When we created Islanders Write in 2014, we decided that we wanted to tap into the extraordinary writers and publishing professionals among us on the Vineyard. We wanted to create something different from what was already happening here. The popular Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival was bringing amazing authors with new books to the Vineyard, so we decided that at Islanders Write, we would focus on the process of writing, in a variety of genres, and the business of getting published. We also decided that the writers and publishing professionals whom we invited to speak at the event would be our literary neighbors — folks we might run into at Cronig’s, or wave to in passing on a dusty dirt road.
I’ve had the privilege of putting together Islanders Write since it launched more than a decade ago. The things I ask myself every year while in the planning stages are: What topics will people find interesting? What writers and publishing professionals are on the Vineyard in August? What genres or topics haven’t we covered at Islanders Write? What should we cover again? Who would pair well in conversation? Who will enlighten us? Who has a new book out that we can help promote? Are the poets angry with me? (There are so many poets on the Island, and the last poetry panel, planned for Islanders Write 2020, was canceled because of the pandemic.) How come there aren’t more hours in the day?
I started to wonder whether planning a writers’ festival is like planning a menu for a restaurant, so I called my friend Tina Miller to get her take. Tina has created menus for her two restaurants, Cafe Moxie and the Roadhouse, and was one of the founders of Rosewater, so she has quite a bit of experience designing menus.
“You’re thinking about what ingredients complement each other. Say you’ve got swordfish, but swordfish with what?” Tina said. “And you’re not going to put kale on every single dish. You’re going to think, ‘Well, I have kale, but it’s kind of sour and harsh, and so it’s going to go well with salmon, because salmon is kind of sweet.’ So you’re making it work with a dish, but you’re also making it work with your overall menu, to make it balanced.”
And so it is with Islanders Write. Catherine Walters, author of “Kale, Glorious Kale,” can certainly talk about kale, so I asked her to moderate a conversation we’re calling “What Is a Cookbook?” with two writers who have put together very different types of cookbooks: Dr. Jessica B. Harris, whose most recent book is “Braided Heritage,” and Julia Blanter, author of “The Martha’s Vineyard Cookbook.”
To continue with the menu analogy, my goal is to put together interesting panel discussions and workshops on different topics that flow into a cohesive day of conversations about writing. We will be offering something new, such as a conversation about writing compelling, research-intensive narratives with four writers who work in different genres, along with longtime menu favorites such as the “Wake Up and Write! Workshop” and the “Pitch Panel.” And we are delighted to be back at Featherstone Center for the Arts with our friends from Edgartown Books, who will be at the event hosting author signings and meet-and-greets.
This summer’s Islanders Write will take place on the evening of Sunday, August 17, and all day Monday, August 18. For the full schedule and additional updates, please visit islanderswrite.com.
