Noteworthy
West Tisbury fourth graders take the stage
In A Map for Freedom, from left, Theo Gallagher and Ashlee Moreis hear from Jill Macy, during the West Tisbury School's session at the annual Fourth Grade Theater Project at the Vineyard Playhouse. Click on photo to enlarge. Photos by Sally Cohn
In Digging for Clues, from left, practiced thespians Ms. Macy and Christopher Brophy confront young actresses Samantha Cameron and Julia Felix. Click on photo to enlarge.Life drawing in Chilmark
Greg Watson is leading a series of drawing classes in Chilmark for both beginners and experts. Participants will explore drawing the human figure by using a model. Classes, from 6 to 8:30 pm, and run for four weeks. Mr. Watson has studied traditional drawing and painting techniques at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Pathways Projects Institutes is sponsoring the classes. Class fees are $35 per class or $120 for the series. For more information, or to register, call 508-645-9400.
Raffle for Haiti
The Edgartown Student Council and PTO have purchased a beautiful quit from PeaceQuilts to raffle off. Students from 5Y, 6, 7 and 8th grades will be selling tickets in the school lobby before and after school. Tickets are $5 for one or $20 for six. All proceeds will benefit PeaceQuilts and the people of Haiti. The drawing will be held on March 11. Stop by the school to see the quilt on display and purchase a raffle ticket!
Poetry award announced
Island Voices, together with the West Tisbury poet laureate, have announced that submissions are open through March 1 for Promising Young Poets, a program to recognize young poets of high school age on Martha's Vineyard.
Up to five promising young poets will be recognized with an award to be announced in April (Poetry Month). Short manuscripts of three to five poems will be due on March 1. Manuscripts will be read by a distinguished panel of poets during the month of March: Linda Black and Michael West of Island Voices; Fan Ogilvie, West Tisbury Poet Laureate; Justen Ahren, Martha's Vineyard Writers' Residency; Daniel Waters, former West Tisbury Poet Laureate; and Fanny Howe, 2009 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prizewinner. All the judges are published poets representing a wide range of styles, from traditional, rhymed to unrhymed free verse, and from experimental to performance poetry.
Up to five promising young poets will have a chapbook published by Sepiessa Press, web publication by Island Voices on Sepiessa.com, and a public performance event in April. Island Voices will video the event, broadcast on MVTV, post on YouTube with links on Facebook and Sepiessa.com, and make DVDs for distribution to all Island schools and town libraries.
For more information, call Michael West 774-563-1231 or email m@mwest.com.
Click on photo to enlarge. Photo by Tim Johnson Are you a videographer?
Fellowship offered
Vineyardvoice.org and Pathways Project Institutes for the Arts and Oceans will award two funded fellowships to shoot, produce, and broadcast short videos related to "Living with Coastal Change on Martha's Vineyard." Videographers from Martha's Vineyard are welcome to apply.
The sponsors want two different kinds of proposals: one for a 3- to 5-minute video from an artistic, imaginative perspective; and one for a 3- to 5-minute from a documentary/scientific perspective.
Each team or person selected will receive a $500 stipend, as well as instructions on how to shoot, edit, and produce a video at the Vineyardvoice.org studio @ Featherstone and at the Pathways Space. Each video will be shown to the public at the Pathways Gathering Space in Chilmark. Videos will be published on Vineyardvoice.org, distributed on the Internet and shown on MVTV.
The fellowship period is from February 21 to May 1, 2010. Fellowships will be awarded to anyone from Martha's Vineyard over the age of 18.
The sponsors ask for a paragraph description of the idea, a brief biography of the filmmakers, a description of their interest in this topic, and a description of the sort of video (artistic or documentary) to be produced. The deadline is February 21, 2010. For information or to apply, email Vineyardvoice.org at info@vineyardvoice.org.
Dan Prowten remembered
Firemen from every department on the Island turned out to mourn Mr. Prowten, who was a West Tisbury fireman for 35 years. Click on photo to enlarge. Photos by Susan Safford 
It seemed as if half of West Tisbury made their way to the Ag Hall on Saturday to pay tribute to Dan Prowten, who died in a fire at his Indian Hill home two weeks earlier. Click on photo to enlarge.
The Stragglers, a so-called Country and Eastern group that Dan Prowten often joined as a vocalist. (From left) Danny Whiting, Mark Mazer, Nancy Jephcote, John Early, Merrily Fenner, Peter Huntington, and Deborah Mayhew. Click on photo to enlarge.
The brush-breaker that Mr. Prowten often drove. Click on photo to enlarge.
