Literature

I wish I could remember the first time I stepped into Canio’s Books, which would have been in the spring of 1982... It took a little time for me to fully appreciate what has become a local cultural institution, with Canio’s Books celebrating its 40th anniversary this month. It almost never made it, thanks to me, because I sort of set it on fire. I’ll get back to that in a minute.

Although she came to this country when she was 14, Barbara Pitschel Goldowsky, now 84, never lost her indomitable heritage growing up in Nazi Germany in the make-do household of a remarkably creative and resilient mother.

Heather Dune Macadam, an East End author and former professor at SUNY Southampton, has received one of the coveted 2020 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships. Macadam’s body of work focuses on finding and telling the stories of girls lost to the Holocaust.

It’s short, free (just google) and, yes, another fictional take on a pandemic, but Edgar Allan Poe’s 1842 Gothic horror tale, “The Masque of the Red Death,” anticipates some of our own dismissive attitudes based on willful ignorance and crass indifference.

Coming up this weekend at BookHampton is a virtual session with Ina Garten and her new cookbook "Modern Comfort Food." On Saturday, October 10, at 5 p.m., Garten will be in conversation with Lynn Sherr. All ticket holders will receive a signed copy of Garten's cookbook, a collection of all-new soul-satisfying dishes from America’s favorite home cook.

Local food was at the forefront of the Peter Matthiessen Center fundraiser held on the evening of September 20 in a fitting nod to the late writer, whose books always featured the landscape as a character. Held al fresco in the Cesar Garden of the Southampton Arts Center, the cocktail hour was attended by a mix of farmers, artists, Zen Buddhists, social activists, family members and, of course, writers.

For the last 30 years, Deepak Chopra has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution in the West. His new book “Total Meditation” offers a complete exploration and reinterpretation of the physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual benefits that this practice can bring.

On Wednesday, October 7, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., East Hampton Library hosts a Zoom talk entitled “Lawrence of Arabia: His Life as Author, Collector, Patron and Publisher.” Guest speakers will join the discussion from Great Britain, Canada and the United States. All are members of the T.E. Lawrence Society, which is an organization that promotes research and education on Lawrence’s life, works and era, and will speak about the various roles from his life.

At the age of 15, when Jackson Foo Wong came out and told his parents that he was gay, his father, Richie Jackson, a TV and theater producer based in New York City, couldn’t have been more delighted. That’s because for Jackson, being gay had long been an important defining feature of his own life.

October 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of Canio’s Books at 290 Main Street in Sag Harbor. To celebrate, the book shop is collecting and sharing stories. Your stories. Your favorite “Canio’s Moment” to celebrate how Canio’s Books has been a literary gathering place for all in Sag Harbor.

On Sunday, September 20, the Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane, Southamtpon Village, will be the site of an intimate garden cocktail reception and outdoor film screening of “No Boundaries,” Jeff Sewald’s documentary film narrated by Glenn Close. Guests will also be able to meet individuals working to bring the Peter Matthiessen Center to life.

The East Hampton Library is hosting a trio of Zoom book talks in the coming days, including one with Spencer Wolff, author of "The Fire in His Wake."

In truth, Roger Rosenblatt never really intended for his collection of prose to become a book. But once a writer, always a writer, and that’s exactly what his selected essays — on the subject of writing, as it turns out — has become. “I knew I would make a fortune on the book and couldn’t resist the opportunity,” joked Rosenblatt, who will most likely do nothing of the sort with “The Story I Am: Mad About the Writing Life,” which was published by Turtle Point Press in April.

“Africaville,” a powerful debut novel by Jeffrey Colvin, tells the story of the black experience in parts of Canada and the United States and offers insights into the outrage against racism and oppression that has sparked protests not only in America but around the world. On August 15 and 16, a series of events that offer a unique opportunity to experience many of these insights. “Present Tense: Black Lives Matter(ed)” is a weekend of theater, art, literature, history and activism education centered around Colvin’s novel. Co-hosted by Guild Hall in East Hampton, The Church in Sag Harbor, and the Arts Center at Duck Creek in Springs.

At the age of 50, Geraldine Brown had reason to doubt she would ever find love. After all, she had been involved in a series of disastrous relationships that would have been enough to leave most people dejected. But instead, she held on to faith sparked by her late grandmother, Rosaria Gentile, who had died several years earlier.