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.

Virtual Literary Lecture Series: "Gender Dramas" with Professor Philip Weinstein

 Professor Philip Weinstein, the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor Emeritus of English at Swarthmore College

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to announce "Gender Dramas," a seven-part virtual lecture series with Professor Philip Weinstein, the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor Emeritus of English at Swarthmore College. Beginning September 8th, Professor Weinstein will explore dramas of yearning and desire in three remarkable novels of the 19th and early 20th century: Flaubert’s Madame Bovary (1851), Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (1878), and Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway (1925). This virtual lecture series will be held via Zoom from 7:00 - 8:30 pm on the following Tuesdays: Sept. 8, Sept. 22, Oct. 6, Oct. 27, Nov. 10, Dec. 1, and Dec. 15. 

Gender Dramas will be hosted on Zoom by Lifelong Learning Swarthmore. Professor Weinstein and Lifelong Learning Swarthmore have generously arranged for Martha’s Vineyard library patrons to participate in this program at no charge. To sign up for complimentary access, patrons may register here. Login instructions will be sent to registered library participants prior to the first session. 

Lectures will be held from 7:00 - 8:30 pm on the following Tuesdays as follows:

Tuesday, Sept. 8, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Tuesday, Oct 6, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Tuesday, Oct 27, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Tuesday, Nov 10, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Tuesday, Dec 1, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Tuesday, Dec 15, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

“What does a woman want?” Freud’s famous question has been asked — and in strikingly different ways illuminated — by writers well before and after Freud. We shall explore dramas of yearning and desire in three remarkable novels of the 19th and early 20th century: Flaubert’s Madame Bovary (1851), Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (1878), and Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway (1925). The heroines in these novels memorably confront and engage gender norms operative in their culture. What light does each novel shed on the struggles engaged? How do the novels’ embodied stance toward such gender arrangements affect that light? Perhaps a third question as well: how does their way of dramatizing these issues provoke questions of your own? “Gender” serves as the fulcrum in this course description, but our aim goes beyond any set of “prescriptions” or “proscriptions.” Rather, it is to do justice to each writer’s creative take on the drama of yearning and desire.

Philip Weinstein earned his PhD in English from Harvard University, staying on to teach at Harvard for the next 3 years. He then accepted a position at Swarthmore, where he remained for over 40 years, becoming the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English. He has written several books of literary criticism, many focused on Faulkner, including “Becoming Faulkner: The Art and Life of William Faulkner,” which won the Hugh Holman Award for the best book of literary scholarship or literary criticism in the field of southern literature published in 2010. In 2015, Weinstein retired from Swarthmore and moved to Martha’s Vineyard full-time. Since then, he’s gone on to write three more books and to continue teaching adults through the Vineyard Haven Public Library, Swarthmore Lifelong Learning, and the 92nd Street Y in New York.

Author Talk - “Numinosity: A New England Forester’s Search for the Ineffable” by Bob Perschel

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Vineyard resident and professional forester Bob Perschel for a talk about his fifty-year quest in pursuit of something larger than all of us, a quest documented in his new book, “Numinosity: A New England Forester’s Search for the Ineffable.” This event will be held at 4:00 PM on Friday, September 4th, at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required.

“Numinosity: A New England Forester’s Search for the Ineffable” is a collection of stories and poems offering a rare and moving account of what happens when deep scientific knowledge of the forest meets a search for transcendence within it. Drawing on Jungian concepts of the numinous, those encounters with an awe-inspiring force that defies full articulation, Perschel’s poems emerge from the lived intimacy of forest work: marking timber alone in winter woods, listening to the life cycle of an ancient oak, and reckoning with the weight of human impact on a landscape. The result is a collection that is both deeply personal and urgently ecological.

The collection is organized into three thematic sections. The first, Forestry, explores the spiritual and ethical dimensions of forest stewardship through poems including “Marking Timber,” “Lie Down: A Forester’s Directive,” and “The Last Twitch.”  The second section, Life, reveals how the natural world can provide meaning and weave its influence through our lives with poems such as “Meeting the Green Lady”, “The Place Where Life Begins”, and “Snake River Bar.”   The third section, Climate Change, confronts the moral stakes of the current environmental crisis with poems such as “Epistle to Left on the Earth,” “J.D. Skis Ukraine,” and “Memo to a Prospective Leader.”

Robert T. Perschel has helped conserve six million acres of New England’s forests during a four-decade career as a professional forester. He chaired the 53-member Northern Forest Alliance and co-founded the Forest Stewards Guild, a national organization of ecologically focused foresters. As Executive Director of the New England Forestry Foundation, he led the creation of Exemplary Forestry standards that use climate-smart management to offset significant regional carbon emissions. He holds a Psychology degree from Yale College (1973) and a Masters of Forestry Science from the Yale School of the Environment (1979). Bob lives in an oak forest on the north shore of Martha’s Vineyard.

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