NANCY GARDELLA

508-693-3308

(iklean@yahoo.com)

I am taking opinions about the roundabout, rotary, carousel — whatever you call it. What do my readers think?

There’s a whole lot of news in the food and book arenas. The film A Place at the Table will be screened at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center at 4 p.m. tomorrow. This will be followed by a discussion with people working to address food insecurity and poverty issues on Martha’s Vineyard. Among them are members from the Health Care Alliance, Mass in Motion, the Vineyard Committee on Hunger, and Armen Hanjian from the Island Food Pantry, as well as Betty Burton from Serving Hands Food Distribution. Leslie Clapp from Center for Living and Jacquie Cage from Meals on Wheels will be there as well. You are all invited.

Dine to Donate on Tuesday May 7, at one of our Island’s two Sharkey’s Restaurant locations, either Edgartown or Oak Bluffs. Some of the programs that night’s receipts will benefit are the local emergency food program, medical taxis and supportive day work. If you need more information, call Ginger Duarte at 508-693-6570.

Good food was on the menu at the Women’s Symposium last Sunday in Chilmark, and I hear many of our illustrious women from down-Island were there, and among them were Abigail McGrath and Leigh Smith. Speaking of Abigail, if you do want to get started on that book or painting, remember to write to Renaissance House to register for the summer Island commuters’ program. The program will kick-start your projects. Weather permitting, good — make that great — food will be available on Sunday at the Felix Neck Sanctuary between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The event, sponsored by Felix Neck and Slow Food of Martha’s Vineyard, admits members for $3 and all others for $5. Bring a dish to share containing nettles or any wild greens or wild chow; that’s the theme on Sunday. At noon there will be a local healthy and natural feast! Cooking demos begin at 10 a.m., with our town’s own private Tisbury chef Gabrielle Redner. Suzan Bellincampi, who works so hard as director, will be on board. If you have questions, check with slowfoodmarthasvineyard.org.

Are you sated? Good. Time to read. The peripatetic Thomas Dresser has come out with yet another book, this one addressing the contributions of 15 prominent Island women starting with poet and legend Nancy Luce and on through others in the 20th century. Not only can you buy the book from Bunch of Grapes or from Tom online, but you can also hear him speak and see him sign copies on Wednesday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the program room at our library. If any two can tell a tale well, it is Tom Dresser and, I must mention, Susan Klein.

Other library news involves game night every Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. during May. The library has many great board games, checkers and chess, but bring your family favorites and all your friends if you like. Parcheesi, anyone?

There is a bit of a change in story hour for the youngsters on Tuesday, May 7. Instead of the usual two seatings and age separation at 10 a.m., all ages are invited to one special show at 11 a.m. Jeanie McLerie of Silver City, NM, will lead sing-alongs and dances for all. Her specialty is songs in English, French, Spanish and Navajo. Please remember children under the age of eight must have grown-up companionship, and that’s at all times in our library, not just story hour.

To round out the kids’ programming besides the usual craft events, the West Tisbury library staff invites all to their story hour at our library on Thursday, May 9, at 10:30 a.m. We are delighted and pleased to host them until their new library is built.

Confidential to Lyn K, and I think I finally spelled your name correctly: you always keep track of what I read. If you want a heart-stopping experience, read Lee Child’s Gone Tomorrow. I was mesmerized but wanted to lower my blood pressure so I switched to rereading Robert Caro’s excellent biography of Robert Moses, The Powerbroker. Well, that was scary enough. Back to fiction, a lovely woman introduced me to the Tamar Myers mystery series with recipes: Assault and Pepper, Crepes of Wrath, Batter Off Dead. You get the picture. Yes, there is murder but there is a lot of word play, jokes, puns and interesting information about Mennonites and the Amish. Tell me what you think.

The birthday bandwagon pulls along Laurie Marotta today who is so stellar, and as far as I know she has the day to herself. Tomorrow is shared by Anna Duarte and Jonathan Spencer Norton. May 6 belongs to Jim MacDonald, Sarah Francis, and Joey Murphy. May 7 is claimed by Ellen Dubraska. And on May 9, Christopher Collins, Whitney Kelly, Darcy Jewett and Matheus dos Santos take the cake. Many happy returns.