Sunday’s Gold Coast Book Fair events take place in downtown Oyster Bay, in a variety of local businesses and historical sites.
Seating at events is first come, first serve. All events are free to attend. All book signings take place immediately after the session, right outside of the event venue. A map of the Fair locations will be available soon. Parking is free and ample.
Don’t miss the Gold Coast Sundae all day at Sabrina’s Candy & Creamery, a sweet special treat served in a coupe glass with a cherry on top, made especially for Gold Coast Book Fair!
Stop by the Walt Whitman Birthplace booth for a Walt Whitman Poetry Slam, where you can take the stage for a live reading of your own work, or Walt’s! (And keep an eye out for young Walt, who will be wandering the Fair available for photos.)
And of course, we need some tunes to jazz it all up. Entertainment for the Gold Coast Book Fair is presented by Brooke Di Spirito and The Sparrows, featuring jazz music throughout the day, and swing dance performances by New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen Kilowatts!!
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Silver Threads: A Reading from the Life Enrichment Center Anthology
11:00 am – 11:45 am
Location: Life Enrichment Center, Oyster Bay
Writers and residents of Oyster Bay’s Life Enrichment Center read from their new anthology, Silver Threads, a collection of stories written by the Center’s senior members that reflect the past, present, and future. Read More
Yoga Storytime with Lauren Chaitoff!
11:00 am – 11:45 am
Location: Raynham Hall Museum, Oyster Bay
Long Island author and yoga instructor Lauren Chaitoff leads us through a fun yoga storytime as she shares her new book with us, 108 Awesome Yoga Poses for Kids. Yoga will take place on the grass. Join us! Read More
Play Ball! New York at the Center of Baseball History
11:45 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Oyster Bay Brewing Company, Oyster Bay
Start your day with a brew and some baseball trivia! Journalist and historian Kevin Baker is here to talk about the overlapping histories of baseball and New York City. Come on out and talk about all the legendary players, managers, owners, and highlights. Read More
Uncovering History: Early Stories of Black Long Islanders
11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Location: Oyster Bay Historical Society, Oyster Bay
Two accomplished local historians bring to light important buried histories about Black Long Islanders. Denice Evans-Sheppard, Executive Director of the Oyster Bay Historical Society, shares her book, Footsteps of a Forgotten Soldier, and Claire Bellerjeau shares Remember Liss. Read More
Entertainment with Brook Dispirito and The Sparrows!
11:45 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Townsend Park Gazebo
Entertainment for the Gold Coast Book Fair is presented by Brooke Di Spirito and The Sparrows, featuring live jazz music through the day, and swing dance performances by New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen Kilowatts! Read More
A Reading with The Long Island Poet Laureates
12:00 pm – 12:45 pm
Location: Hive Market & Gallery, Oyster Bay
Join us for a very special poetry reading with Suffolk County Poet Laureate Deborah Hauser; Nassau County Poet Laureate Emeritus Paula Curci; and Sarah Goodman, Long Island’s Teen Poet Laureate! Read More
Storytime: Friendship & Acceptance
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Location: Raynham Hall Museum, Oyster Bay
Join us for a fun storytime on the grass! Bonnie Grubman reads us Walter and Willy and the False Note. Neha Bajaj reads us Noah’s Intense Day. Read More
Indigenous Long Island: Connecting the Past & Future
12:45 pm – 1:30 pm
Location: Oyster Bay Historical Society, Oyster Bay
Educator and artist Denise “Weetahmoe” Silva-Dennis (Shinnecock/Hassanamisco-Nipmuc) leads a discussion of Long Island’s indigenous history and culture, and shares present day work to reclaim land, pass recognition legislation, and connect the past to the future. Read More
New Surrealism: The Uncanny in Contemporary Painting
12:45 pm – 1:30 pm
Location: Life Enrichment Center, Oyster Bay
Oyster Bay resident Robert Zeller offers a sweeping exposition of historical Surrealism and its legacy in the world of contemporary art in this special visual presentation based on his book, New Surrealism. Read More
Preservation Long Island Presents: The Life & Work of Poet Jupiter Hammon
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Location: Oyster Bay Brewing Company, Oyster Bay
Preservation Long Island introduces us to the life and writing of Jupiter Hammon, the first published Black American poet, who was enslaved by the Lloyd family on Long Island in the 18th century. Read More
Secrets at the Center: Page-Turning New Novels
1:30 pm – 2:15 pm
Location: Hive Market & Gallery, Oyster Bay
In two enthralling new novels perfect for summer reading, the buried secrets of young women’s lives become truths they must confront in adulthood. Brooke Lea Foster discusses All the Summers In Between. Lauren Rico discusses Familia. Read More
Chapter Book Adventures for Young Readers
1:30 pm – 2:15 pm
Location: Raynham Hall Museum, Oyster Bay
Young readers, join us for a fun talk with two Long Island authors of adventurous chapter books! Sarah Beth Durst shares Spy Ring, a treasure hunt story set in Setauket. Laurie Smollett Kutscera shares Misadventures of a Magician’s Son. Read More
Dark Chapters in Long Island’s History
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm
Location: Oyster Bay Historical Society, Oyster Bay
Long Island authors Mark Torres and Chris Verga detail dark events in Long Island’s past. Torres discusses Long Island Migrant Labor Camps. Verga discusses The Ferguson Brothers Lynching on Long Island. Read More
Mystery, Thrills, and Suspense: Three Crime Fiction Novels to Read Right Now
2:15 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: Oyster Bay Brewing Company, Oyster Bay
If you love a good mystery-thriller, this is the session for you! Sam Garonzik gives us a brand new domestic thriller with A Rough Way to Go. In Carinn Jade’s Astrology House, a group of wealthy Manhattanites escape to an astrology-themed retreat. And In Secret Identity, Alex Segura delivers a masterful mystery set in the world of comic books. Read More
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in Conversation with Congressman Israel & Alexis Coe
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: First Presbyterian Church, Oyster Bay
Please note: this event with Carla Hayden requires advanced RSVP and is already at capacity. A standby line will be set up outside of the venue at 2:30 the day of the event on a first come, first serve. We cannot guarantee entrance to anyone in the standby line. Read More
Drunk on Love: Romance Reader’s Happy Hour!
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Location: Wine Line, Oyster Bay
Kick back with a glass of wine and dish with romance writers about two brand new novels that leave us feeling drunk on love! Ali Rosen joins us with Alternate Endings. Sarah Beth Durst shares her new cozy romantasy, Spellshop. Read More
Voices & Verses: Long Island Poets Perform
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Location: Hive Market & Gallery, Oyster Bay
Four premier Long Island poets read us their work, lifting the afternoon with their voices and verse. Curated by Deborah Hauser, this reading features Qiana M. Marks (Exhale), George Wallace (Resurrection Song), Christina M. Rau (How We Make Amends), and Kris Janvier (Drift). Read More
Power to the People: How to Take Civic Action as a Young Person
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Location: Raynham Hall Museum, Oyster Bay
Join us for this invaluable session as Long Island uathor Richard Panchyk offers a deep understanding for young readers of how civil actions work, through many examples and straightforward language for the middle-grade student reader. How do we exercise power over these seemingly insurmountable forces? Read More
Action and Adventure with T. R. Hendricks
3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
Location: Oyster Bay Brewing Company, Oyster Bay
If there’s anyone who knows the feel of real action, it’s T. R. Hendricks, a former United States Army Captain. He brings brings his firsthand experience to his new novel, The Infiltrator. Find out what it’s like to turn an incredible, adventurous life into fiction! Read More
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: Wine Line, Oyster Bay
Close out the very first Gold Coast Book Fair in style at the Gold Coast Speakeasy! Join us at Wine Line for a spirited soiree with 1920s tunes, specialty cocktails, and all of the wonderful memories we’ve made this weekend! Read More