Shelter Island Friday Night Dialogues: Songs of Summer
Two accomplished journalists will meet under the library’s tent at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30 to celebrate their favorite songs of summer — and ours, too.
What makes a hot weather hit: “California Girls,” “Miss You,” “Summer in the City” — classics from the Beach Boys, Rolling Stones and Lovin’ Spoonful?
Tom Junod and David Browne will make well-received repeat appearances on Friday Night Dialogues to share their thoughts on “It’s Getting Hot in Here: Summer Songs.”
Both writers have Shelter Island roots. They met years ago when their daughters enjoyed swimming in Fresh Pond, and today they have remained friends and have collaborated on several Friday Night Dialogues.
A part-time resident of Manhattan, David has just completed his eighth book, written in part on the Island, “Talkin’ Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America’s Bohemian Capital.” It was the “most challenging” of his books, he said, covering the 50’s through the 80’s in New York City. More than 150 interviews later, it will be published this month; a book signing is scheduled in Riverhead for September.
Tom, a resident of Atlanta, also spent his summer here, completing his non-fiction book, a family memoir, just this month.
David is a senior writer for Rolling Stone and was the music critic for Entertainment Weekly as well as the Daily News. Many of his previous books described the life and times of superstars from the Beach Boys to the Beatles, James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, among others. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Time, the New Republic and have been featured on NPR.
Tom is an award-winning journalist, who has written for Esquire magazine, Sports Illustrated, Life magazine, and ESPN magazine, among others. He received two National Magazine Awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors and two other stories were finalists. His profile of Fred Rogers, in 1998, led to the successful film, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”
Mr. Rogers’ perspective on “kindness and forgiveness changed my own outlook,” Tom said.
And, for a change of pace, ask him how he came to receive a James Beard award for his essay on “My Mom Couldn’t Cook!”
Exactly two years ago, these two seasoned journalists headlined a program on Friday Night Dialogues about the sounds of rock ‘n roll on Shelter Island. Enjoy them now for an evening of the classic songs of summer. There will be short audio clips of some of their favorites.
Friday Night Dialogues are presented free to all participants, but donations are gladly accepted. For more information, please contact the Shelter Island Library at 631-749-0042 or visit their website shelterislandpubliclibrary.org
Up Next: On Friday, Sept. 13, join Shelter Island Library Director Terry Lucas and Librarian Mara Zonderman for their presentation, “Censorship: Then and Now,” in a Webinar format. The two women have practiced law, sold books and lobbied for civil liberties; they bring their combined experiences to bear on the issues of book banning and censorship in this timely presentation.
