By JONAH LIPSKY

Before she began writing and illustrating children’s books, Molly Bang earned master’s degrees in Far Eastern languages and literature from the University of Arizona and Harvard University. These experiences helped her realize, “how unsuited I was for scholarly research and a life spent in libraries.”

She then turned to reporting, learning, essentially, the same lesson. She worked at the Baltimore Sun and discovered, “how unsuited I was as a reporter by getting fired.”

Robynn Murray served in the armed forces in Iraq and was featured on the cover of Army Magazine as an inspiration to women in the army. She now wants nothing to do with selling the military to other women. While in Iraq she was shot at, pointed her gun at families, and witnessed death and destruction. Upon returning home from the war she had to deal with the slow, messy process of trying to cope with her experiences in the army.

Cathlin Baker, the first woman minister in the history of the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury, calls her church, which dates to the 1600s, “the little church in the heart of the Island.”

Chelsea McCarthy’s house burned down when she was 24 years old. She had paid off her credit card debt earlier that month, mailed her rent payment on her Christiantown home that morning, and had no money in the bank. At the end of the day all she was left with was some jewelry, perfume, her birth certificate (somehow it survived the fire), the clothes she had on and one of her two cats.

So much for having her life sorted out.

Two years ago Mike Parker walked into the trailer office of Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard with $2,000 and a wide grin on his face. The previous weekend he had organized a benefit concert for Hospice. The money was his gift to the organization that had supported his family when his father was dying of liver cancer while Mr. Parker was still in high school.

Waban Park last Saturday was reminiscent of days when folk music swept the nation and outdoor concerts became legendary events representing a social movement of peace, love and community.

People lay in the grass, kids ran around and blew bubbles, and many local bands played short sets, including Willy Mason, Nina Violet, and the duo Jemima James and Dan Waters.