Featherstone Center for the Arts and Justen Ahren, founder of the Noepe Center for Literary Arts, announced this week that the Noepe Center will reopen this spring in partnership with Featherstone. The acclaimed 10-year-old writing program closed its doors in 2017 when its home, the Point Way Inn in Edgartown, was sold
“I didn’t realize when Noepe ended, how much it meant to the community,” Mr. Ahren said. “Over the last few years it has really become evident.”
Mr. Ahren said he will serve a different role when the writing program begins again.
“I’m going to be taking a role as an advisor and consultant, just there to help shape programming in the future,” Mr. Ahren said.
Mr. Ahren said he was thrilled at the rebirth of Noepe.
“I’m just delighted it means so much to the community and that it will exist again as a resource for the community,” he said.
The new director of the Noepe Center for Literary Arts is Mathea Morais, a writer and teacher at the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School. Ms. Morais said she was among the people in the Island community who felt a loss when Noepe closed its doors.
“I took a few classes and attended a bunch of readings at Noepe,” Ms. Morais said. “I loved it as a teacher to have those things happening here in the summer. It felt like a gift. When it closed it was so heartbreaking for me. Since I’m a teacher, since I’m a writer, it just kind of seemed to be the natural thing for me to take this on.”
Ms. Morais said participants in the Noepe group will find a familiar place to nurture their work. One of the questions facing her is how to make the programs accessible to people who are working other jobs.
“How can you create classes and time and community, all those great things Noepe offers, and really tailor it to people to fit it into their real working lives?” Ms. Morais said.
The summer program begins with an appearance by poet Billy Collins. Mr. Collins will read some of his work at a June 9 evening event, and will conduct a writing workshop the next day.
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