Posts Tagged 'Sag Harbor'

Moby Sighting in Sag Harbor!

Published May 25, 2025 Books we love , Community , Sag Harbor Leave a Comment
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We set sail on our village-wide Moby-Dick Marathon soon, and we hope to see you there: Thursday, May 29 through Sunday, June 1. (Check calendar page for details.)

What’s new this year? Our “home-base” is the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum where ecologist Carl Safina  reads the opening chapter. Artist Scott Bluedorn brought to life our vision for a logo (spoiler alert): Ishmael floating on Queequeg’s coffin, the Rachel sailing toward him on a navy sea. Get your T-shirt while they last! Designers Mary Woltz and Rob Calvert created a beautiful keepsake “Passport” illustrating each of our “watches”. Get your passport stamped at each location, and win a prize.

We conclude the marathon at the Breakwater Yacht Club with great readers, spectacular views of the harbor, and a fun after-party including silent auction. The Moby Marathon is our key fundraiser for Canio’s Cultural Café. Stop by the bidding table and consider a contribution.

We love sharing this untameable book with newcomers, as well as old salts. When storytelling happens in community, we create lasting friendships. And it’s just plain fun!  Come aboard and experience this great American book for yourself, with your own voice sounding Melville’s lyric prose. See you there!

Now is the time, dear reader …

Published August 27, 2024 Books we love , Bookselling in the 21st century , Bookstore Lore , Community , Creativity , Environment , Fiction , Literary history , Sag Harbor , Uncategorized , Writing Leave a Comment
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Now is the time, dear reader …

You’ve been wanting to come browse the shelves at Canio’s for a while. You’ve been telling yourself you’ve got to get over there. Soon. Gentle reader, now is the time!


We’ve got great sales and great books in need of a new home. As we enter the last month at our current location, we’re taking stock of all the wonderful experiences we’ve enjoyed here over the past 25 years. A quarter century of literary encounters, meeting writers on the page, and in person. And meeting great people such as yourself! It’s a bittersweet task to sort through our storied collection, and make plans for an unknown future.  Canio’s Cultural Cafe will continue with programing at partner locations. We look forward to sharing more news soon.

Stop by soon to find some great bargains, say hello, say goodbye. Tell us your favorite “Canio’s story.”  And, help us keep the celebration of Sag Harbor’s literary culture alive.

Maryann and Kathryn at the 1999 opening party.

Colson Wows Sag Harbor Crowd

Published August 8, 2023 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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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.

Steinbeck House Opening Day!

Published February 17, 2023 Uncategorized 2 Comments
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What a thrill to anticipate this Memorial Day weekend when the Steinbeck House welcomes visitors (by appointment only, see SteinbeckHouseNY.org) for the very first time. All the hard work over the past two-years has finally come to fruition. This is the place where Steinbeck wrote The Winter of Our Discontent, Travels With Charley, and America and Americans . The true value of this property, preserved in large part due to the Town of Southampton, can’t be measured in dollars and cents. It will be measured by the inspiration it provides those writers who will find peace and quiet there, with time and space enough to imagine, and to write their next great book. And even an hour’s tour of the grounds will afford the interested visitor a glimpse of the place that so inspired the Nobel Laureate. Book a guided tour to enjoy the expansive water view, stroll under sheltering trees, and step into the modest house Steinbeck called home.

SOUTHAMPTON TOWN BOARD VOTES 5-0 to PRESERVE STEINBECK HOME

The Town Board of Southampton showed their LOVE on Valentine’s Day and voted 5-0 to use CPF funds to preserve John & Elaine Steinbeck’s home as a writers retreat with low impact public access. Thank you, Tommy John Schiavoni, Supervisor Jay Schniederman and all Town Board members. You made history.

TWO years ago NO ONE thought it could happen.

But we did ! And we kept that vision alive with passion and integrity. Big thanks to the Sag Harbor Partnership who had the know-how, connections, and believed in the vision. April Gornik and John Avlon were early and steadfast believers who opened doors and minds to the importance of our dream to preserve John Steinbeck’s home. Susan Mead and Diana Howard (SHP) continue to spend countless hours working out the details. Colson Whitehead signed on early as Honorary Chair which was key. Thanks to this dream team!

More heartfelt thanks to all who spoke, wrote, and cheered from the sidelines, who helped in small or big ways. Each word of encouragement, every donation, every letter, and appearance at events added to our groundswell of community support that, in the end, was irresistable!

Together, we made history! We preserved a literary jewel that will shine far into the future.

We’re so gratified, we can’t thank you enough. More about next steps coming soon. For now, let’s savor this experience, appreciating what happens when people join together for the benefit of our local as well as world community.

To creativity & community!

with gratitude,

Kathryn + Maryann

We ‘re raising the last $200,000. Please donate! GOFUNDME.

Sag Harbor As Inspiration This Holiday Season

Published December 14, 2015 Books we love , Bookselling in the 21st century , Community , Creativity , painting , Photography , Sag Harbor Leave a Comment
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It’s that deep water port that makes all the difference. It’s what sets Sag Harbor apart from its flatland farm-town neighbors. It’s here where whalers, sailors, tradesmen, sturdy women, and visitors from four corners streamed through our little village bringing the exotic to our local shores. With them came the flavors and faces of distant ports. After whales vanished, busy factories drew workers to fire bricks, wind ropes, polish silver and solder watchcases. More recently, it drew painter Whitney Hansen from Santa Barbara and photographer Ann Chwatsky from New York City. They and countless other writers, painters, photographers, musicians came to find and create a community of artists of various stripes.  “It’s not just the light, ” Ann Chwatsky said during a talk  she and Whitney gave this fall at the bookshop, “but knowing that every day artists are at work in their studios here.” It’s that artists’ energy that gives her inspiration.

For 35 years Canio’s Books has been continuing the tradition of supporting and cultivating the East End’s creative community. With holiday shopping in mind, we offer suggestions for the aspiring creative on your list: For a recommendation about excellent books on writing, check with Maryann; for a sample of beautiful and affordable art and photography books, check with Kathryn. Both are offering workshops this winter, and a gift certificate to one of those would make an inspired holiday present. Our collection of local interest books is arguably the largest on the East End with lots of new titles plus some recently acquired out-of-print collectibles. Everyone knows to come to Canio’s for poetry, but we also have a hand-picked selection of literary novels and non-fiction by local writers perfect for winter reading retreats. Artwork and handicrafts by locals are also available.

We wish all our customers, friends and family a bright and inspired holiday season. Please join us at our holiday reception, Saturday, December 19 after a reading with acclaimed fiction-writer Simon Van Booy at 5 p.m. Peace & good reading to all.

Canio’s is Here to Stay!

Published January 24, 2015 Books we love , Bookselling in the 21st century , Bookstore Lore , Community , Current Events , Reading events , Sag Harbor Leave a Comment
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Winter’s eve at Canio’s … cozy!

While there’s lots of buzz in town since it was announced the building we’re in is for sale ($2.9 million), we continue on in the spirit of the great white whale, Moby Dick, still swimming in the vast ocean. Landlords come and go, but Canio’s is here to stay.

What’s more: we’re celebrating our 35th year in business and we’re bringing back the Moby Dick Marathon reading. Set for the weekend of June 12 through 14, the reading will begin and end at Canio’s and will include readings at other great local cultural institutions like the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum, John Jermain Library, the Old Whaler’s Church and Bay Street Theater among other stops. We’ll be hosting other celebrations through out the year to come including a poster contest open to all artists. Contact us soon to register to read. Don’t miss the party!

Canio’s in the New York Times

Published November 25, 2014 Bookselling in the 21st century , Bookstore Lore , Community , Current Events , Sag Harbor , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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If you haven’t seen this yet, please read:

Canio's in the New York Times

Canio’s in the New York Times

Be sure to stop in at Canio’s over the winter and help us “keep Sag Harbor’s literary light glowing!”

Big Community Hug

Published December 10, 2013 Bookselling in the 21st century , Bookstore Lore , Community , Sag Harbor , Uncategorized Closed
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Canio's Cash Mob by SzokaThanks to all cash-mobbers who jammed into Canio’s last Saturday in a huge show of support for our efforts to be your community bookshop. It was a record-breaking day at the shop thanks to friends Bobbi, Eric, April, Eric and many others who contacted friends and spread the word and showed up to give us what felt like a great big hug.
We put a lot of energy into creating an interesting, thought-provoking shop filled with books worth reading, and artists and writers worth meeting. We felt affirmed in our efforts this past Saturday, when the community responded with a resounding, “Yes!” Sag Harbor’s long literary legacy continues!
And we say, “Thank you!” to all who participated. And please do come again. Canio’s is Canio’s because of this wonderful community we all live in and love, and because of people like you.

Colson Whitehead, Sag Harbor, July 11, 2009

Published July 13, 2009 Bookstore Lore , Reading events Leave a Comment
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DSC_1042Colson’s Family at Canio’s

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Spill over onto the street for Colson, hometown hero. The eponymous crowd turned out in force to celebrate Whitehead’s new novel, a triumph.  Decades past the excruciating teenage years, the author said in Q&A after the reading,  afforded him sufficient distance to write about that one summer when Benji gets his braces off.  The prose read poetically, sparks flying as the author illustrated the syntax of ‘8Os slang.  Long lines of fans waited to get books signed; Colson, patient and gracious through it all.   Welcome Home!

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Canio’s Books is located at 290 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963, 631.725.4926. Call or email us, caniosbooks@verizon.net. While we love you to SEE you, you can also order new titles at our online storefront or some of our second hand inventory HERE. Thanks for visiting!