The Beacon LitFest will host award-winning writer Lucy Sante, author of I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition, at a Special Edition event on June 20 at the Towne Crier Café in Beacon. The memoir tells of Sante’s life pursuing a dream of artistic truth while evading the truth of her own gender identity, until, at age 66, she turned to face who she really was and began transitioning.
The book has been praised as a “gorgeous, essential read” (People) and called “a profound narrative of self-realization written with curiosity and bracing clarity” (Esquire). Sante’s other notable written works include Low Life, chronicling the slums, chaos, criminality and energy of New York City in the nineteenth century, The Other Paris, Factory of Facts, Kill All Your Darlings, and more. She has won the Whiting Writers Award and an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letter, among many others. She is also the recipient of a Grammy Award for liner notes, and an Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography.
The June 20 event will also showcase Sante’s work as a visual artist and her recent incorporation of digital forms in her collage pieces. Artist and actor Richard Eagan, founder of the Coney Island Hysterical Society, will read passages from his debut work, introduce the program, and join in conversation.
This free program at Towne Crier is a special added edition of the second annual Beacon LitFest. The LitFest (BLF) held on June 7, 8 and 9 at Howland Cultural Center, featured first-rate literary talent in sold out programs that included readings, performances, workshops, a meet and greet, and more.
The Beacon LitFest began as the Newburgh Literary Festival in 2019, established by Dr Hannah Brooks and writer Danielle Trussoni. In 2023, Brooks joined forces with accomplished poet Ruth Danon, of Live Writing, and dramaturg Shane Killoran, of Hit House Creative, to launch the Beacon LitFest and produce multiple literary events throughout the year, and produced the Second Annual event again this year. BLF is made possible in part by the tireless volunteer efforts of the BLF committee and the Howland Cultural Center, and the generous support of Arts Mid Hudson, Poets and Writers, NYSCA and other sponsors.
The special edition event will be held on Thursday June 20 at Towne Crier’s Main Stage 379 Main St. Doors will open at 5:30 and the program will begin at 7PM. Admission is free to any Beacon LitFest https://howlandculturalcenter.ticketspice.com/blf (Jun 7,8 or 9) ticket holder, with a suggested donation for non ticket holders. There will be a food/drink minimum of 15. per person at the venue.