will be a Q&A between author Bonnie Tsui and Director of Pool Operations, Matthew Busse to discuss Why We Swim. Why We Swim is propelled by stories of Olympic champions, a Baghdad swim club that meets in Saddam Hussein’s palace pool, modern‑day Japanese samurai swimmers, even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survives a wintry six‑hour swim after a shipwreck. New York Times contributor Bonnie Tsui, a swimmer herself, dives into the deep from the San Francisco Bay to the South China Sea, investigating what seduces us to water, despite its dangers, and why we come back to it again and again. She offers an immersive, unforgettable, and eye-opening perspective on swimming—and of human behavior itself. Bonnie Tsui Bonnie Tsui has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Outside, and other publications. Why We Swim was named an Editor’s Choice/Staff Pick by The New York Times Book Review and a Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times bestseller. Her previous book, American Chinatown, was the winner of the Asia/Pacific American Award for Literature and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. She lives, swims, and surfs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Find her at www.bonnietsui.com. Matt Busse is the director of pool operations at the New Canaan YMCA. He grew up in New Fairfield, Connecticut, a lake town known for having a deeply rooted culture in aquatic recreation. Growing up, Matt swam in the town’s three major bodies of water and found himself in the lakes and ponds from the first warm day in May to the last warm day in October. Matt started his career in aquatics as a lifeguard at Squantz Pond State Park and continued as a state park beach director where he managed eight Connecticut state park beaches. Matt began his time at the New Canaan YMCA in 2019 as the assistant aquatic director and has taught many children and lifeguards. Matt is currently pursuing his master’s degree in recreation administration, focusing on non-profit management. He has been a member of the Impact Panel for the Water Safety Task Force for the Commission on Women, Children, and Seniors, where he stressed the importance of safety around water and parent’s engaging with their children while in water.