April 13, 2017
One of our favorite things about Star Island is that folks come out to Star in many different capacities, have personally unique experiences and stay for possibly entirely different reasons than when they first arrived. Each summer is filled to the brim with memories, conversations and connections that last a lifetime, and we are so grateful… Read more >
October 18, 2016
By Allegra Hyde It’s getting toward evening on Star Island and I’m struggling to do anything but watch the sky change. The sheer blue of a July day slides into pinks and oranges, the horizon going ember bright. I’m not alone in my fixation. Shoalers gather along the Oceanic Hotel’s front porch or in the… Read more >
September 30, 2016
By Lois Williams There’s only a month left to see the “Childe Hassam at the Isles of Shoals” exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts – it closes November 6. Many Shoalers have seen it, and there are even a couple of instances of Shoalers meeting other Shoalers at the exhibit. Not to… Read more >
August 23, 2016
Written by Liz MacLean A Much Needed Technology Break-Up (For the Day, Anyway) Once the boat had docked and the masses of people unloaded, I walked up the front lawn and checked my phone. No service. For many of my friends, this would lead to heart palpitations and a minor anxiety attack. Going without a… Read more >
June 16, 2016
STARlandia A hymn for Star Island Music from Finlandia by Jean Sibelius New lyric by Steven Ratiner This is our time, the chapel bell is ringing. Our way is lit by lantern and the moon. This is our time, this night, this island-hour. The path is old – our passing makes it new. This is… Read more >
March 17, 2015
The voice of Star Island’s winter caretaker was broadcast over the air recently when a story about her unique job and the journey that led her here was shared on New Hampshire Public Radio. Reported by Sean Hurley, the piece provides a look into Alex de Steiguer’s background and the inspiration she finds on Star… Read more >
March 21, 2014
by Ellen M. Taylor, Writers in the Round As a child, we would sail out to Star Island from Kittery on the family cat boat, made by my father and named “The Flying Clod.” There was always that moment when Star came into view, the grand Oceanic Hotel like a figurehead on the prow of… Read more >
March 21, 2014
by Karen Ellis, Star Gathering 1 & 2 I only know that I write “LAWRANCE” on my basket supplies and tools and they magically appear in a room at the end of the porch on the first floor of Gosport. From that moment on, it becomes “the basket room” for those attending Star Gathering 1… Read more >
March 21, 2014
by Sunsue Fleming, Lifespan Religious Education Flying kites is one of my favorite things to do on Star. I have found the best place to fly a kite is the wind tunnel next to Oceanic by the cemetery. One day I was flying my kite when the string broke and the kite ended up in… Read more >
March 21, 2014
by Emily Cann, Pelican Reunion The Summer House has always been my muse. Since a conferee, I was drawing it, painting it, cutting it out of paper. The cacophony of the sunset would fade into the mainland and the Summer House stood respondent to our needs. Silhouetted, still, atop the little world we lived in… Read more >