As we pulled away from the island on the luggage boat Sunday for the last time in 2011, I was struck by the activity you could see from the dock: Dancers, yoga practitioners, musicians playing, people knitting, children running and some bopping to the music — all those elements that make for a wonderful week on Star Island.

Thanks for a great summer, and we look forward to seeing you and your families next year. The planning has already begun for the 115th season on our beloved island!

Cheers from the staff and best wishes,

Vicky Hardy
Chief Executive Officer
Star Island Corporation

Arlington, Mass. poet Steven Ratiner heard the news on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 while sitting in a Gosport Chapel pew on Star Island. The events and his setting inspired him to pen the poem “On the Morning We Heard They’d Blown Up the World.”

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Boston NPR station WBUR invited Ratiner to speak about and read aloud his poem, which aired on Sept. 5 during the radio programme “All Things Considered.”

Visit WBUR.org for the full audio clip and the complete poem text.