South O' the Highway (and the North too)

East Quogue's Julie Sheehan received a 2008 Whiting Writers' Award this week at a ceremony in New York City. The prestigious $50,000 award recognizes 10 young writers for their extraordinary talent and promise, and is one of the most coveted prizes for new writers. Sheehan is an assistant professor in the MFA in Writing and Literature program at Stony Brook Southampton. Her books of poetry include Orient Point (Norton, 2006), winner of the Barnard Women Poets Prize, and Thaw (Fordham University Press, 2001), for which she was awarded the Poets Out Loud Prize.

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Hamptons resident and "Today Show" host Matt Lauer was roasted at the Friars Club in New York City last week. Those paying tribute included Tom Cruise, Katie Couric, Meredith Vieira, Brian Williams, Martha Stewart and NBC Universal president and CEO Jeff Zucker.

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The latest book by bestselling author and longtime Hamptons neighbor Nelson DeMille was released this week. The Gate House is a follow-up to DeMille's successful 1990 novel, The Gold Coast, and takes readers back to Long Island's North Shore - a place where "past, present and future collide, often with unexpected results."

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East Hampton's Martha Stewart added another book to her ever-growing collection. In Martha Stewart's Cooking School, released this week, Stewart leads readers through the basics of cooking before introducing them to progressively more involved recipes and techniques. She will be drawing from the book for weekly cooking school segments on "The Martha Stewart Show," and will also offer instructional videos on her website.

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Southampton's Howard Stern has one less piece of real estate in his name. The Howard Stern Rest Stop along I-295 in New Jersey, (named for the shock jock by former Gov. Christie Whitman in 1995) was locked last year and is now blocked off. The New Jersey Transportation Department claimed the cost of maintenance was just too high.

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Be a part of American history and join Bob Zellner at Canio's Bookstore in Sag Harbor this Saturday, November 1 at 6 p.m. for the reading and signing of The Wrong Side of Murder Creek, A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement. In its August review, Publisher's Weekly wrote, "The journey white Southerner's travel in this riveting memoir, from virulent racism to acceptance of blacks' civil rights, is as momentous as any in American history...The result is a testament to both the courage of civil rights activists and to the hatred they overcame." Bobbie Terzi will perform her song, "Walk This Way," inspired by Zellner's book and upcoming film.

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Amagansett's Sarah Jessica Parker was seen appreciating the works of the Chanel Mobile Art opening in Central Park. The show, an oversize tribute to Chanel's long line of pricey handbags, celebrates the fashion house's 50th anniversary. It was in Tokyo and Hong Kong before opening in New York, and will continue on in London, Moscow and Paris.

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New York-based dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon, Lewis M. Feder, M.D., a was recently selected by the Scientific Committee of the International Academy of Cosmetic Surgery as one of the 100 Best Cosmetic Surgeons of the World. He will be celebrated in an awards ceremony at the World Congress on November 5 in Cartagena, Columbia.

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