The good news is that if you spent too much money at the fair, you can still afford Islanders Write. The writers’ festival, sponsored by the MV Times, which begins at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 18, is free.
The event I’ve been writing about in this column for much of the summer begins in a few days. Whether you’re an established or aspiring writer, an avid or sophisticated reader, the MV Times invites you to stop by the Featherstone Center for the Arts, attend a panel discussion and try out a writing workshop, or stay for the day’s offering of seven panels, six writing workshops, and a series of author readings.
As an event producer for Islanders Write, I am once again struck by the extraordinary number of talented writers who are on the island at any given time. I’m not just talking about all the Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling authors who circle the island; I’m talking about the self-published authors whose brilliant manuscripts haven’t yet found the right agent, the filmmakers whose works pack an emotional punch, the songwriters and poets who somehow see into our masked souls, and the list goes on.
We can safely say that Islanders Write is the only writers’ festival in the world where everyone who speaks there suffers from what we might call Vineyarditis. (Define that yourself, or send me your definition and we’ll post it at a later date.) They’ve all felt the magnetic pull of the Vineyard, whether they live here year-round, seasonally, or spend a week or two a year on the island.
We are extremely grateful to the writers and publishing professionals joining us at Islanders Write this year, including newcomers John Battelle, Victoria Bijur, Márcia De Castro Borges, Bill Eville, Marc Favreau, John Forté, Perry Garfinkel, James W. Jennings, Honor Moore, Dawn Porter, Dr. Ala Stanford, Nancy Star, Fred Waitzkin, and MV Times Publisher Charles Sennott.
And we are pleased to welcome back Nancy Slonim Aronie, Elizabeth Benedict, Elise Broach, Geraldine Brooks, Dawn Davis, Nicole Galland, Susan Golomb, Judith Hannan, Richard Michelson, Gregory Mone, Mathea Morais, Torrey Oberfest, Sherry Sidoti, Elisa M. Speranza, Adriana Stimola, Rosemary Stimola, Jennifer Smith Turner, Patricia J. Williams, and Gretchen Young. (I will also be participating in the conversation portion of the program again this year as part of a panel discussion.)
The launch event on Sunday evening will be a lively discussion about the search for truth in an era that has been called the post-truth era. Charles Sennott, editor of the MV Times, recently wrote in MV Arts & Ideas magazine: “We have seen the denial of facts about tobacco, climate change, vaccines and evolution for generations. Add in the very human phenomenon of cognitive biases and the way those biases are exploited by social media algorithms, and then combine that with the decline of traditional journalism and the rise of ‘fake news,’ and you find yourself in a perfect storm of modern history where truth is indeed being shaken by what feels like a Category 5 hurricane.”
Monday morning starts at 7:30am with Judith Hannan’s “Wake Up and Write!” workshop. Yes, it’s early – but isn’t that the best time to write? There are five more writing workshops throughout the day – on memoirs, crafts and advertising. And for the first time, there’s a writing workshop in Brazilian Portuguese.
Panel discussions begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue throughout the day. At this year’s event, we’ll explore using nontraditional narrative techniques, writing children’s books, memoirs and personal narratives with a purpose, essay writing, and getting published. The pitch panel—where six authors will pitch their book projects to publishing professionals in front of a live audience—will also return.
Edgartown Books will be selling books and hosting author readings. Scottish Bakehouse will be on site offering food and coffee – but there will be no credit card readers, so please bring cash.
We are delighted to be back at Featherstone, our home since 2019, and are grateful to Ann Smith and the whole Featherstone team for hosting us.
And now for the thing that won’t stop – COVID. We want you to be there, but if you’re experiencing symptoms or have tested positive, please wait until next year.
For more information about Islanders Write and a full schedule of the day’s events, visit islanderswrite.comIf you have any questions, please contact Kate Feiffer at [email protected].
