Recent Posts

An Island Point of View

Note to the Blues: the Derby Is August 23

The signs are everywhere. Shorter days, football teams getting ready, the August Blues fishing tournament in full swing—yup, this summer is slipping away like a Don Henley song. So when I found myself with an open afternoon last week I decided to get out to the beach and see if maybe I could actually participate in the tournament by catching a bluefish. Seems reasonable, right?

ticks | Nantucket, MA
Island Science

Island Risks of Lone Star Ticks & Alpha Gal

I first encountered lone star ticks on Tuckernuck Island in 2015. I had one adult female hitchhike back to Nantucket on me. At the time, it was only the second report from Nantucket with many more known from Tuckernuck. Of course, it was just a matter of time before Nantucket, and all of its available habitat, became the next place for lone star ticks to populate. Since then, lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) have established and become dominant in parts of Nantucket starting in the western end and are now found throughout the island. And, yes, they are found all the way to the eastern end.

Nantucket Arts, Nantucket Events

Poetry Festival Returns

by Anna Popnikolova Without art, we are not Nantucket. But how could we understand that without poetry? Poetry shows us there is beauty in the mundane. We are making poetry, even if we aren’t writing anything. Poetry tells us there is so much more than what is in front of […]

Nantucket Arts

Lead Gift & Naming of New AAN Gallery

Artists Association of Nantucket (AAN) has announced a transformational lead gift by the Cecelia Joyce and Seward Johnson Foundation, the Atlantic Foundation, and the India Blake Johnson Foundation towards the purchase and renovation of AAN’s new gallery at 8 Federal Street. In recognition of this generous support, the gallery will […]

Children’s Book Day Nantucket 2025
Nantucket Events

Introducing Kids to the Power of Words

The magic of storytelling returns to Children’s Beach this Saturday, August 23 as the Nantucket Book Foundation hosts its second annual Children’s Book Day. Building on the success of the inaugural event held last September, this year’s event continues the mission of fostering literacy and igniting a lifelong love of […]

Nantucket Style

Vintage Fashion Meets Fine Wine on Federal

In the heart of town on Federal Street, Commonwealth Nantucket has carved a distinctive niche in Nantucket’s retail landscape. What began nearly a decade ago as a carefully curated vintage clothing and accessories boutique has evolved into a dual-concept store where luxury fashion meets fine wine.

An Island Point of View, Nantucket History & People

A Dedicated Ranger Making Our Isle Better

I’ve started my days this week fishing from a bridge in Salem, MA as cars and trucks cruised by me at 30 or so MPH, scaring me to death. Yeah, this was not first choice, but at least it allowed me to catch some fish and clear my head out a bit. Another thing that it did was to help me to better appreciate the beauty of Nantucket, particularly Great Point. I’ll be home soon enough and will have some sand between my toes shortly thereafter.

Fragrant sweet pepperbush
Island Science

The Nature of August

We’re halfway into August, and it starts to feel a touch like fall. There’s a slight crispness to the air in the early mornings, and the humidity of July has waned. The August Blues Fishing Tournament, which I love to participate in, has me thinking about August blues—I mean the kind of feeling that has less to do with bluefish and more to do with disappointment at the end of something. Of course, I’m reading way too much into the name of a fishing tournament, but there is an element of sadness that summer might soon be coming to a close.