Knowledge Friday with Canio’s Kathryn Szoka and Maryann Calendrille

Sag Harbor is lucky enough to have two fantastic bookstores in our small village, and on Friday, January 6, as the next installment of its Knowledge Friday series, The Church will spotlight the co-owners of the widely popular Canio’s Books. Maryann Calendrille and Kathryn Szoka became co-owners of the independent literary bookshop in October 1999; the two were initially drawn to Sag Harbor due to its reputation as a gathering place for writers and they bought the store from its founder, Canio Pavone.

In 2009, Calendrille and Szoka launched the educational nonprofit Canio’s Cultural Café, which hosts lectures, workshops, seminars and other public forums, one being the annual Moby-Dick Marathons. The two will be in conversation about all the surprises and absurdities of bookselling in the 21st century while also providing insights on Sag Harbor and its vibrant artist community, noting how it’s evolved throughout the years. The conversation will feature a presentation of photographs from Canio’s Books events photographed by Szoka, and the evening will conclude with a Q&A.

Maryann Calendrille is an educator, writer and editor offering community writing workshops through the bookshop. She has taught at local libraries, for the Ashawagh Hall Writers workshop, and at Southampton College. She is the editor of “Sag Harbor Is: A Literary Celebration.” Her poems were published in Long Island Poets. For years she wrote the weekly Spyglass community column for the Southampton Press and has published articles and poetry in various journals.

Kathryn Szoka is a photographer of communities in transition. Her photographic essays include “The Vanishing Landscapes” series documenting East End farmlands “Life Along the Turnpike” documenting the African American community for the Bridgehampton Museum and “Witness,” using wrapped trees to symbolize the loss of the local agrarian heritage, the increasing social isolation and the growing disparity of wealth in the community. The Robin Rice Gallery in New York represents Szoka, who teaches photography and has received several grants and awards. Her work has been published in “Sag Harbor Is: A Literary Celebration,” “Quail Hill Farm Cookbook” and “Polaroid Transfers: A Complete Visual Guide.”

Knowledge Friday with Canio’s Books co-owners Kathryn Szoka and Maryann Calendrille is Friday, January 6, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10 (free for members of The Church). The Church is at 48 Madison Street, Sag Harbor. For more information visit thechurchsagharbor.org.