A Big Book Night Gets Bigger
The East Hampton Library’s Authors Night turns 10 on Saturday. The event has evolved quite a bit since its debut in 2005, growing to have more than 100 authors in attendance and becoming, as Dennis Fabiszak, the director of the library, put it, c
The main event is a cocktail reception and book signing at the Gardiner Farm. After the cocktail party, a number of private dinner parties with guest authors are held.
“It’s our largest fund-raiser of the year, but it’s also turned into one of the largest in the Hamptons,” Mr. Fabiszak said. “We get a lot of press attention from it, and it’s built some great relationships with authors.”
Some highlights from this year’s lineup include Thomas Maier, the author of “Masters of Sex,” a biography of Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson, sexologists who worked from 1957 through the 1990s. In 2013, the book was turned into a television program of the same name that aired on Showtime. Nelson DeMille, a best-selling author and Long Island native, will also be on hand. Mr. DeMille is best known for writing thrillers, and his most recent novel is “The Quest.”
Foodies and cooks should be happy with the 2014 author lineup. Giada De Laurentiis of the Food Network’s “Giada at Home” will be signing her book “Feel Good Food.” Ms. De Laurentiis is an honorary co-chairwoman of the event and will also attend one of the private dinner parties afterward. Allen Salkin, the author of “From Scratch: Inside the Food Network,” will be there, as will Laura Silver, the author of “Knish: In Search of the Jewish Soul Food,” among many other cookbook authors.
History buffs should also be satisfied. Edmund Levin, the author of “A Child of Christian Blood: Murder and Conspiracy in Tsarist Russia,” will be at the party, as will Tom Clavin, the author of “The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, an American Legend.”
The money raised from Authors Night makes up 10 percent of the library’s operating budget, according to Mr. Fabiszak, and allows the library to fund free programs all year.
“Last year the event grew 25 percent in attendance and in the money we raised,” he said. “We are really excited to see how much it grows this year.”
Tickets for the cocktail reception and book signing cost $100 and can be purchased online, at the library, or at the door. Tickets to private dinner parties with guest authors can be purchased online and start at $250.
Authors Night takes place at the Gardiner Farm at 36 James Lane, with the cocktail reception running from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The dinner parties start at 8. A full list of authors, as well as more information about the dinner parties, can be found online at the Authors Night website.