Today on the Floyd Memorial Library Podcast, we’re turning the microphone around for a very special episode.

Since its beginning, this podcast has focused on the stories of the people who make up the North Fork community. Over 244 episodes, Christopher Bianchi has had the opportunity to sit down with artists, historians, community leaders, longtime residents, and people from all walks of life to hear their experiences and preserve their stories.

For this episode, the roles are reversed. Library Technology Assistant and Library Coordinator Ian Fleury sits down with Christopher to talk about his own story.

Christopher shares stories about his family background and ancestry, growing up in New Orleans, and the experience of living through Hurricane Katrina. He reflects on his early interest in the arts, his career journey, how he found his way into libraries, and what ultimately brought him to Greenport, New York.

The conversation also looks at Christopher’s work as the Reference and Local History Librarian at Floyd Memorial Library, his passion for preserving local history, and the creation and growth of the Floyd Memorial Library Podcast.

Over the course of the conversation, Christopher reflects on what the podcast has meant to him, the relationships and connections it has created, and the experience of bringing so many voices from the community together through storytelling.

After spending the last two and a half years behind the microphone listening to and sharing the stories of so many others, this episode offers something a little different: a chance to hear Christopher’s own story.

Today on the Floyd Memorial Library Podcast, I’m joined by Margaret Rose de Cruz for a conversation about healing, community, and our relationship with the world around us.

Born in Philadelphia to an Irish mother and Filipino father, both of whom worked in healthcare, Margaret’s journey has taken her from Philadelphia to Brooklyn and eventually to Greenport, where she settled in 2014. Since then, she has become involved in a wide range of community and environmental efforts, including the North Fork Environmental Council and the Repair Café at Floyd Memorial Library.

We talk about her family and upbringing, her journey into holistic healing, what brought her to Greenport, and what has inspired her commitment to community and environmental stewardship. We also look ahead to her hopes for the future of North Fork.

Today on the Floyd Memorial Library Podcast, we're joined by Ann Hurwitz, an educator and longtime member of the Southold community. Raised in New York City, Ann grew up with a strong connection to her family history and ancestry, while spending nearly every weekend throughout the year coming out to Southold.

Her professional life was spent in education, including many years at Bank Street School for Children in New York City. But the North Fork has remained a constant part of her life, eventually becoming a place where she would build deep community connections and become involved in the life of Southold.

In our conversation, Ann reflects on her family history and ancestry, growing up in New York City, and those many trips out to Southold that became such an important part of her life. We talk about her career in education, her involvement in the community, what she loves about the North Fork, and her hopes for the future of the place she has known and cared about for so many years.

Today we're joined by Mary Korpi, author of The Lady Lighthouse Keeper and a docent at Horton Point Lighthouse. Through her work welcoming visitors and sharing the history of one of the North Fork's most recognizable landmarks, Mary developed a fascination with Stella Prince, the only woman to serve as lighthouse keeper at Horton Point. That research eventually became The Lady Lighthouse Keeper, a historical novel that has introduced readers to Stella's remarkable story and helped preserve an important chapter of local history.

Mary's story is also a reminder that places like Horton Point Lighthouse are sustained not only by their history, but by the dedicated volunteers who give their time to welcome visitors, share local stories, and preserve these landmarks for future generations. Their commitment keeps the lighthouse and the stories it holds alive.

In our conversation, Mary reflects on her life and background, the path that eventually brought her to the North Fork, and how she became involved with Horton Point Lighthouse. We also discuss the inspiration behind her book, the research that brought Stella Prince's story to life, and why preserving local history continues to matter for future generations.

Today we're joined by Mark Moffett, an entomologist, explorer, author, and photographer whose work has taken him around the world studying the complex societies created by animals. From ants in the desert to elephants in Africa, wolves in Yellowstone, bats in Trinidad, and sea turtles along the Georgia coast, Mark has spent decades observing animals in their natural environments and asking what holds their societies together.

Known for combining scientific research with a remarkable sense of adventure, Mark has explored some of the world's most remote environments, often spending weeks or months patiently observing animals in the wild. His discoveries have appeared in major scientific and popular publications, including The New York Times, and his photography has helped bring the hidden worlds of animals to audiences far beyond the scientific community.

In our conversation, we begin with Mark's childhood and the experiences that first sparked his fascination with the natural world. From there, we explore his many years of fieldwork, the discoveries that have stayed with him, what animal societies can teach us about our own communities, and what he hopes people will see differently about the natural world after looking at it through his eyes.

Today on the Floyd Memorial Library Podcast, we're joined by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, one of New York's longest-serving statewide elected officials. Since taking office in 2007, Comptroller DiNapoli has overseen the state's finances, safeguarded the New York State Common Retirement Fund, conducted audits of state agencies and local governments, and worked to promote transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility across New York.

A lifelong public servant, Comptroller DiNapoli began his career in the New York State Assembly, where he served for more than two decades before being elected Comptroller. Throughout his years in public office, he has worked with communities large and small, gaining a firsthand understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing New Yorkers in every corner of the state.

In our conversation, we begin with his early life and the experiences that inspired his commitment to public service before exploring the role of the State Comptroller and its impact on everyday New Yorkers. We also discuss the future of local communities, the importance of transparency in government, the vital role public libraries play in civic life, and what continues to give him hope for the future of New York State.

Today we're joined by Allan Wexler, an artist whose work exists at the intersection of art, architecture, design, and everyday life. Raised in Connecticut, Allan developed an early fascination with the built environment and the ordinary objects that shape our daily routines. Over the course of a career spanning more than five decades, he has created sculptures, installations, and conceptual works that challenge the boundaries between art and function.

Working with familiar materials and domestic forms, Allan transforms furniture, tools, and everyday spaces into thought-provoking works that ask us to reconsider how we live and interact with the world around us. His work has been exhibited internationally and is represented in numerous museum and public collections, earning recognition for its unique blend of artistic vision and practical design.

Now a longtime resident of the North Fork, Allan reflects on the experiences that shaped his creative life, the evolution of his work, and the changes he has witnessed on the East End over the years. Through this conversation, we explore not only an artistic career, but a lifetime spent observing, building, and reimagining the spaces we inhabit.

Today I’m joined by Carole Monsell for a conversation deeply rooted in the history and spirit of Greenport. We talk about her family ancestry and the generations of connections her family has to the village, along with what it was like growing up in Greenport and watching the area evolve into what it is today.

Carole shares memories from her school years, the changes she’s witnessed throughout the North Fork over the decades, and how her lifelong love of local history eventually led her to become president of the Stirling Historical Society. We also discuss the important work the organization is doing today, from preserving Greenport’s history to creating new programs, events, and opportunities that connect the community to its past.