Jennifer began writing poetry for publication while an English major at Union College. She earned a masters degree from Fairfield University and attended the Iowa Writers Workshop. She is the author of two poetry books, Lost and Found, Rhyming Verse Honoring African American Heroes (2006) and Perennial Secrets, Poetry & Prose (2003) which was nominated for the Connecticut Book Awards. Her work is included in Vineyard Poets, The Gay Head Light House Anthology, and in numerous literary publications. She has been featured on National Public Radio's Faith Middleton Show, appeared on Connecticut Public Television and on the Ivanhoe Broadcasting Smart Woman program. She was a featured speaker at the University of Pennsylvania Kelly Writer's House, and at many other colleges and universities. A member of Cleveland House Poets, Jennifer has recently finished her third poetry collection. When she isn’t writing poetry she is working on her debut novel to be published next year.

Fan Ogilvie, poet and teacher, lives on Martha's Vineyard where she was chosen Poet Laureate of West Tisbury in 2009. In that role she created the Promising Poet Prize for MV Regional High Schoolers, and a program for inmates at the Dukes County House of Correction. Both endeavors resulted in books representing the participants. Her latest collection of poems and paintings, EASINESSES FOUND, came out in 2015 and is available at Bunch of Grapes and Amazon. Her previous book of poetry with a memoir "YOU" and "KNOT: A LIFE" was published in 2008. She is a member of The Cleaveland House Poets, along with Lee McCormack and yours truly. She founded the Folger Shakespeare Library Poetry Board & Reading Program in Washington DC serving as chair for 9 years. And she was a member of the board of the Poetry Society of America in New York City.

To quote him -- Richard Skidmore, poet and prose writer, has been writing for publication since he was 8 years old, and will continue as long as he can find his glasses. A writer of both poetry and prose, he has done book reviews for the New York Times and profiled Lucy Vincent in the most recent issue of Martha’s Vineyard Magazine. He has lived for more than 25 years in the rhythms of the Gay Head Lighthouse where he and his wife have served as its keepers. Thanks to Richard and his cohorts, that lighthouse has been more than kept. It has been moved. In support of the lighthouse movement, he edited with Fan Ogilvie, a book of poems and drawings by island students entitled “I Will Save You!”

Clark Myers is active in the poetry community on Martha's Vineyard and has been published both locally and regionally. His poem "Priester's Pond" was featured on WCAI's Poetry Sunday this past Spring. He lives with his wife and two children in Vineyard Haven. And like our previous readers tonight, along with your host, Clark is a member of the Cleaveland House Poets.

Arnie Reisman lives on the island of Martha’s Vineyard with his wife, former television consumer reporter and executive coach, Paula Lyons. He served as Martha’s Vineyard Poet Laureate from 2014-2017. He is a member of the Martha’s Vineyard Poetry Society and the Cleaveland House Poets. His published books of poems include Clara Bow Died For Our Sins, and Sodom and Costello. He is also a columnist for the weekly Vineyard Gazette, a playwright, a filmmaker and a radio performer. His dark stage comedy, Not Constantinople, had its world premiere at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse in June, 2015, directed by MJ Bruder Munafo. Since the radio program’s debut in 1996, along with his wife, he has been a regular panelist on the weekly NPR comedy quiz show, Says You! Among his film credits are Hollywood On Trial (the Blacklist era), which received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary, The Other Side of the Moon (Apollo astronaut program), which he co-produced for PBS with Mickey Lemle, and The Powder & the Glory (the Helena Rubinstein-Elizabeth Arden business rivalry), which he co-produced for PBS with Ann Carol Grossman - and became War Paint, a Broadway musical.