pandemic Archives » Michelle Trauring

From the Great Beyond: Christopher Allan Brings Psychic Readings to WHBPAC

Blog July 28, 2021

Every waking moment, Christopher Allan lives with an inescapable white noise, like a refrigerator humming, or background music at the supermarket.

When he tunes in, the quiet sharpens into focus. His physical world fades away. And, in a meditative state, he hears them — the voices whispering in his ear.

They belong to mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, lovers and friends, all attempting to communicate from what Allan calls “the great beyond” — with he, a psychic medium who claims to communicate with the dead, as their conduit.

“I think it’s important to show that there are no such things as goodbyes and that love simply doesn’t die,” Allan said, “and I’m merely an instrument to convey that message.”

Alexis Rockman’s ‘Shipwrecks’ Reaches New Depths

Blog June 8, 2021

When Alexis Rockman considers the world’s waterways, he sees them as a network — a transport system that has carried all facets of human history.

From language, culture, art, food, architecture and religion to the more nefarious — such as disease, warfare and pollution — each can be traced back to historic ships.

And, in some cases, notorious shipwrecks.

East End Addiction Treatment Reaches Fever Pitch During COVID-19 Pandemic

Blog May 12, 2021

On Mother’s Day Eve, a steady rain drizzled down on dozens of candles as, one by one, they sparked to life — lit and held by friends and family left behind by victims of addiction.

Huddled under umbrellas, they came together in Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays, some opting to speak to the group while other remained quiet, somber and reflective — but all with the common goal of remembrance.

With the exception of last May, the candlelight vigil has been organized annually by the Southampton Town Addiction and Recovery Committee, which honored local lives lost to COVID-19 on Saturday night, as well as overdose deaths — a statistic that had seen dramatic improvement in recent years, until the pandemic hit.

Lola, Beacon, Otto And Atticus: Sag Harbor Arts Community Embraces New Puppies

Blog April 14, 2021

There are four new faces in town — puppy faces, that is.

First is Lola, a 3-month-old mini bernedoodle whose sass and sweetness match her name. Then, there’s Beacon, a defiant, 16-week-old cockapoo who loves attention and will stop at nothing to get it.

Otto, a mini Australian shepherd, is charming, smart and fearless at nearly 3 months old, consistently making eye contact under his expressive brows. And rounding out the quartet, also 3 months old, is Atticus, a confident, mostly chill mini bernedoodle with an adorable shock of white hair on top of his head.

And coincidentally, at almost exactly the same time, all four pups landed in the homes of prominent Sag Harbor arts figures, who just so happen to be friends.

The Man Behind The Van: A Look Inside The Interlibrary Loan System

Blog April 14, 2021

Tyrell Jasper closes his eyes, leaning back in the driver’s seat as an audio book plays softly in the background. The North Ferry rumbles beneath him, somewhere between Shelter Island and Greenport, a crisp sea breeze swirling around his unmistakable, bright blue van.

Along its side, the wrap reads, “Public Libraries of Suffolk County” — hinting at the service the vehicle and Mr. Jasper, senior driver for the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, provide. But for many who don’t know him, his job remains a mystery, as do the inner-workings of the interlibrary loan system.

East End Hospice Reflects On Kanas Center’s Five-Year Anniversary

Blog April 7, 2021

Clorinda Bonaccorso watched her sister’s face as the hospital palliative team delivered the grim prognosis. Joanne Seguino’s stage four lung cancer, which had metastasized to her liver, was not responding to chemotherapy in the way that they had hoped — and she had two options.

The first was to continue treatment, which would confine her to bed and give her a maximum of five months to live. The second was to let the disease run its course.

Ms. Seguino locked eyes with Ms. Bonaccorso. “You know what to do,” she said.

“I saw the doctor in charge, and I said, ‘My sister wants to go to hospice — East End Hospice, Kanas Center, no other,’” Ms. Bonaccorso recalled. “When she got there, they were remarkable.”

She paused. “They were just remarkable — again.”

Remembering A True Sag Harbor Character: Renowned Decoy Carver, Robert Hand Sr., Dies at 77

Blog In Memory February 3, 2021

Every afternoon, like clockwork, Robert Hand Sr. could be found relaxing at his kitchen table in Sag Harbor, watching the birds through the window.

He knew them all. For the renowned decoy carver, they were his friends, his muses, his inspiration — and, in turn, he was their biggest fan.

But in recent weeks, the birds have gone without an audience. Mr. Hand died on January 11 after a cardiopulmonary arrest due to COVID-19 pneumonia at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, according to his eldest son, Robert Hand Jr. He was 77.

Finding Beauty in the Fire: ‘East End Collected6’ Endures Against Pandemic Backdrop

Art Blog February 2, 2021

When Patrick J. Peters III picks up the phone last Friday afternoon, he is standing in front of an 80-square-foot canvas, staring at a cacophony of color — and, within it, two dichotomous dragons.

The first is black and red, greedy and fear-driven, overshadowed by the beast behind him. She, on the other hand, is vibrant and playful, her taloned hand plunged deep into her foe.

And, out of the struggle, comes energy and light.

A Change of Perspective: Matthew Raynor Turns Sight from Sea to Sky through Drone Photography

Blog October 7, 2020

The open sea is an endless source of inspiration, energy, mystery and wonder. It conjures fear and curiosity, longing and serenity. It is equally relentless and soothing, unforgiving and welcoming — a character that has touched, and taken, endless lives.

For Matthew Raynor, it was nearly the latter.

Even after a swim gone wrong left the former commercial fisherman paralyzed from his chest down in 2019, his love for the water — and capturing it through his camera lens — persists, though it has taken on a new shape and approach.

Protests and Pandemic Lead Bridgehampton Photographer Back Home

Award-Winning Blog October 5, 2020

Six days out, one day in.

For Lori Hawkins, the words became a mantra. They were her schedule, a repetitive routine. A source of comfort and reassurance, stress and depression. An escape, a homecoming, her sense of normalcy.

For the last six months, that one sentence defined her life. And it has led to the most fulfilling photography series of her 20-year career.

“I feel like I’m creating my best work ever,” Hawkins said from her home in Bridgehampton. “I feel like I’m more focused on telling stories.”