This year’s Islanders Write, graciously hosted at Featherstone Center for the Arts, was a stellar array of panel discussions and writing workshops. The event originated 10 years ago when the former publisher of The MV Times believed that the paper should sponsor a community program that brought together Vineyard-connected writers and publishing professionals.
Each panel discussion was far-reaching, and what follows is just the smallest taste.
For “Not Your Usual Narrator,” authors Kate Feiffer, Nicole Galland, James W. Jennings, and Fred Waitzkin addressed the use of letters, texts, poetry, court transcripts, and other unconventional literary devices in novels. Speaking about why he chose to use a nontraditional device of journal entries in “Wings of Red,” Jennings replied, “I’ve been marginalized so many ways that I don’t even know what traditional means at this point.”
Feiffer, in “Morning Pages,” inserted a play within the narrative written as ‘“morning pages,” a stream-of-consciousness journaling technique invented by writer Julia Cameron meant to nurture one’s inner creativity. Feiffer used the morning pages device to get her protagonist’s “clever internal dialogue out on the page, and it allowed me the freedom to go on riffs and tangents while being able to narrate the story.” For both Waitzkin and Galland, the story inspired the form, mingling narratives from different perspectives within a single novel.
Awardwinning children’s book authors Elise Broach, Richard Michelson, Gregory Mone, and literary agent Rosemary Stimola were the panelists for “The ABCs Have Gotten Complicated — Writing for Kids.” Just some of the complications discussed included identity politics creating hypersensitivity to who might be offended; consolidation in the industry, leading to publishers looking to algorithms and data based on what has been successful before, resulting in fewer publishers; and the banning of books, making publishers increasingly reluctant to take chances, leading to the danger of self-censoring by the authors themselves.
The pitch panel is always an audience favorite. Here, preselected brave souls present an overview of their book, its importance, the target audience, something about themselves, and comparable published books. Torrey Oberfest, an advisor to publishing companies, author Nancy Star, Rosemary Stimola of Stimola Literary Studio, and Gretchen Young of Regalo Press gave targeted feedback on the strengths of the pitches and suggestions.
This year, we heard from six authors. Dr. Frances Gaskin is writing a book about the history of the Martha’s Vineyard Polar Bears through the lens of five generations of her family’s involvement. Nat Benjamin’s memoir “The Wide Sea” is an adventure at sea, a love story, and a coming of age for the author. “It’s a 20th century ‘Odyssey,’” he said. Allison Roberts presented “Art Slut,” a humorous book written in a variety of styles, from satire to absurdist, told in essays, blurbs, and fake news briefs. In Janet Bell’s book, “Sunny the Coast Guard Dog,” for 5- to 10-year-old readers, Sunny journeys from a rescue shelter to becoming a heroic explosives detection dog. Emily Cavanaugh’s “Timber Street” tells the story of two mothers divided by a growing encampment in their rapidly changing hometown as they each struggle to create a safe home for their children. Michael West’s “Scoring the Stake” is an entertaining murder mystery with a touch of whimsy and plot twist about an amateur detective working a murder case involving his old flame, that takes place in Chilmark.
Author Mathea Morais moderated a panel with publishers Dawn Davis (37 INK, Simon & Schuster), Marc Favreau (the New Press), and Gretchen Young (Regalo Press) about the current state of the industry. The panelists spoke about what goes into the acquisition process. It begins with going through multitudes of submissions to decide if a book is something to bring to an editorial meeting and discuss with colleagues. If the feedback is positive, it goes before the acquisition board, which includes people weighing in from publishing, publicity, marketing, sales, finances, and subsidiary rights, among others. “It’s so important that your editor is passionate and effusive,” Young explains about having an editor chaperoning your book through the process. Once you go to contract, there can be anywhere from months to years of editing, and a year for design and production.
Another interesting insight about the industry is that there has been more than 300 percent growth in audiobooks, including those without print copies. Finally, all the panelists agreed that whether working with a large or small publishing house, or self-publishing, the most important thing was to get your book out there.
Island authors Nancy Slonim Aronie, Perry Garfinkel, and Sherry Sidoti addressed the importance of writing a personal narrative with purpose in their panel “More Than Memoir.” Aronie is passionate about the purpose, emphasizing, “The story is marinating. You’re carrying it around in your pancreas and your liver — get it out of you.” Garfinkel reflected, “People say, ‘I’ve had such a fascinating life, I need to turn this into a book.’ And I ask, ‘You’ve lived a fascinating life, but what does that have to do with me?’ The ‘connect’ has to do with the universality of your story. The purpose of my books is to bring some enlightenment to other people — whether psychologically, emotionally, or health-wise.”
Sidoti felt it was a combination of the two for her: “First and foremost is the opportunity to not have the stories trapped in our bodies that will create dis-ease. But that doesn’t mean much unless it’s shared. Through each other’s stories, we see reflections of ourselves and our own stories.” She added, “And I wanted to give myself the opportunity to make art and create. There has to be a selfish element that will keep you devoted to the grueling process of going back into your memories, writing them down, and making them worthy of a read so that others can relate to them.”
Geraldine Brooks moderated the final panel, “And Your Point Is?” with authors Bill Eville and Patricia J. Williams, about constructing essays with voice and vision. She began by asking what comes to mind about the essay genre. “I think of it in its literal meaning, which is an attempt at something,” Williams said. Writing since childhood, she added, “It’s a form I feel that is an extension of thought.” Eville shared that he was always a fan of essays. “It almost felt like you were snuggling up to the author, learning about their lives, their feelings. But it wasn’t one I thought I would take on. When I did, it became the genre where I truly found my voice, and I get meaning in writing.”
As the eight-hour day filled with presentations and writing workshops concluded, Featherstone buzzed with people sharing ideas about what they had heard, and the inspiration to go home and write — or read — was tangible.
