Evening Lecture Series: July Events

All programs at the Vineyard Haven Public Library are free and open to the public. Please join us!

Tuesday July 7, 7PM
Dr. Yosef Glassman: Medical Cannabis -- From the Bible to Boston
Dr. Glassman is the new Hospitalist at the MV Hospital and also specializes in Geriatric Medicine. He has come across some unique treatments in his study of medicine.  Join us for some new insights in using Cannibis to treat a number of medical conditions.

Tuesday July 14, 7PM
Movie Night: To Kill a Mockingbird
Go Set a Watchman was the novel Harper Lee first submitted to her publishers, before To Kill a Mockingbird. Assumed to have been lost, the manuscript was discovered in late 2014. Go Set a Watchman features many of the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird some 20 years later.  To celebrate the publication of Go Set a Watchman on July 14th, 2015,  we will show the award winning film version of To Kill a Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck.

Tuesday July 21, 7PM
Michael Blanchard: Fighting for My Life
Author and Photographer Michael Blanchard has been capturing images of Martha’s Vineyard for the last 3 years.  Mike’s passion for photography paralleled his first steps toward recovery from alcohol addiction as described in his new book Fighting for My Life:  Finding Hope and Serenity on Martha’s Vineyard. Michael will have some of his photographs on display in the Art in the Stacks Gallery during the month of July.

Tuesday July 28, 7PM
Tom Dunlop: Reflections on Martha's Vineyard
William A. Caldwell was already a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his work as editor of a New Jersey newspaper when he moved to the Martha's Vineyard in 1972. For the next 12 years, he wrote a column for the Vineyard Gazette called Reflections of That Man Friday. Reflections on Martha's Vineyard, edited by Tom Dunlop, is a collection of those brilliant essays. Whether funny or critical, angry or compassionate, they are irrefutably logical but often philosophically surprising. Tom will present some of the essays from the collection.

Sunday with Friends: Rose Styron

On Sunday, July 12th at 2pm, the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library are pleased to present an afternoon honoring poet Rose Styron, who will read from her work. Ms. Styron will be introduced by special guest Jorie Graham. This event is free, and refreshments will be served. The library will open at 1:30 pm for this event.

Rose Styron, poet and international human rights activist, has published three books of poetry: From
Summer to Summer (1965), Thieves’ Afternoon (1973), and By Vineyard Light (1995). She has collaborated on translations of two books of Russian poetry, and contributed a chapter to the book Unholy Ghost: Writers on Depression. In 2012, she edited a volume of the selected letters of her husband William Styron. Her work has appeared in Harper’s, the Yale Review, the Hopkins Review, and American Poetry Review among many other distinguished periodicals. In 2009 and 2010 Ms. Styron was a resident fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics and its Carr Center for Human Rights. She has chaired PEN’s Freedom To Write Committee and the RFK Human Rights Award, and serves on the board of the American Academy of Poets.

The Friends of the Library support a variety of programs for both adults and children throughout the year, including an annual summer event honoring a local author. Past honorees have included Geraldine Brooks, Art Buchwald, Stephen Carter, Phil Craig, Jules Feiffer, Lillian Hellman, John Hough, Jr., Ward Just, David McCullough, Cynthia Riggs, and William Styron.  For more information contact the Vineyard Haven Public Library, (508) 696-4211.

Summer Reading for Kids, Teens, and Grownups at VH Library

Registration for the Summer Reading Program at the Vineyard Haven Public Library begins Monday, June 29th, 2015. Children may visit the library to sign up, log the books they read, and earn prizes including a T-shirt and gift certificates from local businesses. Teens ages 12 to 18 can register online, then visit the library to claim a prize just for signing up.

The Martha's Vineyard Library Association is hosting a special event to kick off the Summer Reading Program. On Saturday, June 27th, Jungle Jim will perform at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury. This fun event for the entire family will feature entertainment and face painting. Jungle Jim's performance will include storytelling, magic, improv and amazing balloons. Doors open at 10:30am; performance at 11am. Admission is $3; face painting is $1. (This event has been cancelled)

Free programs for children this summer will include a visit by storybook character Pete the Cat, musical story times with Jeremy Berlin, Ellen Allard, Joyce Maxner, and Sara Piazza, and a drumming workshop with Rick Bausman. Older children can participate in weekly crafting and building programs, Wii gaming, and lantern painting for Illumination Night. Details will be available at the library and on our website, www.vhlibrary.org.

For the fifth year, the Vineyard Haven Library is offering a Summer Reading Program for “Grownups”. Adults who keep track of their summer reading will be eligible to win a gift certificate and other prizes sponsored by the Friends of the Library. To participate, patrons should create an online account by visiting the library homepage. Patrons may log the books they read over the summer, write reviews, and register for prizes.

The summer reading program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the Massachusetts Library System, the Boston Bruins, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Programs for children at Vineyard Haven Public Library are supported by the Friends of the Library and are free for participants. Reading incentives have been provided by Bob's Pizza, The Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, Capawock Movie Theatre, Island Cove Mini Golf, Murdick's Fudge, Tisberry, The Toy Box at Tisbury Marketplace, and the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library.

Images are copyrighted. Contact the CSLP at 1-866-657-8556 or contact@cslpreads.org for more information.Summer Reading

Upcoming Dates for the Sustainable Book Club

Please join this island-wide book group, reading and discussing books that examine our relationship with nature. The group is sponsored by Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and all six island libraries.


Thursday, February 19th 5:30pm
at Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
The End Of Night by Paul Bogard

Wednesday, April 29th 5:30pm
at Vineyard Haven Public Library
American Catch by Paul Greenberg

Wednesday, June 17th 5:30pm
at Chilmark Free Public Library
The World is Blue by Sylvia A. Earle

Thursday, August 27th 5:00pm
at West Tisbury Free Public Library
Where Our Food Comes From by Gary Paul Nabhan

Thursday, October 15th at 6:30pm
at Oak Bluffs Public Library
The Upcycle by William McDonough and Micael Braungart

December 16th 6:30pm
at Edgartown Public Library
The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

February 25th, 2016 at 5:30pm
at Aquinnah Public Library
The Human Age by Diane Ackerman

Please contact your local library or Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary for more information: 508-627-4850.