Islanders Write is returning to Featherstone Center for the Arts over the weekend of March 14 and 15 for a day of writing workshops, a day of discussions about publishing, and an Island authors book fair. 

On Saturday, March 14, at 9 am, Judith Hannan will get our creative juices flowing with a “Wake Up and Write!” workshop. Throughout the rest of the day there will be workshops offered on playwriting (with Nicole Galland), memoir writing (with Moira Silva), journaling (with James Jennings), punching up scenes (with Sherry Sidoti), research and writing with research (with Duncan Caldwell), and poetry writing (with Justen Ahren and Fan Ogilvie). See below for workshop descriptions.

Then the party begins! From 5 to 7 pm, Edgartown Books and Islanders Write invite readers and writers to come to Featherstone and celebrate with Vineyard authors at an Island Authors Book Fair. (For those of you who have published books, please reach out to me at kate@mvtimes.com, or Mathew Tombers at Edgartown Books at mtombers@edgartownbooks.com.)

On Sunday, March 15, starting at 10 am, we will turn our focus to the path to publication with a series of conversations with authors and publishing professionals. John Abrams, Nancy Slonim Aronie, Tom Dresser, Marc Favreau, Carole Hopson, Charles Sennott, Rosemary Stimola, and Jennifer Smith Turner will talk about getting books onto bedside tables. 

The path to publication is a fraught and complicated process which I suspect often takes writers from learning about ISBNs to struggling with IBS. Along the way, one must navigate a landscape filled with agents, editors, publishers, copyeditors, distributors, bookstores, social media, rejections and offers, contracts, an increasing number of scams, confusing industry lingo — and then hopefully, at the end of the day, a book party celebrating the publication of your fabulous book. 

In order to help illuminate the process and explore the growing number of ways to create a book, whether it be a biography, a novel, a memoir, or a family history, we will share personal stories from the trenches and answer questions. 

These events are all free to attend — yay! — but we will be asking people to register in advance for Saturday’s workshops. We will not be selling food during the workshops this year, so please supply your own sustenance. But fear not, we will have coffee and tea to keep you alert, and water to keep you hydrated.

Click here for times and registration.

Writing workshops for Saturday, March 14
“Wake Up and Write!” with Judith Hannan

A series of quick writing prompts to encourage free association and the revelation of scenes and stories. A great way to get your creative juices flowing for the day ahead. 

JUDITH HANNAN is an author and essayist who has facilitated writing workshops at Islanders Write, and for those coping with physical and/or mental illness, medical professionals, homeless mothers, and those within the criminal justice system. judithhannanwrites.com

“Playwriting” with Nicole Galland

In an era of talking heads, it can be challenging to write characters who talk as if they’re talking rather than expounding, exhorting, or expostulating. Come explore the art of naturalistic dialogue with playwright Nicole Galland. In this 90-minute session, we’ll do some hands-on demonstrations of how to tweak language to make your characters sound authentically human. Give your actors the best of all possible words. You don’t have to be working on a play to enjoy this workshop; all are welcome. 

NICOLE GALLAND’s most recent plays are “The Retreat” and “Last Call.” Galland is the co-founder, with Chelsea McCarthy, of Shakespeare for the Masses. She is the author of nine novels, and is the managing editor of features at The MV Times. nicolegalland.com

“Foundations of Memoir” with Moira Convey Silva

Where do I start? What do I do when the story runs out? What kind of structure is right? During this session, we’ll work through questions memoirists face, respond to prompts, and begin mapping your memoirs. Participants will strengthen their understanding of the genre, hear examples, and gain valuable insights. Writers of all experience levels are welcome.

MOIRA CONVEY SILVA is a writer who runs writing workshops and facilitates writing groups. She is also the co-founder of Covid Monologues MV. moiraconveysilva.com

“The Embodied Storyteller: Writing Scenes that Pull the Reader In Close” with Sherry Sidoti

The age-old advice for great scene writing is, “Show, don’t tell.” The task of the storyteller is to write with visceral and vivid sensory details so that readers feel they are inside the experience themselves. As memoirists, we have the advantage that we are writing our lived experience, thus these details are imprinted in our cellular memory, ripe to write. With a simple embodiment practice, we can bend time to return to a memory, allow details that we may have forgotten to arise, and write vibrant scenes from that full-bodied, felt place. Our stories unfold into sensual scenes of exteriority and interiority, rich and alive with emotion and meaning for our reader. All are welcome.

SHERRY SIDOTI is an embodied memoir-writing midwife, a sacred space weaver, and a yoga teacher. She is the awardwinning author of the memoir “A Smoke and a Song.” sherrysidoti.com

“Unlocking the Power of Journaling” with James W. Jennings

This workshop will help you uncover the power of journaling through a series of guided prompts and exercises. Learn to view journaling not just as a tool for self-expression and personal growth, but also as a means of connecting with higher truths. Workshoppers will learn to tap, transform, and delve into a world of creative expression. This is an interactive journaling experience designed specifically to accommodate your needs. The workshop is a safe space first and foremost. No prior writing experience necessary. All are welcome. There will be stickers. 

 JAMES W. JENNINGS produced his critically acclaimed novel, “Wings of Red,” using these journaling practices. Jennings is also a painter and educator, coach, mentor, and former dean in the NYC Dept. of Education. jameswjennings

“Poetry Writing — The Urgency of First Lines” with Justen Ahren and Fan Ogilvie

What makes a good first line of a poem work? We will look at some first lines in well-known poems that grab your attention, “beginnings” which make you want to go further in the poem. We will use these first lines of great poems to answer with our own poems, and to create an opening line with a sense of urgency embedded in it that will propel the poem forward. This course is open to writers who are new to poetry, as well as published poets.

JUSTEN AHREN is a writer, poet, photographer, musician, and teacher of Devotion to Writing, an organization he founded to help others. justenahren.com

FAN OGILVIE has published five books of poetry since 2008, and has taught English and poetry on and off the Vineyard. Ogilvie was poet laureate of Martha’s Vineyard from 2009 to 2012. 

“Research and Writing with Research” with Duncan Caldwell

Whether you’re trying to reconstruct the past, or determine whether an anomaly might lead to a revelation, you will receive tips in researching, finding, and making the most of evidence, how to build your case, and even persuade critics that you’ve described something thoroughly or made a discovery. Tell us about a hypothesis you’d like to prove or a subject you’d like to flesh out, and we’ll explore how you might achieve your goals. 

DUNCAN CALDWELL has published peer-reviewed research in numerous disciplines, including sub-contemporary African history and practices, Thoreau’s writings, Magritte’s paintings, evolutionary theory, archeomusicology, and rock art studies. 

You can help support Islanders Write events with a tax-deductible donation. For more information on Islanders Write events and how to make a donation, visit us at islanderswrite.com.