Accessible writers

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To the Editor:

Rich, famous, privileged are words used by outsiders to describe Vineyard people. Those folks don’t know the real Vineyard. A word I find much more relevant is accessible.  As a 14-year resident of this beautiful Island, I am continually amazed at the number of accomplished professionals and artists who make themselves available as mentors and friends to virtual strangers.

ISLANDERS WRITE, the all-day workshop program held at the Grange Hall in West Tisbury on Monday, August 11, was a perfect example of such accessibility. Well-known national broadcasting figures, Pulitzer-prize winners, and other renowned writers served on panels from 8 am to 4:30 pm at no cost to the public who packed the hall hour after hour to hear about the inspiration and perspiration involved in the act of writing. I have lived in six states before retiring to the Vineyard and nowhere have I experienced such generosity for the benefit of the public.

Thank you sincerely to The Martha’s Vineyard Times and its owner Peter Oberfest who sponsored the event, to Kate Feiffer who organized it beautifully, to the representatives of our local bookstores who made books of all the authors available to the public, and to all the panel members and other presenters who made the day so worthwhile.

Elaine Pace

West Tisbury