Poetry of the Pines

Text by
Danny Calvi

Some fifty-six years after writing ‘A True Account of Talking to the Sun on Fire Island’, the first-ever Frank O’Hara Fire Island Pines Poetry Festival is happening this Saturday. Since the 1950s, the iconic poet had drawn inspiration from and partied hard on Fire Island, that is, until O’Hara died there in a freak accident — he was struck by a dune buggy in the early morning hours of 24 July 1966.

Those hoping for a stuffy poetry reading are bound to be disappointed. Organizer Adam Fitzgerald says attendees can expect ‘mosh pits, flying dildos and thongs’ among the literary heavyweights like Edmund White and next-generation poets like Saeed Jones. Surely, the chance to hear Eileen Myles read ‘An American Poem’ or ‘The Honey Bear’ in person is worth the price of admission.

The Frank O’Hara Fire Island Pines Poetry Festival goes off this Saturday, 12 July 20145 from 4 to 6 P.M. at the Lapage Pavillion of Fire Island Pines. Tickets and additional info are available from the Fire Island Pines Arts Project.

Published on 09 July 2014