Connie Berry

Martha's Vineyard

Managing Editor at The Martha's Vineyard Times

Community/Calendar Editor at Martha's Vineyard Times, reader, writer, chief cook and growler washer; enjoys eating, sleeping and breathing.

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Articles

Remembering a finer one of our own

Oct 31, 2024 | mvtimes.com | Connie Berry |Geoff Currier

When I walked into the upstairs office at the Martha’s Vineyard Times for the very first time years ago, Geoff Currier was sitting at his desk, long legs stretched out in front of him. We were introduced, and I realized he was the same Geoff Currier who had written some great magazine stories I had proofread for another publication. I’m pretty sure I gasped dramatically when I met him, and said something like, “Oh! You’re Geoff Currier!” I was in awe already.
Have Faith: A faithful farewell

Sep 11, 2024 | mvtimes.com | Connie Berry

I like that my saying goodbye to The MV Times can be written in this column — a column some people doubted. A column that looks at Islanders and their spiritual life. Because yes, indeed, we have a spiritual life here. For many of us, it’s taking our time sitting beside the ocean and realizing the perfect beauty that God (or someone else?) created for us. Maybe it’s walking one of the trails, or helping at the Food Pantry.
The Martha's Vineyard Times

Sep 4, 2024 | mvtimes.com | Connie Berry

Sunday afternoons at my house are for cooking. And maybe a little Pandora listening and a short glass of vino. I like to listen to Van Morrison while I chop vegetables. This Sunday, I figured if I chopped up veggies and then tossed them with a tasty homemade dressing, they would only get better as they sat. And they did. I had a lot of forgotten broccoli to use up, red onion, grated cheddar, and a random bag of dried cranberries and sunflower seeds.
‘Billy Baloo’ redux

Aug 28, 2024 | mvtimes.com | Connie Berry

Michael Mason may have died in February 2023, but he’s living on through his labor of love, “Billy Baloo,” now onstage at the M.V. Playhouse. The tale was his life’s work, and his family — Jemima James and Willy and Sam Mason — came together to make sure this endearing production keeps on moving. Like most good stories, the story behind the story is interesting itself.
The Martha's Vineyard Times

Aug 21, 2024 | mvtimes.com | Connie Berry

I’ve got a real thing for legumes, especially the littlest member of the legume family — lentils. Did you know they carry canned lentils at the new, improved Stop & Shop? Well, they do, and it’s been life-changing for me. Now all I have to do is buy a few cans and rinse using a mesh strainer, and I’m ready to do just about anything with them. This time of year, it means I can use them for the foundation of a salad packed with other flavors.
The Martha's Vineyard Times

Aug 7, 2024 | mvtimes.com | Connie Berry

A new exhibit by artist Lily Morris places the viewer in the middle of a storm, in the midst of the magnificence of sailing ships, stormy seas, sunlight bursting through the clouds, and gazing up at the ropes of a ship’s rigging. The ropes in these latest works are riveting on their own. They look like something only a nautical genius could manage, yet Morris renders them organized, chaotic, detailed, and explored from every conceivable angle.
Have Faith: Change can be good

Jul 30, 2024 | mvtimes.com | Connie Berry

A couple of weeks ago I drove up to the Chilmark Community Church on a Friday morning to check in with interim pastor extraordinaire the Rev. Charlotte Wright and some of the team from the church — Julie Flanders and Pam Goff. They went through a major shift at the end of last year and moving into this year — they essentially ended their connection with the national Methodist church and are now leading themselves.
Jewel comes to the Campground

Jul 25, 2024 | mvtimes.com | Connie Berry

Working to sustain and maintain the beautiful Campground in Oak Bluffs, with its charming and colorful architecture and storied history, is part and parcel of Kelly Feirtag’s job as general manager of the MV Camp Meeting Association (MVCMA). No small task, but it’s not her first Grand Illumination by a long shot. Feirtag, 36, has always loved Oak Bluffs, having first come to the Island for summer vacation with her best friend’s family when she was 13 or 14.
Ode to the English kitchen

Jul 25, 2024 | mvtimes.com | Connie Berry

It was an interesting weekend in the Berry kitchen. My friend and colleague Barbara Davis had just received a cookbook she ordered online called ”Tin Can Cook,” by British food writer and anti-poverty advocate Jack Monroe on Wednesday. I was taken with it, and Barbara offered to let me borrow it before she had even given it a good look. There were two recipes I thought seemed ridiculously easy and possibly tasty, so I went for it. The first, Canned Fruit Cocktail Cake, sounded promising.
Characters coming to life

Jul 25, 2024 | mvtimes.com | Connie Berry

It’s interesting that attorney and author Stephen Carter’s 2002 bestselling novel about wealth, power, and politics, “The Emperor of Ocean Park,” set in Chicago and Martha’s Vineyard, is making its screen debut right now on MGM+, available through Amazon Prime. It was also a little ironic that I spoke to him on the front porch of a grand old Oak Bluffs cottage that looked out on the park, on a brilliantly sunny day.