The Hamptons lit scene heats up in summer
From left, Michele Winsch and Susan Moors, both of Jamesport, look thru the books at BookHampton, a small independent chain of bookstores that just opened this bookstore in Mattituck. (May 19, 2012) Credit: Newsday/Karen Wiles Stabile
In 1818, James Fenimore Cooper arrived in Sag Harbor, looking for whales and discovering material for his sea stories. Since then, writers including Herman Melville, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Betty Friedan and Kurt Vonnegut have all found inspiration on the East End of Long Island. Literary types still flock to the beach in the summer, and if you are here, too, you might get the chance to hear some of your favorites read, talk about their writing and sign your books.
Book lovers, mark your calendars for Aug. 10: the East Hampton Library's annual fundraiser. This year, a 150-plus list of authors, including Robert Caro, Nelson DeMille and A.M. Homes, will sign books at a cocktail reception ($100). Afterward, attend a dinner party at a private home in honor of one of the authors (prices vary, up to $2,500 for the most popular).
A good introduction to the literary Hamptons is this show at Guild Hall commemorating the famed Artists vs. Writers softball game that takes place every August in East Hampton. The exhibit, opening June 15, features works of artists who have played, such as Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock. A panel discussion with Carl Bernstein, Mike Lupica (among others) July 21 will give equal time to the writers. Guild Hall will host readings and book signings by Ken Auletta (June 23), Eric Fischl (June 26) and Roger Rosenblatt (June 30).
This program is part of Stony Brook Southampton's Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing, which boasts a stellar faculty (including Billy Collins, Mary Karr and Meg Wolitzer) as well as numerous guest speakers (such as Neil Gabler, Patricia Marx and Daniel Menaker). Certain events, for example the free Southampton Review Launch with Roger Rosenblatt and Billy Collins on July 26, are open to the public. If you're serious about literature (and not necessarily a writer), you can take advantage of the program's subscriber option ($650-$2,195, depending on which session you choose and whether you need accommodations), which will give you full access to the electives, readings, evening event and receptions the conference has to offer.
Prominent authors with books to promote mix business with pleasure in the Hamptons every summer, and its bookstores hold high-profile readings and signings.
'It's personal to me' The law would require businesses to have proper state licensing, prove that their employees are paid and ban staff from living at the spas or sleeping there overnight. Repeat offenders could face penalties up to $25,000. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.
'It's personal to me' The law would require businesses to have proper state licensing, prove that their employees are paid and ban staff from living at the spas or sleeping there overnight. Repeat offenders could face penalties up to $25,000. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.
