Parties Prepare for Parties or Protest
With the inauguration of Donald Trump just eight days away, the president-elect is poised to assume office as the most unpopular chief executive of modern times. The protests that followed his election in many cities subsided, but a spirit of resistance to the next president’s agenda and cabinet picks has not.
Two events scheduled for Sunday illustrate a resolution to speak out on the South Fork. Writers Resist: Teach In/Speak Out happens from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Duke Auditorium in Chancellors Hall on the Stony Brook Southampton campus.
On the other side of the political divide, on Friday, Jan. 20, the East Hampton Town Republican Committee will celebrate the inauguration with a black-tie-optional party at the American Legion Hall in Amagansett. Tickets to the 6:30 p.m. celebration cost $50 in advance and $60 at the door.
Confirmation proceedings for Mr. Trump’s pick for attorney general, Senator Jeff Sessions, which opened on Tuesday, drew a number of protesters, and a telethon to be broadcast on Facebook Live on Jan. 20 will benefit the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, and Earth Justice.
The following day, the Women’s March on Washington “will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world,” according to the event’s website, “that women’s rights are human rights.”
In the Stony Brook Southampton “teach in” component, from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m., writers have been invited to put their experiences, insights, or other observations to paper, in English or Spanish, with assistance from writers as necessary. The “speak out” section of the event, from 4 to 5, will feature readings by writers including Roger Rosenblatt, Megan and Scott Chaskey, Grace Schulman, and several others. A 30-minute reception will follow.
Canio’s Books in Sag Harbor, Poetry Street, an informal group based in Riverhead, Julie Sheehan, a poet and the director of Stony Brook Southampton’s M.F.A. program in creative writing and literature, and Kathryn Levy, an award-winning poet, organized the event.
“I am not known as an activist,” Ms. Sheehan, who lives in East Quogue, said on Tuesday. “I have become mobilized, as they say, by history.”
“We just thought it was the natural and right thing to do after the election,” said Maryann Calendrille, a partner at Canio’s Books, “to use our voices, and hear voices in the community. We’re always about encouraging creative artistic expression, and in this particular climate we think it’s especially important for people to speak about their experience, give witness, and support the ideals of democracy that we all hold dear.”
“We’re trying to encourage everyone to make their voices heard,” said Ms. Calendrille, who is organizing a bus trip to Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 21 march. “As a bookstore, this is one way we can participate.”
Before the event, a rally to support the preservation of the Affordable Care Act, which both Mr. Trump and the Republican majority in Congress have vowed to repeal, will take place at 1 p.m. at the corner of Montauk Highway and Tuckahoe Road in Southampton.