Sunday, Nov 22, 3pm at the Alice Austen House Museum, 2 Hylan Blvd, SINY 10305.

Staten Island OutLOUD invites you to consider the lives of Scott’s wife, his mistress, and some writers from his era and his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald had a tempestuous relationship with Scott, from their courtship when she was a debutante in Montgomery, Alabama, through her long hospitalizations in psychiatric institutions, til his sudden death in Hollywood.  Zelda was one of the models for Daisy Buchanan in Gatsby, and arguably for Nicole Diver in Tender Is the Night.  We’ll explore Zelda’s novel, Save Me the Waltz, and biographical excerpts.  Sheila Graham was a celebrated entertainment reporter. Her relationship with Scott during his late Hollywood years may have buttressed his failing health and forestalled his final heart attack.  In return for her care, Scott tutored Sheila, who was ashamed of her humble beginnings and lack of education.  Her book, College of One, details that aspect of their relationship.

Kay Boyle, a poet, novelist & short story writer whose work is almost unknown today, was considered a major writer in the 1930s and 1940s. Born in St Paul, she lived much of her life abroad.  We’ll talk about her work, which has been described as “bright as an icicle and light as the bones of a bird”.    Upper Left: Zelda Fitzgerald; Upper Right, Sheila Graham.  Lower: Kay Boyle