Wreathed in Words: An Evening of Music and Poetry with August Gladstone

Wreathed will take place at LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton on July 13th, featuring August Gladstone’s music and poetry. This event was born from the generosity of Carrie Rabora Barratt, who is doing a remarkable job as Director of LongHouse Reserve. August Gladstone has been utilizing the unique atmosphere at LongHouse since his time as a student at Springs School.

He said, “he is honored to be headlining but did not want to bogart the night because there are wonderful, talented young people still writing poetry and lyrics nowadays, something Gladstone thinks is rare.” He mentioned he saw Reilly Rose performing at LTV this winter and was impressed by the charm and folk-ish romance in her lyrics. He believes he has a similar writing style and knew he wanted to perform with her at some point in their given mutual Hamptons lineage. He believes she is the perfect person to share the bill with and is thrilled that she agrees.

Gladstone said to hamptons.com, “The LongHouse Reserve is a place of such serenity; it suits poetry and songwriting so well. I hope Wreathed can be a recurring event or at least serve as an impetus for young creatives to indulge in the artistic bosom of the Hamptons. There is beauty everywhere for those who seek it…I began writing poetry, as many do, to work through pain. As I shared my highly personal work on social media and in public, I had countless people come out of the woodwork and express how seen they felt by it. But I wasn’t writing to see them; I was writing to see myself!” Then he emphasized, “This realization helped me gravitate towards those touchstone experiences we all share despite the unique individual circumstances surrounding them. My goal as an artist is to mine these moments from my own life and present them to shake hands with yours – so we help each other navigate tumultuous waters.”

He also said artistic accessibility is very important to him, adding,  “Poetry has become a contest of intellectual artistry, and I think that’s why it’s lost so much popularity in the zeitgeist. I have much respect and admiration for poetic scholars, but the academic structure is, in and of itself, exclusionary. Poetry began as an oral community tradition. People gathered around a fire to share stories and breathe in human experience. That’s why I write lyrical poetry and would consider myself a folk poet. I am drawn to the music of language – that’s what sticks in the brain. Poetry should be something that unites people, recites people, ignites people – especially in a time where we yearn to be back in person, sharing life beyond the screen with one another.”

He will primarily be sharing work from his debut book of poetry, “Ivy,” his first foray into the literary world. He has spent the majority of his time as a screenwriter and comedian. Gladstone credits “John McCaffrey, an accomplished East End author in his own right, (as a)  great mentor, supporter, and editor. He’ll be introducing me at Wreathed, and I urge everyone to take a gander at his books.”

As for inspiration, he said his greatest inspirations are songwriters such as Jim Morrison and Leonard Cohen. Saying, “Morrison is NOT a poet’s poet, but he is a people’s poet whose lyricism and free verse are such raw extensions of himself. Cohen is my greatest inspiration, and I try to converse with him when writing. His combination of wit, gravitas, romance, and spiritualism is once in a lifetime. Bob Dylan, too, of course. Connie Converse and Joni Mitchell are all songwriters from that mid-century folk tradition that I model myself after.”

As far as traditional poetry goes, he is inspired by Robert Frost’s American exceptionalism, Dickinson’s enigmatic verse, and Thomas’s emotion. He also said, “Bukowski – controversial as he is – has a style I really look up to, especially in his relationship with sweaty Los Angeles. Kerouac and Ginsberg – the Beats are folk poets. I’m a disciple of Rumi, Darwish, and Gibran as well. The Arab poets are legendary lovers. Ada Limón, the current poet laureate, is one of the greatest I’ve had the joy of reading. Dana Gioia is another modern poet who’s a foundational lyricist in my journey, and his book Meet Me at the Lighthouse was an inspiration for Ivy.”

Then August Gladstone became serious when he said, “Poetry is critical right now. Coming out of COVID-19 in a world where everything is digital, we’ve thrown ourselves down before faceless machine gods. Art is so commodified, algorithmized, delegitimized; we’ve forgotten its purpose to connect, unite, and amplify our humanity.”  He believes Poetry as community storytelling, and connection is exactly what the world needs to heal through these outrageous times. He believes that “The most spiritual experiences I’ve ever had have been through poetry. It’s the church; it’s divine – it’s the worship of our own bonded spirits. I’d find more joy sharing a reflection with real folks than from all the likes onTikTokk.”

 To feel and experience that joy, one should get to LongHouse Reserve on July 13th at Wreathed.