Virtual: Personal Writing Series with Caroline Joy Adams 2026

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to offer a series of personal writing workshops with writing instructor Caroline Joy Adams. The workshops will be held via Zoom on the first Thursday of each month from 2:00-3:30 pm, February through June. Topics include: Writing about Love, Writing a Mini-Memoir, The Mindful Art of Haiku, the Return of Spring, and Travel Writing. Click here to register for one or more of Caroline's workshops.

Writers of all experience levels, backgrounds, and interests are invited to attend this virtual series, where we’ll explore various topics and creative writing pathways in a supportive writing community. Writing may take the form of memoir, poetry, fiction, essays, or creative non-fiction; all forms are worthy of exploration. Participants may attend all five sessions, or only one or two. 

Caroline Joy Adams, M.Ed., has been leading workshops for the Vineyard Haven Public Library since 2019. She is the author of several published books, including Great Travel Questions for Fun Conversations. Dividing her time between the sunny Southwest and coastal New England, she has taught college-level writing and led hundreds of art and writing workshops in diverse locations across the country.

Whether online or in person, Caroline creates a relaxed, inclusive, and comfortable atmosphere in all of her classes. Her goal is to inspire everyone to ignite their creative writing energies and get their words flowing, whether they are just beginning or have been writing for many years.

Caroline’s Writing Workshops will take place via Zoom on the first Thursday of the month from 2:00-3:30 pm as follows:

Thursday, February 5th from 2:00-3:30 pm via Zoom – Writing About Love 

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to focus our creative energies on writing short love poems, love letters, tiny love stories, and more, perhaps in time to gift these well-crafted words to a loved one for this upcoming love-focused holiday. 

Thursday, March 5th from 2:00-3:30 pm via Zoom – Writing a Mini-Memoir 

This workshop will explore the art of writing a “Mini-memoir,” a brief bit of personal writing, usually just a few pages, that you can start, work on, and bring to completion in a very short time. The focus will be on a significant event or time in your life when you gained a deep insight, learned something valuable, or experienced something unusual or memorable that you may wish to share with others. 

Thursday, April 2nd from 2:00-3:30 pm via Zoom – The Mindful Art of Haiku 

In honor of National Poetry Month, this workshop will explore the Japanese tradition of writing short bits of memoir in the form of Haibun and Haiku poetry, something everyone can learn and produce excellent results from within a very short time.

Thursday, May 7th from 2:00-3:30 pm via Zoom – Writing About Nature 

Wherever we live—by the sea, in the mountains, or even in a big city—nature, in all its many aspects, has a powerful impact on our lives and unfolding life stories. This workshop offers a chance to contemplate. and then write about and share some of our most memorable, beautiful, dramatic, or surprising nature-focused experiences.

Thursday, June 4th from 2:00-3:30 pm via Zoom – The Great Travels Writing Workshop 

For those who love to travel, this fun, inspiring workshop offers a chance to contemplate, discuss, write about, and share some of our most memorable travel experiences and adventures—either those from recent times or from the long-ago past.

For more information, please contact the library at (508) 696-4211 or via email at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org. 

Family-Friendly "First Night" Celebration in Vineyard Haven!

 

For the first time in 25 years, Visit Vineyard Haven and the Youth Task Force (MV) are bringing back First Night! On December 31st, join us at Martha's Vineyard Playhouse in the Cultural District from 6 to 8 pm for a FREE, family-focused, and alcohol-free event! Event will feature crafting tables by non-profits across Martha's Vineyard, a DJ dance party upstairs in the theater, food & snacks, and a brand-new NEW Ball to drop at 8pm sharp!

Request a Text Message Reminder

Beach Befrienders Tisbury Beach Cleanup New Years Day CANCELLED

 Beach Befrienders Tisbury Beach Cleanup has been cancelled due to forecast storm, to be rescheduled

11 am - 1 pm Thursday January 1st at Tisbury Beaches

Tisbury beaches need our help! These winter winds have brought in a lot of debris so join us for our last 2025 cleanup to start the new year fresh and clean. Join Beach Befrienders at the Tashmoo Cut, Owen Park Beach, or Beach Road Landing from 11 am to 1 pm on Sunday December 28th Thursday January 1st, or help tally the trash at 1pm at the Tisbury EMS on Spring Street. Participants can get a free coffee/hot chocolate OR doughnut/muffin at The Black Dog - BYO mug!

Request a Text Message Reminder

Christmas Holiday Hours at Martha's Vineyard Libraries

Vineyard Haven Library will be CLOSED on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, December 24th and 25th. We will be open from 1pm to 5pm on Friday December 26th. Other libraries will also have holiday closures this week.

New! Free Access to the Boston Globe Online

The Martha's Vineyard Library Association, with support from Friends of Island Libraries, now provides free access to the Boston Globe Online for library patrons. To access the Boston Globe online click HERE and enter the required fields to create a Boston Globe account for unlimited 3-day access. 

• Enjoy up-to-the-moment access to Globe.com with no limit on the number of articles viewed.
• Access will be available for the next 3 days (72 hours). A limited number of passes may be issued each day.
• After 3 days, simply come back and click the above link again and register again to regain access.
• This resource requires you to create a free temporary account.  You may use this login and password for every future visit to the Boston Globe online.

Martha's Vineyard Library patrons also have free access to the New York Times and the Washington Post online. For details on accessing these resources please visit https://www.vhlibrary.org/econtent.shtml

Prefer to read the news in print? Visit the Church Street Library where we receive daily delivery of the Boston, Globe, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and more than 50 magazines. Newspapers are for library use only, but most magazines can be checked out.

Tick Ecology and Tickborne Disease Series Videos

Vineyard Haven Library has presented a series of informational programs on Tick Ecology and Tickborne Diseases, in collaboration with the Martha's Vineyard Tick Program. All programs have been recorded, and recordings are now available on the library's Vimeo channel in both English and Portuguese.

Topics include "Tick Ecology, Behavior, and Protection Measures," "Tickborne Diseases." "Navigating Medications and Alpha-gal Syndrome," and "How to Talk to Your Doctor About Alpha-gal Syndrome."

Visit our showcase here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/11413322

com áudio em português: https://vimeo.com/showcase/12018124

Handouts from some programs are also available by emailing the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org.

The Jeremy Berlin - Eric Johnson Duo

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to present an evening of music and community with local piano-guitar duo Jeremy Berlin and Eric Johnson. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, January 20th at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. No registration required.

The Jeremy Berlin - Eric Johnson Duo will play a mix of original songs, music from the Great American Songbook, and jazz treatments of some more modern fare. In the 25 years that Berlin and Johnson have been playing jazz together, the two have figured out the advantages and challenges of a piano/guitar duo, learning how to both accompany and complement one another, to create a full sound with dynamic interplay. 

For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.