Books & Authors Archives » Fire Island News & Great South Bay News

Saturday, October 18 Howl-O-Ween Pet Costume Contest The Town of Islip Animal Shelter invites you and your furry friend to a Pet Halloween Costume Contest at the Islip Animal Shelter, 200 South Technology Drive, Central Islip, at 1 p.m. A $5 cash entry fee grants you access to the competition! Donate unused pet costumes to the shelter for the adorable shelter dogs to wear at the event! Please RSVP to animalshelter@Islipny.gov by October 15 to participate!

Get Scary as Halloween Approaches in October

Posted on October 17, 2025

Bill Bleyer's latest book is about the Roosevelt family. The Pulitzer Prize-winning and Press Club Long Island Journalist Hall of Fame winner, and resident of Bayville, has written numerous books about Long Island. They include George Washington’s Long Island Spy Ring and Fire Island Light House, reviewed in this newspaper. His latest tome, The Roosevelts in New York City, introduces readers to the family members noted and those lesser known, their personal lives and “private interactions” as interesting as the places in which they “lived, worked and worshiped.”

Books & Authors

The Roosevelt Family: Acclaimed Long Island Journalist and Author, Bill Bleyer, Pens His Latest History Book

Posted on October 11, 2025

Sunday, October 12 Fall Festival & Mourning at the Manor Reel in the fall with a day of activities at Sagtikos Manor, 677 West Montauk Highway, Bay Shore, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy craft demonstrators, sheep shearing, children’s activities, a puppet show, live music, and food vendors. Featured is Mourning at the Manor, a historic reenactment of a Victorian wake. Join in the reenactment of the funeral procession and meet some of the family spirits along the way! Admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $6 for children.

Columbus Day Weekend and Beyond: Great South Bay Area Events Through mid-October

Posted on October 10, 2025

Beyond-The-Sea-Square

In the Heart of September: Things Happening This Week in the Great South Bay Neighborhoods

Posted on September 11, 2025

With less than two weeks to go before the autumnal equinox sets in, our September issue of Great South Bay News closes out the summer season for our modest newspaper family with strength and verve, thanks to the contributions of a talented team of Schneps Media writers who have a presence in it.

Powerful Women, Blue Point Oysters, and the State of the Beach Define the September Issue of Great South Bay News

Posted on September 10, 2025

Former corporate party planner and now an ardent conservationist, Ellen Federico has written, Butterfly Island and the Invincible Crew, a children’s book on the plight of Fire Island’s endangered monarch butterflies. Forced to shift their migratory patterns, they have lost their habitats due to chemical overuse and a changing climate that prevents them from flourishing.

Books & Authors

The Butterfly Lady of Fire Island Writes a Children’s Book with a Message for All of Us

Posted on September 7, 2025

Enjoy Labor Day Weekend with the last issue of Fire Island News for the 2025 season at the beachside or on your breakfast table, with 64 pages of rich summer reading. Here, you will find the latest news updates, events happening on Fire Island and in the Great South Bay neighborhoods over the weekend and into September, as well as thoughtful essays on a range of subjects.

Fire Island News Closes Out 2025 Summer Season with Labor Day Weekend Edition

Posted on August 28, 2025

FIN 7 and GSBN August Issues

Books & Authors

Doubleheader as Fire Island News and Great South Bay News Hits Newsstands the Same Day in August

Posted on August 13, 2025

Kevin Wade’s Johnny Carless

Books & Authors

North Shore Long Island’s”Blue Bloods” Screenwriter/‌Producer Writes a Crime-Thriller Novel

Posted on August 10, 2025

Blair Fell is a literary wonder. His work in television includes shows like Queer as Folk and the Emmy-winning California Connected. He has written a dozen plays—some award-winning, like Naked Will and The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, plus the downtown cult favorite Burning Habits. His essays have appeared in the HuffPost, Out, and the New York Daily News. He’s a two-time winner of the Doris Lippman Prize in Creative Writing at City College, where he first started writing his debut novel, The Sign for Home. And, his latest novel, The Disco Witches of Fire Island, is piling on the accolades—my own included. I am devouring this witty, magical, heartfelt, and sometimes heartbreaking 1980s tale.

Books & Authors

Cake or Pie? with Blair Fell

Posted on August 7, 2025

Issie 6 8/1/2025

The Sunday of Summer: Fire Island News, the August 1st Edition

Posted on July 30, 2025

Summer tunes are in the air and making a splash in our July 18 edition of Fire Island News. Glyn Emmerson writes about the bands that jammed in Kismet and Atlantique over the July 4th Weekend. Robert Levine covered the world-class opera singer who recently performed at Whyte Hall in Fire Island Pines. Then, Rob Verbeck ventured out with his camera to catch the action at Alive After Five in downtown Patchogue. The music continues over the weekend of July 24 as the Great South Bay Music Festival comes back for its 17th summer in Shorefront Park in Patchogue Village. Omar Drissi gives us a rundown of what to expect for this upcoming crown jewel event in the Long Island music calendar. Fire Island News is also proudly working with the Great South Bay Music Festival on a special sweepstakes for our readers. One lucky person will win two VIP tickets to this extravaganza, featuring 55 performers on four stages over four days. No purchase is necessary to enter.

Music, Sweet Music, Takes Center Stage in June 18 Edition of Fire Island News

Posted on July 17, 2025

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