Arielle Reid Faria, a trailblazing woman
When it comes to trailblazing women who are changing the world, Martha’s Vineyard's very own Arielle Reid Faria is a leader you need to know.
Arielle’s roots on the Vineyard run deep, and her public...
Education connects
According to Brown University Library, nearly all Brazilian immigrants come to the U.S. in search of higher wages, lower living costs, and a desire to escape the inflation that plagued Brazil until 1994. Even...
Second Acts: Morgen Schroeder
“If I can wax poetic about cheese for a second …”
After you study civil engineering in college, and pursue a career in construction in Dallas and commercial real estate in New York, it should...
The art of research
Vineyard resident Márcia De Castro Borges, who lived in Brazil until 2019, is a visual anthropologist, educator, and writer who investigates the relationships between image, history, memory, and identity. Borges focuses and reflects on...
Taking off – Flying with John Levinson
The first time I flew on an airplane I was 16 years old, heading to Florida to meet my paternal grandmother. I didn’t know what to expect — from her or the flight —...
Estela Cardoso’s Journey
Estela Cardoso, who is deaf and lives on the Vineyard, lives at the crossroads of the Island’s history with the historic deaf community and contemporary Island life, where there are few deaf people and...
‘Grease and Grit’
Andrea Dello Russo’s journey to becoming a mother, educator, motorcycle rider, and business owner running a successful auto repair shop here on the Vineyard is a circuitous and compelling tale. “Grease and Grit: A...
Second Acts: Lucian Nastasi
Lucian Nastasi considers himself lucky. Lucky that he was raised by a loving Romanian family who valued education. Lucky he learned to speak English starting in the second grade (with help from the Cartoon...
In the service of others
Rachel Elion Baird is a multitalented conceptual artist and author who uses a range of media, plus poetry and music, besides having a full-time healing practice. She is also a delegate for Servas International,...
Second Acts: Jovana Balaban
How does a young woman from a landlocked Eastern European country, educated to become a literature and language teacher, end up a serial entrepreneur on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard? Jovana Balaban’s story is...
Second Acts: NaDaizja Bolling
From as long as she can remember, NaDaizja Bolling spent her summers on Martha’s Vineyard. Raised near Boston, she went off to Syracuse University to study public health, but came back to the Vineyard...
Second Acts: Irene Ziebarth and Doug West
Doug West began coming to Martha’s Vineyard in summers as a kid, back in 1952, and later his family bought a cottage in Oak Bluffs. When he met Irene Ziebarth in California, she had...
‘A home away from home’
Even without kids, I’m aware of the fabulous children’s librarians in our local libraries. All you need to do is read the myriad of programs they offer — and hear the squeals coming from...
Stars among us: Howard Attebery and Cynthia Riggs
Cynthia Riggs never expected Howard (“Howie”) Attebery to come back into her life 60-plus years after meeting him. But he did. And the rest, as they say, is history. To catch you up to...
Life with a mission
Hellie Newman thought I ought to meet Rachel Vaughn, an Island chef and caterer, before she returns to Ukraine. I caught up with Rachel in Chilmark on a cold and rainy Sunday. Though sockless...
New beginnings
Laurel Redington is one of those people you are glad to know. She is endlessly gracious, enthusiastic, supportive, and well-connected. With deep roots in the community and breadth of knowledge about the Island, she...
Second Acts: Jocelyn Coleman Walton
“My grandmother, Luella Coleman, came to the Vineyard as a domestic and through perseverance and vision, she bought a house. And I spent every single summer here from my first birthday in 1940. I've only missed...
Second Acts: Jennifer DaSilva
For most people, taking a work break means not working. But for Jennifer DaSilva, it means coming up with her next line of work. That’s how she went from corporate attorney to Martha’s Vineyard...
Traveling memories
What does the $100 million collection of some 500 unique rock ’n’ roll, pop culture, and American history items belonging to Jim Irsay — owner and CEO of the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts...
Melissa Patterson is ‘All About Signs’
What’s your favorite sign on Martha’s Vineyard? I have many.
I had never needed a signmaker until this year when I connected with Melissa Patterson of About Signs. Initially we worked together online, as well...