Martha's Vineyard Eloise Christy

New Memoir Tells a Stateless Story

Eloise Christy | Monday, August 18 2025 - 12:55pm

Mikael (Misha) Okuns runs the Behind the Bookstore coffee shop and has been a staple of caffeinated life in Edgartown since 2014.

This summer, he published a memoir that is about coffee and so much more. The story he tells involves his long and winding journey to America from his native Azerbaijan. The book is titled Stateless in Paradise: A Stranded Soul’s Fight for Freedom.

New Memoir Tells a Stateless Story

Eloise Christy

Mikael (Misha) Okuns runs the Behind the Bookstore coffee shop and has been a staple of caffeinated life in Edgartown since 2014.

Paying It Forward for Next Generation of HBCU Students

Eloise Christy

As part of Legacy Week on Martha’s Vineyard, the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) college fair and youth exposition was held at Union Chapel on Tuesday afternoon.

Interiority Photo Exhibit Speaks Volumes

Eloise Christy

The current photography exhibit at Featherstone Center for the Arts takes its inspiration from a Toni Morrison phrase from her novel Beloved: “How can I say things that are pictures.”

SSA Announces Schedule Changes for Road Race, Fireworks

Eloise Christy

The Steamship Authority is warning travelers about changes to the ferry schedules this month due to the Falmouth Road Race and the Oak Bluffs fireworks.

Meet the Fleet Gets to the Heart of Fishing Community

Eloise Christy

Sea scallops and skittering crabs were center stage at Menemsha’s Dutcher Dock on Thursday during the eighth annual Meet the Fleet event put on by the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust.

A Message of Love Fuels Summer Arts Camp

Eloise Christy

After walking through the doors to one of the buildings at Sense of Wonder Creations, one encounters masks of different shapes, sizes and colors, along with puppets, shelves of old books and all manner of paints and brushes.