'Thar She Blows!' The ‘Moby-Dick’ Marathon on the Horizon

Canio’s Cultural Café’s popular “Moby-Dick” Marathon runs Friday, June 9 to Sunday, June 11, at locations throughout Sag Harbor and this year, will be bigger than ever. The marathon organizers look forward to sharing this magnificent book that speaks so eloquently of themes we continue to wrestle with — social and economic injustice, moral turpitude, religious hypocrisy, environmental conservation and more.

Community members are invited to sign up to take part in the reading or sponsor a chapter of this momentous marathon. Canio’s loves introducing new readers to this great American work of art, as well as offering experienced “sailors” new perspectives. To sign up to read, send an email to caniosculturalcafe@gmail.com with MDM reader as subject. Include the date and a three-hour window of availability. Readers will read for 10 minutes. The marathon is a fundraiser for the educational nonprofit, Canio’s Cultural Café. Sponsorship of chapters are available at a range of levels.

A number of public events are planned in the days leading up to the marathon to offer diverse perspectives on “Moby-Dick” and related topics, appealing to a variety of audiences.

On Thursday, May 25, at 6 p.m. John Jermain Memorial Library will present “Among Whales in the Wild” with photographer Gaelin Rosenwaks and ecologist Carl Safina who discuss their work studying sperm whales in their natural environment. Both will show photos and/or videos of their work in the wild. Copies of Rosenwaks’s “Sperm Whales: The Gentle Goliaths of the Oceans” and Safina’s “Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty and Achieve Peace” will be available for purchase and signing. Register for the talk at johnjermain.org/event/in-person-among-whales-in-the-wild/.

On Friday, June 2, at 6 p.m. Canio’s Books hosts a premarathon talk on the “Art and Craft of Tattoos” with author June Gervais (“Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair”) and special guest tattoo artist Marvin Moskowitz. Come and get your own temporary tattoo.

On Saturday, June 3, from 5 to 7 p.m., Canio’s hosts an art reception for Scott Bluedorn’s exhibition, “Leviathans: Meditations on the Whale,” with music by Hugh Brown & Friends. The work remains on view through June 25.

From Monday, June 5, to Saturday, June 10, walk and view Scott Bluedorn’s “Leviarinth” on the Old Whalers’ (First Presbyterian) Church lawn. It’s a whale-shaped labyrinth, because, as Herman Melville once said, “as every one knows, meditation and water are wedded forever.” On Thursday, June 8, from 5 to 6 p.m. join Scott Bluedorn at the “Leviarinth” at the Old Whalers’ Church for an informal discussion about the installation.

Friday, June 9 - 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Canio’s Books, 290 Main Street; 3 to 5:30 p.m. Old Whalers’ Church, 44 East Union Street (Harris Yulin as Fr. Mapple and Choral Society of the Hamptons); 6 to 10 p.m. The Church, 48 Madison Street, (staged reading of Sailors’ Play directed by Kate Mueth).

Saturday, June 10,10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. John Jermain Memorial Library, 201 Main Street; 2 to 4:45 p.m. Sag Harbor Whaling Museum, 200 Main Street; 5 to 10 p.m. Canio’s Books, 290 Main Street.

Sunday, June 11 to 10:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Eastville Community Historical Society, 139 Hampton Street; 1 to 5 p.m. Canio’s Books, 290 Main Street; 5 p.m. Canio’s Books “Lawn After Party” with silent auction, sea shanties, knot tying demonstrations and more. To emphasize the book’s international appeal, marathon organizers are gathering diverse voices to read short passages in German, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Italian and more.