Several years ago, I was honored when a distinguished group of women Vineyard writers invited me into their circle. The Washashores Writers Collective is a vibrant group dedicated to the craft of writing. We support one another in getting our stories out into the world in countless ways.
Featherstone Center for the Arts embraced the collective, and together we have sponsored writing workshops, supported the Islanders Write conferences, and spent many quiet Sunday afternoons writing on its campus. So I was thrilled when I learned that Featherstone was going to publish an anthology of our work using the Vineyard as our theme, with the proceeds going to support its Literary Arts Program.
When the book was hot off the press, I dug in to see what my sister writers had penned. As one of the 24 authors, I, of course, could be considered biased, but each essay, poem, and short fiction piece is a delight to read. They reflect the diversity of voices and rich craft that make up the collective. Faced with the daunting task of providing a taste of “Washashores Review,” I made the hard choice of mentioning only authors I had not previously written about in The Times.
Terrie Perella-Piozzi’s “Homecoming” captures a tender goodbye to a long-ago love from her youth. JOne section includes: “We are both silent as I walk over to your bed. Your crystal blue eyes are a window into your soul, and reflect a profound sadness mixed with peacefulness. Your devastating illness has taken its toll, but I have no doubt that my soulmate is still within.”
Elissa Lash’s “What Is True in the Woods” is a magical exploration of what the woods conjure for her, from their beauty to childhood memories, and their metaphoric potential. “What is true is that the woods change as I walk through them. What is true is that my/your story changes as I/you write it, as I/you read it. What is true is that our story changes as we let our story go.”
Barbara Phillips’ “We Do Not See with the Eyes Alone” is a love letter to the Vineyard, particularly her very spiritual connection to the Polar Bears, the men and women who gather in the cold waters at Inkwell Beach at 7:30 am each summer morning: “I’ll bear witness to the magic of Inkwell Beach; a place whose unassuming beauty remains invisible to those who see with their eyes alone.”
Constance Belton Green takes us back decades in “Recalibrate on Martha’s Vineyard,” from her early experiences on the Island, starting in 1969 as a newlywed, to the solace it provided after losing both her spouse and firstborn daughter in 2019. “I remember the connecting threads that Martha’s Vineyard holds as our family’s special place. I breathe in the salty sea air. I smile with each deep exhale. I want to begin again.”
Bex Johnson’s “Front Desk Training” begins as an entertaining look into the life of a young woman new to her desk job at the posh Harbor View Hotel. With wry humor, she drops us into her world of dealing with entitled guests, while also watching the requisite corporate training videos, which may turn out to be unnervingly relevant.
My colleague at the paper, Allison Roberts, communes with her late mother in “A Boat-Shaped Soap Dish,” as she casually shops in Vineyard Haven, when she is new to the Island. “Loneliness is an early morning gut punch when dreams of home and friends dissolve. Stores and cafes are my only companions — safe havens to ward off feelings of isolation … It will take time to settle, I know, and I’m privileged and excited to be here. Still, I’m grateful my mother joined me today, making me feel as though I am someone in a place where I am no one.”
In “Art at 8:30,” Robin Stratton Rivera writes beautifully about groups and how they build community. She mentions those her mother belonged to, the nature of groups at large, and those in which she has participated, including, as a young mother, the 8:30 Art Club. At the end, Rivera mentions all the choices she can still explore, reminding us to be ever-curious.
Kim Leaird reveals some of the joys, wonders, and challenges of parenting autistic twins in “Heaven City.” She writes that while Sam “can have epic conversations about his feelings and talk wildly about geopolitics … John speaks to me in riddles, in DVD characters, titles, and scenes based on years of watching ‘Sesame Street.’” Her title refers to the place John believes those who have passed have gone to. She believes that they send messages to her sons, and ends with a last line: “One day, I will also send messages of love to my boys, and trust they will hear my voice in the wind.”
Terri Potts-Chattaway describes journeys on her and her husband’s catboat, anchoring the story in the Vineyard’s waters, and describing the vessel’s special place in Island history, when Manuel Swartz Roberts crafted catboats in what is now the Old Sculpin Gallery.
Nancy Star’s “House Rules, 2025 Update” is a hilarious, minutely detailed note to a fictional houseguest, with amusing items such as “The washcloths ARE NOT DIRTY. They are simply yellowed. If you have any suggestions for getting the yellow out, feel free to let me know or, better yet, replace them!” The list goes on, making us want to adapt it for our real summer visitors.
Among the many poems is Maureen D. Hall’s “Island in February,” which conjures up the very feel of the Island when the stark beauty of our beaches leaves us fulfilled. “My bounty is plentiful this time of year; wampum, sand dollars, the tiniest of spiral shells. The dog chases seagulls, barks at driftwood.” Jan Brogan’s “Make Way for Seabirds” occurs on the beach as well, written in the voice of a misplaced bird “misguidedly navigating the harbor, when we should be gliding on the freshwater duck pond on Boston Common.”
Fran Schumer’s “On My Application to Be the Poet Laureate of the Oak Bluffs Dump” is immensely amusing. She tells us one reason she applied: “No competition, since I invented the post.” In “Island Girl in the City,” Sharisse Scott-Rawlins ends her poem about the island of her heritage and the one on which she grew up: “I was born American, but I’m Island Gyal through and through. The Vineyard raised me, but the Caribbean made me.”
Co-editor Elisa Speranza shares, “I hope folks will read these stories, essays, and poems and appreciate a little respite from everyday concerns. Whether they’re on the Island or not, I hope they’ll feel the Vineyard love we put into every word.”
“Washashores Review” is available at Edgartown Books and Featherstone’s bookshop, and will be sold during Islanders Write on August 18 and 19 at Featherstone Center for the Arts.
Thanks to the MV Times for the great coverage on our first anthology. I also want to acknowledge co-editor Mathea Morais, director of the Literary Arts Program at Featherstone, and Brenda Horrigan, co-founder of the Washashores Writers Collective.
This books sounds lovely! I’d like to buy a copy.