Noteworthy events on Martha’s Vineyard

0

Renga

The wooded trail between the parking lot and Lambert’s Cove Beach will house an art and poetry installation for a week-long Martha’s Vineyard Renga from August 17 to 25.

Renga is a thousand-year-old Japanese poetry genre based on the idea of change, with poems consisting of two or more stanzas. A type of collaborative poetry, its popularity has recently increased due to the online world where people are able to add to one another’s poems via internet. In the West, the most common use of Renga is in a stream of consciousness, a writing style in which one line leads to a new idea in the next.

The event, titled Summerland, an Island Renga, is produced by Martha’s Vineyard’s seasonal Poet Laureate Rachel Baird. Throughout the week there will be an installation of art, with poetry by local and nationally acclaimed poets, along with an interactive station for public participation.

Summerland will take place throughout the week at Lambert’s Cove Beach, off Lambert’s Cove Road in West Tisbury. Opening night, August 17 at 6 pm, will consist of poetry, Native American flute music, and improvisational dance. The event is free to public attendance and participation. For more information, call Ms. Baird at 800-249-3562.

Singer-songwriters at The Pit Stop

A forum for singer-songwriters will be featured at a new event at The Pit Stop in Oak Bluffs.

The first Thursday Night Songwriters Showcase, spearheaded by local event organizer-singer-songwriter AK (Alex Karalekas) will be this Thursday, Aug. 16, at 8 pm. The triple songwriters showcase will highlight Alysse Fischer, Alex Karalekas, and Jason Nichols.

The 26-year-old Mr. Nichols, a favorite of the Chilmark Potluck Jams, is from Waltham, works at Beetlebung Farm, and has been playing his music in the Boston area.

Ms. Fischer, 32, is a cousin of Chilmark’s Chris Fischer of Beetlebung Farm. She played in Los Angeles for three years where she was a regular at Hotel Café and Room 5, and she has toured with some top acts. Her work can be found on myspace.com.

Mr. Karalekas plans to schedule the showcase every other week and hopes it will eventually become a weekly event.

The show will be $10; $5 for members. Visit thepitstopworkshop.org for more information.

Driskell doc

Artist and art historian David C. Driskell will be at the parish hall of St. Andrew’s Church in Edgartown at 5 pm on Saturday, Aug. 18, for the free screening of a half-hour documentary film about his work and life.

The new film, entitled “David Driskell: In Search of the Creative Truth,” captures Mr. Driskell making collages inspired by his mentor Romare Bearden, in conversation with National Gallery curator Ruth Fine, and painting at his easel in his Falmouth, Maine, studio. The film also explores the give and take of his creative relationship with master print maker, Curlee Holton.

Mr. Driskell, emeritus professor of art, is a renowned painter and collector of art, and one of the leading authorities on African-American art and the black artist in American society. The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland, established in 2001 to celebrate his legacy, works to preserve the rich heritage of African-American visual art and culture.

Mr. Driskell will be introduced by the journalist and longtime NPR foreign correspondent, Charlayne Hunter-Gault. The screening, which will be followed by a brief discussion with Mr. Driskell, is a program of the Edgartown Public Library. All are welcome to attend. For more information, call the library at 508-627-4221.

Auntie Anne discusses her pretzels

Meet Auntie Anne Beiler, founder of the world famous Auntie Anne Pretzel’s phenomenon, this Friday, August 17 at the Federated Church in Edgartown. Learn how Ms. Beiler and her husband, Jonas, pulled themselves from tragedy to build a multi-million dollar business and hear behind-the-scenes stories from Ms. Beiler’s upcoming appearance on the ABC series “The Secret Millionaire.”

The event begins at 7:30 pm. A free will offering will be accepted.

Kosher gospel at the Hebrew Center

On Monday, August 21, Joshua Nelson & the Kosher Gospel Singers will hold a concert at the M.V. Hebrew Center in Vineyard Haven. Special guest Lisa Gutkin, singer and fiddler of The Klezmatics, will also perform. The show is sponsored by the Hebrew Center and NAACP. Doors open at 7:30 pm, and admission is $25 for adults; $15 for students; $100 for 1 preferred seat; $150 for 2. Tickets are available at Alley’s General Store, the Hebrew Center, C’est La Vie, Cousen Rose Gallery, aboveground Records, and ticketsmv.com.

Jazz and brunch at Hooked

At Hooked in Oak Bluffs this Sunday, August 19, will be a family jazz brunch sponsored by the M.V. NAACP. The brunch, which will run from 11 am to 3 pm, features the Orrin Evans Trio and a conversation with award-winning Journalist Michelle Norris.

Mr. Evans is a jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, producer, and a recipient of a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. The Orrin Evans Trio will feature Lezlie Harrison on vocals.

Ms. Norris will speak about her recent book, “The Grace of Silence,” which deals with complex family legacies and explores race and identity.

Admission is $65. Proceeds will support NAACP Education and Advocacy Activities. For tickets and more information, call 508-696-5785.