2020 Author Series Program
Different, but still great…
Our model was to focus on the most topical issues, the finest authors, make it as accessible as possible (free with an easy to use platform), and offer an abridged series so no one would get sick of us.
The series was different, but it was pretty great. With Sarah Broom and Erik Larson, it was hard to go wrong. And with discussions on the Supreme Court with Ruth Marcus, Richard Lazarus and Adam Cohen, and The Black Lives Matter Movement with Kiese Laymon, Barbara Phillips and David Blight, it was informative, timely and smart. A virtual series gave us access to just the right moderators including Thelma Golden of the Studio Museum in Harlem with Sarah Broom; author Amor Towles (A Gentleman of Moscow) with Erik Larson; journalist, lawyer and legal correspondent Dahlia Lithwick for the Supreme Court discussion; and Harvard Law School Professor Kenneth Mack for the racial justice panel. The authors and moderators were stunning. They were well prepared and generous with their time. We learned that there is an intimacy and immediacy to doing virtual events live and up close, and indeed it is another form of community dialogue. We were pleased that the series provided a connection to the Vineyard for those who could not get here this summer, and our audience grew to unimagined levels.
Our advisory board was exceptionally helpful in shaping the format, content and participants of the series with particular thanks to Dawn Davis, Steve Fischer, Jessica Harris, Patricia Sullivan and George Gibson. We learned new ways to share the information about our events, and we are grateful to our media partner, The Vineyard Gazette as well as for their excellent coverage of our events. Kate Brown was our clever and quick social media master, and Jeanna Shepard took the best photographs. Chilmark Town Affairs Council provided a strong foundation thanks to the work of Jeff Herman, Betty Frank Bailey, and Alexandra London-Thompson. Bunch of Grapes Bookstore helpfully delivered a seamless connection for book sales. Melissa Paterson of About Signs MV made us look interesting. The series was free but hundreds of you stepped up to support it with donations large and small, and this made it all possible. We are grateful to this extraordinary community for recognizing the importance of books and dialogue.
We missed seeing your faces this summer, but most importantly we knew you were there. In a difficult time, we learned that there are other ways to connect. Thank you for making what seemed like an impossible season a surprisingly successful one. We can't wait to see you next year for the Martha's Vineyard Book Festival on August 7-8, 2021!
Suellen, Valerie and Annie
We were determined to try to have a live Martha’s Vineyard Author Series this summer despite all evidence to the contrary. We felt it was important at this time to have safe gatherings, human connection, and thoughtful dialogue. We tried a dozen different models, but, ultimately, we concluded that the 2020 series had to be, and to be, it had to be virtual.
The Black Lives Matter Movement and the Fight for Racial Justice
On Thursday, August 13, 7:30pm with Kiese Laymon, David Blight and Barbara Phillips. Moderated by Ken Mack.
And from the Vineyard Gazette:
Supreme Analysis: An Evening on the Court
And from the Vineyard Gazette:
“Jesus take the wheel.”
“The [Supreme] Court cares about what we think…”
How do you tell the story of an institution as enigmatic as the United States Supreme Court? On Sunday evening, Ruth Marcus, Adam Cohen and Richard Lazarus, three Harvard Law School graduates and authors of recent nonfiction works about the high court, set out to answer this question.
Vineyard Gazette
Author Series Opens to Virtual Acclaim
“The house, which I describe as the 13th and most unruly child, became something my mother was bent on taming,”
Vineyard Gazette: Holding Hands With History
“Because of the way I like to do history, I look for the people that we can hold hands with when we’re going through whatever it is I’m writing about.”
The Vine Summer Reading — Black Lives, Four Books
“So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.”
Vineyard Gazette
Author Series Stays the Course With Virtual Events
By John Lewis
Mr. Lewis, the civil rights leader who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death, to be published upon the day of his funeral.
New York Times, July 30, 2020
GROUNDBREAKING MEMOIR
Winner of the 2019 National Book Award for Nonfiction and considered a groundbreaking form of memoir, The Yellow House: A Memoir is writer Sarah M. Broom’s richly layered exploration of life in her family home in New Orleans, before and after Hurricane Katrina.
Holding true to tradition, the Martha’s Vineyard Author Series is set to kick-off its biennial programming on July 30, however this summer the event will take place virtually.
