Memento Morrie with photographer Heather Pillar

Mitch Albom with Morrie on Tuesday October 3, 1995 © Heather Pillar

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome photographer and teacher Heather Pillar for a presentation about her photographic collaboration with Morrie Schwartz, subject of the best-selling memoir “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom. This event will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, September 19th, at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required.

In 1995, Heather Pillar collaborated with Morrie Schwartz to document Morrie during the last six months of his life struggling with ALS. The project illustrates Morrie's philosophies about death and dying through photographs Pillar made of him interacting with family, friends, and caregivers. Over a quarter-century later, Morrie's wisdom resonates with people around the world largely due to the best-selling memoir “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom. Morrie's warmth and vitality comes through in each photograph to illustrate love, loss and the power of community. Morrie taught people, including Heather, how to live fulfilling lives with love. “It is by facing fears of death that we learn how to live.” 

"Memento Morrie: Images of Love and Loss" published by Daylight Books will be available for purchase before and after the talk. The book includes 44 duotones and four outstanding essays from professionals in their own fields plus short stories from interviews with Morrie’s friends and family. Some images are paired with Morrie’s now famous aphorisms giving imagery to the bittersweet themes of end-of-life: building a caring community; friends; family; caregiving; self-care; spirituality; and death and beyond.

Heather Pillar, photographer and teacher, has lived, taught and photographed in seven countries over four continents during the past 25 years. Her personal and collaborative photographic projects reveal her ongoing interest in women, girls' education, and aging. Heather's photographs have been exhibited internationally as well as published in numerous newspapers and magazines, such as People Magazine and The Boston Globe, and in the books “The Wisdom of Morrie,” “Tuesdays with Morrie,” and “Morrie: In His Own Words.” Her work has also appeared on television (CBS Sunday Morning, Today Show) and online (NPR, Next Avenue [AARP], PBS’s Inside E Street). She is the author of “Memento Morrie: Images of Love and Loss” (Daylight Books, July 2024).

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

Open Mic Night: Where Dreams Come True!

Do you dream of performing on stage? 

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to announce a monthly Open Mic Night in collaboration with the Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District. The Open Mic Night will be held in the library’s new Community Room at 6:00 PM on the third Thursday of the month, beginning September 17th.

Each attendee may perform 1-2 songs or pieces in a genre of their choice, be it music, dance, drama, or the spoken word. Free and open to the public. Sign up on arrival. No registration required.

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

2026 Great Reads Community Discussion: “Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity” by Joseph Lee

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to host a community-wide discussion about the 2026 Massachusetts Great Reads title “Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity” by Joseph Lee. This program will be held in collaboration with the Aquinnah Cultural Center at 2:00 PM on Thursday, September 17th, at the 200 Main Street Library or via Zoom. Click here to register.  

This discussion series is part of the 2026 Great Reads MA program, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book. The first 20 registered participants will receive a free copy of the book. All registrants will be invited to the Vineyard Haven Library to participate in a statewide, virtual Q&A with author Joseph Lee at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, September 29th. 

About the book: 

Before Martha’s Vineyard became one of the most iconic vacation destinations in the country, it was home to the Wampanoag people. Today, as tourists flock to the idyllic beaches, the island has become increasingly unaffordable for tribal members, with nearly three-quarters now living off-island. Growing up Aquinnah Wampanoag, journalist Joseph Lee grappled with what this situation meant for his tribe, how the community can continue to grow, and more broadly, what it means to be Indigenous.

About the author:

Joseph Lee is an Aquinnah Wampanoag writer based in New York City. He has an MFA from Columbia University and teaches creative writing at Mercy University. His writing has been published in The Guardian, BuzzFeed News, Vox, Electric Literature, High Country News, and more. He was a Margins Fellow at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and a Senior Indigenous Affairs Fellow at Grist. He has won multiple awards from the Indigenous Journalists Association for environmental coverage, health coverage, and beat reporting and was awarded a 2024 Silvers Grant for Work in Progress. 

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

The Margaret Webster Shakespeare Garden at Vineyard Haven Public Library

The Margaret Webster Shakespeare Garden at Vineyard Haven Public Library

Prior to the last library renovation in 1999, a feature of the library's landscaping was a "Shakespeare Garden" dedicated in 1976 to Margaret Webster, American-British theater actress, producer and director. The garden was laid out in an oval roughly 19’ in diameter, planted with herbs and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare’s works. The centerpiece of the garden was a bronze sculpture by Priscilla Pattison, given by Ms. Webster in memory of her partner Jane Brundred. During the 1999 library renovation, a Landscaping Committee created a plan for the library grounds that did not preserve the Shakespeare Garden, opting for landscaping that was lower-maintenance and that included a more functional patio area.

1975 Plan for the Shakespeare Garden at the library

The Shakespeare Garden as it appeared in the 1990s

The 2026 library renovation included a new interpretation of the Margaret Webster Shakespeare Garden designed by renowned landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.  The new design increases accessibility and improves interaction between the community room, reading room, and garden space, and provides greater visibility for the Pattison Sculpture, which had been obscured by plantings following the 1999 renovation. The grounds of the library again feature plants mentioned in the works of Shakespeare or associated with the bard. The courtyard restoration, as well as the “reading lawn” and porch in front of the library, were funded in part by the citizens of Tisbury through the Community Preservation Act.

Shakespeare Garden Plants featured in the restored landscaping:

Cherry 

MND III, ii

Daffodil

WT IV, iii

Elm

Errors II, ii

Grass

Temp II, i

Holly 

AYLI II, vii

Lilies

Sonnets 94

Rose

RJ II, ii

Rosemary

Ham IV, v

Thyme

MND II, i

Oth I, iii

Yew

Mac IV, i

Geranium

Geranium robertianum, commonly known as Herb-robert, is thought to have gained its name from an ancient association with Robin Goodfellow, a house goblin from English folklore also known as Puck, a character in Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Hellebore

In Elizabethan folklore, hellebore had the power to repel witches and evil spirits, so it was often planted near doorways. Alternatively, it was gathered after dark on Midsummer’s Eve, then dried and hung in houses and stables for protection.

Magnolia

The gardens of the Folger Shakespeare Library include a heritage magnolia tree planted at the time of the Folger’s 1932 opening, that was famously moved during the library’s renovation in 2020.

The restored courtyard featuring sculpture by Priscilla Pattison in August 2026

Update on Neurocognitive Disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease with Dr. Nicole Absar

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome back Dr. Nicole Absar, a specialist in Neurocognitive Disorders at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, for an update on neurocognitive disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. This event will be held on Tuesday, September 15th, at 6:00 PM at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required.

In the lead to World Alzheimer's Day on September 21st, Dr. Absar's lecture will focus on the updated differential diagnosis of various forms of major neurocognitive disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy body, and other types of non-Alzheimer’s dementia. She will also cover recent updates on Alzheimer’s disease including molecular biomarker-focused early diagnosis and treatment. 

Dr. Nicole Absar is certified in Cognitive/Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry with a subspecialty in Neurocognitive Disorders. She has treated cognitive neurological disorders in Massachusetts, Maryland, and New York, and currently provides neurocognitive and Alzheimer's disease services to patients at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. She has served as teaching faculty at Harvard Medical School, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Tufts Medical School, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and SUNY Stonybrook University Medical School. 

Dr Absar is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology as well as a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a member of the American Medical Association. A registered yoga teacher, she believes in Integrated Neuroscience and utilizes yoga, mindfulness and brain health as a modality for Cognitive Rehabilitation. She is a National Yoga Alliance certified educational provider in specialty yoga therapy for brain disorders. 

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

Meditation Workshop: The Light of Awareness 2–The Ancient Art of Zen Meditation and the 21st-Century Work of Byron Katie

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome back Jonathan Herrick, LCSW, for a second two-hour meditation workshop combining two powerful, pragmatic approaches that can reduce personal suffering and increase the capacity for happiness and love. This program will be held on Saturday, June 27th, from 10:00am-12:00pm at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. Interested patrons may register on the library’s event calendar. 

Building on the concepts and practices introduced at his June workshop, Jonathan will continue his exploration into the nature of awareness, providing participants with practical skills that can benefit their lives. The workshop will cover four primary Zen meditation practices as well as Byron Katie’s four-step “CBT on steroids,” demonstrating the similarities, differences, and strengths of each practice in the process. Suitable for newcomers as well as those who may have participated in Jonathan's previous workshops. Ample time is included for questions and answers.

Jonathan Herrick has been in private psychotherapy practice for over 40 years as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. After receiving his master’s degree from New York University, he trained extensively with some of the world’s foremost mentors and institutes, including a decade with Byron Katie, who asked him to write about her work's relationship to Zen Buddhism. Herrick also trained with leading Zen, Tibetan Buddhist, and Advaita Vedanta masters including Philip Kaplea, H.W.L. Poonja, Ramesh Balsekar, Jean Klein, and Anam Thubten. He has practiced and led workshops on the Psychology of Self in Westport, Park Slope, San Francisco, and now on Martha’s Vineyard.

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

Book Talk: Washashores Review, Volume 2

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome local authors Bernice McIntyre, Constance Belton Green, and Terri Potts-Chattaway for a reading and discussion from the “Washashores Review, Volume 2,” a literary anthology featuring over thirty pieces of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry connected to the theme of “wanting.” This event will be held at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, September 1st, at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required. 

 The “Washashores Review,” is a compilation of essays, short stories, and poems written by members of the Washashores Writers Collective, a diverse and vibrant sisterhood of Vineyard-connected writers. The anthology is published by the Washashores Writers Collective in partnership with the Featherstone Center for the Arts. Copies of the anthology will be available for purchase before and after the event, with proceeds supporting the Literary Arts Program at Featherstone.

Bernice K McIntyre is a retired attorney living on Martha’s Vineyard year-round since 2021. She has journaled since her teenage years and has written creative pieces. She previously served in numerous senior corporate legal and regulatory positions. Early in her legal career she served as commissioner, then chairperson of the Massachusetts Public Utility Commission. She was the first African American and first woman chairperson of this Commission. During her lengthy career as an environmental and energy lawyer she wrote numerous articles for publication in business journals. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College and her juris doctor from Boston University School of Law.

Constance Belton Green is an essayist. She is a former practicing attorney and college administrator. Her publications include “Still We Rise: African Americans at the University of Connecticut School of Law” and “The Trailblazing Bessye Bennett.” She is a contributing writer for the 2025 and 2026 Washashores Reviews. Green spends her time between Martha’s Vineyard, Connecticut and the New York City/ New Jersey areas. “Holding On and Letting Go,” Green's contribution to the Review, is a story about life transitions.

Terri Potts-Chattaway spent 20 years in the television industry which led to her writing and publishing her first book, “Journey to the Inner Light: The Life and Musical Voyage of Jay Chattaway, Star Trek, Jazz and Film Composer.” Terri is honored to be a member of the Washashores Writers Collective which has published two anthologies. Both her essay, “The Love of Catboats” and her poetry have been included in the Washashores Review, Volumes 1 and 2. She has also written for several international periodicals and has a sailing blog on her website, www.terripotts-chattaway.com. She is currently writing her memoir. 

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