GAGE IRVING

     Gage was born in NYC. A descendant of Martin Beck, a sculptor and painter from Littitz Pa. she is also the niece of the belated Jane Peterson, a notable impressionist painter.  Gage's mother was a descendant of Henry DuPont  and a great-niece of Washington Irving. The literary giant had built his home on the banks of the Hudson river, and he named it Sunnyside. Gage's mother spent her childhood there. Years later, New York State purchased the magnificent estate from her grandfather, and now tours are conducted through the historical site. Living in Hastings on the Hudson until '67, the family purchased a house in Southampton on Long Island.

 

     Gage earned her BA from Goddard College in Plainview, Vermont in 1976, and in the following years she worked in a variety of different trades. Whether she was working at a ski resort, or enjoying her long stint as a commercial clammer on the East End of the Long Island, Gage Irving spent as much of her life outside in the natural world as she could. In the mid 80's, she won first prize for two years in a row, garnering second place on the third and final year of her submissions to the Westhampton Poetry Competition. Nevertheless, she couldn’t find the ultimate path to ‘find herself’.

 

            In 1988, at the age of 33, she was badly injured in a car accident. In a coma for over three weeks, the almost fatal brain injury left her epileptic for over two years. A life changing event, it was a clarion call for the forces inside and out to forcefully pull her out of her shell. She started a rock and roll band. Gage fell head of heels in love with the lead guitar player, marrying him in 2000. With her best friend and life partner at her side, she opened up every level of her creativity. Gage began to paint, and she worked part-time as an art teacher in the nearby town and soon after that, she turned her hand to writing fiction. Previously, she lived with her husband in a log home they had built on the North Fork of Long Island. After he passed away in 2017, she moved to Vero Beach, Florida.

 

 

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