Arnold Rabin has written a new play. What do people talk about when they have nothing to say? will have one performance only at the West Tisbury Library next Saturday, September 20, at 7 pm. The play is in three scenes and is about a story told by two women, their husbands, and their conversations resolved. It is directed by Leslie Stark, who is also one of the actors. Others are Mike Adell, Jenny Allen, and Connie McCreery.
I have known Arnold and his wife, Sydell, mostly from the library, visits to my gallery, and walks around town. As with so many people, I never think about their off-Island lives. Arnold’s has been pretty impressive. He has been a writer, producer, and director for television; the writer of a novel, short stories for adults and children, several plays, and a book about grammar.
Same with Leslie Stark. Retired to the Vineyard after a career in broadcast advertising, he is active in Island Theater Workshop and the Vineyard Playhouse. He has directed two other of Arnold’s plays. The performance is free and all are welcome.
Vineyard Colors has a fabulous exhibition at the library. It comprises a year of photographs. Three hundred and sixty-five images are folded and stretched across the tops of bookcases, upstairs and down. The photography is compelling, and the presentation is a knock-out. If you like it, you can sign-up for their daily emails, The Daily Paper Route, photographs taken around the Island as they deliver our newspapers.
My art/critique group has hung our show in the Program Room. We will be speaking and answering questions on Monday, Sept. 15, at 5:30 pm.
The Graphic Novel Book Club will meet at the library on Monday, Sept. 15, at 7 pm. Carolina Cooney will lead a discussion of Habibi by Craig Thompson.
Steve Maxner’s ten-week series of guitar lessons also begins at 7 pm on September 15. Guitars are provided for free and there is a $20.00 materials fee. Please pre-register at the library circulation desk or call 508 693-3366.
C.K. Wolfson will speak about her book, Painting a Life, Ray Ellis: An Artist Seen through His Work, at the library on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 5 to 6 pm.
That same evening, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, the Martha’s Vineyard Cultural Council will host a grant-writing workshop for anyone interested in applying for a MVCC grant to help fund a local cultural activity or event in 2015. Council members will be on hand to answer your questions about the application or funding process.
There is a beautiful yellow and white quilt on display at the library. It has caught my eye and, I am sure, yours as well. It is to be sold in a silent auction on Sept. 30 at Flatbread Pizza. That night is a fundraiser for the library. The quilt was made by Wendy Nierenberg and won a blue ribbon at the 2013 Agricultural Fair.
Martha’s Vineyard Community Services will begin two new groups for caregivers of anyone with memory loss from Alzheimer’s, stroke, or other dementias. There is a respite group at the same time, providing art and music for the loved one while the caregiver attends the support group—a great pairing that makes it easier for caregivers. Victoria Haeselbarth and Nancy Langman will lead the two groups. One meets on Tuesday, the other on Thursday mornings, both from 9:30 to 11:00. Groups begin on Sept. 16 or 18. Please call Community Services at 508 693-7900 to sign up. The meetings are free and refreshments are provided.
I have noticed the shortening days. It’s already getting dark as I prepare dinner. I suppose it won’t be long before we are bringing in wood for the stove to take the chill off in the evenings. The seasons are shifting; next week it will be autumn, the autumnal equinox, and our world will slowly darken into winter.
I’m not sure why I’m thinking ahead to that as I enjoy these sunny days. There is a quietness to time now. No more lines of cars as I try to get out of my driveway. Our woods are still green and beach walks beckon, and I’m wearing shorts to feel the sun on my skin. But I know it won’t be long before chamois shirts come out and the woods begin to open up to the sky, leaves turning colors and dropping to the ground. It all feels a time away and close by.