It is January and some say that’s when the doors shut and the winter tumbleweeds roll in. And there is some truth to tales told of quiet Island, where bedtime often arrives at 7 p.m. and the only way to get the heart pumping is an icy morning plunge in the Atlantic.

But dig a bit deeper, past the lonely streets, the migrating birds and people headed south, the solitary broken bicycle listing on the edge of town. There is life out there. Honest.

For example, the Peter Luce Play Readers are hosting a performance of I and You on Sunday, Jan. 8 at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center. The event is a fundraiser for the Vineyard Haven Library, a hotbed of activity like all the libraries on the Island, and stars John Brannen and Jacqueline Stallings, and is directed and produced by Linda Comstock.

Showtime begins at 4 p.m. with a wine reception afterwards courtesy of Our Market.

Also on Sunday, but earlier in the day from noon to 1:30 p.m., the West Tisbury Library is hosting an opening reception for the photography of Elliot Bennett. Ms. Bennett’s photography is an extension of the close observation techniques she learned as a longtime science teacher.

For those looking for something more vigorous there are open skates at the Ice Arena and drop in pickleball at Airport Fitness. Or travel a bit slower at an Alpaca Walk and Talk at Island Alpaca.

The featured artist this month at Mocha Mott’s in Vineyard Haven is Archie Robertson, a painter of homes and Jackson Pollack-esque beauties.

Len Morris and Petra Lent screen their latest documentary Butterfly, Butterfly on Tuesday, Jan 10 at 5 p.m. at the Oak Bluffs Library. The film examines child labor in American agriculture as well as in tobacco, coffee and cocoa farming.

There are also trivia nights at The Ritz Cafe, The Wharf and Town Bar and Grill, along with pelvic floor fitness at Peaked Hill Studio.

PathwaysArts in Chilmark hosts poetry on Tuesday nights, with Warren Woessner reading this week, beginning at 7 p.m.

The list continues, from here to there and everywhere around the Island. Consider this a sample tasting; for the full menu visit the Vineyard Gazette’s calender, in print or online at calender.vineyardgazette.com.