Writers galore at sixth annual East Hampton Library Authors Night

What do Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Steven Gaines, Hilary Thayer Hamann and Janice Y.K. Lee have in common? All of them will be at the sixth annual Authors Night on Saturday, August 14, at East Hampton Library, along with dozens more, including Nobel Prize winner Joseph E. Stiglitz, Pulitzer Prize winners Robert Caro and Philip Schultz, local authors, celebrity authors, Amazon’s “Best” authors, artist authors and writers of every description.

This year’s event features some 155 authors, including Gail Sheehy, Candace Bushnell, Ken Auletta, Bryan Batt, Lorenzo Carcaterra and more. “Real Housewives of New York City” television stars Alex McCord and Jill Zarin will also be on hand.

Each author will bring his or her most recent title. Fans are free to bring other books written by the authors for inscription.

The popular book-signing event gathers authors together as the principal fund-raiser for the East Hampton Library; proceeds help the library keep the doors open while offering a plethora of free programs to visitors.

So far, fund-raising in all forms has paid for library expansion projects with no bonds issued, and all of the programming, library director Dennis Fabiszak said, helps to hold taxes down for area homeowners. The giving back starts again the next day, August 15, with the free Dive Into Reading Children’s Fair from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. The fair features book signings by children’s book authors, a bouncy castle, climbing wall, book fair, magic and more.

Along with its more serious purpose, Authors Night offers book lovers an opportunity to hobnob with writers and even to go on to a private dinner party honoring one of the participating authors.

The evening begins with an author’s reception from 5 to 8 p.m. under an expansive tent on the library grounds. Rows of authors are seated at tables behind their books and hors d’oeuvres and wine are served. Tickets for the reception are $100.

At 8 p.m., authors and all those with dinner tickets disperse to prearranged private dinners at area homes and estates. Tickets for the private dinners begin at $250, with guests supplying their top five author picks at time of purchase. Individual authors, dinner locations and guest lists are revealed simultaneously the day of the event.

“We’re highlighting the books and the authors,” said Mr. Fabiszak. “We didn’t want the dinners to become about going to a house on the ocean or on Further Lane. It’s a surprise where the dinners are held. It’s a great time.”

The formula seems to be working. The event has grown from 25 authors at the start to some 155 for this year’s fair, which is the largest author event of its kind on the East End, Mr. Fabiszak said. The only comparable event in recent memory was the annual Meet the Writers book fair organized by the late Elaine Benson in support of the John Steinbeck Project at the Southampton campus of Long Island University, which was dropped from the calendar when LIU sold the campus to the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2006.

Authors Night can also be considered the East End’s largest dinner party. “There’s more than 600 people seated at dinners,” Mr. Fabiszak said. “This is the biggest dinner party in the Hamptons. It’s an amazing way to come together and meet an author and other people who care about books and reading.”

Connection is what’s at the heart of the Authors Night success, and it takes a village to put on the event. The authors donate their time and books to benefit the library. Dinner party hosts foot the bill for the dinners at their homes. Nearly 100 volunteers contribute their time and effort to bring it off. Last year, Authors Night raised close to $230,000 for the library, said Mr. Fabiszak.

“We feel pretty lucky to be part of East Hampton and to be here,” he said. “The money helps keep the taxes low and still pays for programs. People see a direct benefit for their donations.”

The sixth annual East Hampton Library Authors Night will be held on Saturday, August 14, beginning at 5 p.m. at the library at 159 Main Street. Tickets and a complete author lineup can be found at authorsnight.org. A recent book cover can be found by clicking on an author’s name. Tickets are also available at the East Hampton Library or by calling 324-0222, extension 7.