It sounds like the set-up for a joke: how many Jewish rugby players are there in America? But that was the question Menemsha native Jasper Wilson asked himself last fall as he pursued try-outs for the American rugby team traveling to the World Maccabi Games in Israel this July.

"My Mom is trying to ruin my life!” The phrase has been uttered, screamed and moaned countless times through the ages. And now it’s being sung from the stage of a New York city theatre — by way of Martha’s Vineyard. On Feb. 16, the WorkShop Theatre Company in Manhattan began performances of My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life, a musical theatre adaptation by MJ Bruder Munafo and Kate Feiffer of Ms. Feiffer’s popular picture book for children.

Fans of both classic gumshoe detective novels and recent crime fiction will appreciate Jim Kohlberg’s new mystery novel The Golden Gate is Red. In this engaging book, the author gives readers a murder mystery set amid the atmospheric fog and steep hills of San Francisco. But unlike most crime fiction, Mr. Kohlberg focuses on the psychological toll paid by his main characters; the unraveling of whodunit takes a back seat to the emotional journeys.

Lucas Brunelle is a man on a mission. The 41-year old Vineyard native wants to take people where they’ve never been before. That’s exactly what he does in Line of Sight, his first full-length film, a compilation of footage shot over the past 10 years from Mr. Brunelle’s unique vantage point: a two-camera set-up atop his bicycle helmet. Mr. Brunelle competes in grueling alleycat bike races all over the world.

Best-selling author and Chilmark resident Linda Fairstein has said that one of her greatest pleasures is the moment she holds in her hand a copy of her latest book. Fans will feel the same way on July 10 when Dutton publishes Night Watch, the latest of Ms. Fairstein’s engrossing crime fiction novels.

Holly Bellebuono is well known for the informative workshops and walks she leads on the Vineyard, educating people about herbs both native and cultivated, and how to use them in various ways.