Sag Harbor’s Steinbeck Weekend

Sag Harbor is preparing a weekend full of events honoring writer John Steinbeck, who spent most of his later years in the South Fork’s whaling village, which served as the basis for his novel “The Winter of Our Discontent” and as the home base for his story “Travels With Charley,” in which he set off across the country on a journey with his standard poodle, Charley.

In honor of “Travels with Charley,” Canio’s Books will host Trucks & Dogs, a photography exhibition of Sag Harbor canines with their trucks and occasionally human companions.

Photographer Kathryn Szoka’s photographs from 1990s Sag Harbor are printed using the Polaroid Image Transfer technique which transfers ink to watercolor paper, creating a painterly look. The exhibit pays tribute to Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, in the spirit of the dogs in this exhibit. The show runs May 1 – May 26.

Bay Street Theatre gets involved in the celebration with a Travels with Charley Dog Walk in the village on Sunday, May 3 at 11 a.m. and a gala May 2 at Harbor’s Edge, overlooking Sag Harbor Cove, where Steinbeck did much of his writing. More information on the dog walk is online here.

On Saturday, May 2 at 5 p.m. Canio’s Cultural Cafe hosts Professor Richard Hart in a discussion of John Steinbeck’s Ethical Philosophy. Hart will offer a variety of examples of Steinbeck’s moral philosophy in his fictional works. This will include Steinbeck’s utilization of the ancient Greeks, his reflections on the nature of human life, and, his views on nature and the environment. Hart will highlight, among other Steinbeck works, “Of Mice and Men,” “Cannery Row” and “The Moon is Down.”

Richard E. Hart, Ph.D. is Cyrus H. Holley Professor of Applied Ethics and Philosophy
Humanities Division at Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He is currently Vice President for Academic Relations for the International Society of Steinbeck Scholars and serves on the Editorial Board of the Steinbeck Review.

Mr. Hart has authored ten Steinbeck articles and book chapters in leading journals and book collections; and has lectured on Steinbeck and philosophy at universities and conferences in New York, Massachusetts, Idaho, California, and abroad in Hungary, Spain, Czech Republic, and Romania.

At 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 3, authors Tom Clavin and Joe Pintauro take a very personal look at the private man behind the famous books in a talk titled “John Steinbeck and Sag Harbor: A Love Story” at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor. Pre-registration is suggested. Free.