Saving Canio's Books, Keeper of Sag Harbor's Literary History

One month. There’s one month left until Canio’s Books and the not-for-profit Canio’s Cultural Café are displaced from their home on Sag Harbor’s Main Street.

Founded by Canio Pavone in 1980, Canio’s Books has been run by Maryann Calendrille and Kathryn Szoka as a hub for literature, community and deep conversations since 1999, with 2024 marking their 25th year at the helm. Unfortunately, the anniversary was met with the news that the bookstore’s lease would end on September 30 without the option to renew it.

Canio’s Books must now find a new home after 44 years at 290 Main Street in Sag Harbor, a village in which its roots are deeply intertwined. In 1983, Canio’s was the first institution nationwide to do a marathon reading of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, and the event — in which anyone can register to read Moby-Dick for 10 minutes across the three-day marathon — has become an annual Sag Harbor tradition. The event’s popularity has even led Canio’s to host marathon readings of other classic novels, such as John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley: In Search of America.

Many years later, Szoka, an art photographer and community organizer, played a pivotal role in preservation Steinbeck’s home in Sag Harbor. “When it first went on the market, I spoke to every public servant that I knew. … I spent the next year gathering the right group of people together in order to make it happen … and it did happen two and a half years after that first try,” Szoka explains.

Outside of their shared love of literature, Calendrille and Szoka are teachers at heart, sharing their respective passions for writing and photography with the community via the Canio’s Cultural Café, reading groups and other programs. Founded in 2009, the Cultural Café is an educational nonprofit that aims to promote interest in cultural arts by inviting community members to engage in thoughtful discussion with bestselling novelists like Colson Whitehead, acclaimed poets like Scott Chaskey and talented local authors, artists and educators.

Canio’s events often work toward the goal of “increasing our empathy towards people in the community, no matter what their differences,” Szoka explains, noting that reading “allows you insights into cultures different than your own in a way that really nothing else can.” With examples including a program on queer Black voices for LGBTQ+ Pride Month, it’s no wonder that Tom House, founder of East Hampton’s first Hamptons Pride parade, elected Szoka as the event’s inaugural grand marshal in 2022.

“That’s one of our gifts as teachers, we can bring people together around the table to talk about issues that might be challenging, and by bringing everyone together and having all that connective glue in the village, we are able to affect positive outcomes,” Szoka adds. “We’ve opened the doors for people to come and learn great insights from people who are writers and great thinkers, so it’s like an ongoing education being at the bookstore.”

This fall, Canio’s Cultural Café plans to continue its programming as planned before the moving announcement. “Even if on day one we can’t be right in a new space, we will be continuing our programming via the Cultural Café without any interruption,” Szoka says. “The idea is to take this moment of transition as a way to not just expand the offerings that we have, but to make sure that we are connecting with what the community needs now … to take the pulse of what’s going on and move forward in a way that will give people the nourishment that they need.”

A founding member of the Sag Harbor Cultural District nonprofit and the unofficial “keeper of the flame of Sag Harbor’s very rich literary history,” Canio’s has built a strong reputation and loyal following within the village. “I just can’t stress strongly enough how important being in the heart of the community is to Canio’s,” Szoka says, adding, “Many, many people have come out to support us … and it’s very gratifying to Marianne and myself to have their support.”

Over the summer, some of these supporters founded the Friends of Canio’s group and created a GoFundMe campaign to help Canio’s Books cover the expenses of moving to a new location, ideally within the village, but Szoka and Calendrille are open to exploring options in neighboring hamlets if necessary. Their fundraising goal: $45,000.

The biggest way to support Canio’s Books as they enter this chapter of transition is to donate to the Friends of Canio’s fundraiser at gofundme.com/f/mkzmzj-help-canios-books-thrive. Additionally, avid readers are encouraged shop the bookstore’s collection now more than ever. At the brick-and-mortar through September, a sale is offering many secondhand books at half price, and supporters can even shop online by selecting Canio’s as their bookstore of choice at bookshop.org/shop/caniosbooks.

Also on view at the store this month is the Atmospheric Reflections exhibition, which showcases Szoka’s photography and paintings by longtime East End artists Pamela Collins Focarino and Dennis Snyder. “What we are really big on doing is bringing to the community the ability to experience the richness of both the literary and the visual arts,” Szoka says. “I feel blessed to have been able to live a rich life centered on community and creativity. As an art photographer, it’s really important for me to have the ability to have creativity at the core of what I do 24/7.”

To stay up to date on Canio’s Books, visit caniosbooks.com.