Lovers of poetry and prose have been invited to attend the first reading at the Wainscott Green, the grassy, open acre on Montauk Highway just west of the hamlet’s business district, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Titled "Reclamations," it is hosted by the Poetry Project, which is based in St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery in New York City, and the Alone Gallery, which is adjacent to the green at 26 Ardsley Road. It promises “an evening of readings and performances of space, memory, connection, and possibility.”
The event is free, though donations to the Poetry Project are encouraged, and there will be a limit of 50 people to adhere to Covid-19 safety precautions. Social distancing and masks are required, and hand sanitizer stations will be set up. Advance sign-up is recommended and a link to do so, along with more information about the event, is online at poetryproject.org.
Tom House, a local writer and teacher, will lead off the evening by reading from his recent essay, published in The Star on July 23, which reminisced about The Swamp, a nightclub that was the longtime hub of queer culture in East Hampton. For 25 years, The Swamp occupied the space now known as the Wainscott Green.
The lineup of poets and writers will also include Alex Butler, Joey Frank, Deepali Gupta, Benjamin Keating, Thessaly La Force, Mary Reilly, Ilka Scobie, and Pamela Sneed.