Last year, I had the joy of writing about the first-ever “Washashores Review,” published by Featherstone Center for the Arts. I’m equally thrilled to have the new Vol. 2 in hand, which includes even more submissions and reflects the group’s growth. The 30 dedicated writers who contributed to this anthology are members of the Martha’s Vineyard–based Washashores Writers Collective. It has been a privilege to belong to this diverse sisterhood of serious writers who support each other in getting our stories out into the world, offer seasoned advice, and serve as a constructive sounding board for creative ideas.

The theme of wanting inspired this year’s submissions, and the fascinating mix of fiction, essays, and poems reflects the diversity and excellence of the group’s authors. Editor Tracey Braun says, “The first year, the theme was Vineyard-related. This year we went a little broader with the theme of wanting. It’s a more varied group of pieces, which makes it fun, because as you turn the pages, you never know what you’re going to come across next.”

For instance, Maureen Hall’s poem “Summer Solstice” touches on the feelings that arise when we know the loss of long days of sunlight is behind us.

There is a small sense of panic,

I must remind myself not to get so caught up

In the impending loss of light

That I miss entirely the beauty of this endless day.

I confess to preferring the winter solstice.

How comforting to have the longest night behind me. 

To look forward to a little more light each day.

The poem continues, and her last line hits home:

How much dearer August seems when

Day after day another minute

Is so boldly stolen from our sight.

Barbara Y. Phillips’ essay, “You Don’t Always Get What You Want,” starts by turning the theme of wanting on its head:

“What do you call it when you desire ‘unwanting’? When you are adulting by ‘being realistic,’ which you camouflage so well as wisdom that you almost believe it yourself. Because to do otherwise — to acknowledge the wanting — would reveal a debilitating wound seemingly impossible to heal.” 

Phillips shares poignant vignettes of how the celebration of Christmas evolves as one gets older and families expand and disperse. For 45 years of her life, she says, “The definition of Christmas was the home of my parents in Memphis. As adults, my far-flung three siblings and I knew we’d be gathering there and perform each and every ritual just as we had done for all of living memory.” Now that things have changed, she writes, “I suppose this longed-for Christmas may seem rather rigid and stifling, but these rituals were the sacraments affirming our love and belonging that bound together our individual selves into a family … All sorts of improvisations include some elements of Christmas Past that my siblings probably hope as much as I will be enough to accomplish the ‘unwanting’ that we imagine will heal our hearts.”

Marlanne, the protagonist in Alice Early’s “A Privy of One’s Own,” opens her short story speaking of how different she and her husband Jasper are. “That boy has never finished anything but a meal,” Marlanne’s father-in-law warns her before her marriage. Jasper is a collector of junk, things he plans to but never gets around to refurbishing. Marlanne, however, is a self-proclaimed finisher … with an intense desire (i.e., wanting) for a private writing space. She carefully crafts a home for her literary moments out of an old abandoned privy. “My efforts transformed ‘the shitter,’ as Jasper called it, into a tiny cabin — a cozy nest, if you don’t think about what once went on there.” When Jasper invades her space, leaving a large, old, broken, ornate picture frame, Marlanne is initially livid. But Early masterfully carries us along as Marlanne’s heart softens, and the humorous story becomes a tender one of love as well.

Brenda Horrigan, who served as the co-editor this year, shares, “It’s such a treat to see the variety and how people are interpreting the theme of wanting.” 

The idea for the review originated in 2025 with Mathea Morais, a member of the collective, the director of literary arts at Featherstone, and co-editor of the “Review.” “I knew I couldn’t pull it off myself, so the first year I said to [Washashore co-founder] Elisa [Speranza], ‘Hey, would you be interested in doing this with me? And she ran with it.”

Morais continues, “I always wanted to publish a literary journal as part of Featherstone’s mission to support writers at all levels of their journey. Getting published is such an important and necessary part of being a writer, both from a career perspective and from taking a risk and pushing yourself to create something that isn’t just for you, your friends, or your writing group. There’s a lot of gatekeeping in the literary world, and it’s extremely hard to get an agent without a record of publishing. I saw this as a concrete way to help. What we found really exciting is that we had so many more entries than last year.” 

Each review is a member-led effort. In addition to Braun, Horrigan, and Morais, Kate Feiffer created the cover art, Kim Leaird handled the design, and Liz Norwood and Robin Stratton Rivera served as copyeditors. Sharisse Scott-Rawlins, Norwood, and Elle Lash have taken on marketing. Terri Potts-Chattaway has been coordinating the literary events that will take place at Featherstone on June 20 at 4 pm, and those at Island libraries — which is exactly how you can come and hear some of the authors read their works yourself, and experience firsthand the talent within the Washashore Collective.

“Washashores Review,” vols. 1 and 2, are available for purchase locally at Edgartown Books and Bunch of Grapes, and Featherstone Center for the Arts. Proceeds from the sale of the “Washashores Review” support Featherstone’s literary arts.

The Washashore Writers’ free Volume 2 reading takes place on June 20 at 4 pm at Featherstone.