"Food for Fines" Food Drive in February

Vineyard Haven Library will be holding a "Food for Fines" food drive throughout the month of February. During this time, pay your overdue fines with canned goods or healthy non-perishable food items (unopened, current items only, please check your expiration dates). This applies to late fines only and not to replacement charges for lost or damaged items.

The food collected will be given to the Island Food Pantry for distribution to those in need in our community. Suggested donation is one item for each $2 waived in fines.

Weather Related Closings

Vineyard Haven Public Library will be closed for the day on Tuesday January 27th and Wednesday January 28th.

A parking ban on public streets in Tisbury will remain in effect until 6PM Wednesday.

UPDATED: The Library will be open on Thursday January 29th at 10am but will close early at 5:30pm.

Martha's Vineyard Photography Club Forming at VH Library

The first meeting of the MV Photo Club will be held at Vineyard Haven Public Library on Thursday, February 5th, from 6pm-7:30pm. The focus of this meeting will be gathering interest and discussing the future shape the club will take.

The MV Photo Club is open and welcoming to photographers of all kinds and all levels. The goal is to establish a regular meeting place and time to share our work and our knowledge for the betterment of all photography on MV. Activities may include photo sharing, presentations on various aspects of photography (drawing on the expertise of our members and outside sources), and field trips, as well as other areas of group interest.

The club is being organized by Maria Thibodeau. For more information, contact Maria at mariathibodeau@gmail.com, and visit the club's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mvphotoclub.

Poetry Workshop with Lee H. McCormack Starts February 14th

CONTENT, IMAGINATION, & SPIRIT IN POETRY
A Winter Study Group Using Uncommon Threads To Map the Journey Through Matter
with Lee H. McCormack, Martha's Vineyard Poet Laureate, Emeritus

Hosted by The Vineyard Haven Public Library

8 sessions on Saturday afternoons from 2pm-4pm, beginning February 14th, and continuing on alternate Saturdays through May.

Intended to be an extended writing/study group meeting twice a month through winter until June, we will explore with each other, in order to grow as poets, writing poetry in depth by studying some important world poets (Transtromer, Machado, Rilke, Vallejo, Rumi, Celan, Milosz, Popa, Ristos, Alberti, Parra, for example), who have shaped and influenced original American poets, in hopes that participants will open up to greater dimensions and creative possibilities by stretching beyond more commonly studied poems and content, imagery, and imagination. Not intended to be academic or technical, it will focus primarily on aspects of writing poetry that will encourage experimentation in in-depth content, metaphor, and imagery, as well as finding original and unique ways to express this amazing experience of being a spirit moving in this journey through matter. It is hoped participants will be able to commit to it through the winter, as I see this as a growing group process to be shared, and hope we will do a reading of work produced at the end of May at the library.

Lee H. McCormack is a 43 year resident of the Vineyard who has been writing and studying poetry for 56 years. In 2012 he was chosen by the Martha's Vineyard Poetry Society as the first Martha's Vineyard poet Laureate. He has studied with Thomas Lux, Galway Kinnell, Charles Simic, Robert Pinsky, Sharon Olds, Peter Klappert, and others in his criminal pursuit of poetry. He is currently engaged in organizing three books of poetry for publication, writing, readings, and hosting poetry events on the Island, and looks forward to connecting with others in this winter study group.

Registration by February 14th is required. To sign up or for more details, contact Lee H. McCormack at 508-560-5071 or mydawgbeans@gmail.com.

Announcement of Community Vision Meeting

The Tisbury Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen will host a public meeting to review the findings of the vision planning, present action strategies based on the findings and seek community input on near and long-term actions. This meeting will identify projects and set a working agenda for elected officials, town committees and community groups.


The meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 28th at 7:00 pm at the Tisbury Senior Center, 34 Pine Tree Rd.  Community members are encouraged to attend this important meeting.  For more information see the vision planning web page on the Town’s website or email the board at visionplan@tisburyma.gov.

Request Tax Forms Be Mailed To You

The library has been notified that the IRS is not providing the usual level of tax forms and instructions this year because “IRS appropriations were significantly cut in the 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill recently passed by Congress.”


The only federal forms that will be available at the library will be 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ, forms only. Instruction books are not being provided to libraries this year.


If you need additional forms, including instructions, you can request that they be mailed to you.
You can obtain tax forms by:

Order forms be delivered by mail:
• http://www.irs.gov/orderforms
• Call 1-800-829-3676

Download from the IRS website:
• http://www.irs.gov/forms

Travels to Mongolia with Anita Hotchkiss

On Sunday, January 25th at 2PM, Anita Hotchkiss will share slides and impressions of her recent trip to Mongolia. She visited areas in northern Mongolia near the Siberian border, areas in central Mongolia and the Gobi desert in the south. Today’s Mongolia is a land of contrasts, where modern Uluumbataar exists side by side with nomadic life. This free event is sponsored by the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library, and refreshments will be served.

Anita Hotchkiss is an inveterate adventure traveler. Her travels have taken her to many countries around the world. She particularly likes trekking, and has summited Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Her latest trip took her to Mongolia. When not traveling Anita gives her time to various volunteer organizations and spends time with her husband Fred and grandchildren.

The Vineyard Haven Library is open from noon-4pm on Sundays throughout the winter, except for a few holiday weekends. As in past years, the Friends of the Library will be presenting a variety of special programs on Sunday afternoons, including lectures, performances, and free crafting programs for adults and teens. For more information visit the library's online event calendar.

Take the Tisbury Vision Planning Survey

The Tisbury Planning Board has created an online survey to gather community input as part of their on-going vision planning. This past fall, the Planning Board sponsored a series of community-based vision planning workshops. Through activities and facilitated discussion, participants identified shared community values, discussed concerns, considered our town’s special strengths, and then began to articulate a shared vision for the future. This survey further studies workshop findings and give those unable to attend the workshops an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas.

 Please use the link below to take the survey and share your thoughts with the planning board.

Go here to take the Tisbury Vision Planning Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tisbury_vision_plan

Go here to see our new Tisbury Vision Planning webpage:
http://www.tisburyma.gov/Pages/TisburyMA_VisionPlanning/index