Twenty Years Of Writers
When the Meet the Writers Book Fair at the Elaine Benson Gallery celebrates its 20th year on Friday, May 9, the old cynic from Ecclesiastes who wrote that "of the making of many books there is no end" will feel totally vindicated if he pays his $15 and comes along.
Over 60 famous and not-so-famous East End scribes who have published books this year will be present, seated behind a long row of tables circling the gallery's patio, pens in hand, ready to sign away for the good cause of the writing program and library at Southampton College.
From a financial point of view, this has to be one of the most attractive benefits of the summer season - it costs very little to attend and you get more than your money's worth for any books you buy while you are there.
Quite A Collection
And just imagine for a minute that you are one of the faithful who have turned up at the fair every year and done your bit for the John Steinbeck Project by buying a book each time.
By now, your collection of signed first editions might include books by James Jones (could be worth as much as $500, based on prices at Glenn Horowitz), Jean Stafford ($250), Kurt Vonnegut ($500), Truman Capote ($300) . . .
That's just four, and you're already way ahead of the game.
With the first money it ever had, the Steinbeck Project set up a writer's room at the college. Budd Schulberg, when he had two small children at home, was one of many to use it.
The project has since expanded to provide scholarships, a visiting writer program and annual lecture, books for the library, and support for the college's literary magazine.
Among The Signers
This year those who attend the book fair will have a chance to buy "Longitude" from Dava Sobel, "Wolf Kahn" from Justin Spring, new poems by David Ignatow, and a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction from Lanford Wilson, Rona Jaffe, Gregory Rabassa, Roger Rosenblatt, Lee Seldes, Suzanne Nalbantian, Star Black, and others.
Or "The Slick of the Cricket" by The Star's own Russell Drumm, about Montauk's shark-hunting Captain Frank Mundus, or "Good Cheap Food" by The Star's food columnist, Miriam Ungerer.
Ms. Benson, who has hosted the fair at her gallery since its inception, will have a book of her own in it this year, "Unmentionables, A Brief History of Underwear," which is selling like hot pants.
This year's John Steinbeck Award will be given to Edward Albee. While still best known for having written "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" the playwright has had a recent run of successes, including "Three Tall Women."
Mr. Albee, who has won three Pulitzer Prizes and was honored last December with an award from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, ran the Playwrights Unit in Manhattan for many years. On his property in Montauk, he has established a foundation that provides a summer work program for young performers.
Independents
The Playwrights Unit produced over 110 plays by new playwrights, including Sam Shepard, Lanford Wilson, Terrence McNally, Adrienne Kennedy, and John Guare.
Perhaps the most gratifying event of the afternoon, in light of the loss of many independent bookstores and the upcoming closure of Books and Company in Manhattan, will be a presentation honoring George Caldwell and George Costello of Book Hampton and Canio Pavone of Canio's Books for their contribution over the past 20 years to the literary life of the East End.
Art, Too
Book Hampton has stores in East Hampton and Southampton; Canio's is in Sag Harbor.
Add to this the opportunity to attend the opening exhibit of the Benson Gallery's 33rd season, "Emerging Artists," and you have an event that represents not only the traditional start of the season, but a chance to meet authors, see art, buy books, and prime oneself for a summer of drinking warm chardonnay in plastic glasses.
A first for the book fair this year is a $10,000 underwriting grant by Kimco, the company behind the Bridgehampton Commons shopping development.