One Bad Crab: Screening, Discussion & Green Crab Tasting!

The invasive green crab: nasty, but tasty!

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome environmental filmmaker Sandy Cannon-Brown, along with members of the MV Shellfish community, for a screening and discussion of the film, One Bad Crab, followed by a green crab appetizer prepared by Chef Galen of the Lambert's Cove Inn. Speakers to include: MV Shellfish Group Executive Director Emma Green-Beach, MV Shellfish Group Founder Rick Karney, GreenCrab.org Executive Director Mary Parks, and Tisbury Shellfish Constable Danielle Ewart. This event will be held at 4:00 pm on Friday, August 28th, at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required.

One Bad Crab is a 38-minute documentary film by environmental filmmaker Sandy Cannon-Brown, narrated by Nelson Sigelman. The Latin name for the European green crab, Carcinus maenas, translates as “raving mad crab", which gives some insight into the personality of this invasive crustacean with a voracious appetite that undermines valuable shellfish resources here on the Island. It's impossible to eliminate this fecund critter, but we can take advantage of its presence as a savory menu item. Chef Galen of the Lambert's Cove Inn will treat attendees to a green crab appetizer following the screening. 

Sandy Cannon-Brown, founder (1985) and president (1985-present) of VideoTakes, Inc., is an award-winning environmental filmmaker. Before moving to Martha's Vineyard in 2020, she lived in DC and St. Michaels, MD and made nine documentaries about subjects important to the Chesapeake Bay with writer Tom Horton and photographer Dave Harp. In 2025 the team was honored by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum with the prestigious Bay Heritage Award. Sandy was also an associate director for the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at American University, honored as CEF’s first senior scholar in 2013, and named AU’s adjunct professor of the year in 2011. Among her many other honors, Women in Film Video DC honored Sandy as a Woman of Vision in 1998. She served as WIFV’s president 2011-2012.

Emma Green-Beach is Executive Director of the MV Shellfish Group. Emma grew up in Oak Bluffs and fondly remembers gathering shellfish from Sengekontacket, Edgartown Great Pond and Wasque. She started with the MV Shellfish Group as seasonal staff in 2006 after receiving her B.S. in Biology at U Mass Dartmouth. She went on to earn a M.S. in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University in 2011. She joined MV Shellfish Group full-time in 2014 and became the Executive Director in 2017.

Rick Karney is Founder and Director Emeritus of the MV Shellfish Group. Rick came to the Island in the 1970s to create a shellfish management program that focuses on aquaculture to enhance public shellfish stock propagation. He also helped start the MV Shellfish Group, which celebrates its 50th year in 2026. His work with MVSG earned him the Gulf of Maine Visionary Award in 2001 for demonstrating "that shellfish aquaculture can be an environmentally and economically sustainable activity for coastal communities." Rick graduated from Rutgers University in 1972 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences.

Mary Parks is Executive Director of GreenCrab.org. Mary grew up in Penobscot Bay and first learned about the green crab's invasive impact from the surrounding lobstering and clamming community. After working in traceability for a commercial fish wholesaler in Boston, and learning more about bait markets for green crabs, she started asking what needed to be done to build a culinary market. In 2020, she went on to found GreenCrab.org: a nonprofit dedicated to building culinary markets for European green crab and spreading awareness of its invasive impact.

Danielle Ewart is the Tisbury Shellfish Constable. During the summer of 2004, between her freshman and sophomore years of college, Danielle worked as a summer deputy for the Town of Oak Bluffs and part-time at Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group. After graduating, she rose in the ranks to full-time deputy for the Town of Oak Bluffs. She became the Shellfish Constable for the neighboring Town of Tisbury in 2010.

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

Stories of Healthcare and Healing with Donna Bulseco and Ryn Gluckman

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Donna Bulseco, editor of “Where It Hurts: Dispatches from the Emotional Frontlines of Medicine,” and Ryn Gluckman, ER nursing director at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital, for a conversation about this newly released collection of essays, short stories, and poems. This event will be held at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, August 25th, at the Vineyard Haven Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required.

Health care workers see us all at our highest highs and our lowest lows. They’re heroes, healers, and confidants—but they’re also real people who struggle with burnout, doubt, frustration, fear, loneliness, shame, and anger. "Where It Hurts" (The Experiment; March 24, 2026; $18.95; Paperback; 979-8-89303-104-1) shares the stories of over sixty medical professionals, offering a window into the daily highlights and difficulties of the health-care industry. This collection of beautifully written poems and highly relatable essays and short stories paints health-care workers as real people, working every day in the spaces between health and illness, life and death. From funny stories (for instance, the story of a doctor who helps his patient find a cure, which, strangely enough, involves fajitas) to heart-rending and heart-mending tales of connection between doctors and patients, "Where It Hurts" shows us what it means to truly be human. 

From Grey’s Anatomy to The Pitt, our society has long been fascinated with stories of what it’s like to work in the high stress, high-stakes world of health care. According to the CDC, the health-care industry employs over twenty-two million workers, and "Where It Hurts" makes a great gift for anyone working in medicine—med school students, doctors, nurses, or EMTs. Literary and deeply moving, "Where It Hurts" reveals the challenges and triumphs of working in health care and invites us to live fully and empathize deeply with those around us.

DONNA BULSECO is a journalist and editor who holds graduate degrees in English from Brown University and in narrative medicine from Columbia University. Through the years, she has published work in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, InStyle, Self, and The Purist. As editor-in-chief of Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, a literary journal recognized as a leader in the medical humanities world, she works with an editorial board of clinicians, educators, and writers, who review and select from over one thousand submissions a year to produce the journal. She edited "Where It Hurts": Dispatches from the Emotional Frontlines of Medicine, a new anthology of work culled from the Intima Archives and published by NYC publisher, The Experiment, this year. 

RYN GLUCKMAN, BSN, RN has been an emergency nurse for over 18 years and is currently the Nurse Director of the Emergency Department (ED) at Martha's Vineyard Hospital. She received a nursing degree at the University of Massachusetts in 2008 and earned a BA in pre-law and sociology from Hampshire College in 2001. In addition to working as a frontline and nursing leader, Ryn has also served has an educator at the University of Vermont and faculty member in the Allied Health Program for the Community College of Vermont. Throughout her career Ryn has been committed to amplifying nursing voices and ethics, elevating nursing practice as a powerful tool for social change and centralizing the principles of justice, inclusion, and equity in nursing culture. She is currently a candidate for a master's degree in the Disaster Resilience Leadership Program at Tulane University, with a focus on alternative models of health care delivery. 

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

Library Renovation Project Updates

 

Update July 22nd, 2026

The library building at 200 Main Street has reopened! Please note that some services and collections will be unavailable due to ongoing site work and unpacking:

• We will continue to be closed on Mondays while minor building work continues.
• The courtyard and courtyard entrance to the library are not yet accessible.
• The study room is not yet available for reservations.
• Microfilm of the Vineyard Gazette is not currently available. In August we will have a new microfilm reader capable of digitizing pages.
• Public printing and computer use are limited but WiFi is available.
• Books shelved in the adult stacks on the lower level are not fully arranged in order so some items may be difficult to locate, but there are lots of books to browse!

Update July 16th, 2026

Our satellite library at 15 Church Street is closing today, Friday July 16th! If you have an item on hold you will be able to pick up today between 10am and 6pm. No other services are available today. If you are unable to pick up today, your items on hold will be available at 200 Main Street when we reopen. We tentatively plan to open the renovated building at 200 Main Street on Tuesday July 21st in the afternoon. Please check our website for confirmation of opening date and time. Please continue to return items using the book drop at Church Street, or just hold on to your items until we reopen the renovated building. 

Update July 10th, 2026

The Church Street Satellite Library is Closing! Saturday July 11th is  the last day the little library will be open for browsing and computer use. 

Starting Tuesday July 14th,  if you have an item waiting on hold, you can pick it up at the circulation desk at 15 Church Street, using the parking lot entrance, the front entrance and the rest of the building will be closed while we pack up. 

Please continue to return items using the book drop at Church Street, or just hold on to your items until we reopen the renovated building. We plan to open 200 Main Street on July 21st, with a grand opening celebration on Saturday July 25th!

Update July 4th, 2026

We are working hard to complete the renovated library as soon as possible for you to enjoy this summer! Our plan is to have the 200 Main Street building open by July 21st, though some services and collections may not be immediately available upon opening. The Church Street Library will remain open regular hours this week, but our schedule and services may be reduced as our move progresses. 

Update June 22nd, 2026

You will see moving trucks at the library building at 200 Main Street this week as we begin to move shelving fixtures back into the building. The project is nearing completion, but renovation work is ongoing. The Satellite Library at 15 Church Street will remain open in June, and a July reopening date will be announced soon!

Small Pieces from the Big Composers with Silas Berlin

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome pianist Silas Berlin for an evening of classical piano music. This event will be held at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, August 18th, at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required.

Silas will perform a wide array of eras and styles in short form composition, including preludes, etudes, and salon music by Chopin, Gershwin, Rachmaninoff and others. 

Raised on Martha's Vineyard, Silas currently lives in Seattle, where he teaches private piano lessons and performs when the occasion arises. Silas deeply values the opportunity to share music with the island community that itself places a deep value on music.

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

Cleo King's Open Mic

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to announce an evening of music, dance, drama, and the spoken word, emceed by acclaimed actress, Cleo King. This event will be held at 6:00 pm on Thursday, August 13th, at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required.

Participants are invited to perform in a genre of their choice: music, dance, drama, the spoken word, etc. A sign-up sheet will be available at the event. Each performer will be given 5 minutes to display their talent. Come to perform or sit back and enjoy the show. All are welcome. 

Cleo King is an accomplished actor, singer & dancer. She can be seen on such shows as Nemesis, Mike & Molly, Grey's Anatomy, CSI, NCIS, Lemony Snickets, Shameless, Mom, Young Sheldon, Monk, and Deadwood, among others.  On the big screen, she has acted in The Hangover, Pineapple Express, The Life of David Gale, National Security, Dreamgirls, and Magnolia. Her latest film is The Dink, where she plays a pickleball obsessed attorney. Cleo’s Broadway & touring credits include Chicken & Biscuits, Jelly's Last Jam, Ain't Misbehavin, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Big River, to name a few! Cleo hails from St Louis, Missouri, by way of New York, and has lived in Los Angeles since 1995.

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

Library "Soft" Opening July 21st: Concert with The Tristan Israel Band at 6pm

Tonight, Tuesday July 21st at 6pm, come to 200 Main Street for a sneak peek of our new community room!

Join The Tristan Israel Band for an evening of true “Americana” music, with roots in folk, rock, blues, and even some jazz. An island classic, The Tristan Israel Band plays mainly original tunes written by Tristan Israel, along with a few covers. The band is composed of Tristan Israel, Paul Thurlow and Nancy Jephcote. Tristan sings vocals and plays acoustic guitar and harmonica, while Paul plays bass, piano, keys, electric guitar, percussion and backing vocals, and Nancy Jephcote plays the fiddle. Free and open to the public. No registration required.

Doors will open for this event at 5:30 pm, and the library will not be open for other services.

LIBRARY HOURS THIS WEEK:

The renovated 200 Main Street Library will open regular hours starting at 10am tomorrow, Wednesday July 22nd!

GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION SATURDAY JULY 25TH:

Ribbon Cutting at 10 am
Join us for the official re-opening of the newly renovated library.

"Plant a Musical Seed" Family Performance at 11 am
Enjoy an upbeat, family-friendly concert with Musician Tom Sieling.

Cake and Refreshments starting at 12 noon
Celebrate the opening of the newly renovated library with cake and refreshments.

Exploring the Deep: Technology, Discovery, and the Future of Our Oceans

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Dr. Anna Michel, a Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Chief Scientist of the National Deep Submergence Facility, for a presentation on Technology, Discovery, and the Future of Our Oceans. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, August 4th, at the Vineyard Haven Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public. No registration required.

Earth is an ocean planet—more than 70% of our home is covered by water an average of 12,000 feet deep, most of it unseen and unexplored. Dr. Anna Michel’s journey into this unknown began in high school, when she joined the Jason Project and traveled to the Galápagos Islands. There, she piloted her first underwater robot, sparking a lifelong passion for ocean exploration.

Today, Dr. Michel is a Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Chief Scientist of the National Deep Submergence Facility. She develops new tools to monitor and understand the changing ocean. Her work takes her from the icy Canadian Arctic to track greenhouse gas emissions, to deep-sea volcanoes teeming with life, to coastal waters affected by microplastics. Whether three miles below the surface in the submersible Alvin or working with engineers in her lab, Dr. Michel is helping unlock the ocean’s secrets to better protect our blue planet.

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

 

War for the Dawnland: Reimagining King Philip's War

Philip, King of Mount Hope,
line engraving by Paul Revere
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Wôpanâak citizen and lifelong educator Brad Lopes for a Wôpanâak retelling of the events surrounding the historical conflict often referred to as King Philip’s War (1675 - 1678). This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, August 11th, at the Vineyard Haven Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public. No registration required.

The events commonly known by scholars and settlers as King Philip’s War (1675 - 1678) have been largely told through settler-colonial perspectives. Viewing events “from the land” instead of “from the boat,” participants will hear a retelling of the events leading up to, during, and after this historical conflict from a Wôpanâak perspective that takes into account written historical sources, oral history, and continued cultural epistemologies. The presentation will explore Metacom's (Philip’s) life, Indigenous resistance against English encroachment, violent and nefarious treatment by English settlers and courts, and the northern theater. Participants will come away with a greater understanding of the local and international context behind this war, often considered the bloodiest conflict in “American” history and a global moment of reverberation.

Brad Lopes is an Aquinnah Wampanoag citizen and life-long educator currently working within the traditional homelands of his people, the Wampanoag Nation. He currently serves as the Education Director for the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribal Education Department (TED) and as the Education and Public Programs Manager for the Aquinnah Cultural Center, an Aquinnah Wampanoag museum located on Nôepe (Martha's Vineyard). Brad has a degree in Secondary Education from the University of Maine Farmington, located in Wabanaki Homelands. After graduation, he went on to teach Social Studies for five years to students in grades 7 - 12. In his time in education, Brad has sought to decolonize the pedagogies, content, and ways of understanding education, including the ways in which public education can reinforce stereotypes and harmful understandings of Indigenous people.

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

Special Library Hours and Limited Services for July 14th-20th

 Library Hours for July 14th-20th

15 Church St Open for Holds Pickup and Book Returns Only

Tuesday July 14th: 10 am - 6 pm 
Wednesday July 15th: 10 am - 6 pm
Thursday July 16th: 10 am - 6 pm
BOTH LOCATIONS CLOSED Friday July 17th - Monday July 20th

Building Renovation Project Update

The Church Street Satellite Library is Closing! Today, Saturday July 11th, is the last day the little library will be open for browsing and computer use. Holds pickup will continue the following week, though hours are subject to change. 

Starting Tuesday July 14th,  if you have an item waiting on hold, you can pick it up at the circulation desk at 15 Church Street, using the parking lot entrance. The front entrance and the rest of the building will be closed while we pack up. Both library buildings will be closed from Friday July 17th through Monday July 20th.

Please continue to return items using the book drop in the Church Street parking lot, or just hold on to your items until we reopen the renovated building. We plan to re-open 200 Main Street in the afternoon on July 21st, with a concert in the new community room featuring the Tristan Israel Band at 6pm. A grand opening celebration will be held on Saturday July 25th! Continue to check our blog or follow us on Facebook for the latest information.

Download our Program Brochure or visit our event calendar

Author talk – Triage: A Novel by Elisa Speranza

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome local author Elisa Speranza for a conversation about her latest historical novel, “Triage.” This event will be held at 6:00 pm on Thursday, August 6th, at the Vineyard Haven Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven, with books available for sale by Edgartown Books. Free and open to the public, no registration required.

When the ghosts of war won’t stay buried, a former Army nurse must find a way to heal—or risk losing everything. In 1951 New Orleans, Laura Marino works as a nurse at Charity Hospital. She’s been home from World War II for six years, but peacetime has brought its own challenges. She’s frustrated at work, and her childless marriage to Nicholas, a surgeon she met in the Army, is strained. Laura is devastated when news arrives that Frances, her best friend from the front, has taken her own life. Turning to the wartime journal she has kept hidden away, Laura is plunged back into memories of the bonds forged amid chaos on the front lines of North Africa, during the siege of Anzio, and at a refugee camp in Italy. While her husband takes on an overseas assignment, Laura wrestles with her grief and guilt over Frances’ death. Then she meets Boyer, a wounded veteran who shares her pain. Their connection is intense— and dangerous, threatening to upend her life entirely. Triage is an intimate portrait of a woman’s hard-won journey through love, loss, and a quest for redemption. 

Elisa M. Speranza is the author of two historical novels, “Triage” (May 2026) and “The Italian Prisoner” (2022), a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. She is board chair and an instructor for the nonprofit New Orleans Writers Workshop and has been a featured author at the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival, the Louisiana Book Festival, Islanders Write, and the Salem LitFest. She is co-founder of the Washashores Writers Collective on Martha’s Vineyard and was a co-editor for and contributor to the 2025 anthology Washashores Review, Volume 1. She writes “The Bricklayer’s Daughter” newsletter on Substack. Originally from Boston, Elisa lives in New Orleans and Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. 

Elisa will be in conversation with Robin Stratton Rivera. Robin is a former Emmy-winning producer and programming executive for ABC Sports, who continues to work on independent writing and video projects at her home in Chilmark.

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

Re-Engraving Paul Revere: "The Boston Massacre" with Andy Volpe

In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome living history presenter Andy Volpe for a presentation on Paul Revere’s "Boston Massacre” print. This program will be held at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, July 28th at the Vineyard Haven Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required. 

Revere's "Bloody Massacre" print is arguably one of the most infamous propaganda prints in American history. Better known today as the "Boston Massacre," its image has found its way into hundreds of publications, history books, and video. While the event itself is heavily analyzed and debated, the plate and print have an interesting backstory that is not often talked about. Andy will also touch on his own work replicating Revere's prints, including how he went about producing a hand-engraved, full-size replica of the Massacre—one of only two such replicas created in the 21st century—which he created for the event's 250th anniversary.

Andy Volpe is an artist, printer and living history presenter in Worcester MA. Since 2010, he has collaborated with Gary Gregory of the Printing Office of Edes & Gill, which replicates important American Revolutionary documents and images, notably the Declaration of Independence, using the same techniques and replica presses. Andy’s work focuses on replicating prints by Paul Revere as well as other notable 18th century prints. He is also involved with the Museum of Printing in Haverhill MA, where he gives tours, presentations and printing demos, and focuses on intaglio, graphics and illustration printing, spanning the years 1450-1800.  He holds a degree in Fine Arts from Westfield State University, where he fell in love with the printers in the Renaissance and Early Modern periods. He also regularly presents at the Higgins Armory Collection at Worcester Art Museum on various Arms & Armor periods with a few living history groups.

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

Book talk: “The Best Women's Travel Writing: True Stories from Around the World,” with Lavinia Spalding and Natalie Baszile

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome editor Lavinia Spalding and author Natalie Baszile for a conversation about the latest edition of “The Best Women's Travel Writing: True Stories from Around the World.” This event will be held at 4:00 pm on Friday, July 24th, at the Vineyard Haven Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public, no registration required.

Volume 13 of this award-winning series features twenty-seven inspiring and thoughtful writers as they traverse the planet, crisscrossing all seven continents and exploring the ways travel can illuminate, heal, inform, and transform a life. The essays probe themes as diverse as the locations, immersing us in experiences of kindness, adventure, nature, friendship, strength, marriage, motherhood, spirituality, the environment, belonging, healing, history, identity, romance, and resilience. This beautiful and far-ranging collection helps us celebrate an appreciation for other cultures while proving that travel can be a profound gateway to connection, self-awareness, and an expanded worldview. 

Lavinia Spalding is the seven-time series editor of "The Best Women’s Travel Writing," author of “Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Keeping Traveler” (named one the best travel books of 2009 by the L.A. Times), and co-author of four other books, including “This Immeasurable Place,” one of NPR’s best books of 2017. She has published two Modern Love essays in the New York Times, and her writing also appears in The Walrus, Longreads, Tin House, AFAR, River Teeth, Post Road, Off Assignment, The Guardian, and many other national and international publications. Her work has been widely anthologized, has won gold SATW Lowell Thomas and SOLAS travel writing awards, and has been noted in “The Best American Travel Writing.” She lives with her family in New Orleans. Spalding will be in conversation with Natalie Baszile.

Natalie Baszile is a writer and filmmaker. Her new novel, "Friends and Family," will be published in October 2026. Natalie’s previous novel, "Queen Sugar," was adapted for seven television seasons by writer/director Ava DuVernay and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey. Her non-fiction work includes the book "We Are Each Other’s Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land & Legacy" and has appeared in National Geographic, The Bitter Southerner, O, The Oprah Magazine, and numerous anthologies. Natalie’s documentary film, HARVEST, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. A native Californian, her southern roots stem from Louisiana, South Carolina, and Alabama. She lives in the Bay Area. 

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

The Tristan Israel Band in Concert!

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome The Tristan Israel Band for an evening of true “Americana” music, with roots in folk, rock, blues, and even some jazz. This program will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, July 21st at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, located at 200 Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Free and open to the public. No registration required.

An island classic, The Tristan Israel Band plays mainly original tunes written by Tristan Israel, along with a few covers. The band is composed of Tristan Israel, Paul Thurlow and Nancy Jephcote. Tristan sings vocals and plays acoustic guitar and harmonica, while Paul plays bass, piano, keys, electric guitar, percussion and backing vocals, and Nancy Jephcote plays the fiddle. 

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

One Book, One Island: 1776

The Martha's Vineyard Library Association invites you to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by reading 1776 by David McCullough, and joining an all-Island book discussion led by constitutional scholar and author Jack Fruchtman, 3pm Saturday, July 11th at the West Tisbury Library. Copies of 1776 are available at all island libraries for check out.

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known. But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost -- Washington, who had never before led an army in battle.

Jack Fruchtman, who lives in Aquinnah, taught constitutional law and politics for over 40 years. He is the author of seven books and has edited, coedited, or annotated another seven. He has written studies of the thought of Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, and Joseph Priestley, among other eighteenth-century figures. His most recent books are American Constitutional History (second edition, 2022) and The Supreme Court and Constitutional Law (fourth edition, 2025).

This program is sponsored by the Martha’s Vineyard Library Association & The WETA Grant Fund.

 

Virtual: Navigating the Alpha-Gal Diet with Prudence Athearn Levy of Vineyard Nutrition

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Prudence Athearn Levy, dietitian and co-owner of Vineyard Nutrition, for a virtual conversation about navigating life with Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS). Hosted in collaboration with the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program and the Alpha-Gal Support Group of Martha’s Vineyard, this virtual program will be held at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, July 14th, via Zoom. Interested patrons may register on the Vineyard Haven Library’s event calendar. 

The presentation will explore some of the most common questions people have about food triggers, hidden mammalian ingredients, cross-contamination concerns, providing practical day-to-day strategies for living with AGS. Prudence will also elaborate on an important reality of AGS: not everyone reacts to the same exposures or at the same level. While some individuals are highly sensitive to trace ingredients, others may tolerate dairy and experience inconsistent reactions to mammal meats. The goal of this program is to provide practical guidance that helps those suffering from AGS to better understand their own triggers, navigate recommendations safely, and make informed choices without becoming overwhelmed. Prudence will be in conversation with local epidemiologist Lea Hamner of the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program. Audience questions and participation are encouraged!

Prudence Athearn Levy, MS, RDN, LDN, earned her Masters’ degree in Human Nutrition from Colorado State University in 2003 and completed her dietetic internships through the University of Northern Colorado in 2004. Since then, Prudence has dedicated her work to providing medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling for nutrition-related diseases and conditions in clinical, community and outpatient settings. Her experience includes counseling and education for cardiovascular health, diabetes, weight loss, weight gain, eating disorders, food allergies including alpha gal syndrome (AGS), nutrition therapy for the management of gastrointestinal diseases, sports nutrition and all stages-of-life nutrition, from childhood to senior nutrition. Prudence provides nutrition counseling and recommendations in a variety of settings, but the majority of her practice is focused on one-on-one nutrition counseling tailored to meet the specific nutrition needs of each client. Her true passion is helping people achieve their nutrition goals with a positive perspective and the knowledge that they can realistically maintain them for life. Prudence’s diverse background in farming, advertising, literature and writing add to her nutrition perspective and experience. Prudence is an 11th generation islander (the first Athearn, Simon, came to the island in the mid 1600s) and thrilled to be practicing nutrition in her own community. Prudence is also an avid cyclist, runner, hiker, gardener, cook, and mother.

Lea Hamner, MPH, is a public health epidemiologist specializing in tick-borne diseases, Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS), and community-based public health systems. She works with the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program, local boards of health, and the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative, focusing on disease surveillance, public education, healthcare collaboration, and tick-borne disease prevention. With 10 years of experience in local public health epidemiology, Lea is recognized regionally and nationally for her work on AGS surveillance and advocacy. She is on the board of the Massachusetts Epidemiology Collaborative, the Alpha Gal Alliance and a steering committee member of the Alpha-Gal Expert Advisory Council. A graduate of Yale College and the Yale School of Public Health, she is passionate about translating complex science into practical, community-centered information and “bringing science to the community, and the community to the science.”

The Alpha-Gal Support Group of Martha’s Vineyard is a welcoming space to connect with others who understand the challenges of managing food allergies, lifestyle changes, and ongoing health concerns related to Alpha-Gal. The group provides: peer support & shared experiences; education & coping strategies; resources for managing symptoms & navigating care; and a safe, judgement-free environment. This support group meets at the Up-Island Council on Aging in West Tisbury from 5:00-6:00 PM on the third Thursday of each month. 

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

Tisbury Tennis & Pickleball Courts 2026 Season

Adult Tennis & Pickleball Clinics  

The Tisbury Open Space and Recreation Committee, in conjunction with the West Chop Club’s Director of Tennis, David McNamara, have formed a tennis outreach program in Vineyard Haven. Tisbury Taxpayers with all-access memberships can register for the Adult Tennis and Pickleball Clinics. For more info and to register, visit: https://app.courtreserve.com/Online/Portal/Index/8315

Adult Tennis Clinic Schedule
Church Street Courts
Monday 9:30 -11:00am Beginner/intermediate
Tuesday 5:30pm - 7:00pm Beginner/intermediate
Wednesday 9:30 -11:00am Beginner/intermediate
Friday 9:30 -11:00am Beginner/intermediate
Saturday 9:30am – 11:00am Advanced

Adult Pickleball Clinic Schedule
Lake Street Courts
Tuesday & Thursday
9:00am – 10:00am
10:00am – 11:00am

Kids Tennis Clinics June 22 - August 23

The Tennis pros from West Chop will be offering free tennis clinics for Tisbury kids at the Lake Street tennis court in Vineyard Haven. Bring your kids to Lake Street for the appropriate age group session to sign them up.

Where: Lake Street Park
When: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday afternoons

3:00 - 4:00         Ages 4-6 years
4:00 - 5:00         Ages 7-11 years
5:00- 6:00          Ages 12+ years

Book Talk--“Feed Us with Trees: Nuts and the Future of Food” by Elspeth Hay

The Vineyard Haven Public Library and the Chilmark Free Public Library are pleased to co-host Cape Cod author and journalist Elspeth Hay for a discussion about her new book, “Feed Us with Trees: Nuts and the Future of Food.” This event will be held at 12:00 PM on Thursday, July 16th, at the Chilmark Free Public Library, located at 522 State Road in Chilmark. Free and open to the public. No registration required, but space is limited. 

This collaborative program builds on two related initiatives: 

• Chilmark Library’s new Friends, Foraging and Fermenting club, which will hold its first official meeting in September. For more information, email Lynne McCormack at chil.programs@gmail.com or visit the Chilmark Library website;
• Vineyard Haven Library’s Science and Nature Book Club, which will read and discuss “Feed Us with Trees” at its July 1st meeting. For more information, email Liz Shick at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or visit the Vineyard Haven Library website. 

About the book:

GOLD winner of the 2026 Nautilus Book Award for Restorative Earth Practices, “Feed Us with Trees” is a new and ancient story about perennial nut trees, our ecological role as humans, and the future of food. The day Elspeth Hay learned that we can eat acorns, stories she’d believed her whole life began to unravel. Until then she’d always believed we must grow our staple foods in farmed fields—the same fields wreaking havoc on our land, air, and water. But all over the Northern Hemisphere, Hay learned, humans once grew our staple foods in forest gardens centered on perennial nut trees: oaks, chestnuts, and hazelnuts. In “Feed Us with Trees,” Hay brings us along as she gets to know dozens of nut growers, scientists, Indigenous knowledge-keepers, researchers, and food professionals—and discovers that in tending these staple trees, we once played a vital environmental role as one of Earth’s keystone species.

“Feed Us with Trees” is Hay’s hopeful manifesto about a brighter, more abundant future—and a critical look at the long-held stories we’ll need to rewrite to build it. It will appeal to environmentalists, regenerative farmers, permaculture enthusiasts, agroforesters, locavores, and anyone hungry for a more holistic, nutrient-dense diet rooted in wild foods and ancient knowledge.

About the presenter: 

Elspeth Hay is a writer, public radio host, and creator of the Local Food Report, a weekly feature that has aired on CAI, the Cape & Islands NPR Station, since 2008. Deeply immersed in her own local food system, she writes and reports for print, radio, and online media with a focus on food and the environment. Elspeth’s work has been featured in the Boston Globe, NPR’s Kitchen Window, Heated with Mark Bittman, The Provincetown Independent, and numerous other publications. Through her conversations with growers, harvesters, processors, cooks, policy makers, Indigenous knowledge-keepers, scientists, researchers, and visionaries, she aims to rebuild our cultural store of culinary knowledge—and to reconnect us with the people, places, and ideas that feed us. Elspeth lives with her family on Cape Cod, MA

For more information, please contact the Chilmark Library at chil.programs@gmail.com / (508) 645-3360 or the Vineyard Haven Library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org / (508) 696-4211.

Virtual: Managing Food Allergies with the FIG App

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Max Rebarber, co-founder and CEO of the FIG (Food Is Good) website and app, for a presentation on this practical tool that has become increasingly popular within the Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) and broader food allergy communities. Hosted in collaboration with the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program and the Martha’s Vineyard Alpha-Gal Syndrome Support Group, this virtual program will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, June 30th, via Zoom. Click here to register.

FIG helps users identify potential allergens through barcode scanning, ingredient analysis, recipe tools, and peer-shared information about allergy-friendly restaurants. Developed over years of research and database building, the app was designed to help people navigate the often-complicated reality of food allergies — especially when labeling standards may not fully address their needs. This session will include a live demonstration of the app, a conversation about the story behind FIG and its development, and practical tips for using the platform to navigate AGS and other food allergies in everyday life. Audience questions and participation are encouraged. 

Max Rebarber is co-founder and CEO of the FIG (Food Is Good) website and app. Tired of seeing people told what they COULDN'T eat, Max and fellow co-founder Andrew Hollar created FIG to show people everything they COULD eat. Max brings years of experience building and leading health-tech startup teams to this endeavor. He believes food is an under-utilized resource in treating chronic disease, resulting in billions of dollars of unnecessary medical spending each year. Through the FIG app, Max is working to fill this gap in care and help millions feel their best through food. As a new resident of San Diego, he enjoys learning to surf the waves in his downtime. Max will be in conversation with Lea Hamner of the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program. 

Lea Hamner, MPH, is a public health epidemiologist specializing in tick-borne diseases, Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS), and community-based public health systems. She works with the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program, local boards of health, and the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative, focusing on disease surveillance, public education, healthcare collaboration, and tick-borne disease prevention. With 10 years of experience in local public health epidemiology, Lea is recognized regionally and nationally for her work on AGS surveillance and advocacy. 

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

 

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

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Jonathan Herrick, LCSW, for a 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. Click here to register. 

The focus of the workshop is on the nature of awareness and on providing participants with practical skills that can benefit their lives. Herrick will introduce four primary Zen meditation practices, walk participants through Byron Katie’s four-step “CBT on steroids,” and demonstrate the similarities, differences, and strengths of each practice. 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.

Nôepe: A Wôpanâak History of the Island

Source: Painting by Bear, student at the New School, Kennebunk, ME

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Wôpanâak citizen and lifelong educator Brad Lopes for a presentation on the Wôpanâak history of the island. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, June 23rd at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. No registration required.

To understand the history of the island from the Wampanoag perspective, we must look to the land and waterways that make up Nôepe and seek to understand the stories they hold. Nôepe is Wôpanâak Homelands and has been for thousands of years. By utilizing both oral tradition and primary source documents, participants will engage with island history from the Wampanoag perspective and gain an introductory understanding to Wampanoag continuance in this place and space. This presentation aims to dispel myths and misunderstandings of land ownership and use, Wampanoag history, continued existence, and more. Participants will explore ways to support Wampanoag histories and communities, and leave with a new understanding of the island.

Brad Lopes is an Aquinnah Wampanoag citizen and life-long educator currently working within the traditional homelands of his people, the Wampanoag Nation. He currently serves as the Education Manager for the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribal Education Department (TED) and as the Education and Public Programs Manager for the Aquinnah Cultural Center, an Aquinnah Wampanoag museum located on Nôepe (Martha's Vineyard). Prior to this, Brad went to the University of Maine Farmington, located in Wabanaki Homelands, and graduated with a degree in Secondary Education before spending five years teaching Social Studies to students in 7 - 12 grade. In his time in education, Brad has sought to decolonize the pedagogies, content, and ways of understanding education, including the ways in which public education can reinforce stereotypes and harmful understandings of Indigenous people.

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

Memorial Day: Schedule & Special Events

 

The Vineyard Haven Public Library will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 25th.

On Monday May 25th, the town of Tisbury will hold a Memorial Day Picnic from noon to 4 pm on the grounds of the restored Tashmoo Spring Building on West Spring Street off State Road. Entertainment will include live music, boating, games, and more. Free ice cream will be provided by the Town of Tisbury. Bring your own picnic food and supplies, and please leave your dogs at home. VTA Bus stops at Tashmoo Overlook from 11:30am-4:30pm.

Expert Tick Panel: Ticked Off? What you need to know!

Growth of tick populations, diseases and syndromes are dominating conversations on Martha’s Vineyard, from the dinner table to medical professionals to environmentalists and public health leaders. Hosted by the Vineyard Haven Public Library in collaboration with the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, this expert panel will answer questions about preventing bites, seeking medical treatment, alpha gal syndrome, community action, and new research efforts. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, June 9th at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. No registration required. 

The panel will be moderated by Ellen McMahon, MD, of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Panelists include: Lea Hamner, MPH of the Inter Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative; Aubrey Stimola Ryan, PA-C of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital; Josh Levy, MS, RDN, LDN of Vineyard Nutrition; Virginia Barbatti of Tick Free MV; and Kathleen Fitch, NP of Mass General Hospital Infectious Disease Division.

Ellen McMahon, MD – Moderator – Martha’s Vineyard Hospital

Dr. Ellen McMahon has served as a physician at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital since 2002, providing comprehensive primary care to patients of all ages. In 2023, Dr. McMahon became Chief of Medicine and Ambulatory Medical Director, focusing on the development of physician and advanced practitioner services, leadership of quality-of-care initiatives, and support of broader hospital and Mass General Brigham efforts. Dr. McMahon also serves as the medical director of the future Tick Care Clinic and Express Care at West Tisbury and a local liaison and investigator for the alpha-gal research project scheduled to begin in summer 2026.

Lea Hamner, MPH- Inter Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative

Lea is a public health epidemiologist based on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, specializing in tickborne diseases with a particular focus on Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS). She works for the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program, Dukes County, and the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative. She works at the intersection of applied epidemiology, local public health, and community-based research to better understand and respond to emerging tick-associated conditions. She serves as a Senior Advisor to Tick Free MV, supporting at-scale interventions to reduce tick and host abundance on the landscape.

Aubrey Stimola Ryan, PA-C – Martha’s Vineyard Hospital

Aubrey holds a MS in Physician Assistant Sciences from Albany Medical College and a BA in Bioethics—a curriculum she designed—from Bard College. She has over 17 years of clinical emergency room experience, including at Martha's Vineyard Hospital and in New York City. She has spent extensive time researching, writing about and presenting on tickborne illnesses including alpha-gal syndrome to both clinicians and the local community to help raise awareness and promote the most current science-based data on these topics. She sits on multiple tick related committees at MVH, will be working in the MVH tick care clinic and is collaborating with TickFree MV to help promote a cohesive, island-wide effort to reduce the burden of tickborne illnesses locally. Aubrey was one of the first Advanced Practice Providers in the U.S. to be offered a two-year fellowship in Global Health Studies—a program traditionally offered to MDs. Her global health work has included travel to Tanzania and Uganda, with a focus on infectious diseases. She received the American Society of Travel Medicine and Hygiene’s (ASTMH) Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and also holds a certificate in Travel Medicine from the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM).

Josh Levy, MS, RDN, LDN – Vineyard Nutrition

Josh, Co-owner Vineyard Nutrition, earned his master’s degree in human nutrition from Colorado State University in 2003 and completed his dietetic internships with the University of Northern Colorado in 2004. Since then, Josh has dedicated his career to helping people reach their health goals and establish a positive relationship with food. He has diverse experience in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, GI conditions, tick borne diseases, weight loss, and sports nutrition. He provides targeted nutrition education to patients in one-on-one settings, small groups and large classes. His additional experiences as a culinary instructor, college lecturer, and previous business owner provide a unique background to helping his patients reach their goals.  Prior to Vineyard Nutrition, he worked at Kaiser Permanente Colorado and Maine Medical Center and has earned his certification in Adult Weight Management from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  Outside of his practice, Josh is an avid cyclist, skier, traveler, cook, and father.

Virginia Barbatti – Tick Free MV

Virginia Barbatti serves as Executive Director of Tick Free MV, leading the organization's efforts to reduce tick-borne disease and allergy on Martha's Vineyard through coordinated, community-driven action. A lifelong seasonal resident of Martha's Vineyard, Virginia moved to the Island full-time in 2020 with her family. She spent 15 years in senior corporate strategy roles at companies including Stanley Black & Decker and Wayfair. She went on to build nonprofit leadership experience on the Island, most recently as Development Director at Island Grown Initiative. She came to this work out of a deep commitment to this community and a belief that the Island has what it takes to meet this challenge. Virginia holds a B.S. in Business Management from Penn State University and grew up in Washington, D.C. She lives in Chilmark with her husband and their three young children.

Kathleen Fitch, NP – Mass General Hospital Infectious Disease Division

Katie is a nurse practitioner and clinical researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital with more than 20 years of experience leading large scale clinical research studies. After a long career investigating cardiometabolic disease in people with HIV—including leadership of a landmark trial that helped shape national guidelines—she now works in the MGH Infectious Diseases Division focused on tick borne diseases. She leads and helps design observational studies, supports a Tick Bite Access Clinic, and provides care in the Multidisciplinary Lyme Disease Clinic. Her work integrates community based clinical care with research aimed at improving the understanding and treatment of Lyme disease and persistent symptoms after infection.

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

 

Tisbury Tennis & Pickleball Reservations and Clinics

The Church Street Tennis courts and Lake Street Pickleball courts will be available to the public for daily use by reservation. The Tisbury Open Space and Recreation Committee, in conjunction with the West Chop Club’s Director of Tennis, David McNamara, will once again sponsor Tennis and Pickleball clinics for Tisbury residents in 2026.The annual season runs from Memorial Day into November (weather permitting).

Tisbury uses CourtReserve, an online registration software, to manage member sign-ups, court bookings, and clinics at the Church Street Tennis and Lake Street Pickleball courts. Users can register for memberships or "Pay As You Play" accounts. CourtReserve Registration Opens May 18th, 2026. Visit https://app.courtreserve.com/Online/Portal/Index/8315

If you have questions or difficulty registering there will be information/help sessions at the Tisbury Senior Center on Tuesday May 19 at 10:00 – 11:00am and Thursday May 21 1:30 -2:30 pm

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Free Tisbury Kids Tennis Clinics June 22 - August 23

Where: Lake Street Park
When: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday afternoons

3:00 - 4:00         Ages 4-6 years
4:00 - 5:00         Ages 7-11 years
5:00- 6:00          Ages 12+ years

For more information and how to register, visit:
www.tisburyparksandopenspaces.com/free-tisbury-kids-tennis-clinics