Last weekend the Chilmark Community Center grounds were bustling with crowds of readers and writers attending the Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival. Shout-outs to our town, all of the volunteers, to Suellen Lazarus, director, Annie Treitman, coordinator, Wendee Wolfson, logistics coordinator, Valerie Rosenberg and Steve Fischer, authors and books advisors, Kate Treitman Brown, social media, Molly Coogan, co-owner of Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, Jane Seagrave, publisher of Vineyard Gazette, and Melissa Nellis Patterson of About Signs and Design.
Saturday’s panel, “Presidential Politics: Battle for the Future/Reflections on the Past,” was riveting. It featured Jonathan Alter (“His Very Best, Jimmy Carter: A Life”), Doug Brinkley (“Silent Spring Revolution”), Juliette Kayyem (“The Devil Never Sleeps”), and Carol Leonnig (“I Alone Can Fix It”), and was moderated by Mara Liasson, national political correspondent for NPR.
Kayyem closed by saying underneath much of what is going on is a shift to pushing violence as an acceptable way of doing politics. Doug Brinkley summed it up as “freedom from the ferocious versus freedom for the ferocious.” All agreed on the importance of writing about the stakes involved, not the horse race between politicians.
This tension, freedom from the ferocious versus freedom for the ferocious, is on display here. Recently a neighbor put up a post asking us to pay attention to the reality that some are remaining silent and standing by when overtly appalling comments or gestures are made by some customers toward women working behind-the-counter jobs. A quick series of conversations with friends confirmed this is still a problem. I know that when I was young, I believed you had to stay silent for fear of escalating the situation toward violence. This certainly didn’t work. And trying to ace with a pithy comeback rarely causes the other person to consider their words or actions. As Brene Brown says, “You can’t get courage without rumbling.” And ““Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” I’d love to hear some of the ways you’ve found to send a short, verbal or nonverbal signal that their comment wasn’t taken well. Maybe a shrug and smirk, or “That was a weird thing to say,” or “What was that all about?” Directed just at them, not anyone else. If we see something and say something, things can change. Let’s behave as if we see each other as brothers and sisters.
“It is really important that you associate with people who see and hear you,” Michelle Miller said, prodding me to pull out my notebook. Miller was presenting her book, “Belonging: A Daughter’s Search for Identity Through Loss and Love.”
“Don’t wait to get the stories from your ancestors,” she advised. Who we are and where we come from doesn’t have to define our lives, but it helps us understand and decide how we want to live. Remember, “you are worthy just because you are here.”
“Don’t come at me with hatred, intolerance, and miseducation, or ignorance.” “Whatever your secret is, let it come out. I promise you, you will find those who will love you.”
Near the end of her talk, Miller said, “Nobody does this by themselves, except Doug Brinkley.” It was Rosemarie Robotham, her co-author, who pushed and pulled and asked the right questions to bring her book together.
My mother brilliantly decided to have books inscribed “To Everyone.”
“I don’t want you to be colorblind; I want you to see all of me,” Michelle Miller said as she handed her book back to me. The inscription reads, “To Everyone! Bring Belonging to All you do!”
There is a lot going on this week.
Charly Palmer will have a Youth Art Workshop at at Center of Knowhere, 73 Circuit Ave, in Oak Bluffs, on Tuesday, August 15, at 11 AM. Admission is $55.
At another Knowhere location, there will be a reception for the exhibit “Fibers of My Soul” on August 12, 4 – 7 pm, at Knowhere Art Gallery, 91 Dukes County Ave. in Oak Bluffs. “Fibers of My Soul” is an exhibition that weaves together the diverse cultural experiences and traditions of a group of talented artists. Through a captivating array of mediums, including fiber collage, painted textiles, and hand-dyed abstracts, this exhibition serves as a bridge connecting the artists’ narratives to the audience’s shared human experiences.
At the Chilmark library on Saturday, August 12, at 5 pm, “Patio Music at the Chilmark Library” features local fave Missis Biskis. Admission is free. From Hank to Hendrix, Loretta to Lucinda, Missis Biskis hits all stops along the way on the Americana Highway. Email tthorpe@clamsnet.org for more information.
Native Earth Teaching Farm has baby goats and many other activities, including learning how to “Make Indigo Dye,” Sundays from 2 to 5 pm. I hope this week I make it.
Jay Lageman sends an invitation: ”I am having an open studio at my sculpture garden on Saturday, August 12, from 4 to 7 pm. The address is 18 Wequobsque Road in Chilmark. Turn left half a mile past the Chilmark Store, heading toward Aquinnah. While almost everyone knows my cast bronze ‘Swordfish Harpooner’ in Menemsha, my Sculpture Garden is full of joyous playful sculptures that haven’t been publicly shown.
“You can meditate by the fountain that I made in 1976. You Come relax and enjoy a bit of the old style Vineyard. Our family had been living here for 69 years, built two houses and raised three generations of kids here. Life is about having adventures and lots of fun. We look forward to seeing you. Tell your friends to come too. All are welcome.” Email jaylagemann@gmail.com, or call 508-560-0151.