Unofficially the first poet laureate of the Island was Dionis Coffin Riggs, who began hosting a poetry group at the Cleaveland House in West Tisbury in 1960.
Here is Dionis’s poem Wait, Spring, which was published in the April 19, 1996 Gazette:
Photography
The wind festival delights each September as the winds pick up and everyone heads to Ocean Park with all manner of wind-related flyers — kites, Frisbees, even bubbles.
September 13, 2021
First weigh-in for the 76th Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby took place from 8 to 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. Weigh-ins are everday, down at the Edgartown Harbor, from 8 to 10 a.m. and 8 to 10 p.m.
September 12, 2021
Around the island, fire and police and first responders remembered the tragedy of 9/11 on the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
September 11, 2021
The signs of a changing season are everywhere. The crowds grow thinner and the choke of traffic becomes less aggravating. An occasional parking spot pops open here and there. Water temperatures stay warm enough to invite swimmers to a shoreline less crowded.
September 9, 2021
It's the time of year when everyone want to get the blues — bluefish, that is, along with, false albacore and bonito.
September 9, 2021
The year begins to turn and this week of school openings tells us so. School days remind us that the month of September always returns the community to a more serious side of Island life, to those essential Vineyard issues that stretch far beyond the rush of summer.
September 8, 2021
As Labor Day arrives and the traditional summer exodus begins, all roads lead to the Steamship Authority where the lines are long and the boats are sold out in one direction only: to the mainland.
September 6, 2021
Labor Day weekend sneaked up this year and caught the Island unawares.
September 6, 2021
On Saturday, the Vineyard was invited back to peruse Alley's General Store after a summer of refurbishing.
September 6, 2021
The mainland has its shopping malls, but the Vineyard has its summer markets, and we like to think the Island got the better end of the deal.
September 6, 2021
Suddenly it's time to say goodbye to summer friends and house guests, time to send college students packing and to ease the jitters of high school freshmen.
September 5, 2021
They say those sultry August weeks are the dog days of summer. We're just glad to have our faithful companions with us.
August 31, 2021
On Sunday, shark fins were spotted in Sengekontacket again. But this time the fins were not be attached to actual sharks. They were wooden decoys, used as a fundraiser for Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary as part of its 50-year anniversary summer.
August 30, 2021
Kayakers, canoers, paddleboarders, and many dogs set out Sunday morning in Sengekontacket Pond for the 30th annual Oar & Paddle Regatta.
August 30, 2021
How is it that August on the Island can be so different from July? It's all about location in the landscape of summer.
August 29, 2021
A day at the beach stretches into the late afternoon, when the sun drops low in the sky and the wind backs off in perfect synchrony with a falling tide.
August 28, 2021