Arnie Reisman

Telling a Moth Story Attracts Butterflies

Thirty years ago I flirted with the idea of quitting my day job and writing the Great American Novel.

Read More

When It's Time to Change, Rearrange

I’ve noticed that Island shops carry greeting cards for retirement. Most of the messages inside simply read “Congratulations!” So, I’m thinking of starting my own line. The message inside would simply say “Are you sure?”

Read More

Dancing With the R Word is Tricky Tango

Regionalism is the opposite of townism. To bring it up favorably in conversation can put a person at risk on this Island.

Read More

Takes a Legal Seagull to Lose the Beach

The story has it that 40 years ago this spring, Massachusetts state Sen. William (Billy) Bulger was on Nantucket and decided to go for a dip in the deep blue sea.

Read More

Washashore Chronicles: Making Waves After Washing Ashore

Okay, my wife and I have been living here full-time for more than three years. I know we can never lose the label of washashore, but is it conceivable we might be at least recognized with a label that advances our status?

Read More

Jury Duty Comes with Sentence of Its Own

Bright and early one morning I drove down to the courthouse in Edgartown and walked through the doorway under those inscribed words that smack of a Marx Brothers routine: County of Dukes County Courthouse.

Read More

It's Better to Bowl Than to Fade Away

For my father and my uncle, bowling offered a more athletic alternative to canasta. They joined the men’s bowling league and brought me along for good luck, or practice.

Read More

Memories Best Kept in Long-Term Parking

This haiku came to me after my last phone call with my Uncle Leo. In fact, it was my last phone call with him, period. He died on the last day of 2013. I never thought I’d hear myself saying this, but it was a blessing.

Read More

Washashore Chronicles: Oh, Look Out You Rock and Rollers

It’s not that I’m risk averse — I prefer predictability. I appreciate a pleasant sameness in my daily routine. Blissful in the calm, I can get things done.

Read More

Washashore Chronicles: Weight of Tradition Builds Strong Ties

It was a dark but not stormy night. Just a merry crispness in the air. It was Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving, around the dinner hour. We were all snug in our post-tryptophan haze in Vineyard Haven when suddenly all hell broke loose outside. Here’s the play-by-play.

Read More

Pages