Valerie Sonnenthal
The Poet
her words lost like snow
falling gently
on a spring lawn
her breath drawn
in silence
exhaling white mist
she is sound
vibrating mantras
ring every cell
she is earth
gathering the fallen
limbs for...
Chilmark: Holiday happenings
Happy Thanksgiving. The Dorper sheep have been moved back from Tea Lane and are grazing nearby. Lucy Vincent has been abuzz with locals and...
Chilmark: History lessons
It was brought to my attention that last week I failed to mention Alfred Hall of Edgartown, who is credited with saving the town...
Chilmark: Reflecting
I have been moved to tears many times since the tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue, a marker of an uncomfortable shift in...
Gardens of Love: Beetlebung
Updated Nov. 2
I first connected with Lydia Fischer when I heard a clip of her singing. Her voice is smooth, and keys into a...
Chilmark: Farmers Market finds
Don't forget to turn back your clocks on Saturday night. Hunting season has started, so please be sure to wear bright clothes if you...
Chilmark: Congrats to Carol Brown Goldberg
Over the summer I did not run into one of my regular swimming friends, and was shocked to learn that Carol Weichert passed away...
Chilmark: Spectacular sunrises
A hazy sunrise at Lucy Vincent Beach brought Alison Shaw's photography students out besides surfers, regulars, dogs, and other walkers. There's been a spate...
Chilmark: Friendship Day
It was wonderful to pull into our library parking lot on Friday of the long weekend to a completely full lot, park with the...
The English are here
A little over a month prior to a planned arrival, the library and I heard from Mike Scott, “Deputy Editor/Treasurer of the Chilmark Village...
Chilmark: A friend long remembered
I can't recall who told me to contact Jimmy Morgan and interview him about his paintings, model wooden ships, and relief scenes, but I...
Chilmark: Friendship Day
It was extremely disturbing to find out after last week's column was published that Ed Jerome had passed away. Although my children went to...
Chilmark: Close to home
Morning dog walkers have happily returned to Lucy Vincent Beach, and all of us have appreciated and delighted in the new Squibby all summer...
Barney Zeitz’s open studio is an adventure in learning
All summer and throughout September, artist Barney Zeitz hosts a weekly open studio on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 pm. I make a point...
Gardens of Love: Duncan Caldwell
Updated Sept. 14
Thirty years ago, Duncan Caldwell purchased an Aquinnah property and began designing a home and garden for himself and his wife Nancy....
Chilmark: Field of dreams
This week Chilmark and the world lost artist Irving Petlin, 83; someone whose pastel work and paintings have never stopped being relevant. In fact...
Chilmark: Changing times as new season arrives
The hardest part of this time of year is losing light and sundown creeping to an earlier and earlier time, evening walks cut short...
Chilmark: Election season
Not sure how I missed writer Nancy Aronie's “Waiting in the Steamship Line” at this year's Ag Fair, but one of her fantastic miniature...
Memory keeper
Upon entering Susan Shea’s Edgartown home, I am greeted by her dog Sophie, named for Sophie Bloch, a weaver and wool spinner who lived...
Chilmark: Rest in Peace Mark London
I am sad to share Mark London passed away on August 19 after receiving a stem cell transplant for NK cell leukemia, according to...