2024 EVENTS

POET MEETS NOVELIST:
Grace Schulman and Elizabeth Birkelund
Saturday, September 28, 4pm

Grace Schulman, author of Again, the Dawn: New and Selected Poems,1976-2022, and Elizabeth Birkelund, author of the new novel, A Northen Light in Provence, will read from their work and talk about their early influences, as well as the many things that attracted them to write, respectively, in prose and in poetry. They will consider what it is about both poetry and prose that deepens our feelings, awakens out senses, allows us to see the world in a different light or in darkness.

*Grace Schulman, author of nine books of poetry, received the Frost Medal for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in American Poetry and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita at Baruch College, C.U.N.Y. Harold Bloom has written, “She is one of the permanent poets of her generation.”

*Elizabeth Birkelund is the author of two previous novels, The Runaway Wife and TheDressmaker. Her work has been published in various national magazines. Of A Northern Light in Provence, Colleen Oakley has written, “This sweeping, gorgeous novel is more than just a love story – it’s a life-affirming tale about finding who you are and where you’re meant to be. Birkelund has the uncanny ability to whisk you away to both the charming Greenlandic village and the warm, idyllic French countryside, but her real gift lies in laying bare the truth of the human heart.”

Organized by Grace Schulman and Meredith Hasemann

I AM A SHIP
a play reading with live music on the outdoor stage at Duck Creek
Saturday, September 14, 5 - 7 pm
Rain date Sunday September 15, 5- 7 pm

The Arts Center at Duck Creek is pleased to present an exciting play by Martha Pichey. I AM A SHIP is the time-bending story of two women from the same whaling family, a full-length play with chanteys and original music.  When modern-day Pearl loses her husband without warning, she is left with three young sons in her tumble-down childhood home.  In the throes of her grief, Pearl discovers an extraordinary journal written by her great-great-great grandmother, a whaling captain’s wife who defied convention by joining her husband at sea.  Diving into this weather-beaten journal gives Pearl the escape she craves:  Waft us on ye winds and bear us away from home and kindred!  She devours Eliza’s experience on board Superior in 1858--a journey to activate and nourish the human spirit--and Pearl begins to find the hope and strength she needs to carry on. 

For Eliza’s story, I AM A SHIP draws from the countless whaling journals written by women in the 1800s.  Hundreds harnessed their courage and went to sea; nearly 80 women left behind a record of their voyage.  Women brought their children, gave birth on board, and endured the scorn of the crew. They persevered through debilitating sea sickness under primitive conditions to keep their families together.  Some of these brave women came from right here on Eastern Long Island.  Shelter Island based playwright Martha Pichey says, “I’ve done extensive local research, and began this journey with ‘Maritime Mash-Ups’ at the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum and the Shelter Island Historical Society.  I was obsessed with the New Bedford Whaling Museum as a child, my dad’s hometown. And I was compelled to draw from personal experience for modern-day Pearl, after finding myself widowed with young children at the age of 48.”  

I AM A SHIP has a rich soundscape, steeped in the tradition of seafaring chanteys.  Two singers join Pearl and Eliza on stage with mandolin and guitar to evoke the sounds of the sea.  This dynamic staged reading of I AM A SHIP is an immersive journey into the world of whaling and eager for its first audience.  Come hear the tale of Eliza and Pearl as they reach across time to gain strength and sisterhood through shared feelings of grief, hope, and love! 

Cast and Creative Team Bios for I AM A SHIP 

MA YAA BOATENG (ELIZA) is best known for starring in and originating her role in the Pulitzer-prize winning Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury.  Other credits include Merry Wives at the Public Theater.  Film/TV: Orange is the New Black (Netflix); City on a Hill (Showtime); Reunion (Short, 2023 Best Actress Award Winner, BronzeLens Film Festival). MFA: NYU Graduate Acting.

JOCELYN KURITSKY (PEARL) is an actor/creator. Hailed as "one of the queens of the downtown irregulars,” she performs in theater/television/film/audio fiction. She is the resident actor of the award-winning immersive theater company, Woodshed Collective. She is also the creator of A Simple Herstory, a Webby-honored & Telly-winning podcast series. jocelynkuritsky.com.

MARTHA PICHEY, Playwright, has written for publications such as  The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, and Vanity Fair.  She now concentrates solely on playwriting, and has been coming to Shelter Island for 30 years.  Her first play, Ashes & Ink, will open Off-Broadway at AMT Theater this October. www.marthapichey.com

MEG GIBSON, Director, is an actor/writer/director based in NYC for over 40 years, who now lives in East Hampton.  She has worked extensively in Theatre, TV, and Indie films.  Stage credits include 8 shows at The Joseph Papp Public Theatre, and a two season company Member of ART at Harvard. She has been on The Americans, The Servant, every Law and Order, and can be seen in the upcoming Montauk Indie, The End.

GILLIAN GORDON, Creative Producer - Gillian Gordon is an award-winning film/television producer, educator and photographer who has worked in Los Angeles, London, and Asia. Having spent thirty years in London where she produced successful TV series and films for the BBC and ITV, she has recently moved back to the East End where she was the inaugural Executive Director of the Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center and is currently Adjunct Professor of Screenwriting at Brooklyn College. 

ESTELLE BAJOU, Composer, is a Drama Desk nominated composer.  Credits include  The 1619 Project (HULU), Ken Burns’ Prohibition (PBS), and feature films such as Roll Bus Roll, 7th Secret, and award-winning shorts such as klutz and Glimpses.  www.estellebajou.com

JOHN DRINKWATER, Musician, hails from Greenport and is a recent graduate of Wagner College.  He has performed at Feinstein's/54 Below, Birdland, Don't Tell Mama, and The Green Room 42.  John was most recently seen on stage in As You Like It at Sylvester Manor  on Shelter Island, and starring in Bye Bye Birdie at Babylon’s Argyle Theater.

This program will take place outdoors and feature live music. The audience is encouraged to bring beach chairs, blankets and a picnic, if you like!

EVA JOAN MENDING WORKSHOP
July 27, 4pm

Join us at The Arts Center at Duck Creek for a Mending Workshop hosted by Eva Joan Repair on Saturday, 7/27/24, at 4 pm 

Eva Joan Repair is a clothing repair shop on Jane Street in the West Village, founded by East End native Emma Villeneuve, and her partner Bjorn Eva Park. Eva Joan is known for reworking pieces entirely, giving them new life through custom patches and embroidery that serve as both functional repairs and personal embellishments.

"In the capable and creative hands of Villeneuve and Park, everything has potential and nothing is wasted.” - W Magazine, 2/20/24 

This FREE workshop will be 2 hours long, and is limited to 15 people. All participants will receive an embroidery hoop, needles and fabric to learn on and take home. 

To register click here