coreKnell

The Island Inn is very homey and inviting but with echoes of the Village. (I am a free man, but for a week I had a number as well: G-42.) I felt free to explore knowing that, should we stray too far, the big white ball would come bouncing and steer us back into the compound.

The nearby hamlet of Oak Bluffs is a mere mile or so up the road. A myriad of delights awaits expectant VP-ers here: groceries, restaurants, liquor, and an old wooden carousel with scary horses. Oak Bluffs is also the home of the so-called “gingerbread houses,” a neighborhood of theme-decorated homes such as the Study in Pink and Purple below. Major speculation within our group centered around which of these eclectic set pieces harbored a meth lab.

Leah and Chia also discovered the joy of a swing break on our walk back to the Inn:

Walking the island, it’s easy to see why so many writers have found inspiration there. Each new setting seemed to suggested a remembered novel, from Washington Irving to Stephen King to Louisa May Alcott. And then there were the jellyfish! We were told this was the best year in memory for the little critters, and they seemed a bit unearthly as they sailed under the bridge. (Sorry, no pics as the light was insufficient. Curse you, camera phone!)

In short, inspiration was around every corner. A discussion of the alarming amount of Iowans in our group triggered my soon-to-be-published short, Bleeding Heartland (and Chia Evers’ also-published prequel). Our position at the edge of the building and subsequent flaky wireless connection inspired my writing assignment for the week, Repeater. Roomie Brent Bowen has promised to commit to paper a story about the gingerbread meth house. And Elizabeth Bear is apparently writing about the scary horses on the Oak Bluffs carousel.

The beauty and isolation of Martha’s Vineyard seems a perfect mix for a writers’ workshop.