We are delighted to announce the schedule for this summer’s Islanders Write. Since 2014, the MV Times has been bringing together Vineyard-connected writers and publishing professionals to engage in conversations focused on the art, craft, and business of writing.
Since we are a community newspaper, we often kick off this event by focusing on journalism. This year, we welcome New Yorker staff writer and best-selling author Jane Mayer to Islanders Write for the first time. And we welcome back Hunterbrook Media’s co-founder and CEO, Nathaniel Horwitz. For those of you unfamiliar with Hunterbrook, it has an unconventional business model and a mission “to bring visibility to undercovered areas and accountability to underscrutinized sectors.” (Horwitz also interviewed David McCullough at Islanders Write in 2019.) MV Times Publisher and Ground Truth founder Charles Sennott will be talking with them about “new models for reporting and the current state of journalism” on Wednesday, July 15, at 7:30 pm.
Thursday morning, July 16, begins at 8 am with Judith Hannan’s “Wake up and Write!” workshop. Following that, there will be a full day of panel discussions and the return of the Pitch Panel.
Islanders Write takes place at Featherstone Center for the Arts in Oak Bluffs. The event is free to attend. We invite you to come for the day or to stay for a panel discussion or two. We do not — note that the emphasis is on the NOT — offer advanced registration. Aside from a number of reserved seats for our event sponsors, seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. We recognize that sometimes that gets complicated, and occasionally we’ve had to turn people away. If this happens, we apologize. (We also do not allow daylong seat saving.)
Edgartown Books will be at Featherstone with a pop-up store selling books written by Islanders Write speakers and hosting author signings. Please do not bring preowned books for the authors to sign.
For your food and caffeine needs, Scottish Bakehouse will be selling coffee, baked goods, and lunch items. They will be cash only. This means, that no, they will not — once again emphasis on the NOT — be accepting credit cards.
Below is the schedule for Thursday, July 16
8 am, Wake Up and Write!
An hour-long writing workshop with Judith Hannan
9:30 am, Book Reviews and the Art and Business of Reviewing
Brooke Allen
Bob Drogin
Joshua Hammer
10:30 am, The Pitch Panel
Five writers will pitch their book projects to publishing professionals
Torrey Oberfest (publishing executive)
Nancy Star (best-selling author)
Rosemary Stimola (literary agent)
Gretchen Young (publisher and editor)
11:30 am, The Gatekeepers: Editors, Agents, and Publishers on How They Think about Books
Vicky Bijur (literary agent)
Dawn Davis (editor and publisher)
Adriana Stimola (literary agent)
Gretchen Young (editor and publisher)
Kate Feiffer (moderator)
1 pm, Writing about People: Obits, Interviews, and Biographies
Bob Drogin
Mary Jordan
Linsey Lee
Kevin Sullivan
2 pm, Creating Credible and Complex Characters
Carole Hopson
Elisa M. Speranza
Nicole Galland
Martha Hall Kelly
3 pm, Comic Approaches to Serious Subjects
Annabelle Gurwitch
Cazzie David
Sarah Kernochan (moderator)
4 pm, Memoirists in conversation
Belle Burden
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Sherry Sidoti (moderator)
For more information, please go to islanderswrite.com. If you are interested in becoming an event sponsor, please contact Islanders Write Director Kate Feiffer at kate@mvtimes.com.