Happy 19th anniversary, Author’s Night!
If novels and nonfiction are your niche, be sure to bookmark Saturday, August 12 for the East Hampton Library‘s annual event held at Herrick Park (67 Newtown Lane, East Hampton) and meet modern-day models of wordsmithery from all over the world (and some nearby talent, too) right here in the Hamptons.
“As we mark the nineteenth anniversary of Author’s Night, we’re thrilled to present the event once again in the heart of East Hampton Village,” said East Hampton Library director Dennis Fabiszak in a statement.
Little wonder this best-seller from the East Hampton Library is still going strong. Around 2,000 fans of the wonder of words are drawn to this summer highlight, with over 100 global and local literary luminaries of the printed page.
If you’ve never been, know this: It’s fun! Really, really fun. Not only do you get to table hop, meeting the stars and minds behind the plots and pages (calling all Power Broker fans: the legendary Robert Caro graciously shows every year with all his tomes in tow and you get to chat with him!), but you can get your books signed — and, perhaps, questions answered if there’s a sequel in the works.
This year’s roster of writers is a swirl of stellar talent. Honestly, we’re not even sure where to begin highlighting the names of writers we’re excited to meet and read (or re-read), but these are a few of our Southforker stand-outs:
- Misty Copeland and her honest memoir, The Wind at My Back — a phenomenal ballet dancer to behold in her own right, and a history making one, too, as the first Black American to become a principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre’s near-85 years. Here, she discusses mentorship and the special connection she shared with Raven Wilkinson, the first African-American ballet dancer ever to dance for a world-renowned ballet company.
- Pulitzer Prize-winning political reporter Lewis Simons and his new memoir, To Tell the Truth, on his 50 clear-eyed years covering some of the most pivotal moments in world history.
- Veg Forward from cookbook author and Martha Stewart alum, Susan Spungen, a gorgeously photographed, produce-positive foray into dishes that will make you never ask “Where’s the beef?” ever again.
- The riveting, and very real, new tome from prolific professor and New York Times investigative reporter Rachel Swarns, The 272, which uncovers and exhumes the near-buried story of the African families enslaved by the Catholic Church in America — it follows the story of one family in particular to tell the harrowing tale of many.
- Maggie Haberman, The New York Times Pulitzer-winning reporter whose in-depth dive and years of digging into Donald Trump’s personal, professional and political life reveals a portrait of the 45th president like no other.
- The mind-bending, heart-wrenching novel of love and war on the sea floor, Underjungle, by talented and prolific nature journalist James Sturz, a book that’s as otherworldly as it is emotionally familiar.
- The wise essay introspection of former model, Paulina Poriskova, in No Filter, drawing on her rise to wild fame in the eighties as one of the world’s first super models and her no-holds-barred bearing of the beauty industry’s wear and tear.
That’s just a teeny-tiny smattering of who and what we’re excited to check out. And if you really want to corner your favorite author for an in-depth chat on chapters, Author’s Night also offers a series of intimate dinners where you can dine like it’s the days of the Algonquin Roundtable.
Nibbles will be served under the tent from purveyors like Wainscott’s The Seafood Shop and Smokin Wolf BBQ, John Papas Café, Villa Italian Specialties and Luigi’s Italian Specialties from East Hampton, and you can sate your thirst from gabbing with your favorite writers with drinks from Domaine Frank Wines & Spirits and Montauk Brewing Co..
Tickets for Authors Night are $150 in advance and on the day-of the event; tickets for the dinners include entry to the event as well and are $400 — all level of tickets can be procured here. Proceeds go to support the East Hampton Library and its year-round excellent programming.
