Our Team
Marc R. Christensen
The first time I stepped off the ferry in the Pines, I was here for a day trip. I spent the next five years cultivating knowledge of the Pines, both past and present. My time on Fire Island has been a transformative adventure. The Pines is where I have come to know myself fully. It’s where I found my soulmates (yes, plural). It is also where I have learned the most about queer history and continue to develop ways of capturing queer stories.
Tea Preference: Chamomile + Honey
editor in chief | (he/him)
It started with my friend, Ben, getting me to my first gay bar in Philly and bringing me out on my first trip to the Pines. It was a shared room for the weekend, and I had no expectations. I went in blind and had no idea what to expect: Roman catholic first-generation Italian, all-boys prep school, closeted, conservative, on Fire Island. I don’t remember the house, but I know it was on the west end. I have a familiar feeling of being back there, but I will never know, and that’s ok. I wore my first speedo; thank you, Ray.
Tea Preference: I got conned once in China…one can of tea and $900 later for what should have cost $5. My life has never been the same. I love my tea now, but I always read the ingredients and I like to know who’s serving it.
chief executive officer | (he/him)
Nick Ammaturo
My first trip to the Island was on a Books and Boys book club retreat. It was during the first summer of the pandemic, so there weren't any events happening and very few gatherings. We got to experience the island as a quiet and beautiful getaway from the stresses and worries of what NYC quarantine had become. We still wore our masks on the boardwalks and limited our groups, but it allowed us a much-needed moment to relax, breathe, and experience queer community.
Tea Preference: Brewed extra strong with milk and honey.
editorial director | (he/him)
Chris Fucile
My Fire Island experience began as so many do: a quarter-share on Tuna Walk with my partner and a house full of friends who were all looking to escape the city for five long weekends during the summer. Jump to a few years later and we're homeowners who spend most of our time on the Island, whether summer or winter. I'm a volunteer with the Fire Island Pines Fire Department, and I am proud to be protecting the Island that I now call home.
Tea preference: Hot, and I'm a bit of a brand loyalist for anything from Harney & Sons, especially their Paris and SOHO blends. No sugar or cream needed.
design director | (he/him)
Stephen Moss
I had my first trip to Fire Island recently! I was blown away by the sheer beauty and sense of community. The rich history of the island was palpable and can’t wait to explore more!
Tea Preference: Ginger + Honey
audio editor | fire island: the tea | (he/him)
Zach Wachter
My first trip to Fire Island was to visit my best friend for the last weekend of October. As I navigated the train to the shuttle to the ferry, I heard my friend's voice in my head: "Just follow the gays." Follow them I did, and boy, what a view! Once we docked, I knew Fire Island was different from any place I'd ever been. That night, we went to Sip 'N Twirl, the Halloween edition. The energy was exhilarating. I met cheerleaders, robots, and Top (and bottom) Chefs. If I didn't have the photos to prove it, I might not believe that it actually happened. That's how incredible it was.
The friends I have and the ones I've made during my time on the Island have truly shown me a genuine sense of community, acceptance, and above all, love, in every sense of the word.
Tea Preference: Hot, with cinnamon, a touch of lemon, and a touch of honey. It's a little spicy, a little sour, and a little sweet, just like me.
copy editor | (she/her)
Laura Radcliffe
At 18 years old, I got my first exposure to the Grove and the Pines, places that, even to this day, I can only describe as truly magical. I remember seeing gay and lesbian couples holding hands and exchanging kisses and hugs, groups of people going to the beach or various bars, and everyone somehow happy and able to be themselves. We started at the Ice Palace, and then after meeting up with some friends took my first walk through the Meat Rack, a place I didn’t understand the history of yet; I found it beautiful. Having no idea what was on the other side, I remember being so impressed at the beauty I found in the Pines. Every house felt made to look unique and well cared for. Walking along the beach, I couldn’t imagine who would be lucky enough to spend their summers here. The beach has always brought me so much peace, and this seemed to be an even more elevated space and much less populated than most beaches I had grown up frequenting. We made our way to the old Pavilion, and I can still remember the sea of beautiful bodies. We danced and laughed, and I had one of the best nights I could imagine having. When the night settled in, we returned to the Grove and took that bittersweet ferry ride back to Sayville. It was my first of many day trips to the Fire Island that year, and the feeling of magic grew in my heart each time. I still feel the same magic today, 20 years later, every time I step off the ferry and walk toward our home.
Tea Preference: Iced and sweet.
he/him | technology officer
Richard Margolius
What was meant to be *just* a day trip — as I’d heard the anecdote go for many others — grew into a three-day stay. I did it all: guzzled Red Bull, danced foolishly, stayed up past dawn, fucked on the boardwalk, fucked in the meat rack, fucked on the beach, and (somehow) found a room on Tuna Walk to crash in during my stay.
As for the writer in me, he was satiated as well. Complementary to the sun, surf, and boys, I also found air, space, and rest. On the hallowed boardwalks, I could wander and think to my heart’s content. On the endless stretch of beach, I could talk aloud and commune with the ghosts of my literary heroes. … For the first time — as a queer, overly-existential artist on a perpetual mission to make sense of the world — I felt unabashedly alive.
Listen, everyone’s Fire Island experience is different. But if there’s anything I can impart about what I think the Pines has to offer every person who takes their first ferry ride, well, it’s like the great poet Beyoncé once said:
Baby, all I want is to let it go
Ain't no worries, no
We can dance all night
Get me bodied
Tea Preference: Perhaps, the only thing vers about me. I’ll take it black, iced, creamed, sugared, caffeinated, or steeped. I only ask that a good conversation accompanies however many cups we pour.
oral history correspondent | (he/him, they/them)
Gianfranco Lentini
Social Media Manager | (he/they)
Silas Waller
My first trip to Fire Island was in 2018; I stayed in a cabin on Mosquito Lane - a no-man’s-land between Point O’ Wood and Cherry Grove. Every day I’d walk an hour down the beach to the Pines. It was a beautiful trip, and I definitely got all my steps in!
Tea preference: I take my tea with lots of honey.
My first trip to the Island was courtesy of our Fire Island team! Just this past May, the entire team met at the Naughty Pine, where the boys gave us a comprehensive experience of a weekend on Fire Island. From Showtunes at the Pavilion to lounging around the beach for hours, it was everything I imagined the Pines to be and then some. I don't have a direct connection to the Island, but I can say that it reminds me of my hometown on Cape Cod. Everybody knows each other, and it's a beautiful beach town where everyone is welcome.
Tea Preference: I take my tea like I like my men, incapable of loving me back.
studio production assistant | (he/him, they/them)