By Vineyard Light

by Rose Styron, Craig Dripps (Photographer)

This beautiful collection of poems and photographs of the landscape of Martha's Vineyard is a serene and noble tribute to this lovely island. This book portrays the island's character more than any other volume on the subject, through the combination of Rose Styron's evocative lines and Craig Dripps's stunning images.

Styron evokes the rhythmic waves caressing the beaches, the lighthouses and fairways, and the lantern-lit night. She speaks of the oxen at Brookside Farm, foggy Chilmark Pond, and the limbs of the ancient oak in West Tisbury with a love of place born in the soul and painted in words.

The photographs capture in color the silvered tones of the poetry, conveying the spirit of Martha's Vineyard in all seasons. Feel the bright wash of sunlight during the late summer afternoon and the blustery gusts of autumn-- the life of this enchanted island is palpable in these pages.

KATAMA
This antique landscape rubbed by hand
shines through the mist like silvered hay.
Its hewn rail fence, greyed barn, sweet fields
where dusty birds hide, startled, focus day.
--Rose Styron

136 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 1995

Reviews

[Allan LEONARD · Rating 3 out of 5]

A poetry book about Massachusetts' Martha's Vineyard, complemented with landscape photography. Poetry evokes the atmosphere of the island, and is varied enough to not be repetitive or stale. The photography presents quieter moments. My favourite image was a diptych of the same view of the beach with foreground, taken at different times of the year.

[Martha Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely--captures Martha's Vineyard so well