What could top our sellout event featuring Colson Whitehead reading from his newest novel to family, friends and fans in his own summer-home town? Hard to imagine. We gathered at the beautiful, historic and welcoming Christ Episcopal Church as Priest-in-Charge Mother Broderick invited us to consider this house of worship, “our house” for important gatherings and celebrations of life-passages. Canio’s Books co-owner Kathryn Szoka praised Colson’s copious literary achievements, and acknowledged his early support of the Steinbeck House preservation project. Whitehead signed on as honorary chair, a commitment, Szoka said, that catapulted the campaign and led to its success.
Colson charmed the audience reading a nostalgic passage from his most personal novel, Sag Harbor, a book pivotal to his development as a writer. Young Benji views the village through its ever changing facades as he tries to find his footing on unfamiliar ground. Whitehead gave us a sneak peek of his work-in-progress, the third installment of his Ray Carney series. It featured a cameo appearance by Major Ed Koch, and promises to be another winner.
Whitehead first introduced Carney, a furniture salesman cum fence in the 2021 heist novel, Harlem Shuffle set in the ‘60s. In his new book, Crook Manifesto, Carney returns, a decade later, in the late seventies. Colson discussed his writing process – he listens to music to drown out the cacophony of city noise. Kathryn pointed to some particularly lyrical passages. The hope is as you mature as a writer, Whitehead said, you become better at finding the musicality, the right rhythm for the sentence. With Crook Manifesto, Colson has found just the right beat.
Colson’s Family at Canio’s
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