CLAMS Uncovered

Clam time in January? Well, think of it as bivalve meets bibliophile.

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is hosting a series of workshops on the CLAMS network, the library system that has traditionally included the down-Island branches as well as some on the Cape, but will soon welcome up-Island branches too.

Kids Activites

For families sticking around on the Island during the school break and wondering what to do with the kids next week there is hope. The Edgartown Library is holding craftime every day starting at 2 p.m. There will be activities and crafts, movies, popcorn and hot cocoa. For more details, call 508-627-4221.

Juniper

juniperus communis

called jenever by the Dutch

green and young, female seed cone

a fleshy berry used in gin

another life when you mature

piney and resinous

your berries beautiful blue

for seasoning, aromatherapy, medicine

native tribes chewed you to ward off hunger

your seeds become beads

Navajo necklaces for protection

I cut boughs from your strong trunk

like the ancients I bring you inside

Lighthouse Santa

Sara Hoadland Hunter and Julia Miner, the writer and illustrator team behind The Lighthouse Santa will give a reading at the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Vineyard Haven on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 5 p.m.

Visiting Poets

On Thursday, Dec. 15, at 5:30 p.m. the West Tisbury Library will host poets G.E. Patterson and Samantha Barrow.

G. E. Patterson is a poet, critic and translator whose collections of poetry include To and From and Tug, which won the Minnesota Book Award. Mr. Patterson has received fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Cave Canem, the Djerassi Foundation, the MacDowell Colony, and the Minnesota State Arts Board.

Art in the Stacks

Bill Buckley is the featured artist for the month of December at the Vineyard Haven Library’s Art in the Stacks program.

In his own words, Mr. Buckley describes his influences as “Picasso, Monet, Gauguin, Botticelli, Magritte, Hopper and Dali to name a few.”