Recent Posts

Nantucket Essays

Life Finds a Way

I was standing in front of the ice cream in the Stop & Shop when I got shouted at by a former student, enraged, hopping, eye-popping at my mask. He was a house painter, but there was not a spot of paint on his clothes today. Instead, he had a cart with milk, Cheerios, Huggies, broccoli, two loaves of Arnold White bread, and one canister of grated parmesan…

Nantucket Arts

Curtains Will Still Go Up at Island Theaters

Across the world, theaters have made the difficult but necessary decision to close their doors to audiences, cast, and crew during the global pandemic. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to take in one of Nantucket’s theatre productions at the The Dreamland, The Theatre Workshop of Nantucket, or the White Heron Theatre, you have experienced the magic of live theatre as it transports you to new places, new people, and new ideas…

Spotted Turtle | Nantucket, MA
Island Science

Spotted Turtles of Springtime

As the weather warms the island seems to spring to life. It’s not just the daffodils and birdsong. As you walk along the bike paths and travel on roads, some of our Nantucket turtles are on the move as well. Fresh out of hibernation, our smallest freshwater turtle, the Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) is moving about travelling to springtime feeding and breeding grounds…

Garden | Nantucket, MA
Insider Tips, Island Science

Planting Your Pandemic Patch

As I sit in the back garden basking in the glory of a Kwanzan cherry tree, its prolific pink petals parachute gracefully to the ground. The wind whispers through the canopy and the mind begins to wonder. Will my pepper seedlings ever start to grow? Is it too late to sow more peas? What will Nantucket’s summer look like in this “new normal’’? Although these questions can paralyze any action, I think it’s important to do just that. Act…

Nantucket Book Festival 2020
Nantucket Events

Reinventing a Festival during Times of Social Distancing

I haven’t left Nantucket since February 25th. But last week, I was on a houseboat on the River Thames. Since late February, I have been to high rises in New York City and the suburbs of Philadelphia. I’ve been to a yellow house in New Orleans, the rocky shore Nova Scotia, and the deserts of the American west. I’ve been on whaling ships and to one-room schoolhouses. I stopped by Tinker Creek, Virginia and Alaska in the 1970s…

Featured Articles

November of an Island Spring

by Robert P. Barsanti On Easter morning, I woke up late. The boys remained under their covers, illuminated by their phones.  The jelly bean trails had led them to their late adolescent Easter baskets, then back to bed.  Some traditions continue just for the sake of the parents.  We’re too […]