Register for the 26th Annual 5k Run/Walk to The Chop!

Register for the 26th Annual 5k Run/Walk to The Chop!

All registered participants will be entered into a raffle drawing for gift certificates or Friends merchandise



This year, the Friends of Vineyard Haven Public Library's 26th Annual 5k Run/Walk to benefit the library will be a "hybrid" event, with both in-person and virtual "run on your own" options. Advance registration is strongly encouraged, visit runsignup.com.

[In-person] The traditional 5k event will be held at the library on Sunday, September 24th at 10 am. A free half-mile fun run for kids will be held at 9:45 am. The 5K course for this race begins next to the library on Greenwood Avenue, turning left onto Main Street and proceeding up Main Street to the West Chop Lighthouse, then returning down Main Street to the library. Registration for the in-person 5k is $30 and includes a t-shirt.

[Virtual] For those who prefer to run the race on their own time, register today, and go virtual -- run or walk a 5k anytime, anywhere, between now and September 30th. Your donation of $25 for the "virtual" option will help the Friends continue to support library programs and services in the coming year.

Thank you to our Race Sponsors: Cape Cod 5, Cronig's Market & Healthy Additions, Donnelly + Co., The Green Room, Island Source, Martha's Vineyard Bank, Miller Sederholm Law Office, andVineyard Grocer

End of Summer Movies and Crafts

Summer Reading ends September 8th! Be sure to come in and collect your prizes!

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

This week, join us at 3pm Monday through Friday for Movies and Crafts, and for our regular storytime schedule at 10:30am on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday!



All programs subject to change, please visit our online calendar for the most up-to-date information.

The Long Game: Longevity Series with Jim Lobley

The Longevity Series with Jim Lobley is a six month lecture series where we will explore the concept of deep health, a holistic approach to well-being that encompasses the five pillars of longevity: movement, nutrition, cognition, connection, and sleep. We'll delve into the science of aging and look at strategies for building a practice that optimizes our chances of living healthier for longer. All classes will be virtual with the option to view on the screen at the Chilmark Library. Wednesdays at 4 pm, monthly September through February.

Longevity: A Start-Up Guide (Sept 6th) Explore the concept of deep health, a holistic approach to well-being that encompasses the five pillars of longevity: movement, nutrition, cognition, connection, and sleep. We'll delve into the science of aging and look at strategies for building a practice that optimizes our chances of living healthier for longer.

Mobility: Freeing the Body for Movement (Oct 4th) In this session, we will delve into the crucial topic of mobility and how our habitual sitting and standing postures can impact our freedom of movement. Discover the underlying reasons behind these limitations on a physical and soft tissue level, and gain insight into how to counteracting these restrictive patterns. Whether it's preventing injuries or simply alleviating physical discomfort, we will explore practical techniques to enhance our ability to move freely.

Stress, Sleep, and Recovery (Nov 1st) We know that sleep is essential for so many aspects of our long-term health, and yet it seems the least tractable of the longevity practices. In this session, we’ll unravel the intricate relationship between stress, sleep, and recovery, and how they impact our well-being. We’ll talk about how stress can disrupt your sleep patterns and hinder your body's ability to recover effectively, and discuss practical strategies to manage stress levels, improve sleep quality, and optimize the recovery process.

How to Train Your Balance (Dec 6th)  Balance training is great for anyone! It’s particularly important for athletes and anyone over 50. Dynamic balance training goes much further than just being able to stand on one foot. It trains the whole balance system including your core and nervous system, making your body more stable, responsive and resilient. I’ll explain the basics of balance training and show you how to design your own balance practice.

Eating for Longevity (Jan 3rd) In this session we explore the vital connection between metabolic health and longevity. Discover the recommendations of leading scientists and nutritionists on eating for longevity, with a special focus on the renowned Mediterranean diet. We'll dive into practical examples of what a longevity-focused meal looks like, discuss supplements that boost our "longevity genes," and explore the potential benefits of intermittent fasting.

Smart Body – Healthy Brain: Movement for brain health (Feb 7th)  Moving is one of the best things we can do for our brains. This lecture focuses on 4 important areas of cognition – executive function, attention, memory, and processing speed – and how each of these can be strengthened through specific types of movement. I’ll explain the science, show you how to maximize the brain health benefits of your current workout, and discuss other practices that have been shown to contribute to cognitive longevity.

Jim Lobley is a certified personal trainer and longevity coach in private practice in Northampton, and the founder/director of The Long Game, an online learning and training platform for longevity. He is also a Certified Brain Health Trainer through the Functional Aging Institute, and has an MA in Dance/Movement Therapy from NYU.

Sponsored by the Chilmark and Vineyard Haven Public Libraries. Please contact the library for Zoom link. 

Tolstoy's War and Peace with Phil Weinstein

Beginning in September, Philip Weinstein, the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of Literature at Swarthmore College, will present a six-part seminar on Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, 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. 

The class will take place every two weeks on Mondays from 7:00-8:30 pm, September 18th, October 2nd, October 23rd, November 6th, November 20th, and December 4th.

To register through the library, visit https://bit.ly/3su4UMw. Zoom login will be sent to registered library participants prior to the first session in September. A limited number of copies of the book will be available for pickup at the library, or can be requested through CLAMS: https://library.clamsnet.org/Record/205597

At a time when most Americans have trouble thinking positively about Russia, it may be productive to launch a six-part engagement with Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Our aim is to come to grips with the literary dimensions of Tolstoy’s big book, not with the problematic history of post-Tolstoyan Russia in the last hundred years. That said, it is not surprising that Lenin was deeply interested in Tolstoy and wrote brilliantly about him. More, Tolstoy’s abiding concerns—the drama of class differences and commonalities, Russia’s relation to European culture and powers, among others—continue to resonate long after his death in 1910. 

"Not a novel," Tolstoy said about his epic novel, yet his refusal of novelistic norms does not keep War and Peace from being a supreme example of 19th-century Western fiction. Realistic, recognizable, filled with intricate and sympathetic characters, this novel does what great novels do: it informs, enlarges, deepens, and entertains its readers. It also does more: it seeks not just to rewrite history but to articulate a philosophy of history, intermingling the real and the invented in ways that baffled Tolstoy's critics. Reading 200 pages per session (every two weeks, for three months), we shall take the time necessary to try to do justice to Tolstoy's masterpiece.

Beginning in January, Professor Weinstein will present an additional seminar with Vineyard Haven Library, "Known and Unknown Worlds: Fictions of the 21st Century." Texts for this course will include works by Jonathan Franzen, W.G. Sebald, Edward P Jones, Jennifer Egan, Ann Patchett, and Colum McCann. Additional details to be announced.

Philip M. Weinstein is Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English Emeritus at Swarthmore College. His numerous publications include Faulkner’s Subject: A Cosmos No One Owns (1992), What Else But Love? The Ordeal of Race in Faulkner and Morrison (1996), and Becoming Faulkner (2009). His newest book is a collection of essays entitled Soul-Error (2022). Professor Weinstein has been offering literary seminars in cooperation with the Vineyard Haven Public Library since 2012, and is the Honorary Co-Chair of the Capital Campaign for Vineyard Haven Library's expansion and renovation project.

Sept 10th Vineyard Haven's "Writer's Row," a Literary Walking Tour

 PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE TO SUNDAY, SEPT 10th

Take a stroll through Vineyard Haven and West Chop and hear stories about some great American writers who lived there: William Styron, Lillian Hellman, John Hersey, and Art Buchwald, with sprinkling of neighbor Mike Wallace. This tour features the former homes (from a distance along Main Street) and favorite haunts of these amazing accomplished writers, their friendships and Vineyard stories. Tour ends at the 1790’s historic graveyard on West Chop where 4 of the 5 writers are buried! Led by Native Islander and Amateur Historian Wayne Nichols. No registration or sign up required. Meet in front of the Bandstand at Owen Park off Main Street, Vineyard Haven, 4:30 to 6 pm, Sunday September 10th 3rd. 

New Challenge Grant for Library Capital Campaign

The Vineyard Haven Public Library Building Fund, Inc. (VHPLBFI) is pleased to announce a $150,000 challenge grant for the library capital campaign. The campaign will fund construction of an addition to the library building to house an accessible multi-purpose community meeting room.

To date, the VHPLBFI has raised more than $1.4 million towards the $2 million capital campaign goal. Now a generous island family has offered a matching grant to help reach the fundraising goal by the end of the year. For every $3,000 donated to the campaign now, $1,000 in matching funds will be donated, up to $150,000 in matching funds for $450,000 in new gifts.

To further add to the value of this project, Tisbury voters at recent Town Meetings approved $1 million dollars in funding for repairs and renovations for the existing library building, which can be undertaken at the same time as construction of the addition in order to achieve cost savings and limit interruptions to library services. The Library's Building Committee is now working with the Town to hire an owner's project manager to oversee the combined renovation and addition project. With funding in place, the library will be able to begin construction in 2024.

The renovation and addition will include environmental upgrades for sustainability, much needed storage, and flexible meeting facilities that will position the library to deliver optimal services for years to come. The project will also include a renovated and expanded reading room, and a new interpretation of the Margaret Webster Shakespeare Garden which was lost with the library's last expansion in 2000.

The planned facility will be used for classes, lectures, films, entertainers, literary and other cultural programs for all ages, that will be open to the public and free of charge. In the past decade the library has experienced more than 300% growth in attendance at adult programs, and regularly hosts several thousand program attendees of all ages, with more than 40 events taking place each month.

Donations can be made online on the library’s website at www.vhlibrarybuildingfund.org or checks sent to VHPLBFI, PO Box 4961, Vineyard Haven MA 02568. Pledge forms and more detailed information about the capital campaign and building project are available at www.vhlibrarybuildingfund.org.

Family Friendly Concert with Rolie Polie Guacamole

Martha's Vineyard libraries present a family-friendly concert with Brooklyn's "kindie" rock band Rolie Polie Guacamole, at 3:00 pm Tuesday, August 22nd at the bandstand in Owen Park. Rolie Polie Guacamole's high energy, interactive shows are a mix of funk, rock, and folk music mashed into original tunes about natural living, eating healthy, and staying active. This free event is made possible by the Martha’s Vineyard Library Association and supported by the MV Cultural Council.  

Rolie Polie Guacamole lays claim to being the one of the hardest working bands in kids’ music, and that just might be true. They’ve released six albums and played well over 2,000 shows nationwide since hitting the boards with their first performance in 2007, receiving top picks from Boston.com, Time Out NY Kids, and Time Out Chicago.

Winner of the prestigious Parents’ Choice® and NAPPA Awards, Rolie Polie Guacamole has developed a smart, parent-friendly musical style that dresses up original tunes and classic covers with vibrant harmonies and deft instrumental layers, plugging in a sizzling electric current of rhythm that lights up lyrics humming with relevance and humor.

Free Online Newspaper Access, At Home or In the Library

You can now access the New York Times and Washington Post online for free using your library card. The links below will take you to library landing page where you can sign in for unlimited access to the newspaper website with a 3-day or 7-day pass -- you can renew your pass whenever needed by returning to the library website. Library newspaper passes will allow you to access this content anywhere you have internet access, on any device. This free access is made possible by the Martha's Vineyard Library Association with support from Friends of island libraries.

To access the Washington Post online HERE and enter the required fields to create a Washington Post account for unlimited 7-day access. Renew your seven day pass by returning to the library website. You may use this login and password for every future visit to the Washington Post online.



To access New York Times online click HERE and enter the code c59d2806040934a2. Then create a username and password for unlimited 3-day access. Renew your three day pass by returning to the library website. You may use this login and password for every future visit to the New York Times online.
 

Singer/Songwriter Naomi Westwater Performs at the Katharine Cornell Theater

 

Free concert with award-winning singer/songwriter Naomi Westwater, 7pm Thursday August 24th

Vineyard Haven Library welcomes you back to the Katharine Cornell Theater for a free concert! Naomi Westwater (they/she) is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Massachusetts who you may have heard on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert. Their work combines folk music, poetry, and spirituality. Under the Radar Magazine describes one of Westwater's songs this way: “Feeling My Feelings’ sees Westwater once again pulling from their eclectic array of influences, from jazzy songstress legends like Ella Fitzgerald to indie folk mainstays like Wilco. The percussion skirts around the edges of the song while acrobatic guitar lines wind and enlace with Westwater’s smoky vocals.” You can see some of Westwater's videos by clicking here. 

Naomi  holds a Master of Music in Contemporary Performance and Production from Berklee College of Music and she is a part of The Club Passim Folk Collective. She was nominated for a 2021 and 2022 Boston Music Award for best singer-songwriter, and has been featured in Under The Radar, WBUR, Vanyaland, WGBH, Allston Pudding, and The Bluegrass Situation.

This event will be held at the historic Katharine Cornell Theater at 51 Spring Street, above the Tisbury Town Hall.