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Hamptons.com
May 20, 2021

INTERVIEW: Author Amanda M. Fairbanks Talks “The Lost Boys Of Montauk”

T.J. Clementeby T.J. Clemente
in Entertainment
Home Entertainment

East End-based journalist Amanda M. Fairbanks has written her first narrative nonfiction book, The Lost Boys of Montauk. In an interview with Hamptons.com, Fairbanks went into great detail how it all came about. She is a Smith College graduate, a school with strong literary routes nestled up in the Northampton, Massachusetts. She has a strong, clear speaking voice and presence. Perhaps one day she may find herself working for Sixty Minutes, or a show like that because she is also a compelling journalist.

It’s always interesting how an author finds a story for book. The genesis behind this book is pure both East End of Long Island and detail oriented – and Fairbanks shared it. She said, “This book actually started taking shape when I was a staff writer. I am a longtime newspaper, magazine writer, and I have worked at all different places. For a few years, I was happy to call The East Hampton Star my home, and I worked there as a staff writer for about three and a half years. The book actually started taking place, although I didn’t really know it at the time, in the winter of 2016. I was having a sort of brainstorm conversation with an editor, Biddle Duke, who is also in the book, who had recently joined the staff to launch East Magazine. During this conversation, he started describing to me what he quoted as ‘the great untold story of the so-called Hamptons.’ He sat up a little taller in his chair and his eyes widened as he started talking to me about this fishing boat, Wind Blown, that had gone off the coast of Montauk in 1984 with four young men aboard.” They crossed path with a nor’easter and neither the boat nor the men were ever found.

The Lost Boys of Montauk. (Courtesy Photo)

She continued by saying, “During the same conversation, and this is what really piqued my interest, he started talking to me about Mary Stedman, who is the widow of the captain. He explained for the story I would need to get Mary’s blessing and participation. So, I reached out to Mary, but the timing wasn’t right. My family and I moved to California (where Fairbanks is from) and stayed loosely in touch with Mary. It wasn’t until the following summer that I had the pleasure of sitting down with her. Mary, who has a photographic memory, and by spending three to four hour chucks of time on the phone, after every one of those conversations, she would pass me five sources and then five more after that. Pretty soon I had tens of thousands of interview notes. It was at that time, I realized it just wasn’t a newspaper or magazine story I had at my hands, but the beginning of a book.”

Fairbanks, then using what she called “a whole lot of gumshoe reporting and hard work thereafter,” put The Lost Boys of Montauk together as book. When asked what the veteran reporter learned while doing this project, she said, “I think one of the surprising things I learned is just how it is that tragedies live with us, whether we were intimately involved with various people or it occurred in the town in which we live in. For instance, it wasn’t just the survivors of the men and the families left behind after this tragedy that obviously remember this very closely, it was the folks like the lighthouse keeper, meaning everyone that was living there at the time. It was like it was a local version of 9/11/2001. They know where they were standing when they heard the news. They recalled the date that the boat had gone down, even though it was now 40 years in the future. That was quite surprising to me. Just the lasting effect of this one incident over such a long span of time.”

Fairbanks said she has no target audience noting the book is “for men as well as women.” She added, “There is a fair amount of fishing, surfing and issues relating to fathers and sons that I think will be compelling for all readerships. I wrote it for people like myself, who live here on the East End, and absolutely love this place, but I also wrote it for the reader in Iowa, who has never and likely will never set foot here. I tried to bring them along on the story as well, because I do think it is indicative of many small towns in America and class divisions. I am hoping it will have some national appeal.”

She is excited to be doing some local promotional appearances and talks about the book, including at the Montauk Lighthouse on Thursday, July 1 and at Guild Hall in East Hampton on Sunday, July 11. There will also be a virtual BookHampton talk on Tuesday, May 25 at 5:00 p.m., virtual East End Libraries (Mattituck-Laurel Library + East Hampton Library) book event on Friday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m., and Fairbanks will join Hampton Library’s virtual Fridays at Five series on Friday, July 9 at 5:00 p.m.

Fairbanks is a masterful storyteller with a distinctive, clear voice. More great things are surely in her future. Her talent is a refined ability to connect, either by print or with the spoken word.

For more information, visit www.amandamfairbanks.com.

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Events

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Rhone to Join Tanger Outlets Deer Park This Summer Pop-Up

August 22 @ 10:00 AM - August 22 @ 09:00 PM
Tanger Outlets Deer Park
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Hayden James At The Surf Lodge

August 22 @ 04:00 PM - August 22 @ 11:00 PM
The Surf Lodge 183 Edgemere St, Montauk, NY 11954
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Social Hour During Aperitivo At The Baker House

August 22 @ 05:00 PM - August 22 @ 08:00 PM
181 Main St, East Hampton, NY 11937
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Light, Sand, and Sea: Hamptons Artists and Their Studios with Coco Myers and Jaime Lopez

August 22 @ 05:00 PM - August 22 @ 06:00 PM
The Nathaniel Rogers House, 2539 Montauk Highway Bridgehampton, NY 11932
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The Church Presents INDA EATON – “IndAmerica”

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INTERVIEW: Chloe’s Co-Founder Chloe Epstein On The Tasty Frozen Treat, Flavor Inspiration, The Hamptons, And More

INTERVIEW: Chloe's Co-Founder Chloe Epstein On The Tasty Frozen Treat, Flavor Inspiration, The Hamptons, And More

  • The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation held its “Sweet 16th” Unconditional Love Gala, a premier Hamptons event celebrating compassion, community, and animal welfare at a private estate in Bridgehampton. The Unconditional Love Gala is SASF’s largest fundraiser of the year, with proceeds directly supporting the shelter’s mission to provide care, rehabilitation, and forever homes for homeless animals. ⁠
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Check out the full gallery at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)⁠
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#animalshelter ⁠
#fundraiser #hamptons #southampton
  • Make sure you check out the sunset music series before the end of August. For more info on dates and times check out the Wölffer website.

#sumsetmusic #winestand #wölffer #rosé
  • Hilary Matt Interiors is a residential design firm started and located in New York City with projects spanning across the country, including in the Hamptons and East End.⁠
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Hilary, principal and founder, is known for a bold aesthetic that is comfortable and livable. She always keeps her clients at the forefront so they can express themselves as individuals through their spaces. After starting out in the fashion industry, Hilary felt a call to interior design where she has been bringing her unique approach and style to every space as the brand continues to grow.⁠
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Hilary spoke more about her background, how each HMI project differs from one another, and why the Hamptons is such a special place to her. She also shared her top 5 interior design tips as inspiration.⁠
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Can you discuss your background and how you got started with interior design?⁠
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HM: I studied business and apparel merchandising. After graduating, my first job was at a women’s contemporary showroom in NYC. I had always loved fashion and wanted to be in the industry. After a year, I realized it wasn’t quite what I expected. I had always been interested in interior design, so I took a leap of faith and accepted a job as an assistant to an interior designer. I was initially nervous to leave fashion, but I figured I could always return. I ended up loving it and worked with her for eight years, learning the ins and outs of the business. I also took classes on weekends and evenings to learn computer programs, scaling, and other essential skills. After leaving that position and having my first son, I started my own company, which has snowballed into what we are today.⁠
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Read the full interview at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)⁠
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#hilarymatt ⁠
#hilarymattinteriors ⁠
#hamptons ⁠
#interiordesigner⁠
#hamptons lifestyle⁠
#interiorstyling⁠
#design
  • Comedian Des Bishop took the stage at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center this week and delivered laugh after laugh. A native New Yorker, Des moved to Ireland in his teenage years, which ultimately inspired his start in comedy and a successful career that has spanned three decades.⁠
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His comedy is full of observational humor and nostalgia, whether it be about his many cross-cultural experiences, an ever-changing societal landscape, and his own personal stories growing up. Des brings energy and a unique perspective to every show, evident at his Westhampton show, the place he has spent all his summers since the 90s.⁠
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Des spoke more about his background, how his experiences have shaped his approach to comedy, his connection with the East End, and his WHBPAC show.⁠
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you first got into comedy?⁠
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DB: Well, my background is a little complicated, but the quick version is I grew up in Queens, flunked out of St. Francis Prep at 14, and ended up going to Ireland to boarding school in 1990. It was a crazy, life-changing experience, but it definitely saved my education and ultimately inspired a comedy career that in the early days focused a lot on being an outsider looking in. It’s hard to know if I ever would have tried stand-up if I hadn’t been in Ireland. I got sober at 19 and it was a comedian I knew from that world that pushed me to try stand up. Once I got on stage that was all she wrote. I was addicted.⁠
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Read the full interview at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)⁠
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#desbishop #comedy #westhampton #whbpac
  • Amber Waves farm just held their annual Hoedown fundraiser. The event featured cowgirl cocktails and local bites. Guests had a chance to meet the farmers and participate in a best dressed competition.

@amberwavesfarm 
#Montaukila #montaukbrewing #titos #springsbrewery
  • Check out the Top Hamptons Events This Weekend!⁠
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✨ Amber Waves’ Fourth Annual Hoedown Fundraiser⁠
📅 Fri, Aug 15 | 5:30–8 PM⁠
📍 367 Main St, Amagansett⁠
Kick up your boots for live music, line dancing & local fare — all to support feeding the community & educating future farmers.⁠
Link in bio⁠
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🎶 Klingande at The Surf Lodge⁠
📅 Fri, Aug 15 | 4 PM⁠
📍 183 Edgemere St, Montauk⁠
French DJ Klingande brings the vibes for a summer Friday.⁠
Link in bio⁠
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😂 Tig Notaro at WHBPAC⁠
📅 Sun, Aug 17 | 8 PM⁠
📍 76 Main St, Westhampton Beach⁠
Catch Emmy & Grammy-nominated comedian Tig Notaro live.⁠
Link in bio⁠
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🧵 Pop-Up Embroidery Class⁠
📅 Sat, Aug 16 | 10:30 AM–12:30 PM & 4:30–6:30 PM⁠
📍 Sunshine, 98 Newtown Ln, East Hampton⁠
Join The NY Sewing Center for a fun embroidery workshop.⁠
Link in bio⁠
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🐾 ARF’s Bow Wow Meow Ball⁠
📅 Sat, Aug 16 | 6:30–10:30 PM⁠
📍 124 Daniel Hole Rd, East Hampton⁠
Dinner & dancing to support ARF’s cats & dogs.⁠
Link in bio⁠
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📚 Fridays at Five: Tim Weiner⁠
📅 Fri, Aug 15 | 5 PM⁠
📍 2478 Main St, Bridgehampton⁠
Dive into The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century.⁠
Link in bio⁠
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🏃‍♀️ 30th Annual Ellen’s Run⁠
📅 Sun, Aug 17 | 9 AM⁠
📍 70 Leland Ln, Southampton⁠
Run to celebrate survivors & support breast cancer programs.⁠
Link in bio⁠
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🌊 S-Mile Swim Challenge⁠
📅 Sat, Aug 16 | 8–10 AM⁠
📍 Coopers Beach, Southampton⁠
Swim to support lifeguard training & ocean safety.⁠
Link in bio⁠
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🎨 Artsi’s 15th Annual Open Studios⁠
📅 Sat–Sun, Aug 16–17 | 12–5 PM⁠
📍 Shelter Island⁠
Tour artists’ studios & connect with the creative community.⁠
Link in bio⁠
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🛍 28th Annual Hamptons Warehouse Sale⁠
📅 Now–Sun, Aug 24 | 9 AM–5:45 PM⁠
📍 East Hampton American Legion Post 419⁠
13,000+ shoes, boots, accessories & more!⁠
Link in bio⁠
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Check out more events at Hamptons.com ⁠
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#hamptons #amberwaves #weekend #amagansett
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